Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) has a wide range of uses and growing market demand

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), also known as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and cellulose hydroxypropyl methyl ether, is a non-ionic cellulose mixture made from natural polymer materials through chemical processing. ether. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose appears as white or off-white fibrous or granular powder. It is soluble in water but insoluble in ether, acetone and ethanol.

According to the “2022-2027 China Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Trend Forecast Research Report span>》shows that hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is mainly used as a dispersant in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Polyvinyl chloride has excellent properties and is collectively known as the five general-purpose resins together with polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS). According to statistics from the China Chlor-Alkali Industry Association, my country’s polyvinyl chloride production reached 21.30 million tons in 2021, with a capacity utilization rate of 78.5%. The production of polyvinyl chloride has shown a steady growth trend, driving the demand for hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in my country to continue to increase.

The preparation methods of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose include liquid phase method and gas phase method. The gas phase method uses wood pulp or cotton pulp as raw material, and processes it through etherification and alkalinization to produce hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. This method is widely used in developed countries such as Europe and the United States. The liquid phase method is the mainstream production method of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in my country. It has the advantages of high safety, low equipment requirements, and easy control of product quality. However, this method has high production costs and is not suitable for large-scale production. At present, some companies in my country have continued to make breakthroughs based on the liquid phase method and have developed hydroxypropyl methylcellulose preparation methods such as the one-step method with low production costs and accurate and reliable operating control parameters.

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose has the characteristics of surface activity, adhesiveness, salt resistance, water retention and PH-stability, and is widely used in medicine, building materials, food processing, petrochemicals, cosmetics and other fields. In the pharmaceutical field, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose can be used to produce eye drops, which can induce tear secretion and relieve tired and dry eyes. In the field of building materials, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose can be used to produce cement mortar, gypsum board and water-resistant putty powder.

In the global market, major hydroxypropyl methylcellulose companies include Shin-Etsu of Japan, Hercules of the United States, and Dow Chemical of the United States. In the local market, Shandong Everbright, Shandong Heda, Henan Tiansheng, etc. are the largest hydroxypropyl methylcellulose manufacturers in my country.

Industry analysts said that in recent years, my country’s leading companies have continued to promote technological innovation, and the output of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is expected to further grow. . As a high molecular polymer, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose has a wide range of uses. Driven by the rapid economic development, my country’s hydroxypropyl methylcellulose market demand is increasingly strong, and the industry will gain broad development space in the future.