[Plastic] The asking price of 700,000 / ton is still difficult to buy, check the three reasons for the shortage of polypropylene melt blown cloth

As of the end of February, the daily output of masks reached 116 million, an increase of 730% over 2019, which is still a drop in the bucket.

ASIACHEM analyzed three major reasons, and the supply of core raw material meltblown cloth could not keep up.

Looking at the global epidemic, the demand for masks will continue to drive a substantial increase in the demand for polypropylene and polypropylene special materials;

The China Olefins and Raw Material Lightening Forum will be held in Beihai, Guangxi in the second quarter of 2020.

The development and application of medical olefin downstream materials (polyolefin, PC, SEBS, PVC, *** rubber, etc.

On March 2, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's daily production capacity of masks increased rapidly, and both exceeded 100 million.

On January 17, 2020, the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that at the end of 2019, the total population of mainland China was 1.

With the increase in the production capacity of masks, problems will follow.

According to ASIACHEM Consulting, the price of meltblown cloth was around 12,000 yuan/ton before the Spring Festival, and 40,000 yuan/ton has already started, and there is no spot.

So what limits the release of meltblown cloth production capacity? Our research has found that there are three reasons.

A.

B.

C.

Non-woven fabrics (MFR, g/10min) are generally 30-35.

1) During the polymerization process, the relative molecular weight and relative molecular weight distribution of PP are controlled by hydrogen regulation.

2) By adding organic peroxide to the polypropylene base resin, the effect of controlling the degradation of polypropylene is formed, thereby adjusting the fluidity of the resin.

3) At present, many companies producing PP resin in the world adopt the Ziegler-Natta new catalyst system containing diether internal donor.

In other words, if polypropylene wants to obtain a high melting index, the use of organic peroxides to adjust is a simple and feasible modification method.
2,5-Dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane (DTBPH) is an excellent additive for polypropylene modification and is an important product in the range of organic peroxides.
However, organic peroxides belong to the category of hazardous chemicals and are prone to oxidative combustion and explosion.
Since many years ago, its development has been restricted by many parties.

ASIACHEM was informed that some companies in the industry planned to launch the idea of ​​organic peroxide devices in the past few years, but after consulting with relevant departments, they understand that such projects have extremely strict approval requirements, and the development of organic peroxides is not encouraged in the country.
Within the scope, the conditions for entering the chemical park were harsh, so this idea was dispelled.

At present, there are only a few domestic joint ventures in the production, such as Nouryon (Nouryon), etc.
, among which the model of organic peroxide is Trigonox301.
As for domestic enterprises, they are all small-scale enterprises in production, and after strict environmental protection inspections, most small-scale enterprises have stopped.

The production of non-woven fabrics for ordinary masks needs to be prepared by the melt-blown method (MeltBlowing).
The melt-blown method belongs to the polymer extrusion method non-woven process.
The non-woven fabric produced by the melt-blown method has a structure of multiple curved channels of melt-blown materials, which is effective Carrying out particulate matter filtration, the filterability is about 35%, and the non-woven products made are also called melt-blown non-woven fabrics.

The principle of the process is to use high-speed hot air to draw the thin stream of polymer melt extruded from the orifice of the die, thereby forming ultra-fine fibers and condensing on the net curtain or drum, relying on self-bonding to become a non-woven fabric .

The meltblown material is made by heat-melting its own fibers.
The thicker meltblown non-woven fabric is produced by the meltblown method.
The random and interlayer arrangements of the fibers form a multi-curved channel structure of the meltblown material, so that particulate matter (new crown virus aerosol ) Will collide with the fiber and be stranded.

However, the preparation cost for processing meltblown cloth is relatively high, and the production is difficult, and it is not an ordinary enterprise that can immediately invest and build it into production.
Most of this type of equipment comes from imports, including Reifen from Germany, STP from Italy, NKK from Japan, and Nordson from the United States.
At present, some domestic equipment manufacturers have developed related equipment, such as Beijing Jianqi Machinery Equipment Manufacturing Co.
, Ltd.
, Zhejiang Chaolong Textile Machinery Co.
, Ltd.
and so on.
The key equipment die is mainly produced by Japan Kasen Company, Changzhou Chenguang Machinery Manufacturing Co.
, Ltd.
and other companies, and there are still gaps.

Industry insiders pointed out that there were not many domestic manufacturers of melt blown cloth before.
There are also obstacles to expanding production capacity in a short period of time.
Some manufacturers of meltblown cloth equipment said that the equipment delivery cycle is usually about 8 months, plus about 2 months of installation and commissioning time, it is difficult to meet the surge in demand in a short time.
Moreover, the production of meltblown materials is very sticky, and the equipment needs mechanical transformation, and temporary transformation also takes a certain amount of time.

The production of melt blown cloth is not over yet.
The production of medical masks requires electret treatment on the basis of the above melt blown.
The filtering mechanism of medical masks is Brownian diffusion, retention, inertial collision, gravity sedimentation and electrostatic adsorption.
The first four are physical factors, which are the natural characteristics of non-woven fabrics produced by the melt blown method, but they must meet the production standards of medical masks.
The fibers need to be charged with static electricity to capture the aerosol where the new coronavirus is located.

After electret treatment, the non-woven fabric can achieve 95% filterability without changing the respiratory resistance, effectively prevent viruses, and reach the standard of medical masks.
The electret-treated high-melt finger melt-blown non-woven fabric raw materials are generally called medical high-melt finger melt-blown non-woven fabric raw materials.

Electrostatic adsorption is the capture of new coronavirus droplets (aerosols) through the Coulomb force of charged fibers.
The principle is to make the surface of the filter material more open, and the ability to capture particles can be grabbed, while the increase in the charge density makes the adsorption and polarization effects of particles stronger.

ASIACHEM has learned that electrets have already been out of stock.
Therefore, many so-called medical mask-grade meltblown cloths on the market are shipped directly without electret treatment at all, causing chaos in the industry.

Since the 21st century, many fibrous materials (such as polypropylene and cellulose) have been widely used in the production of medical masks, and the products can effectively isolate the invasion of viruses.
The protective effects of masks made of different fiber materials are different, and the protective effects decrease from highest to lowest: polypropylene, polyester rayon, glass fiber and cellulose fiber.
Polypropylene is the most commonly used fiber.
It has high hydrophobicity and sweat wicking function, which can keep the mask and the face dry and comfortable.

Although there are frequent positive signs of the development of the domestic epidemic, looking at the world, the epidemic has just begun.
Japan, South Korea, Italy, the United States, and Iran are all in a hurry, and they are spreading.
South Korea, which has the same land area as Zhejiang, China, has more than 3,500 confirmed cases, three times the number of confirmed cases in Zhejiang, with 17 deaths compared to 1 case in Zhejiang.
The scarcity of masks is not easier than that in China, and the skyrocketing price is reasonable.

Taking into account the domestic epidemic prevention and control and the need to resume work and production, combined with the expansion of overseas epidemics, the supply gap of masks will continue to rise.
A large number of new mask production capacity will be put on the market one after another, and the demand for the main raw material polypropylene and polypropylene special materials will continue to grow substantially.

(Keyword: Polypropylene)