Discussion on the coal-based PC (polycarbonate) industry

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This post was last edited by liaifeng on 2018-9-1 18:36. Recently, I have seen many reports on coal-based polycarbonates. China has the fastest-growing demand for polycarbonate (PC) in the world. In 2014, the country’s consumption was around 1.6 million tons, but the net import volume was about 1.26 million tons, resulting in an external dependence rate of around 80%. Due to technical limitations, before 2014, polycarbonate production in China was largely controlled by foreign companies such as Bayer, Teijin Chemical, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical. Sinopec is a key company involved in the joint venture for producing polycarbonate. In February 2012, the 60,000-ton/year polycarbonate plant jointly built by Sinopec and Mitsubishi Chemical was successfully put into operation. Located within the Yanshan Petrochemical Complex, the project had a total investment of 2.16 billion yuan and utilized Mitsubishi Chemical’s patented technology. In 2012, Sinopec and SABIC announced an investment of around 11 billion yuan for a 260,000-ton/year polycarbonate plant to be built in Tianjin; this project is still pending implementation. The main production methods for polycarbonate include the phosgene-based interfacial polycondensation method, the melt transesterification method, and the phosgene-free method. The phosgene interfacial polycondensation method is currently the most widely used process in industry ； The melt transesterification method is an indirect phosgene-based process, in which the raw material, diphenyl carbonate (DPC), needs to be prepared through a phosgene reaction. The non-phosgene production process is an environmentally friendly method that meets environmental requirements; it features full enclosure, no by-products, and minimal pollution. By eliminating the use of the toxic raw material phosgene, it holds promise as the main development direction for polycarbonate production in the future. (Cited from Yahua Consulting) At the recently held Fourth Member Conference of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation and the thematic forum on the 13th Five-Year Development Strategy for the petroleum and chemical industry, it was also pointed out that new chemical materials can effectively increase the industry’s contribution. Weak physical competitiveness and a low self-sufficiency rate are the main problems facing China’s chemical new materials industry at present. The meeting announced the development goals for the chemical new materials sector during the 13th Five-Year Plan period: an overall self-sufficiency rate of over 80% for chemical new materials. Among these, the domestic self-sufficiency rate for engineering plastics exceeds 70%, that for high-performance fibers is 60%, for aramids it is 100%, for high-performance membrane materials it is 75%, and for electronic products it is 66%. As a chemical material that is currently highly dependent on imports, will PC give rise to a boom in the coal-based PC industry in the coming years? What do fellow Sichuanese think of the future of PCs?