The market demand for chlorohydrin rubber (ECO) is strong and the industry has broad room for development
Chlorohydrin rubber (ECO), also known as chloroether rubber, is an elastomer made of epichlorohydrin homopolymer or copolymer of epichlorohydrin and ethylene oxide. Chlorohydrin rubber is a white or slightly yellowish elastomer in appearance, easily soluble in cyclohexanone and tetrahydrofuran, and insoluble in ether, ethanol and methanol. Chlorohydrin rubber has the characteristics of highly saturated structure and high molecular weight. It has the properties of polar rubber and saturated rubber. It is widely used in automobile manufacturing, defense industry, petrochemical industry and other fields.
According to different polymerization methods, chlorohydrin rubber is mainly divided into two types: homopolymerization and copolymerization. Homopolymer chlorohydrin rubber refers to the homopolymer of epichlorohydrin (CHR). It has the advantages of good air tightness, ozone resistance, flame resistance, and good self-adhesiveness. It can be used to make shock-absorbing materials, sound-absorbing materials, gaskets, gaskets, etc. Gas flow meter, etc. Copolymerized chlorohydrin rubber refers to the copolymer of epichlorohydrin and ethylene oxide (CHC). It has the advantages of good cold resistance and good elasticity, but has poor air tightness. It is mainly used in the production of hoses, shaft seals and other products.
According to the “2023-2028 China Chlorohydrin Rubber (ECO) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center 》 shows that chlorohydrin rubber is widely used in automobile manufacturing, defense industry, petrochemical industry, etc. In the field of automobile manufacturing, chlorohydrin rubber can be used to manufacture automotive lubricating oil hoses, air intake hoses, diaphragms, fuel hoses, etc.; in the field of national defense, chlorohydrin rubber can be used to produce parts for aircraft and rockets. With the rapid development of downstream industries, the market size of chlorohydrin rubber will further expand.
The chlorohydrin rubber industry has high technical barriers, and only a few companies in the world have large-scale production capabilities. In the global market, major chlorohydrin rubber manufacturers include Japan’s Zeon Co., Ltd. (Zeon), Japan’s Daso Co., Ltd. (DAISO), and the American Gutteridge Company, etc. Japan’s Zeon is the world’s largest manufacturer of chlorohydrin rubber and occupies a dominant position in my country’s market. Hydrin® T3108, Hydrin® C2000, Hydrin® H1100, etc. are the company’s star products.
In the local market, my country is highly dependent on imports of chlorohydrin rubber, and local companies lack independent research and development capabilities. Hubei Chengfeng Chemical Co., Ltd., Wuhan Organic Industrial Co., Ltd., and Hebei Lixing Special Rubber Co., Ltd. are the major players in my country’s chlorohydrin rubber market. It is expected that in the future, as production technology matures, the concentration of my country’s chlorohydrin rubber industry will increase.
Industry analysts said that chlorohydrin rubber, as a special rubber, is widely used in many fields. Homopolymer chlorohydrin rubber and copolymer chlorohydrin rubber, as chlorohydrin rubber segmented products, have excellent performance and strong market demand. my country’s chlorohydrin rubber industry started late. Due to factors such as high technical barriers, its products are highly dependent on imports. In the future, as the independent research and development capabilities of Chinese enterprises continue to improve, the development speed of the chlorohydrin rubber industry will further accelerate.