my country’s general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS) market is gradually expanding and its product structure is constantly upgrading.

The English name of polystyrene is Polystyrene, or PS for short. Polystyrene is a synthetic resin formed from styrene monomer through various polymerization methods. It has the characteristics of being repeatedly heated, softened and cooled to solidify. There are three main types of polystyrene commonly available on the market, namely general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), impact-resistant polystyrene (HIPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS).

General-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), also known as permeable polystyrene, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, transparent bead-shaped or granular solid thermoplastic resin with low water absorption, excellent electrical properties, excellent optical properties, and durability. It has the advantages of good irradiation performance, can withstand certain mineral oils, organic acids, alkalis, lower alcohols, etc., and is not affected by changes in temperature and humidity. The disadvantages are poor heat resistance and light resistance, flammability, and brittleness. crack.

At present, the commonly used general-grade polystyrene production processes on the market include bulk polymerization, suspension polymerization, etc. The bulk polymerization method is to first put the styrene monomer into the prepolymerization kettle, add additives and initiators, stir and prepolymerize at high temperature, and then send it to the tower reaction after the conversion rate reaches 20%-35%. Continuous polymerization is carried out in the vessel, and after complete conversion, the finished product can be obtained; the suspension polymerization method uses water as the medium, protective glues such as gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, or insoluble inorganic salts such as magnesium carbonate and calcium phosphate as dispersants. Benzoyl peroxide is used as an initiator for polymerization, and then the finished product can be obtained through washing, separation, drying and other processes.

According to the“In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report on China’s General-Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS) Industry from 2023 to 2028” released by the Industrial Research Center shows that general-purpose polystyrene is widely used in injection molding and sheet plastic products, such as daily necessities, toys, packaging materials, sheets, etc. As the application range of general-purpose polystyrene in my country gradually expands, the market demand continues to grow, and its output also continues to grow. In 2022, my country’s general-grade polystyrene output will be 207.71 tons. With the continuous upgrading of production technology, it shows a year-by-year growth trend. The growing demand and increasing production have promoted the gradual expansion of my country’s general-purpose polystyrene market. From 2016 to 2022, my country’s general-purpose polystyrene market size increased from 21.537 billion yuan to 23.459 billion yuan, and it is expected that its market size will continue to grow in the future.

Industry analysts said that my country’s general-purpose polystyrene market has huge potential, with many foreign-funded companies entering one after another, and the number of local companies in my country also increasing. Keep increasing. At present, my country’s local companies mainly include Xinghui Environmental Protection Materials, Yanshan Petrochemical, etc. The entry of foreign-funded enterprises has brought advanced production technology, which has greatly improved my country’s general-grade polystyrene production level. In recent years, my country’s local general-grade polystyrene companies have gradually emerged, their product structures have been continuously upgraded, and they have made great progress in production process innovation, product formula improvement, etc., and have gradually developed towards product specialization and high-end products. To sum up, there is still a lot of room for development of general-purpose polystyrene in my country in the future.