30,000 tons of dissolved polystyrene-butadiene rubber started successfully! In 2026, the industry will be in surplus

Recently, the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Process Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully started up the production line of Sinopec Baling Petrochemical's 30,000-ton dissolved polystyrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) unit with an annual output of 30,000 tons, and successfully produced new iron comb butadiene rubber materials
.
This is the first time that the product has achieved industrial trial production
in China.

In view of the problems of dependence on imports of synthetic rubber in the field of new materials in China, the Qingdao Institute of Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shandong Energy Research Institute) has created a new material of iron-based comb butadiene rubber by designing and synthesizing a new iron-based catalyst, and developed catalyst technology and catalytic polymerization technology
with independent intellectual property rights.

It is reported that iron comb butadiene rubber can completely replace the dissolved polystyrene-butadiene rubber that relies on imports in the field of new materials in China, and the wet slip resistance of rubber tires made of this new material can reach grade A of the new labeling law of the European Union, with strong
application.

SSBR has excellent wear resistance, cold resistance, low heat generation, wet slip resistance, high resilience and fast vulcanization speed, etc.
, and has a wide range of applications
in the tire industry, especially green tires, anti-skid tires, ultra-lightweight tires and other high-performance tires.
In addition, SSBR can also be used to make raincoats, felt cloth, windbreakers, air beds, sponge materials, etc.
, and has broad
prospects for development and utilization.

State-owned enterprises account for more than 65% of production capacity

In 2022, the main production enterprises of SSBR in China are mainly state-owned enterprises and joint ventures, and the production capacity of Chinese enterprises will be 247,000 tons/year, accounting for about 65.
52% of the total production capacity; The production equipment is mainly concentrated in the enterprises belonging to Sinopec Corporation and the enterprises belonging to China National Petroleum Corporation, of which Sinopec has a production capacity of 127,000 tons/year, accounting for about 33.
69% of the total production capacity, and the manufacturers include Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Company (production capacity of 30,000 tons/year), Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Petrochemical Company (production capacity of 67,000 tons/year) and Sinopec Baling Petrochemical Company (production capacity of 30,000 tons/year); CNPC has a production capacity of 120,000 tons/year, accounting for about 31.
83% of the total production capacity, and the manufacturer is PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Company (production capacity is 120,000 tons/year).

The joint venture has a production capacity of 130,000 tons/year, accounting for about 34.
48% of the total production capacity, and manufacturers include Zhenjiang Qimei Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
(80,000 tons/year) and Liaoning North Dainasso Synthetic Rubber Co.
, Ltd.
(50,000 tons/year).

In 2022, the production equipment of SSBR in China is mainly concentrated in Northwest, Central China, North China, East China and Northeast China, of which East China is the largest production area, with a production capacity of 147,000 tons/year, accounting for about 38.
99% of the total production capacity; It is followed by the northwest region, with a production capacity of 120,000 tons/year, accounting for about 31.
83%
of the total production capacity.
In addition, the production capacity in North China is 30,000 tons/year, accounting for about 7.
96% of the total production capacity; The production capacity of Northeast China is 50,000 tons/year, accounting for about 13.
26% of the total production capacity; The production capacity in central China is 30,000 tons/year, accounting for about 7.
96%
of the total production capacity.
PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Company is the largest manufacturer of SSBR in China, with a production capacity of 120,000 tons/year, accounting for about 31.
83% of the total production capacity; It is followed by Zhenjiang Qimei Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
, with a production capacity of 80,000 tons/year, accounting for about 21.
22%
of the total production capacity.

The technology used by China's SSBR manufacturers is a combination of domestic technology and imported technology, of which Liaoning North Dynasso Synthetic Rubber Co.
, Ltd.
adopts Spanish Dynasso company technology, Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Petrochemical Company adopts Japanese Asahi Kasei company technology, Zhenjiang Chimei Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
adopts Taiwan Chimei company technology, PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Company uses Italy Eni company technology for a set of 60,000 tons / year plant, and another set of 60,000 tons / The device adopts the technology developed by China National Petroleum Corporation; Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Company and Sinopec Baling Petrochemical Company use technology developed by Sinopec
.

