The bioeconomy is developing rapidly, and the bio-based epoxy resin industry has both opportunities and challenges.

Bio-based epoxy resin is an epoxy resin prepared by using green, harmless, abundant and renewable materials to replace bisphenol A after epoxidation. The performance of bio-based epoxy resin reaches or is better than that of petroleum-based products, and it has significant advantages in resource renewability, carbon emissions, environmental compatibility, and molecular structure characteristics. In February 2021, bio-based materials and biodegradable materials were included in the “14th Five-Year Plan” national key research and development plan, providing a good external environment for the development of the bio-based epoxy resin industry.

Epoxy resin is the most widely used thermosetting resin in polymer-based composite materials. Its downstream application fields involve composite materials, casting materials, adhesives, chemicals, electronic appliances, construction and other fields. The epoxy resin market is dominated by bisphenol A-type epoxy resin, accounting for more than 80% of consumption. However, bisphenol A is toxic and has many harmful by-products. In the context of dual carbon, there is an urgent need for transformation and upgrading of the epoxy resin industry.

According to the “2021-2026 China Bio-based Epoxy Resin Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that in 2020, the global bio-based epoxy resin market will be around US$170 million. Driven by factors such as increased awareness of carbon emissions, corporate assistance, and government support, the global bio-based epoxy resin market is growing rapidly. It is expected that in 2026, the global bio-based epoxy resin market will be The market size of bio-based epoxy resin will reach US$220 million.

In recent years, as environmental protection and safety supervision have become increasingly strict, as well as the acceleration of energy conversion and the rapid development of the bio-economy, the bio-based epoxy resin market has ushered in a good opportunity for development. In 2020, the global bio-based epoxy resin industry output will be around 25,000 tons. Globally, the bio-based epoxy resin market is mainly concentrated in Europe, America, Asia-Pacific and other regions. Europe is the world’s largest bio-based epoxy resin consumer market, accounting for more than 55%. The main manufacturers of bio-based epoxy resin include Sicomin, Wessex Resins, Spolchemie, COOE, ALPAS, etc. Among them, Spolchemie is the world’s leading supplier of bio-based epoxy resin.

As research continues to deepen, the types of bio-based epoxy resins are becoming increasingly abundant. According to different bio-based carbon contents, bio-based epoxy resins can be divided into carbon content less than 40% and carbon content 40% and above. According to different raw materials, bio-based epoxy resins Base epoxy resin can be subdivided into vegetable base, glycerin base, vegetable oil base, lignin derivative base, cardanol base, furan compound base, etc.

Industry analysts said that bio-based epoxy resin has the advantages of green, renewable and environmentally friendly, and is carbon neutral and carbon efficient. Under the background of the peak strategy, the bio-based epoxy resin market has great development potential and is expected to gradually replace traditional petroleum-based epoxy resin in the future. At present, the global bio-based epoxy resin market is small and relatively fragmented. Industry development still faces challenges in technology, application, quality and other aspects. Opportunities and challenges for future industry development will coexist.