Gaseous silica, also known as fumed silica, is an amorphous powder substance obtained by the hydrolysis of chlorosilane in high-temperature water generated by a hydrogen oxygen flame. Gaseous silica is an amorphous white powder, which is a non-toxic, odorless, and pollution-free inorganic nanomaterial. Gaseous silica exhibits a three-dimensional network structure, with unsaturated bonds and hydroxyl groups in different bond states (isolated hydroxyl, ortho hydroxyl, double hydroxyl, etc.) on its surface.
Gas phase silica is mainly used as a reinforcing agent for organosilicon elastomers and is also applied in other organosilicon products such as silicone Resin. In addition, its application in coatings, inks, adhesives, synthetic resins, chemical mechanical polishing, composite materials, colloidal batteries, defoamers, Sewage Treatment, agriculture, cosmetics, food, medicine, insulation materials, and other fields continues to grow.
China is a major producer and consumer of coatings. Adding gas-phase silica to coatings can provide functions such as anti caking, anti sagging, emulsification, extinction, suspension, thickening, and thixotropy. Gas phase silica also provides new opportunities for the synthesis of resin based composites, which can improve the performance of resin based materials. In adhesives, gas-phase silica is mainly used as a reinforcing agent and additive, playing a role in rheological control, anti settling, anti sagging, and reinforcement. In addition, gas-phase silica has a wide range of applications in fields such as chemical mechanical polishing, composite materials, colloidal batteries, defoamers, wastewater treatment, agriculture, cosmetics, food, medicine, thermal insulation materials, etc. With the continuous expansion of downstream application fields of gas-phase silica in the future, the diversification of application fields provides a broad market space for gas-phase silica.
With the continuous improvement of process technology in the gas-phase silica industry in recent years and the continuous growth of downstream demand for deep processing of organic silicon, the global production of gas-phase silica continues to expand. After long-term development, China's gas-phase silica industry has become one of the few countries in the world that can independently produce gas-phase silica products, except for Germany, the United States, and Japan.
From 2018 to 2022, the production capacity and output of gas-phase silica in China showed an upward trend. As of 2022, the production capacity of gas-phase silica in China was about 210000 tons, with an average growth rate of 9.94% in the past five years; The production is about 140000 tons, with an average growth rate of 13.08% in the past five years. From 2018 to 2021, there was a period of rapid growth in production capacity. Due to the increasing demand for gas-phase white Carbon Black from downstream domestic silicone rubber, blended rubber, and other products, the market added more production capacity. However, due to the increase in new production capacity, market competition pressure increased, and the growth rate of production capacity gradually slowed down. In 2022, due to poor downstream silicone rubber orders, some companies chose to replace imported silica with domestically produced gas-phase silica, resulting in a gradual decline in market prices from high levels.
In 2022, the price of gas-phase white carbon black first rose and then fell. The highest point of the year occurred in May at 36000 yuan/ton, and by the end of December, the price had dropped to 24000 yuan/ton, with a cumulative decrease of 12000 yuan/ton. In the first half of 2023, the price of gas-phase white carbon black continued to decline, with an average price of 19867 yuan/ton, a month on month decrease of 29.68%, and a year-on-year decrease of 41.75%. As of the end of July 2023, the low-end price of domestically produced 200 models is between 11000-13500 yuan/ton, and the high-end 200 models are between 17000-20000 yuan/ton.
Two sets of new production capacity for gas-phase white carbon black have been put into operation in the past six months (Hubei Huifu Nano Materials Co., Ltd. 20000 tons/year meteorological method and Hesheng Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. 9600 tons/year gas-phase method), and the industry's oversupply situation has increased significantly. During the Golden September and Silver October period, there may be a slight upward trend in prices due to demand, but due to lower downstream demand this year compared to previous years, the expected increase is limited.
