China's MIBK Import Dependence Status and Localization Technology Bottleneck?

China MIBK Import Dependence Status and Localization Technology Bottleneck Analysis

In recent years, 4-methylethylenephenol (MIBK), as an important fine chemical raw material, has been widely used in epoxy resin, surfactant, pesticide and other fields. China's MIBK market has long been highly dependent on imports, and the localization technology has not yet completely broken through, resulting in a strong dependence on foreign products in the market. This paper will analyze the current situation of import, technical bottleneck and the breakthrough of localization.

1. China MIBK Import Dependence Status

MIBK is an important industrial raw material, which is widely used in epoxy resin, pesticide intermediates, surfactants and other fields. In recent years, with the rapid development of domestic related industries, the demand for MIBK continues to grow. As the domestic production technology is not yet mature, high-end products are still heavily dependent on imports.

From the perspective of market data, China's MIBK market presents the characteristics of "polarization": on the one hand, ordinary MIBK products have been able to achieve localization, and the supply is relatively surplus; on the other hand, high-end, high-purity MIBK products are still mainly dependent on imports, and the sources of imports are concentrated in a few developed countries. This structural contradiction makes domestic enterprises have to rely on imported high-end products for a long time, which increases production costs and restricts the development of domestic related industries to a certain extent.

2. localization technology bottleneck

1. Immaturity of the synthesis process The synthesis process of MIBK mainly focuses on the traditional processes such as catechol method and cyclohexane method. These processes have many problems in terms of product purity, yield, and production cost. For example, traditional processes are prone to by-products, and separation costs are high, resulting in insufficient product competitiveness. In contrast, foreign companies have invested more in process optimization and have achieved higher efficiency and lower energy consumption.

2. Deficiencies of environmental protection technology The production process of MIBK will produce certain pollutants. How to achieve green production and reduce environmental pollution is an important challenge. Although some domestic enterprises have made some progress in environmental protection treatment, there are still technical bottlenecks in the advanced treatment of wastewater and waste gas, which is difficult to meet the increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements.

3. The lag of high-end product development High-end MIBK products usually have higher purity and lower impurity content, which puts forward higher requirements on the production process and technical level. Due to the insufficient investment of domestic enterprises in technology research and development, the production technology of high-end products is still not fully mastered, resulting in the market relying on imports for a long time.

3. Localization Technology Breakthrough Possible Path

1. Optimization of existing synthesis processes The synthesis efficiency and product purity of MIBK were improved by improving the catalyst and optimizing the reaction conditions. For example, the use of new catalytic technology to reduce the incidence of side reactions, thereby improving product yield and quality.

2. Strengthen the research and development of environmental protection technology Invest more resources in the research and development of environmental protection technologies, develop efficient and low-cost wastewater and waste gas treatment technologies, and promote green production. This can not only meet the requirements of environmental protection, but also reduce production costs and enhance the market competitiveness of products.

3. Promoting Industry-University-Research Cooperation Through the cooperation of universities, scientific research institutions and enterprises, we will concentrate our efforts on overcoming the technical problems in the production of MIBK. For example, developing new process routes and exploring green chemical methods to achieve higher efficiency and lower energy consumption.

4. Conclusion

The long-term dependence on imports in China's MIBK market not only increases the production costs of enterprises, but also restricts the development of related domestic industries to a certain extent. To achieve localization substitution, the key is to break through the technical bottleneck, optimize the production process, improve product performance. In the future, with the continuous progress of technology and the increase of R & D investment, domestic MIBK is expected to gradually replace imported products and realize the independent control of the market.