Market applications of media-made ethylene glycol?
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Can media-produced ethylene glycol completely replace petroleum-based ethylene glycol in market applications? Currently, the main market applications of ethylene glycol produced from oil are polyester chips, unsaturated resins, antifreeze, etc. What are the quality requirements for ethylene glycol in these different applications? I earnestly ask the experts to clarify this for me. . . Thank you so much! ! !
Judging from the current market, the cost of ethylene glycol produced from coal is still relatively high compared to the process using oil in the Middle East. Moreover, there is a trend of relative overproduction of ethylene glycol in the global market, so the advantages of coal-based ethylene glycol are not significant. However, in the Chinese market, most ethylene glycol comes from abroad, and the production processes are also primarily based on foreign technology; therefore, coal-based ethylene glycol holds a significant advantage in China. From a long-term perspective, as oil resources become depleted, the advantages of coal-based ethylene glycol will become even more prominent.
1. Coal-based ethylene glycol production involves a long process with complex material circulation, which results in high investment costs and high energy consumption, and thus high overall costs. 2. It is difficult to achieve the quality standards of ethylene glycol produced from coal to match those of ethylene glycol produced via the petroleum route. Therefore, it remains to be determined whether it can be applied in the polyester industry. 3. Of course, coal-based ethylene glycol represents an excellent non-petroleum route for producing bulk chemicals. It is also one of the current hot topics in C1 chemical engineering research.
Since 2002, China’s dependence on imported ethylene glycol has remained above 70%, with annual imports exceeding 4 million tons in recent years, indicating significant market potential.
The market potential is enormous. At present, the selling price of ethylene glycol produced from coal at Danhua is quite competitive; it’s just that since it has been introduced recently, no one dares to be the first to try it. Moreover, according to the media, the current quality of ethylene glycol produced is not suitable for the polyester industry; it can only be used in unsaturated polyesters for now.