Downstream applications drive rapid growth in demand, and my country’s phenol industry is developing well

Phenol, commonly known as carbolic acid, is a common and important organic chemical raw material. It is mainly produced from the oxidation and decomposition of cumene. It is a colorless needle-shaped crystal, which is toxic and has a special smell.

Phenol can be used to prepare chemical intermediates and products such as phenolic resin, bisphenol A, picric acid, salicylic acid, adipic acid, caprolactam, pentachlorophenol, phenolphthalein n-acetylethoxyaniline, etc., and is widely used in plastics, Resins, coatings, dyes, spices, medicines, pesticides, oil refining, fungicides, preservatives, electrolytes, synthetic rubber, synthetic fibers and other fields. Phenol can be divided into polyhydroxyphenol, monosubstituted phenol, polysubstituted phenol, aminophenol, epoxy phenol, nitrophenol, aromatic ether phenol and other types according to different chemical structures.

According to the “2023-2027 Phenol Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” released by the Industrial Research Center, from my country’s phenol In terms of downstream consumption proportion, bisphenol A, phenolic resin, nonylphenol, alkylphenol, cyclohexanone, and pharmaceutical intermediates are its main consumption areas. Among them, bisphenol A and phenolic resin are the most important consumption areas of phenol, accounting for 54.3% and 33.8% of my country’s phenol consumption respectively.

In recent years, with the continuous expansion of demand in consumer fields such as bisphenol A, alkylphenols, nonylphenols, cyclohexanone, and medical intermediates and the implementation of the integrated development strategy of the petrochemical industry, the production capacity of my country’s phenol industry has continued to expand and has become the world’s largest phenol industry. A major producer of phenol. In 2022, my country’s phenol production capacity will be 4.31 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 25.7%. Against this background, my country’s phenol production has increased steadily, but it is still unable to meet the rapidly growing demand for phenol in the downstream market. my country’s phenol market has been in a long-term imbalance between supply and demand, and a large amount of phenol needs to be imported every year.

According to data released by China Customs, in 2022, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia will be my country’s main importing trading countries of phenol. Among them, Saudi Arabia is my country’s largest importer of phenol, accounting for 32.8% of my country’s phenol imports; followed by Thailand, accounting for 16.3%; and third, South Korea, accounting for 11.4%.

Overall, my country’s phenol industry is developing well. On the one hand, in recent years, with the continuous improvement of my country’s science and technology level, the continuous advancement of phenol production technology and the increase in the number of innovative products, the production efficiency and product quality of my country’s phenol industry have been continuously improved, and the downstream application fields have been continuously expanded. The market demand for phenol has increased rapidly. . On the other hand, phenol is an important organic chemical raw material with a wide range of applications. With the rapid development of the national economy and the continuous improvement of residents’ living standards and consumption capabilities, the market demand for phenol downstream products continues to rise, promoting the rapid development of the phenol industry.

Industry analysts said that my country has a large number of phenol production companies and the industry competition is fierce. Zhejiang Petrochemical, Shenghong Refining and Chemical, Ningbo Petrochemical , Ruiheng New Materials, Lihua Yiweiyuan, Wanhua Chemical and Petrochemical, etc. are the main manufacturers of phenol in my country. In the future, as the Chinese government’s environmental supervision continues to increase and the industry’s environmental regulations become increasingly complete, some small-scale companies with backward production capacity and insufficient environmental protection capabilities will gradually withdraw from the phenol market, and industry concentration is expected to increase.