Alkali-soluble polyester (COPET) has broad application prospects and high technical barriers to the industry
Alkali-soluble polyester (COPET) is a subdivided product of polyester. It is a modified copolyester that is easily soluble in hot dilute alkaline water. Alkali-soluble polyester has excellent properties, has hydrophilicity and electricity-absorbing properties, and can effectively improve the alkaline hydrolysis performance of end products. It is a commonly used additive for moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking functional fibers and an ideal raw material for preparing island-type ultra-fine composite fibers.
The alkali-soluble polyester industry has high technical barriers, and there are only a small number of companies with large-scale production capabilities in my country. The main preparation processes for alkali-soluble polyester are batch polymerization, continuous polymerization, etc. The batch polymerization method was widely used in the early stages of the development of the alkali-soluble polyester industry, but it has problems such as high production costs and poor yield of finished products. The continuous polymerization method is an emerging alkali-soluble polyester preparation process. Compared with the batch polymerization method, this method has the following advantages: With the advantages of low production cost and good finished product performance, it is expected to become the mainstream preparation process of alkali-soluble polyester in the future.
Alkali-soluble polyester is a high value-added product, and the country attaches great importance to it and has introduced many policies to support it. In 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce issued the “Catalogue of Industries Encouraging Foreign Investment (2022 Edition)”, which will be effective from January 1, 2023, and clearly includes alkali-soluble polyester (COPET) in the chemical fiber manufacturing industry catalog. Against this background, the development prospects of my country’s alkali-soluble polyester industry will continue to improve.
According to the “2023-2028 China Alkali-soluble Polyester (COPET) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report》shows that alkali-soluble polyester is mainly used as fiber raw material and modifier, and moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking functional fiber and island-type ultra-fine composite fiber are its end products. Island-type ultrafine composite fiber, also known as super conjugate fiber and island fiber, is a new type of textile material. It has the characteristics of good softness, warmth retention, waterproofness, and strong moisture absorption capacity. It has broad applications in medical materials, artificial leather, filter materials and other fields. prospect. Alkali-soluble polyester has the advantages of no pollution and good modification effect, and is an ideal raw material for island-type ultra-fine composite fibers. Driven by market demand, the development space of the alkali-soluble polyester industry will continue to expand.
The world’s leading alkali-soluble polyester companies are mainly concentrated in Japan and South Korea, including Japan’s Bellbo Fiber Co., Ltd., South Korea’s SK Group, etc. my country’s alkali-soluble polyester industry started late. The main market participants include Yichang Jiuwan Polyester Materials Co., Ltd., Yichang Zhongying Synthetic Materials Co., Ltd., Luoyang Nanfeng Polyester Co., Ltd., etc.
Industry analysts said that alkali-soluble polyester, as a modified copolyester, has excellent performance and can be used as fiber raw materials and Modifier has broad application prospects in the fiber field. In recent years, with the rapid development of downstream industries, my country’s alkali-soluble polyester market demand has become increasingly strong. In the future, driven by positive factors such as national policy support and technological innovation, the development speed of my country’s alkali-soluble polyester industry will further accelerate.