Ethylene-propylene rubber is widely used and Jilin Petrochemical is a leading enterprise in my country

​​​​Ethylene-propylene rubber is a copolymer of ethylene and propylene, and its molecular chain is a fully saturated linear structure. The appearance of binary ethylene-propylene rubber is yellow to milky white translucent solid. It has the advantages of resistance to atmospheric aging, high temperature resistance, ozone resistance, and chemical corrosion resistance. It is widely used in wires and cables, automobile seals and other fields.

The main synthesis methods of binary ethylene-propylene rubber include gas phase method, solution method and suspension method. The gas phase method means that the polymer reaction is carried out directly in the gas phase. This method does not require the use of solvents and has the advantages of convenient operation, low production cost, safety and environmental protection. The solution method usually uses linear alkanes as solvents, and goes through processes such as mixing, dissolving, and drying of raw materials. The binary ethylene-propylene rubber is finally obtained. This method is the mainstream synthesis method of binary ethylene-propylene rubber. The suspension method is rarely used. This method can easily cause difficulties in catalyst removal and is not suitable for large-scale production.

​ ​​Ethylene-propylene rubber is widely used, including automotive seals, wire and cable sheaths, lubricant additives, heat-resistant hoses, waterproof materials for construction, etc. The automotive field is the largest demand side for binary ethylene-propylene rubber, accounting for 60.0% of the demand. Benefiting from the rapid economic development and the continuous improvement of national living standards, my country’s automobile market demand is increasingly strong. According to statistics from the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, my country’s automobile sales reached 26.275 million units in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%, ranking first in the world for 13 consecutive years. Driven by downstream demand, my country’s binary ethylene-propylene rubber market space continues to expand.

The global ethylene-propylene rubber consumer market is mainly concentrated in Europe, the United States and the Asia-Pacific region. Major manufacturers include Lanxess Group of Germany, Mitsui Chemicals of Japan, Exxon Mobil of the United States, Dow Chemical Company of the United States, and Italy. ENI Group, South Korea’s Kumho Petrochemical Company KKPC, etc., the above companies account for nearly 70% of the world’s total production capacity of binary ethylene propylene rubber.

According to the “2022-2027 China Ethylene Propylene Rubber Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that in recent years, my country’s binary ethylene-propylene rubber companies have actively introduced overseas advanced technologies, driving the development of the industry to continue to accelerate. PetroChina Jilin Petrochemical Company, Shanghai Yisheng Chemical Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Zhongrong Rubber Co., Ltd. are the main manufacturers of ethylene-propylene rubber in my country. According to the financial report of Jilin Petrochemical Company, the company’s export volume of ethylene-propylene rubber in the first half of 2022 increased by 35.0% year-on-year, and the annual framework export contract signed with overseas customers exceeded 5,000 tons.

Industry analysts said that ethylene-propylene rubber has a wide range of uses and is in strong demand in the automotive field. With the rapid development of downstream industries, my country’s The market space for binary ethylene-propylene rubber will further expand. There is a certain gap between my country’s ethylene-propylene rubber production technology and overseas developed countries. In recent years, local companies have actively introduced overseas advanced technologies, driving the continuous increase in my country’s ethylene-propylene rubber production.