China is a major producer of biodegradable plastic resins, and its products include PBAT, PLA, PHAs and starch products. These resins can be mixed with each other to be modified and processed into plastic application products, including film bag packaging, disposable tableware, daily necessities, medical supplies and so on.
From market analysis, according to Zhuo Chuang Consulting’s research, China’s biodegradable resin market reached RMB 3 billion in 2019. The main products are PBAT and PLA, occupying 90% of the market, and the remaining products only account for 10% of the market.
From the perspective of production, the current production capacity of China’s biodegradable market has reached 300,000 tons, the output has reached 93,333 tons, and the import volume is about 3,000 tons.
PBAT is a kind of thermoplastic biodegradable plastic. It is produced by polymerization reaction of 1,4-butanediol (BDO), terephthalic acid (PTA), and adipic acid (AA) through a catalyst. It has the characteristics of PBA and PBT. , It has good ductility and elongation at break, as well as good heat resistance and impact performance; in addition, it also has excellent biodegradability, which is currently very active in the research of biodegradable plastics and the best degradation in market applications One of the materials.
The production process conditions of PBAT polymer in China are also relatively mature. There are many similarities between PBAT production equipment and PBT, PET and PBS production equipment in terms of polymerization reaction, vacuum system, melt transportation, processing system, heat medium system, etc., and the interoperability of engineering transformation is good. At present, the domestic 500,000 t/a PET plant has been domestically produced.
Key equipment such as high-viscosity polymerization reactors can be manufactured in China. The manufacturing, inspection, construction and installation of large-scale polymerization equipment have mature experience and procedures, which can be PBAT Industrialization provides reference.
In addition, due to the high molecular thermal stability, low degradation rate and large molecular space of PBAT materials, it can be blended with other molecules; at the same time, the molecular chain has good flexibility, so PBAT materials are developing towards flexibility, focusing on switching to multiple varieties, and market performance Good, especially as a special material for biodegradable mulch, it is recognized as the most promising biodegradable material.
PBAT is not suitable for injection molding materials, but it has good ductility and good application prospects for blown film. The melting point of 110-130℃ is suitable for all kinds of film bag products, including packaging film, agricultural film, disposable plastic bag and disposable plastic tableware, etc.
From 2015 to 2019, China’s PBAT market has always been in a state of oversupply, and exports accounted for half of PBAT output. Although domestic policies have promoted PBAT consumption, the growth rate has been slow, and the average growth rate in the past five years It was 5.4%, which was significantly lower than the 7.5% production growth rate.