The zirconium nitrate industry has good development prospects. Chinese companies still need to increase the research and development of high-purity zirconium nitrate.

Zirconium nitrate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Zr(NO3)4. It appears as a white crystalline powder, easily absorbs moisture and is easily soluble in water. The aqueous solution is acidic and soluble in ethanol. At present, the domestic production method of zirconium nitrate is mainly zirconium carbonate method, which refers to the method of using zirconium carbonate as raw material, adding nitric acid to dissolve, impurity removal and filtration, constant temperature crystallization, centrifugal dehydration, washing and packaging to generate zirconium nitrate.

From the upstream of the industrial chain, zirconium carbonate is the key material for the production of zirconium nitrate. At present, my country has Jiangxi Jing’an High-tech Co., Ltd., Jiangxi China Ceramics Bojing New Material Technology, Jiangxi Quannan Jinghuan Technology, Ningxia Qihong New Material, Shandong Guangzhou Enterprises such as Tong New Materials have laid out their production areas. Among them, Jiangxi Jing’an High-tech’s zirconium carbonate production has exceeded 18,000 tons in 2022. In the future, as upstream companies continue to upgrade their technology, domestic zirconium carbonate production will continue to increase, creating favorable conditions for the development of the zirconium nitrate industry.

From the downstream of the industrial chain, zirconium nitrate has good hygroscopicity, solubility, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and chemical stability, and has broad development prospects in the chemical industry, medical treatment, nuclear industry and other fields. Specifically, zirconium nitrate can be used in the nuclear industry as a coating material for nuclear fuel and structural materials for nuclear reactors; it can be used as a raw material for the preparation of zirconium compounds such as zirconium oxide and calcium chloride, as well as for the preparation of preservatives, catalysts, and fluoride measurement reagents. Raw materials for chemical products such as this are used in the chemical industry; they can be used in the medical field as raw materials for preparing dental materials, artificial joints, etc.

According to the “my country’s Zirconium Nitrate Industry Market Monitoring and Future Development Prospects Research Report 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center, The main zirconium nitrate production enterprises in China include Quannan Jinghuan Technology, Jiangxi Guocera Bojing New Material Technology, Zibo Jiahua New Material Resources, Zibo Chaochuan Chemical, Qingdao Tianyao New Material, Jining Tianyi New Material, Xiaxian Yunli Chemical, There are many companies including Sichuan Wo Naixi New Material Technology, Zhejiang Huayixiaoyi Technology, Anhui Shuangtong Environmental Protection New Material Technology, Jining Zhongkai New Materials, etc.

However, due to technical limitations, most domestic zirconium nitrate enterprises are small and medium-sized enterprises, and the purity of their products is low, which only meets the market application demand for chemical grade zirconium nitrate. The output of high-purity zirconium nitrate suitable for medical grade and nuclear industry grade is still relatively low. The number of manufacturing enterprises is still relatively small. In the future, local zirconium nitrate companies will need to continue to improve their technical level and increase research and development of high-purity products. There is still considerable room for growth in the industry.

Industry analysts said that the development of the domestic zirconium nitrate industry is affected by the continued increase in the supply of raw materials and continued demand from the downstream market. Growth is good and the industry shows good development prospects. At present, many domestic companies have deployed in the field of zirconium nitrate production. However, due to limitations in technology and R&D strength, domestic products are still concentrated in the chemical grade zirconium nitrate market, with low added value and weak corporate competitiveness. In the future, local zirconium nitrate companies will need to continuously upgrade their technology and innovative products to accelerate the pace of corporate transformation and upgrading, thereby increasing the supply capacity of medical-grade and nuclear industry-grade zirconium nitrate.