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Shortage of Demand for Large-scale Installation of Production of Large-scale Equipment——Status and Market Analysis of Styrene Production in China
China's styrene demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. According to recent forecasts, total styrene demand in 2005 will reach approximately 4.38 million tons, rising to around 5.6 million tons by 2010. However, domestic production capacity is expected to remain limited at 2 million tons in 2005 and 4.5 million tons in 2010, highlighting a growing gap between supply and demand. To address this, experts recommend accelerating R&D in advanced catalysts and upgrading existing facilities with modern technology to boost production scale and efficiency. The goal is to increase the capacity of individual units to at least 200,000 tons per year. Additionally, introducing advanced co-production technologies for styrene and propylene oxide could help build large-scale plants of 300,000 tons or more annually, effectively addressing the supply shortage.
In 2003, China’s total styrene production capacity was 1.05 million tons. By 2004, with expansions at Maoming and Qilu Petrochemicals, and the start-up of a 500,000-ton plant in Shanghai, the total capacity reached 1.69 million tons. Of this, 1.169 million tons came from imported equipment. Production has grown rapidly over the years—from 255,800 tons in 1995 to 985,700 tons in 2004, with an average annual growth rate of 5.7%.
Despite this growth, domestic production still falls short of demand, leading to heavy imports. In 1995, China imported just 305,800 tons, but by 2004, imports surged to 2.89 million tons, accounting for about 74.7% of total consumption. Meanwhile, exports remained relatively small, reaching 0.61 million tons in 2003 and 0.86 million tons in 2004.
Apparent consumption also rose sharply. From 548,300 tons in 1995, it jumped to 1.91 million tons in 2000 and reached 3.87 million tons in 2004, with an average annual growth rate of 16.9% between 1999 and 2004.
Styrene is widely used in various industries, including polystyrene (55.6%), ABS/SAN resins (11.6%), styrene-butadiene rubber (3.5%), unsaturated polyester resins (7.3%), and other applications such as pesticides and ion exchange resins (19.4%).
Polystyrene remains the largest consumer, with 2.15 million tons produced in 2004, consuming nearly the same amount of styrene. As China's electronics, daily goods, and packaging sectors expand, demand for polystyrene is expected to rise to 2.4 million tons in 2005 and 3.1 million tons in 2010.
ABS and SAN resins are the second-largest users. In 2004, they consumed about 450,000 tons of styrene, and by 2005, this is expected to rise to 600,000 tons, reaching 800,000 tons by 2010.
Other key applications include styrene-butadiene rubber and latex, which consumed around 132,000 tons in 2004. Demand is projected to increase to 150,000 tons by 2005 and 210,000 tons by 2010.
Unsaturated polyester resins also consume significant amounts of styrene, with 280,000 tons used in 2004. This is expected to grow to 315,000 tons in 2005 and 400,000 tons by 2010.
Thermoplastic elastomers like SBS and SEBS consumed about 102,000 tons in 2004, with demand expected to reach 115,000 tons in 2005 and 140,000 tons in 2010.
In summary, China’s styrene demand is set to reach 4.38 million tons in 2005 and 5.6 million tons in 2010, creating a substantial market gap that needs to be filled through technological upgrades, new capacity, and strategic planning.