Polyurethane (PU), whose full name is polyurethane, is a polymer compound. It was produced in 1937 by Otto Bayer and others. Polyurethane has two categories: polyester type and polyether type. They can be made into polyurethane plastics (mainly foam), polyurethane fibers (called spandex in China), polyurethane rubber and elastomers.
Soft polyurethane mainly has a thermoplastic linear structure. It has better stability, chemical resistance, resilience and mechanical properties than PVC foam materials, and has less compression deformation. Good heat insulation, sound insulation, anti-vibration and anti-virus performance. Therefore, it is used as packaging, sound insulation, and filter material. [2] Rigid polyurethane plastic has light weight, superior sound insulation, heat insulation performance, chemical resistance, good electrical properties, easy processing, and low water absorption. It is mainly used as a structural material for construction, automobile, aviation industry, and thermal insulation. [2] The performance of polyurethane elastomer is between plastic and rubber, oil resistance, abrasion resistance, low temperature resistance, aging resistance, high hardness and elasticity. Mainly used in the shoe industry and medical industry. Polyurethane can also be used to make adhesives, coatings, synthetic leat her, etc.
Polyurethane appeared in the 1930s. After nearly 80 years of technological development, this material has been widely used in the field of home furnishing, construction, daily necessities, transportation, home appliances, etc.
Polyurethane (PU) was first developed by German scientists in the 1930s. German scientists polycondensed liquid isocyanate and liquid polyether or glycol polyester to form a new type of material. Polyolefin materials are not the same, scientists named it polyurethane. With the end of the Second World War, the US chemical manufacturing industry flourished, and polyurethane flexible foam was synthesized in the 1950s. This was an important milestone in the chemical industry at that time and provided a solid foundation for the future development of the polyurethane industry. Technical basis.
Global PU market situation
The global polyurethane market is mainly located in developed countries in Europe and America. The Asia-Pacific region is mainly represented by China, Japan, and South Korea. The above countries and regions account for 90% of the global polyurethane market. Among them, my country's total polyurethane consumption accounts for half of the world. There are many types of polyurethane products in the world and they are used in various fields. By the end of 2016, the total global output of polyurethane has reached about 22 million tons.
Main raw material market overview
The main raw materials of polyurethane include diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and polypropylene glycol (PPG), all of which have now become international commodities. The production technology and equipment of these raw materials are very complex, the product competition is quite fierce, and the result of long-term development has made production relatively concentrated.
Isocyanate is a general term for various esters of isocyanate . If classified by the number of -NCO groups, it includes monoisocyanate R-N=C=O and diisocyanate O=C=N-R-N=C=O and polyisocyanate; it can also be divided into aliphatic isocyanate and aromatic Group of isocyanates, aromatic isocyanates are currently used in the largest amount, such as MDI, TDI, etc.
（1） MDI
The production technology and equipment requirements of MDI are relatively complicated, and the production technology is controlled by several giant companies around the world. More than 95% of global MDI production companies are concentrated in Asia and Europe. Compared with the two, the growth rate of the European market is not as fast as that of Asia, but its MDI industry started early and the market is relatively mature.
On June 1, 2015, the China-Korea Free Trade Agreement was officially signed, which changed the tax rate of polyurethane raw materials. The export tax rate of China's polymerized MDI has fallen faster than the import tax rate. As the domestic polymer MDI market's capacity and output increase, import dependence decreases and export dependence increases, the implementation of the China-Korea Free Trade Agreement will have a significantly greater impact on China's polymer MDI exports than on polymer MDI imports.
（2） TDI
In 2015, TDI prices in various regions of my country fluctuated greatly, and manufacturers' firm offers became the only driving force for the rise of TDI prices. However, subsequently affected by demand, the trend declined several times, breaking new lows repeatedly. The price range for the whole year of 2015 was lower than the price of the previous two years, and the high position of the TDI market no longer exists. In addition, the overall operating rate of domestic TDI manufacturers in 2015 was lower than in 2014, resulting in a lot of reduction in production.
（3）PPG
PPG is one of the main raw materials for the production of polyurethane products . The use amount in polyurethane foam can reach more than 90%, and the use amount accounts for the largest proportion. Due to the large-scale production facilities of polyether polyols , the production capacity is mainly concentrated in several large multinational companies such as BASF, Bayer, Dow Chemical, and Shell. my country's polyether polyol manufacturers have only formed a certain scale through technology introduction and independent research and development. In recent years, with the expansion of large-scale manufacturers, the varieties and specifications of polyether polyols are basically complete, and the product quality and stability have also been greatly improved.
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