Some things about silicone

Silicone: that is, an organic silicon compound, refers to a compound that contains Si-C bonds and at least one organic group is directly connected to a silicon atom. In addition, compounds connected to silicon atoms through oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, etc. are also regarded as organic silicon compounds. Among them, polysiloxanes composed of silicon oxygen bonds (-SI-O-Si-) are the most numerous, most studied and most widely used, accounting for more than 90% of the total consumption.

Widely used:

Daily chemicals, textiles: breathable, hydrophobic, and comfort;

Advanced defense models such as aviation, aerospace, and ships: resistant to high and low temperature alternation, and are stable in high vacuum, high radiation space environments and harsh marine environments such as humidity and heat, salt spray;

Electrical appliances: improve insulation and temperature resistance;

Construction, automobile, tires: high seal bonding, extended service life;

Mechanical processing: Replaces the phosphating treatment of metal surfaces to reduce pollution and energy consumption.

Development history:

1. Since Dow Corning built the world's first silicone factory in the United States in 1943, the silicone material industry has developed for nearly 80 years.

2. my country started the methyl chloride silane monomer industry in 1957, with an annual output of 70,000 tons, and with continuous development and research.

3. In 2015, my country reversed its long-term dependence on imports and became a net exporter of polysiloxane.

4. In 2017, my country's methyl monomer production capacity reached 2.7 million tons, with an output of more than 1.8 million tons, ranking first in the world.

5. As of 2021, my country's industrial silicon production reached 2.6 million tons, an increase of 24% year-on-year. The global supply of monomers and intermediates accounts for 58.57%, of which the monomer production capacity is 3.28 million tons and intermediates are 1.64 million tons.

工艺流程图

下游产品占比

单体产能供应格局

新增产能一览表

Since the second half of 2021, the following four factories have been newly added so far: According to statistics, 1.1 million tons of production capacity have been released so far in 2021, an increase of about 30% year-on-year. This includes the 400,000 tons of Hesheng Silicon Industry Shanshan, Yunnan Energy Investment Phase I project in October 2021, with a production capacity of 200,000 tons, and the 200,000 tons of Stellar Chemical's 200,000 tons of project was successfully tested at the end of December. The 300,000 tons of Shandong Phase III plant will be operating normally in 2022. In addition, its own Phase I and Phase II production capacity, currently Shandong Dongyue has a total production capacity of 600,000 tons.

Single unit start-up rate

The operating rate of single-unit devices has been maintained in stable operation recently, among which the second phase of Xinjiang Shanshan Phase II is still in the trial operation stage, involving a production capacity of 200,000 tons. In the later stage, the operating rate of domestic single-unit devices has a downward trend. Among them, the 150,000-ton annual single unit production equipment in Jinling, Shandong will be suspended at the end of this month, and is expected to be suspended for 20 days.

Silicone import and export data

In January and February 2022, the import volume of primary siloxane was 15,400 tons and the export volume was 82,100 tons. Imports decreased by 23.19% year-on-year compared with January and February 2021, and exports increased by 2738.05%.

The main reasons for fluctuations in imports and exports: my country's share of monomers and intermediates in the world is gradually increasing, and it is the world's largest supplier and exporter of silicone products. On the one hand, in a carbon neutral environment, foreign factory installations have reduced production and increased production costs, and due to public health incidents, weather disasters, international conflicts and other reasons, the supply level has decreased. Foreign layout and development direction are taking the high-end and sophisticated route, while my country's silicone products have export advantages, which has driven the increase in the export market.

进出口数据同比对比趋势图

According to the statistical chart, my country's imports showed a downward trend. In the first quarter of this year, my country's total imports of primary siloxane were 25,800 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 30.46%. In contrast, the export market showed an upward trend, with imports reaching the highest in January 2022 in a year, at 47,100 tons, an increase of 100.2% year-on-year. According to statistics, export volume in the first quarter of this year was 128,500 tons, an increase of 70.42% year-on-year