As the upstream and downstream sectors of the industrial chain continue to benefit, the insoluble sulfur market is showing an increase in both supply and demand.
Insoluble sulfur refers to transparent, amorphous chain-like elastic sulfur made by mixing boiling (444.6 degrees Celsius) sulfur powder with cold water. Its molecular formula is Su. It appears as a yellow powder and is insoluble in water. It is insoluble in carbon disulfide, toluene, etc. It has greater solubility in organic solvents.
Insoluble sulfur is a highly polymerized isomer of ordinary sulfur. It has strong viscosity, stable performance, and even distribution in rubber. It can be used as an advanced accelerator and vulcanization cross-linking agent in the rubber industry. It is currently used in rubber hoses and tires. , conveyor belts, automotive rubber parts, latex products, wires and cables and other fields are widely used.
From the upstream of the industrial chain, ordinary sulfur, the raw material of insoluble sulfur, mainly comes from mining fields such as pyrite, limestone, manganese ore, barium ore, and strontium ore. At present, China has abundant reserves of pyrite, limestone, and barium ore. Pyrite ore is widely distributed in 28 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China; limestone reserves account for more than 65% of the world’s total reserves; total barium ore resources are The reserves are close to 1 billion tons. The sufficient supply of upstream raw materials has laid a good foundation for the continuous improvement of domestic insoluble sulfur production. According to the“China Insoluble Sulfur Industry Market Monitoring 2022-2026″ released by the Industrial Research Center and Future Development Prospects Research Report” shows that domestic insoluble sulfur production will reach 129,000 tons in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 13.1%.
From the downstream of the industrial chain, radial tires are the largest application area of insoluble sulfur. In recent years, as the domestic automobile industry has continuously increased its tire performance requirements and the speed of radial tires replacing ordinary tires has continued to increase, the production of radial tires has continued to increase, which in turn has driven insoluble sulfur Sulfur market demand continues to increase. According to data from the Tire Branch of the China Rubber Industry Association, domestic radial tire production in 2021 will be 657 million units, accounting for 94% of total tire production. Against this background, the domestic insoluble sulfur market demand will reach 173,000 tons in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 11.8%.
At this stage, the upstream and downstream sectors of the industrial chain continue to benefit. my country’s insoluble sulfur market has shown a “double increase” in supply and demand, and the industry has broad prospects for development. The main insoluble sulfur companies in my country include Shangshun Chemical, Jiahong Chemical, Hengxingyuan Chemical, Jinghai Chemical, Huatai Chemical, Taishan Fine Chemical, Huasheng New Rubber Materials, Kailun Chemical, Mingyu Chemical Hongtai Rubber Additives, etc., mainly Concentrated in East, Southwest and North China.
Industry analysis personnel said that currently there are abundant reserves of mineral resources such as limestone ore, pyrite, and barium ore in the country, and the production of radial tires continues Under the background of improvement, the production and demand of insoluble sulfur continue to increase, and the development trend of the industry is improving. However, the current domestic supply and demand pattern of insoluble sulfur is still in short supply. In the future, local companies will need to continue to improve technology and expand production capacity. At the same time, with supply exceeding demand, my country’s insoluble sulfur market price continues to increase, from 14,000 yuan/ton in 2020 to 16,000 yuan/ton in 2021. The future market profit margins are huge and the industry has broad prospects for development.