Strontium Carbonate Industry Needs Urgent UpgradeBy Jin TianxinStrontium carbonate is an important inorganic chemical product mainly used in the manufacture of magnetic materials such as glass shell for picture tubes, cathode-ray tubes (CRT) for color TVs, electromagnets and strontium ferrite. In addition, it is also applied in fields such as medicine, chemical reagents, pigments, coatings, ceramics, electrolytic zinc, sugar manufacturing, fireworks and signal flares. In recent years, the rapid development of the electronics industry has brought with it more requirements for the chemical and physical properties of strontium carbonate, and has also driven China's strontium carbonate industry to develop to a larger scale, specialization and fine production. Rapidly enlarged capacityIn recent years, China's strontium carbonate production developed rapidly. More than 20 companies in China manufacture strontium carbonate, within which the total production capacity of the nine companies with a capacity of over 10 thousand t/a reached 289 thousand t/a. In addition, the manufacturers with strontium carbonate capacities of 5 thousand - 10 thousand t/a are Chongqing Hechuan Strontium Chemical Co. Ltd., Sichuan Wusheng Hongda Strontium Industry Corporation, Zigong Ningnan Strontium Salt Chemical Corporation, Hunan Darong Chemical Pesticide Co. Ltd., Chongqing Lapis Lazuli Strontium Industry Co. Ltd., Tongliang Lapis Lazuli Chemical Plant, Tongliang Pulv Chemical Plant, Dazu Guhuachuan Chemical Plant, Tongliang Xingheng Chemical Plant, etc.    Continued growth is forecast for China's strontium carbonate production capacity in the near future years. The projects now under construction or in planning include Qinghai Jinrui Mining Development Co., Ltd. with strontium carbonate capacity of 45 thousand t/a; Hubei Huangshi Strontium Industry Co., Ltd. with strontium carbonate capacity of 50 thousand t/a; project with strontium carbonate capacity of 60 thousand t/a in Jiayuguan of Gansu province.Low level of product frustrates developmentChina's total capacity of strontium carbonate is very large. Many manufacturers, however, have only small capacity, with outdated technologies. When the competition becomes more and more fierce, China's strontium carbonate industry needs to optimize resource allocation and continuously enlarge production scale in order to enhance its competitive edge in the international market.     For different usages, strontium carbonate can be classified into several grades such as common grade, high purity grade, super-high purity grade and electronic grade. Presently China can only produce several types of high purity grade and normal grade. Some local enterprises are doing research and trying to produce super pure strontium carbonate. They cannot, however, control the stability of production, so it is difficult to ensure the grade and stability of product quality. There is no production of electronic grade product. The high-end products used worldwide are mainly produced by the manufacturers of Germany, Italy and Japan. China's demand is satisfied by imports.     Presently most of the strontium carbonate exported from China is common grade with a price 20% lower than the same type of product manufactured by other countries. The high purity strontium carbonate that is imported from TDK of Japan and Solvay of Germany can be sold at prices as high as RMB60 000/t, nearly three times higher than the products made in China. Strontium carbonate has rather wide application scope. Requirements for its physical and chemical properties are vary according to application. For example, strontium carbonate used in manufacturing common industrial magnetic material is required to have a purity of only 97%, but particle diameters must be small and consistent, otherwise the manufactured magnetic material will have a shorter magnetism retention lifetime and significantly lower indexes. China's strontium carbonate manufacturers have poor ability in research and development, and outdated production technologies, leading to most of present products being of common grade with low quality, which cannot satisfy the application requirements of downstream industries.      Speeding up the upgrade of strontium carbonate products is the development target for local strontium carbonate manufacturers. During the Eleventh Five-year Program period (2006-2010), local strontium carbonate players can take advantage of the favorable opportunity that government is paying great attention to saving energy through technological renovation, management improvement and national policies, to reform and create processing technology and to upgrade equipment. The high-end products such as super-high purity of strontium carbonate, nanometer grade strontium carbonate, electronic grade strontium carbonate and fluorescence grade strontium carbonate are worth developing with hard work, so as to better satisfy the needs of users.Major Strontium Carbonate Manufacturers                        in China               (thousand t/a) Manufacturer                                                                 Capacity
Hebei Xinji Chemical Group  Co.    130

Chongqing Hongdie Strontium Industry Chemical Co.    120

Nanjing Jinyan Strontium Industry Co.    25

Hebei Shijiazhuang Zhengzhong Chemical Co.    60

Henan Xinxiang No.1 Chemical Plant    15 (shut down)

Ningxia Western-Dragon Chemicals Co.    15

Chongqing Kinglong Fine Strontium Chemical Co.   
10
Anhui Tongling Chemical Industry Group Co.    10

Gansu Minle Fuyuan Chemical Co.    10
Source: CNCIC