EPDM Imperative for Technical Breakthrough    
By Li Jinshan, CNPC Lanzhou Research Center of Chemical Industry    

   The capacity and the production technology of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM or EPR) in the world are controlled by a few large multinationals. The combined capacity of five leading companies including DSM of the Netherlands, DuPont Dow Elastomer LLC and ExxonMobil Corporation of the United States, Bayer Group of Germany and Mitsui & Co Ltd of Japan accounts for 70% of the world total.
   In EPDM patent applicants, Japanese rubber companies account for 90%. ExxonMobil, Union Carbide Corporation and EniChem S.p.A. are the main firms engaged in the research of EPDM polymerization processes (C08F210) and polymerization catalysts (C08F4). Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd of Japan has the greatest number of patent applications for the use of EPDM composites (C08L23). Although Polimer of Europe, DSM of the Netherlands, ExxonMobil, DuPont and Dow Chemical of the United States and Mitsui of Japan are major EPDM producers, only ExxonMobil has applied for as many as 125 EPDM patents.
   The amount of EPDM patent applications owned by Chinese companies is increasing. The research and development of EPDM started to be strengthened especially from 2002. The amount of EPDM patent applications in other countries peaked in 1995 and fell gradually afterwards.
   Top applicants in China in terms of application amount include the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ExxonMobil and Sinopec Group. Sinopec is mainly engaged in the research of EPDM catalysts. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is mainly engaged in the research of polypropylene (PP)/EPDM blend inorganic fillers (C08K3) and organic fillers (C08K5). PetroChina Jilin Petrochemical Co Ltd owns the only EPDM production unit in China but has not applied for any patents.
   EPDM patents owned by Chinese companies are mainly about EPDM blends. The development of patent technologies for EPDM processing and use has promoted the development of the entire EPDM industry. Making use of special features of EPDM to improve comprehensive properties of materials is the research focus of EPDM at present in China.
   China has no way to buy advanced EPDM complete process technologies from abroad. The only 20 000 t/a EPDM production unit in China was imported by CNPC Jilin Petrochemical Co Ltd in 1997. Most of the 24 product varieties that can be produced in this unit, however, can not meet the needs of the domestic users and only two varieties are still being produced today.
   With the further enforcement of the environmental protection concept, environment-friendly processes and EPDM products have become the focus in the readjustment of the global EPDM industry. The international market shares occupied by EPDM produced with cleaner metallocene technology and vapor-phase polymerization technology are getting higher and higher. Regarding the development of metallocene routine EPDM technology, China's synthetic rubber producers are considering the purchase of advanced patent technologies from abroad so as to jump over the starting point. To meet the needs in the construction of new units and the development of the market, China should quickly establish a first-rate EPDM research and development base to promote technology assimilation, product upgrading and technical innovation and develop technologies with intellectual property rights.
   The United States is the biggest EPDM producer. Japan and Korea come next. EPDM polymerization processes include the solution process, the suspension process and the vapor-phase process. The capacity of units using the solution process accounts for 80% of the world total. The proportion is 12% for the suspension process and 8% for the vapor-phase process.
   EPDM has extensive application range and bright development prospect. The apparent consumption of EPDM in China was only 90 500 tons in 2004, but increased to 189 700 tons in 2009 with an average annual growth of 15.95%. China imported 174 600 tons of EPDM in 2009. The constant development of automobile manufacturing, municipal infrastructural construction and rail communication construction has led to a brisk EPDM market. It is expected that China's total demand for EPDM will reach 240 000 tons in 2014. China's capacity to make EPDM is however only around 20 000 t/a now, with major types being EPM 4045 and EPDM 4045.  
   Faced with an increasingly urgent situation, China's EPDM producers must consider ways to rehabilitate the domestic EPDM production. As a matter of fact, China has already acquired the initial force for high-end technologies. CNPC Jilin Petrochemical Co Ltd is constructing a 50 000 t/a EPDM project. The first-phase 25 000 t/a unit is already completed and is proceeding trial run today. The entire project will be completed and put on stream at the end of 2010. The completion of the project is a huge stimulus to the development of the EPDM sector in China. The research and development of metallocene catalysts in China has gained considerable advantages in recent years. While having the full ability to guarantee supply of varieties available, the use of metallocene catalysts can effectively control the composition and structure of polymers and synthesize desired special EPDM varieties. Moreover, a great deal of research has also been conducted in EPDM modification by Chinese companies. Relevant research organizations can actively disseminate their research achievements, expand application sectors, accelerate the transformation of research achievements into productive forces and upgrade the technical content of EPDM downstream markets.
   The EPDM import mode in China also changed evidently in 2009. Although products from the United States still held the first place, the proportion of products from Japan increased from 16.49% in 2008 to 25.29%. The main reason is that Mitsui & Co Ltd strengthened the market development in China and the amount of products the company put into the Chinese market doubled. With the completion of a 75 000 t/a EPDM unit jointly funded by Mitsui and Sinopec in Shanghai, the share held by Mitsui in the Chinese market will be even higher. As the technology used in EPDM units of Mitsui is the same as the technology used by CNPC Jilin Petrochemical Co Ltd, intense competition will begin.