1. Industry development overview
At present, from the end of 1990s to the beginning of this century, Nanjing Jinlong and our company have successively built 1000 tons of GBL / NMP production facilities, and China has begun to produce NMP independently. After 2008, the domestic capacity of NMP has increased rapidly, and many large-scale NMP production enterprises have the capacity of 10000 tons. With the continuous investment of R & D forces in the same industry, the requirements of NMP purity for different downstream products have been greatly improved.
In recent years, the production and sales volume of major enterprises in the industry has increased rapidly, and the competition has become increasingly fierce. Major enterprises in the industry include Changxin chemical, Meiqi chemical, Binzhou Yuneng Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yuneng chemical"), etc. Among them, low-end overcapacity and high-end short supply have become prominent problems in the development of the industry.
2. Downstream industries
NMP products are mainly used in lithium-ion batteries, power batteries and other new energy and aramid, polyphenylene sulfide, polyimide and other new material industries. With the rapid development of China's emerging industries to pillar industries, the consumption of new energy and new materials in the downstream industry has increased sharply. Coupled with the technology introduction and self-improvement of the downstream industry, the downstream industry chain has grown rapidly to meet the needs of national economic and social development.
(1) Lithium ion battery industry
As one of the main raw materials in the manufacturing process of lithium-ion battery, NMP has a direct impact on the quality of slurry coating and the requirements of environmental protection. According to the analysis of industry research data, although the difference in model and specification will lead to the different proportion of NMP in the value of lithium-ion batteries, on the whole, NMP accounts for about 3% - 6% of the manufacturing cost of lithium-ion batteries. The market scale and demand of NMP also grow with the growth of lithium-ion batteries, especially energy storage batteries and power batteries.
Lithium ion battery is the most ideal secondary battery because of its high energy density, long cycle life, low self discharge rate, no memory effect and environmental protection. Lithium ion batteries are widely used in the field of portable electronic products, such as notebook computers, mobile phones and digital cameras. With the development of new energy industry, lithium-ion battery has gradually become the main power battery of electric tools, electric bicycles and electric vehicles due to its unique high specific energy and high specific power characteristics. In addition, lithium-ion batteries also have important applications in the field of energy storage.
Japan, South Korea and China are the main producers of lithium-ion batteries in the world. Japan is the first country to use lithium-ion batteries commercially. Before 2000, the world's lithium-ion batteries were basically produced in Japan. After 2000, China and South Korea began to invest in the lithium-ion battery industry and began mass production. The proportion of lithium-ion battery shipments in Japan gradually decreased, while the lithium-ion battery shipments in China and South Korea significantly increased, and the global lithium-ion battery capacity gradually formed a tripartite trend.
(2) Polymer industry
NMP is also a necessary chemical solvent for chemical reaction and dilution in the manufacturing process of aramid, polyphenylene sulfide, polyimide and other polymer materials, which directly affects the low-temperature polycondensation and the smooth delivery of materials and products. The full name of aramid fiber is "PPTA". It is a new type of high-tech synthetic fiber. It has excellent properties such as ultra-high strength, high modulus, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance, light weight and so on. Its strength is 5-6 times of steel wire, modulus is 2-3 times of steel wire or glass fiber, toughness is 2 times of steel wire, and weight is only about 1 / 5 of steel wire, At 560 degrees, it doesn't decompose, it doesn't melt. It has good insulation and anti-aging properties, and has a long life cycle. The discovery of aramid is considered to be a very important historical process in the field of materials.
Aramid fiber was first developed and industrialized by DuPont company in the 1960s. Now foreign aramid fiber industry is mature in terms of R & D level and large-scale production. In the field of aramid fiber production, para aramid fiber has the fastest development, and its production capacity is mainly concentrated in Japan, the United States and Europe. For example, Kevlar fiber from DuPont, technora fiber from teiren and terlon fiber from Russia. The varieties of meta aramid fiber include Nomex, conex, Fenelon fiber, etc. DuPont in the United States is world-class in terms of new product development, production specifications and market share. The Kevlar fiber produced by DuPont alone currently has more than ten brands such as Kevlar-49 and kevlar-29, and each brand has dozens of specifications.
Aramid fiber is a high-tech special fiber with the fastest development and excellent comprehensive performance in the world. This kind of fiber is soft and light, and has good insulation, acid and alkali resistance and high temperature resistance. As an indispensable basic material in aerospace, national defense, electronic communication and other high-tech fields, aramid shows a country's scientific and technological strength in a sense. Previously, although only a few countries in the world such as the United States, Japan and Russia mastered the industrialization technology, China's demand for aramid fiber was completely dependent on imports. With the rapid development of national economy in recent years, the domestic demand for aramid fiber and its products increased by 30% every year. In recent years, the localization of aramid fiber in China is also speeding up the process of development and industrialization. The scale of the plant is constantly breaking through and expanding, and the gap between China and foreign enterprises in product quality and variety is constantly narrowing.
3. Industry competition pattern
In terms of competition pattern, with the technology of domestic manufacturers becoming more and more mature and the product quality being improved, the advantages of foreign competitors such as BASF, Mitsubishi Chemical and other products no longer exist, and they gradually withdraw from the domestic market. At present, the domestic competition is mainly between the direct manufacturers and the recovery and purification manufacturers, as well as a small number of import and export traders. The recovery and purification manufacturers occupy the scattered customer base and the low-end market, while the direct manufacturers occupy the main customer base and the high-end market. At present, the competitive groups of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) industry in China are roughly divided into two categories: the first group is enterprises with strong competitiveness, such as BASF of Germany, Mitsubishi of Japan, Ashland of the United States, and Mitchell chemical. These enterprises are generally enterprises with large market scale, long working time, strong technology research and development ability, and they have advantages in capital and channels, Strong competitiveness. The second competitive group is small and medium-sized N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) enterprises. These enterprises are large in number, small in scale, small in brand influence, general in technology, and uneven in product quality of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP).
