China's coatings have increased in quality and demand for cellulose ethers

Thanks to the ongoing process of urbanization in China, the demand for decorative building materials in China has also been further amplified, and the architectural coatings market has developed rapidly. At the same time, Chinese consumers have increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements for architectural coatings in order to focus on the need for home improvement and beautification. An important supplier of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), which continues to serve the Chinese architectural coatings industry, and Mr. Hua Haoming, vice president of the additive business of the cross-durable functional materials of Ashlandia, USA, said in an interview: Compared to other countries And consumers in the region, Chinese consumers are particularly sensitive to chemicals, they will take the initiative to choose water-based paint products, which is the rapid development of waterborne Chinese architectural coatings in recent years, one of the most important market factors. At the same time, the expansion of the output of architectural coatings has also brought about an increase in the demand for cellulose ethers.

According to the reporter, HEC is a major cellulose polymer. This special additive can be used to change and control the physical properties of rheology, film formation, and viscosity in aqueous and non-aqueous systems, especially in architectural coatings, especially water-based architectural coatings. Wide range of applications. It is worth mentioning that it is precisely because the main raw materials are sourced from natural cotton and wood pulp. It also caters to the economic development trend of environmental protection and low carbon, especially to the development direction of water-based building coatings in China. For example, in the realization of low odor and many net odor paint formulations, the natural HEC itself has no VOC, and its application in the paint naturally does not introduce odors, which is also in line with the habits of Chinese consumers. "I am so happy to show our products to HEC's consumers, especially the raw materials used are very environmentally friendly," Mr. Hua Haoming said in an interview with reporters.

The main raw material for Ashland HEC products is cotton. However, due to the impact of natural disasters such as floods in China this year, it directly led to a reduction in cotton production, making the purchase price of cotton once higher. “The direct rise in raw material costs will inevitably have a direct impact on customers, but we are trying to reduce the pressure on raw materials pressure on our customers. In Ashland, we have a large part of the funds invested in R&D, with the aim of The production process and production process methods, reduce the instability brought about by natural raw materials, produce products with stable performance, and improve the efficiency of the use of customers. "At present, Ashland has about 35% of the world's products come from biological and Natural Ingredients. At the same time, Hua Haoming also stated that in the future Ashland will consider investing as much as possible in natural biomaterials, thereby alleviating the pressure caused by the rising international oil prices and not adding a burden to the environment.

By analyzing the characteristics of the Chinese market and targeting the needs of Chinese customers, Ashland has also launched a number of tailor-made products for the Asian and Chinese markets in China, such as the NatrosolTM HE3KB model cellulose ether product that was introduced this year. According to Huahao Ming, “These new products may be a little higher in unit price, but in the entire coating formulation, we can reduce the overall cost by reducing the amount of use. For cost reasons, we must not We do not care about price fluctuations in raw materials, but for our customers, we want to provide HEC products with stable prices and stable supply."

It is precisely because of the wide application of HEC in paints and coatings that it is also considered as the wind indicator of the paint industry. According to Ashland's data, global HEC's capacity growth is consistent with GDP, which is maintained at around 3%-4%, but there are also regional differences. In the past three years, the North American architectural coatings market has shrunk, resulting in a decline in the demand for HEC. However, in China, the demand for HEC has risen by 8% to 10%. In Hua Haoming's opinion, from the perspective of the number of Chinese coatings market growth and the type of growth, the Chinese paint market has shown a good momentum of quality and quality. “An important performance is: Chinese consumers will actively purchase environmentally-friendly products when they consume. This is a very healthy way of growth.” Hua Haoming said.

According to reports, Ashland is the second largest cellulose producer in the world. In addition to its production bases in North America and Europe, the first 10,000-ton HEC project launched by Ashland in Nanjing on December 8th has been put into production. . At the same time, Mr. Hua Haoming also disclosed to the editor: Based on the optimistic expectations for the future of the Chinese market, the infrastructure needed for the second phase of the expansion of the Nanjing plant has been completed. "Because 70% of Ashland's cellulose ether products are applied in the coatings industry, with the development of Chinese coatings and the improvement of consumer environmental awareness, we are able to meet China's continuously growing market demand. For Nanjing HEC In terms of the project, we have fully prepared for the second expansion of production in China. It is understood that the second phase of HEC's production capacity at the Nanjing plant in Ashland is designed to be around 10 thousand tons. When it is put into operation, Ashland's production of HEC in China will reach 20,000 tons.