Sales of polyetheramines in my country are gradually growing, with propylene oxide as the main raw material

Polyetheramine (PEA), also known as amino-terminated polyether, polyetheramine, polyetherpolyamine, etc., is a polymer with a polyether structure as the main chain and the terminal active functional group is an amine group. The chemical formula of polyetheramine is C3n+3H6n+10OnN2. It appears as a colorless or light yellow transparent liquid under normal temperature and pressure, and is soluble in ketones, polypropylene glycol and other solutions. Polyetheramine has the advantages of low viscosity, good toughness, and excellent aging resistance. It can replace polyether in some fields and improve the application performance of new materials.

After years of development, the production process of polyetheramine has become increasingly mature and can be roughly divided into continuous method, batch method, etc. The continuous method has the advantages of high product conversion rate, good product quality, and low production cost, but the production process is relatively complex; the batch method has a relatively simple production process, but also has low product conversion rate, high production cost, and relatively poor product quality. and other shortcomings. At present, most foreign countries use continuous methods for production, while in my country, due to the lack of technological breakthroughs, we still mainly use intermittent methods.

From the upstream of the industrial chain, the raw materials of polyetheramine mainly include polyether, propylene oxide, hydrogen, liquid ammonia, etc. Among them, propylene oxide accounts for the largest cost and has become the main raw material for the production of polyetheramines. Driven by downstream market demand, my country’s large-scale propylene oxide production capacity devices have gradually been put into operation, and production capacity has gradually increased. In 2022, my country’s propylene oxide production capacity will be approximately 3.964 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.53%. my country’s propylene oxide production capacity is gradually increasing, providing sufficient raw materials for the rapid development of the polyetheramine market.

As a basic raw material, polyetheramine can interact with a variety of reactive groups and has a wide range of applications. It is widely used in construction, adhesives, oil and gas exploration, wind power and other fields. At present, wind power has become the largest application field of polyetheramine, accounting for 46.48%; followed by construction, accounting for 35.27%; adhesives rank third, accounting for 6.39%.

In the field of wind power, wind turbine blades have high requirements on the toughness, strength and weather resistance of the production materials due to their complex shape, large size and harsh use environment. Currently, only polyetheramines can meet the performance and process requirements of wind turbine blades. As my country’s wind power market continues to develop, the market demand for polyetheramines is gradually growing. In addition, polyetheramine is mostly used in the production of refractory materials, electrical insulation materials, electronic components, etc. due to its excellent heat resistance and corrosion resistance.

According to the “In-depth Research Report on the Global and China Polyetheramine Industry in 2023” released by the Industrial Research Center, with the development of my country’s wind power, Markets such as construction are developing rapidly, and the market demand for polyetheramines is gradually growing. Against this background, the sales volume of polyetheramines in my country has increased steadily. It is expected that by 2028, my country’s polyetheramine sales will reach about 145,700 tons.

Industry analysts said that foreign polyether amine companies mainly include BASF, Huntsman, etc., and domestic polyether amine companies mainly include Al Keli, Zhengda New Materials, Chenhua Co., Ltd., etc. Because foreign polyetheramine companies started earlier, they have first-mover advantages in production technology, production scale and other aspects. Domestic polyetheramine companies started late, with relatively backward production technology and generally small production scale. However, in recent years, my country’s polyetheramine companies have developed rapidly, production technology has continued to improve, and the speed of domestic substitution has gradually accelerated.