2015.08.20

Analysis of Market Influencing Factors of Polybutadiene Rubber and Future Market Forecast

Currently, the biggest obstacle to the development of the domestic butadiene market is still the weak downstream demand. The overall economic slowdown has led to an accumulation of finished product inventory in rubber downstream manufacturing enterprises, and the current poor operating conditions are dragging down butadiene rubber procurement. In the short term, there is little hope for a substantial improvement in demand. The market factors analysis and future predictions for butadiene rubber are as follows: 1. Favorable Factors a. The domestic petrochemical enterprises' raw material butadiene price remains high at 25,000 yuan/ton, providing sufficient cost support for butadiene rubber; b. Several domestic butadiene production enterprises are operating at low capacity, with Gaoqiao and Baling butadiene operating around 50%, while Jinzhou, Huayu, and Huamao facilities have no plans to start up, leading to a tight market supply; c. The People's Bank of China: will steadily increase liquidity supply through various means, including lowering the reserve requirement ratio; d. A representative from a U.S. tire company revealed that the U.S. government is not expected to extend the soon-to-expire special safeguard measures on Chinese tires, which will positively impact the export of Chinese semi-steel tires to the U.S. 2. Unfavorable Factors a. The ongoing European debt crisis continues to raise concerns among industry players; b. Insufficient downstream demand; while conveyor belt companies are operating reasonably well, shoe material and tire manufacturers are underproducing. In the first quarter, both domestic automobile production and sales declined, indirectly leading to inventory accumulation in the downstream tire industry, which depresses tire manufacturers' intentions to procure rubber raw materials; c. New rubber is being introduced to the market, and the natural rubber market remains stagnant, with the price difference between natural rubber and butadiene rubber at about 1,000 yuan/ton; d. In the first quarter, China's GDP growth was 8.1%, indicating a slowdown in China's economic growth. Future Market Prediction Currently, the biggest obstacle to the development of the domestic butadiene market is still the downstream.

2015.06.04

The impact of CS2 is still present, but the market is gradually stabilizing.

Due to a serious carbon disulfide leak accident that occurred some time ago, the entire rubber market is still affected by CS2. This impact will continue, but the market has gradually begun to stabilize. The prices of rubber additives may fluctuate. Please stay informed. Before making any decisions, please carefully consider various factors. Zhengzhou Shuangli Chemical Products Co., Ltd. looks forward to cooperating with you! We welcome your call!

2015.05.18

Raw Material Information

On May 16, 2015, a carbon disulfide leak occurred at a chemical plant in Shanxi Province, resulting in 8 deaths to date. The factory has since entered a shutdown for rectification. This shutdown will lead to an increase in raw material prices, which will in turn affect the prices of accelerators.

2012.09.09

Classification of Rubber Accelerators

The classification methods of commonly used rubber accelerators are as follows: (1) Classification by the structure of rubber accelerators According to the chemical structure of rubber accelerators, they can be divided into eight categories: thiazole types (M, DM), sulfenamide types (CZ, NOBS, DZ), thiuram types (TMTD, TMTM), thiourea types (NA-22), dithiocarbamate types (ZDMC, ZDC), aldehyde amine types (H), guanidine types (D), and xanthate types (ZIX). (2) Classification by pH value Rubber accelerators can be classified into acidic, basic, and neutral accelerators based on whether they are acidic, basic, or neutral. - Acidic accelerators: thiazole types, thiuram types, dithiocarbamate types, xanthate types. - Neutral accelerators: sulfenamide types, thiourea types. - Basic accelerators: guanidine types, aldehyde amine types. (3) Classification by the acceleration speed of rubber accelerators Internationally, the acceleration speed of rubber accelerator M for NR vulcanization is used as a standard to compare the acceleration speeds of other accelerators. Accelerators that are faster than M are classified as super-fast or ultra-fast, while those slower than M are classified as slow or medium speed. - Slow speed accelerators: H, NA-22 - Medium speed accelerators: D - Standard speed accelerators: M, DM, CZ, DZ, NOBS - Super-fast accelerators: TMTD, TMTM - Ultra-fast accelerators: ZDMC, ZDC

2012.05.01

The status of the company's main competitors.