Will there be a surplus in 2026?

1.
Coming development trends

(1) In the next few years, China will have 60,000 tons / year of Zhejiang Petrochemical Co.
, Ltd.
, 120,000 tons / year of PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Company and other SSBR units completed and put into operation, and the production capacity will continue to increase
.
If these projects can be implemented as planned, it is expected that by 2026, the production capacity of China's SSBR will reach 557,000 tons, and there will be excess
capacity.

(2) With the completion and production of new equipment, the import volume of SSBR in China will gradually decrease, but some high-end products will still need to be imported
from companies such as Goodyear, ARLANXEO and LG.
As domestic supply increases, exports will gradually increase
in the future.

(3) Radial tires have become the mainstream products of the world's tires, and SSBR is the best rubber indispensable for manufacturing high-performance green tires, and it is also a necessary rubber for the manufacture of radial tires
.
Rolling resistance, wet slip resistance, wear resistance to achieve a comprehensive balance, to manufacture safe, comfortable and energy-saving green tires is the future development direction
.
Functionalized SSBR will become the mainstream
of future development.

(4) Continuous polymerization SSBR has the advantages of large production scale, high efficiency and low material consumption and energy consumption, which is the future development direction
.

2.
Development advice

(1) With the completion and operation of new plants, China's SSBR production capacity has been excessive, in the future new or expanded equipment should be cautious, should comprehensively consider technology sources and advanced, raw material sources, product structure, downstream demand and other factors, so as to avoid the waste of manpower, material resources and financial resources, to avoid blind competition
between domestic enterprises.

(2) Accelerate technology development and improve the ability to regulate vinyl content and styrene content during SSBR polymerization; Develop a new and efficient initiation system with simple synthesis process, easy availability of raw materials, low price and functional degree that is convenient for adjustment; Develop a new regulator system with high efficiency, temperature resistance and no impact on subsequent reactions; Development of functionalization and various modification technologies; On the basis of further improving the batch polymerization process, a continuous SSBR polymerization process with independent intellectual property rights is developed to improve the overall production technology level
of SSBR in China.

(3) Reduce SSBR production and use costs
.
Since SSBR is partially substituted for emulsion polybutylbenzene (ESBR), polybutadiene rubber and natural rubber in use, the production cost of SSBR directly affects the amount of SSBR used
.
To this end, all production enterprises should continuously optimize the production process conditions through technological progress, reduce energy consumption and material consumption, and reduce the production cost
of SSBR.
In addition, the development of new formulations with low usage and excellent performance should be strengthened, and existing formulations should be improved to reduce the cost of use and meet actual needs
.

(4) Adjust the product structure and accelerate the research and development
of new SSBR varieties.
At present, China's SSBR products are mainly the first and second generation, and the gap with foreign countries is large
.
In the future, we should give full play to the advantages of the large adjustment range of SSBR structure, according to the individual needs of different application fields, comprehensively consider the formula requirements of processing applications, flexibly apply polymer design and optimization modification methods, and develop new SSBR products and grades, such as filled environmental protection oil SSBR, block random SSBR, SSBR with trapezoidal gradient state in unit composition and structure, partially hydrogenated SSBR, SSBR with gradient 1,2- structure, Ternary integrated rubber SIBR and SSBR with different vinyl content and combined styrene content, various (single-ended, double-ended-modified) end-modified SSBR products, etc.
, to expand SSBR varieties and grades to meet the needs of
different users.

(5) Strengthen the connection between SSBR scientific research, production and users, set up SSBR production, sales, research and use development teams for different application fields and end users, integrate the strength of research institutions, SSBR manufacturers and tire manufacturers, and jointly complete the development and application
of new SSBR products and new grades.
Strengthen cooperation with downstream users to develop targeted and applicable products
.
Provide customers with technical support
while providing products.
Strengthen cooperation with R&D institutions of multinational tire enterprises in China, develop new grades to replace imports, take advantage of the domestic market to reduce costs, develop import processing channels and other ways to improve product competitiveness and accelerate the pace of
transformation and upgrading.

(6) Continuously improve product quality and actively expand exports to alleviate the contradiction
of overcapacity of SSBR in China.