Styrene-butadiene latex (SBR) has broad application prospects and my country’s demand relies on imports

Styrene-butadiene latex (SBR), also known as polystyrene-butadiene copolymer, is a stable emulsion with a pH value between 3-7 formed by low-temperature polymerization of butadiene and styrene. Styrene-butadiene latex appears as a milky white homogeneous emulsion with the smell of styrene. It is easily soluble in carbon tetrachloride, benzene, hydrocarbons and other organic solvents, and is slightly soluble in chloroform and gasoline. Styrene-butadiene latex has excellent wear resistance, oxidation resistance, conjunctival strength and fluidity, and is widely used in textiles, papermaking, construction, road engineering, batteries and other fields.

According to the “2022-2027 China Styrene Butadiene Latex (SBR) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center ” shows that my country is one of the largest consumer markets for styrene-butadiene latex in the world. At present, my country’s styrene-butadiene latex production cannot meet the demand of the local market, and the import volume is higher than the export volume. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, my country’s import volume of styrene-butadiene latex will reach 92,000 tons in 2021, with an import value of US$200 million. South Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany are my country’s main importers of styrene-butadiene latex, and the above four countries account for nearly 70% of my country’s total import volume. In recent years, with the support of national policies, local companies have actively optimized the industrial structure and layout, and new production capacities have continued to emerge, which has gradually reduced my country’s dependence on imports of styrene-butadiene latex.

The main raw material of styrene-butadiene latex is butadiene. As the severe situation of the COVID-19 epidemic has been brought under control, many chemical plants have begun to resume work and production, which has led to a gradual recovery in butadiene production. However, affected by factors such as rising crude oil prices, my country’s butadiene production is still unable to meet market demand. In 2021, my country’s butadiene production reached 3.017 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 6.9%. The shortage of raw material supply has hindered the development of the styrene-butadiene latex industry. In the future, as market demand becomes increasingly strong and preparation technology matures, the shortage of styrene-butadiene latex in my country is expected to change.

Styrene-butadiene latex has excellent performance and has a wide range of applications. Road engineering and batteries are emerging application areas. In the field of road engineering, styrene-butadiene latex can be used as an important raw material for asphalt modifiers and used for bridge decks and road waterproofing; in the field of batteries, SBR binders prepared with styrene-butadiene latex as the base material occupy the main production of lithium-ion batteries. cost. Driven by downstream demand, my country’s styrene-butadiene latex market continues to expand.

The main players in my country’s styrene-butadiene latex market include Tianjin Kangzewei Technology Co., Ltd., Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical Co., Ltd., Shandong Huatai Paper Co., Ltd., Shandong Juding New Materials Co., Ltd., etc. Industry analysts said that with the increasingly strong market demand, the development space of my country’s styrene-butadiene latex industry continues to expand. However, at present, my country’s styrene-butadiene latex market is in short supply, and products are highly dependent on imports. With technological upgrading and national policy support, my country’s styrene-butadiene latex production capacity will continue to expand in the future, and output will increase significantly.