Market prospects for butadiene and isobutylene

The consumption structure of butadiene in the domestic market has changed, with a decline in reliance on imports. Butadiene is a key monomer used in the production of synthetic rubber; it can be copolymerized with various compounds to produce different types of synthetic rubber and synthetic resins, such as styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, and ABS resin. In recent years, the consumption pattern of butadiene in our country has changed significantly. While in the early 1990s it was almost entirely used for the production of synthetic rubber, its use has gradually expanded to include the production of synthetic resins, thermoplastic elastomers, styrene-butadiene latex, and other organic chemical products. In particular, consumption of ABS resins, thermoplastic elastomers, and styrene-butadiene latex products has increased markedly. In 2001, China’s consumption of butadiene was only 780,000 tons, while it rose to 1.21 million tons in 2006. Domestically produced butadiene could not meet domestic demand, requiring large amounts to be imported each year. In recent years, due to an increase in domestic production capacity, the reliance on imports has declined. In 2007, the domestic production of butadiene was around 1.35 million tons, while imports amounted to about 110,000 tons. The prospects for the domestic butadiene market remain positive. Due to an increase in supply, butadiene prices have dropped compared to 2006. Since the beginning of this year, the sharp rise in international oil prices has, to some extent, supported ethylene prices. With rising production costs, it is unlikely that the price of butadiene, as a derivative of ethylene, will continue to fall significantly. The development of the paper and shoe manufacturing industries, along with the increase in high-grade highways, will lead to a significant rise in demand for styrene-butadiene latex and thermoplastic elastomers, which in turn provides support for the price of butadiene in the market. There is still significant room for growth in domestic ABS resin, which will drive demand for butadiene. ABS features high impact resistance, high toughness, high transparency, the ability to be tinned, and good processability, which gives it competitiveness. It is attracting increasing attention from the market and is widely used in electronics and electrical products, light industrial goods, motor vehicles and industrial accessories, agricultural machinery parts, pipes and containers, among other applications. The growing demand for ABS resin will create new business opportunities for butadiene. As production capacity increases, it is necessary to develop new markets for consumption. Before 2010, several butadiene production facilities will be built and put into operation in China, in conjunction with new or expanded ethylene production plants. It is estimated that by 2010, the country’s total butadiene production capacity will reach 2.5 million tons per year, which will be sufficient to meet domestic demand. At that time, the long-standing shortage of butadiene in China will be completely resolved. Facing this prospect, domestic butadiene producers should not only continue to carry out technical upgrades to their existing production facilities in order to further reduce energy and material consumption and elevate China’s butadiene production technology to a new level, but they should also actively expand exports and increase the use of butadiene in other applications, such as converting it into propylene or using it to produce chemical products like adiponitrile, thereby expanding its market segments and increasing consumption.

What were the international and domestic production volumes of butadiene in 2008?

I wonder if the original poster has found the relevant data? Can it be shared? ‘