Development and Utilization of Isoprene Should Be Accelerated - ORGANICS

Development and Utilization of Isoprene Should Be Accelerated

In the comprehensive utilization of C5 cuts, products with the highest utilization value include isoprene, metapentadiene and dicyclopentadiene. Isoprene is one of the major products and its proportion in C5 cuts is 15%-25%. It has extensive applications in the production of synthetic rubbers, pharmaceutical intermediates and pesticide intermediates, and the synthesis of lube oil additives, rubber curing agents and catalysts. Major isoprene producers in China include Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Shandong Yuhuang Chemical Co., Ltd., Qilu Zibo Ethylene Luhua Chemical Co., Ltd. and Puyang Xinyu Petrochemical Industry Co., Ltd. China's total supply of isoprene is around 20 000 tons a year today.

Constant expansion of application sectors

1. Isoprene rubber

The production of isoprene rubber is the most important application of isoprene. China yet has no large isoprene rubber producers today and the domestic demand for isoprene is mainly satisfied by imports. China imported 33 000 tons of isoprene rubber in 2008, equivalent to around 35 000 tons of isoprene. China is accelerating the development of production technologies for isoprene rubber. The production technology for isoprene rubber jointly developed by Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry CAS and PetroChina Jilin Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and the production technology for rare earth isoprene rubber jointly developed by Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry CAS and PetroChina Jinzhou Petrochemical Co., Ltd. have achieved major breakthrough. It is reported that Qingdao ECSS New Material Co., Ltd. has begun the construction of a 30 000 t/a rare earth isoprene rubber unit and the unit is expected to go on stream in the first quarter of 2010.
   China is a major natural rubber consumer and importer in the world. The output of natural rubber in China was only 560 000 tons in 2008 and the import amount reached 1.682 million tons. It is expected that the demand for natural rubber in China will reach 3.0 million tons in 2012, among which, the demand for natural rubber in tire sector will be around 2.2 million tons. With the constraint from the supply shortage of natural rubber in the international market and the limited output increase of natural rubber in China, developing isoprene rubber to replace natural rubber will become a future development trend in China.
   Based on research results in the tire sector, in case isoprene rubber is used to replace 20% of natural rubber there is no need to change present formulation in the tire production. According to estimates, when the price of isoprene rubber is rational domestic demand for isoprene rubber is expected to be more than 400 000 tons in 2012. Even if the calculation is based on the average isoprene rubber consumption equivalent to 3%-5% of the total natural rubber consumption in advanced countries, the demand for isoprene rubber in China will also reach 90 000-150 000 tons in 2012, equivalent to 94 000-160 000 tons of isoprene.

2. SIS

Styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer (SIS) is an ideal material for adhesives, coatings and plastic modification, and also a major raw material for new-generation pressure sensitive adhesives, hot melt adhesives and sealants. SIS sector has developed rapidly in recent years.
   Sinopec Baling Petrochemical Co., Ltd. is the only producer of SIS in China today. Domestic output of SIS was around 12 000 tons in 2008 and the apparent consumption was around 35 000 tons, equivalent to around 28 000 tons of isoprene. According to statistics, the output of pressure-sensitive adhesives in China is only next to the United States and Japan. Most of hot melt adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives in China are used in dispensable sanitary materials. The popularization rate of such sanitary materials is less than 1% in China, but has already reached 90% in the United States and also 64% in Taiwan province. With the sustained output increase of hot melt adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives, the demand for SIS will increase remarkably in China. It is expected that the demand for SIS in China will reach 55 000-60 000 tons in 2012, equivalent to 45 000-50 000 tons of isoprene.

3. Butyl rubber

Sinopec Beijing Yanhua Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (Beijing Yanhua) is the only butyl rubber producer in China today. The capacity of the company is 45 000 t/a. Domestic output was 44 000 tons in 2008 and the apparent consumption was 232 000 tons, equivalent to around 7 000 tons of isoprene. China plans to construct several butyl rubber units in the next few years, for example Beijing Yanhua plans to construct a 30 000 t/a brominated butyl rubber unit. With the capacity expansion, China's output of butyl rubber will increase remarkably. Due to the relatively low consumption of isoprene in butyl rubber, however, the demand for isoprene in butyl rubber will have no big increase. It is expected that the equivalent demand for isoprene in butyl rubber will be around 9 000 tons in 2012.

4. SIBR

China yet has no commercial production of styrene-isoprene-butadiene rubber (SIBR) today. With the rapid development of the automobile industry, however, requirements on the speed, safety, energy conservation and comfort of tires are becoming more and more stringent. Owing to its unique advantage in the production of high-performance tires, SIBR has a bright application prospect in the automobile industry. It is expected that SIBR will become a new focus in the consumption of isoprene in China.

5. Fine chemicals

Isoprene can be used to synthesize a series of fine chemicals with extensive applications. For example, isoprene and vinylidene chloride can produce pyrethroid insecticides. China already has quite a few production units of such insecticides and the total capacity is around 4 000 t/a. The technology for the synthesis of methyl heptenone from isoprene and in turn to produce linalool has achieved breakthroughs. China has achieved large-scale production of photoresist for integrated circuits with isoprene as raw material. The consumption of isoprene in fine chemicals is around 6 000 tons a year today. It is expected that with the development of pesticide and flavor sectors the demand for isoprene in fine chemicals will reach 8 000 tons in 2012.
   The equivalent consumption of isoprene in China was therefore around 76 000 tons in 2008. The consumption was mainly contributed by the production of SIS and fine chemicals. It is expected that the equivalent demand for isoprene in China will reach 160 000-230 000 tons in 2012.

Abundant supply of isoprene

The ethylene industry in China is at the stage of rapid development. Quite a few 0.8 million-1.0 million t/a large ethylene production bases will be constructed in the next few years. C5 resources will therefore be abundant. Furthermore, the technology for C5 separation will be more improved and the construction of C5 separation units will be accelerated. The 150 000 t/a C5 separation unit in Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. already started production in November 2009 and the C5 separation capacity in the company has reached 215 000 t/a. Besides, Beijing Yanhua also plans to construct a 200 000 t/a C5 separation unit. With the completion of several C5 separation units, the supply of isoprene will be abundant in China.
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