In recent years, the domestic market for polycarboxylate superplasticizer monomers has continued to develop, and the product structure has undergone significant changes. New types of functional macromonomers have emerged one after another, fully reflecting the rapid development and continuous improvement of the entire industrial chain of polycarboxylate superplasticizer macromonomers in China, as well as the increasing quality requirements of many superplasticizer manufacturers for macromonomers.
With the commissioning of new and expanded ethoxylation projects in China and the improvement of production technology, the domestic production capacity of polyether monomers will further expand, and competition among enterprises will become more intense. Therefore, domestic polyether monomer manufacturers should not only continuously improve their product quality and optimize process technology, but also pay attention to the research and application of new functional polyether monomers to meet the needs of different functional water reducing agent products. At the same time, with the continuous increase in China's environmental protection efforts, both starter manufacturers and water reducing agent manufacturers are constantly improving their production processes, providing more environmentally friendly and green products and processes. This also means that in the future, the development of large monomers, from starter production to ethoxylation processes, will need to pay more attention to meeting environmental protection needs.
Under such a development trend, the emergence of ethylene ether monomers has provided a new direction for domestic monomer manufacturers. Currently, large monomer manufacturers such as Liaoning Aoke, Fushun Dongke, and Shanghai Dongda have carried out the production of ethylene ether monomers, which have also been widely used in water reducing agent manufacturers. The outstanding advantages of ethylene ether monomers in production processes, product performance, and other aspects will make them the main trend in the development of monomers in the future. At the same time, the production of ethylene ether monomer initiators has entered the stage of large-scale production, and the price of initiators will continue to decline, making ethylene ether monomers more competitive in the market.
The new polyether monomers represented by EPEG monomers have a pollution-free starter production process and can adapt to low-temperature synthesis of polycarboxylate water reducers. They have the characteristics of high double bond activity, simple synthesis process, and excellent water reducer performance. The entire production process meets the requirements of green, low-carbon, and environmental protection, and will become the mainstream variety of polycarboxylate water reducers in the market, with good economic and promotional value. At the same time, the development of EPEG monomers can further promote the development of polycarboxylate superplasticizer products towards functionalization, specialization, and ecologicalization in the future.