The company's main competitors include major enterprises in both international and domestic markets. 1. Major enterprises in the international market In the international market, the company's main competitors are internationally renowned rubber additive manufacturers, including Flexsys from the USA, Chemtura from the USA, Lanxess from Germany, Aigle from the Czech Republic, and MLPC International from France. The main competitors in the international market are as follows: (1) Flexsys Flexsys is one of the largest rubber additive manufacturers in the world, primarily producing a variety of rubber additive products including accelerators, anti-aging agents, anti-scorching agents, and plasticizers. The main accelerator products include DPTT, MBT, MBTS, CBS, TETD, TMTD, and ZDBC. (2) Chemtura Chemtura was formed in 2005 from the merger of Crompton Corporation and Great Lakes Chemical Corporation in the USA. It is a major supplier of plastic additives, lubricating oil production components, and pool and spa maintenance products. Its rubber additive products mainly include accelerators and stabilizers, with key accelerator products including M and TMTD. (3) Lanxess Lanxess is a publicly traded company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany and is one of the largest producers of fine chemicals in the world. Its main business includes plastics, rubber, fine chemicals, and intermediates.

2012.04.28

The eight major factors affecting the price fluctuations of natural rubber.

Currently, the main factors affecting the price fluctuations of natural rubber can be summarized into the following eight key factors: 1. Supply and demand situation in the international natural rubber market and the export conditions of major rubber-producing countries. The supply of natural rubber in the international market is completely controlled by a few countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Major consuming countries like the United States and Japan do not produce natural rubber and rely entirely on imports, which clearly supports the price of natural rubber. China is also the second-largest importer of natural rubber in the world, directly influencing international rubber prices. 2. International market trading conditions. Natural rubber has become a typical tropical commodity futures variety in the international market, holding a certain share in futures trading in the Far East and Southeast Asia. Currently, the main exchanges engaged in natural rubber futures trading include the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM), the Kobe Rubber Exchange in Japan, the Singapore RAS Commodity Exchange, and the Kuala Lumpur Commodity Exchange (KLCE). Among these, Tokyo and Singapore have the most significant influence due to their large market shares, which can reflect the basic dynamics of the global rubber market. 3. The international natural rubber agreement signed by member countries of the International Natural Rubber Organization (INRO) also has an important impact on the price trends in the rubber market. 4. The production and consumption situation of natural rubber in China. The quantity and cost of natural rubber production in China are directly related to domestic rubber market prices. At the same time, changes in domestic natural rubber usage and the acceptance capacity of processing enterprises for natural rubber prices also affect the natural rubber market.

2012.04.27

The application of the vulcanizing agent DTDM in the inner and outer rubber compound formulations of bias tires.

The vulcanizing agent DTDM belongs to the sulfur donor category and can adjust the network structure of vulcanized rubber. It has good heat resistance, fatigue resistance, reduction resistance, non-spraying frost, and good scorch safety, making it an ideal vulcanizing agent for heat-resistant rubber products and dynamic products. Currently, the prevalent high-speed and overloaded operating conditions of vehicles impose higher requirements on the intrinsic quality of bias tires, especially to avoid shoulder voids caused by heat generated from fatigue deformation during prolonged driving. The fixed elongation stress of various components of the bias tires produced by our factory increases from the inner layer to the crown (in a "stair-step" manner). However, due to the relatively low fixed elongation stress of the original inner and outer layer rubber (4-5 MPa for the inner layer and around 6 MPa for the outer layer) compared to the buffer layer rubber's fixed elongation stress (around 10 MPa), the tires are prone to excessive deformation due to insufficient rigidity during operation. Therefore, it is necessary to redesign the formulations of the inner and outer layer rubber to appropriately increase the fixed elongation stress of the rubber. The crosslinking structure of DTDM during vulcanization mainly consists of polysulfide bonds, which have low bond energy, are unstable, and prone to change, resulting in poor heat aging performance. This can lead to the phenomenon of reversion during the tire's usage, thereby affecting the actual service life of the tire. To address this, we have decided to adopt a semi-effective vulcanization system in the formulations of the inner and outer layer rubber, where the crosslinking bonds are primarily monosulfide and disulfide bonds. This approach reduces the heat generation of the rubber, improves the thermal stability and resistance to reversion of the rubber, and simultaneously increases the fixed elongation stress of the rubber.

2012.04.27

A survey of the U.S. rubber industry shows a strengthening economy and optimism.

