Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is the largest variety of general synthetic rubber production capacity, according to the production process, can be divided into two categories: emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (ESBR) and solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR), of which ESBR started early and large-scale, and SSBR started late, but the development speed is faster. Since the closure of Singapore’s ARLANXEO production line in 2021, the import of SSBR from China and Southeast Asia mainly comes from Japan and South Korea, Japan’s Asahi Kasei, JSR, etc. are world-recognized high-end product manufacturers, and their technical research and development strength and production capacity are at the world’s leading level. With the development of the tire industry, modified grade SSBR is the main grade for future research and development and demand, and some companies such as LG and Kumho have begun to gradually reduce the production of ordinary grade products.
Butadiene rubber (BR) is the second largest synthetic rubber after styrene-butadiene rubber, after experiencing rapid development in the early stage, the growth rate of global butadiene rubber production capacity has slowed down in recent years, and gradually opened the channel to capacity. Rare earth butadiene rubber (NdBR), also known as neodymium butadiene rubber, is a kind of butadiene rubber polymerized in a catalytic system with rare earth metal neodymium as the main body, and the use of this rubber as a raw material to manufacture tires can greatly improve the quality and performance of tires. Different from SSBR, the current global NdBR product types are relatively simple, mostly Mooney viscosity 40 and 60 products, of which Mooney viscosity 40 products can account for 70-80% of the total NdBR production.
SBS is a kind of styrene thermoplastic elastomer, which is polymerized by anionic solution polymerization process, and the product has both normal temperature rubber elasticity and high temperature plastic plasticity, with good physical properties and superior processing properties, and is known as “third-generation synthetic rubber”. With the continuous maturity of domestic SBS production technology, the road reform and waterproofing membrane industry is mainly based on the purchase of domestic SBS, and the price of imported SBS is high, which is mostly used in high-end waterproof membranes, high-end adhesives and diaper elastic belts and other fields. …
