The phthalic anhydride industry has entered a stage of capacity adjustment and the market prospects are not optimistic
Phthalic anhydride, generally referred to as phthalic anhydride, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C8H4O3. It appears as a white crystal powder, insoluble in cold water, slightly soluble in hot water and ether, and soluble in ethanol, pyridine, benzene, carbon disulfide, etc. Phthalic anhydride is an important intermediate for organic compounds. It has the characteristics of high boiling point, good water absorption, excellent foaming performance, and high content of benzene ring structure. It is an important intermediate for the production of phthalate plasticizers, saccharin, dyes, coatings, and organic compounds. A key intermediate, it is widely used in plasticizers, unsaturated resins, coatings, pesticides, medicine and other fields.
At present, the main production methods of phthalic anhydride are naphthalene method and o-benzene method. The o-dimethylmethane method uses o-xylene as raw material and oxidizes it with air to make phthalic anhydride. The naphthalene method uses naphthalene oxidation to make phthalic anhydride. Among them, the ortho-method is superior to the naphthalene method in terms of raw material supply, output rate, and environmental protection. However, the production cost of the ortho-method is relatively high. Currently, against the background of the continuous improvement of domestic production technology, most local companies have used the ortho-method to produce phthalic anhydride. At the same time, against the background of the continuous development of domestic phthalic anhydride application fields, my country’s phthalic anhydride production volume continues to increase. According to the“In-depth Market Research and Development of Phthalic Anhydride Industry in 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center “Investment Strategy Proposal Report” shows that the total domestic phthalic anhydride production capacity in 2021 is 3.186 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%, of which the o-phthalic anhydride production capacity is approximately 1.879 million tons, accounting for 59% of the production capacity.
my country’s phthalic anhydride industry started late, but has developed rapidly. At present, China has become one of the largest producers and sellers of phthalic anhydride in the world. There are a large number of domestic phthalic anhydride companies, including Gulei Chemical, Sanwei Haoxin Chemical, Liancheng Chemical, Zhejiang Jiaotong Technology, ST Rongtai, Yuanli Technology and other companies. Since 2021, a large number of domestic phthalic anhydride production capacities have been added.
From the demand side, plasticizers and unsaturated resins are the main application markets of phthalic anhydride, with plasticizer applications accounting for 49% and unsaturated resins accounting for 26%. In recent years, due to the increasing domestic environmental protection efforts and the dual-control and power-limiting policy on energy consumption, plasticizer operating rates have plummeted and market demand has continued to shrink. At the same time, under the high pressure of environmental protection, most small unsaturated resin companies have gradually been launched from the market due to substandard production and other reasons. The sluggish downstream market has had a huge impact on the phthalic anhydride market, and the domestic market demand for phthalic anhydride continues to decline.
Industrial Analyst personnel said that overall, the current domestic phthalic anhydride industry has serious overcapacity, market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the market has entered into production capacity adjustment stage. Against this background, according to data from the General Administration of Customs, domestic exports of phthalic anhydride in 2021 will be 53,000 tons, a growth rate of 119.2%. Seeking export sales has become the main means for domestic enterprises to solve the problem of overcapacity. At present, the domestic phthalic anhydride industry has entered the stage of production capacity adjustment, and the development of the industry is limited. In the future, the domestic phthalic anhydride industry will need to continuously adjust its product structure and improve product differentiation to promote rapid growth in the export market and break the industry development dilemma.
微信扫一扫打赏