The American Rubber Products Manufacturers Association (ARPM) recently conducted a survey of managers in the rubber products manufacturing industry, indicating a strengthening economic trend in the U.S. rubber industry in 2012, with a noticeable atmosphere of optimism. The economic indicators from the survey (including sales trends and general profitability) show that the industry's sales in the fourth quarter of 2011 increased compared to the third quarter and continued to strengthen. The data from the report indicates the development trend entering 2012, with 43% of respondents reporting an increase in sales in the fourth quarter, while 26% stated that sales remained unchanged. In 2012, the optimistic sentiment in the market is evident, with 72% of respondents expecting an upward trend in annual sales, while only 3% anticipate a decrease. Encouragingly, over 36% of respondents indicated that their profits rose in the fourth quarter of last year, while the remaining 46% reported stable profits. These indicators from the survey show that the economic situation in the rubber products industry is developing positively. Another positive trend observed in this survey is that ARPM's customers are not as actively seeking overseas supply sources as before, nor are they looking for new domestic alternatives. In the fourth quarter of 2011, the number of rubber products manufacturers losing business from foreign suppliers was zero, while the number of manufacturers gaining business from overseas was nearly 20%. Over 40% of managers in the U.S. rubber products industry responded electronically to 3,131 economic indicator questions, covering their performance in the fourth quarter of 2011.

2012.04.27

Characteristics of Competitive Rubber Chemical Enterprises

With the significant increase in global rubber production, the competition among rubber chemical companies is no longer just about the sources and costs of raw materials. Now, the competition among rubber chemical companies has shifted to the competition of rubber chemical technologies. Here are the characteristics of competitive rubber chemical companies: Firstly, companies with technological substitution capabilities possess their own core technologies and patents, allowing them to establish relatively high technological barriers. For example, in the export tire industry, zinc oxide is commonly used, and some companies are producing nano zinc oxide, which reduces costs and addresses some environmental issues, presenting a promising market with significant development opportunities. Secondly, companies with product substitution capabilities. In the entire rubber industry, especially in our country, natural rubber consumption accounts for more than one-third of the global total, but there is a strong reliance on imports, reaching up to 80%. In the field of synthetic rubber, especially rubber that is very similar to natural rubber, there were no production capabilities a few years ago, but now some companies have begun commercial production, which also offers considerable development space. For instance, Qingdao's Ecos, along with other varieties that are strongly supported by national policies, are now being produced by companies. Additionally, some specialty rubbers have relatively high added value. Thirdly, companies that possess strong green products or green processes, with robust environmental protection capabilities. For example, in the domestic additive industry, some products have quality and performance that are not significantly different from those abroad. However, their processes are relatively outdated, leading to serious environmental issues.

2012.04.26

Design of Vulcanization Systems and Application of Vulcanization Accelerators

The vulcanization system of rubber includes vulcanizing agents, accelerators, and activators. Generally speaking, the crosslink density of rubber is mainly related to the amount of vulcanizing agent used. Of course, increasing the amount of accelerators containing promoting groups can also enhance the crosslink density in the form of monosulfide or disulfide bonds. In general, the amount of accelerators in sulfur vulcanization systems is relatively small, so the size of the crosslink density is mainly determined by the amount of sulfur used. The role of the accelerator is to lower the crosslinking temperature of sulfur and speed up the vulcanization rate of sulfur, effectively acting as a catalyst. Different types of accelerators have different activation energies, so the types of vulcanized rubber also vary. For example, EPDM and IIR have fewer unsaturated double bonds, resulting in slower vulcanization rates, and generally use highly active dithiocarbamate accelerators or thiuram types as the main accelerators. In contrast, NR, IR, BR, SBR, and NBR, which have more unsaturated double bonds, have faster vulcanization rates and typically use thiazole or sulfenamide accelerators as the main accelerators. The choice of main accelerators usually involves some acidic accelerators containing vulcanization groups, which can participate in the vulcanization reaction and help reduce the amount of non-vulcanized material in the vulcanized rubber, thereby minimizing blooming phenomena. Main accelerators can be used alone or in combinations of two or more. Generally, the stronger the activity of the accelerator, the higher the activation energy and the stronger the acidity. When using two or more main accelerators, it is essential to pay attention to their synchronized activation. The amount of the more active main accelerator should be less, while the amount of the slightly less active main accelerator should be more, in order to achieve acid balance and synchronized activation effects. In high unsaturation rubber, the main vulcanization accelerator is...