Silicon dioxide (SiO ₂), better known as white carbon black. It is not a single substance, but a collective term for a series of amorphous silica products, often prepared through synthetic methods. Due to its ability to significantly improve key indicators such as mechanical and rheological properties of products even in small amounts among numerous materials, it is known as "industrial monosodium glutamate". In China, white carbon black (precipitated silica), as a high-performance inorganic material, has gone through an extraordinary development process from import dependence to self-sufficiency, and from low-end expansion to high-end transformation.
Development history: From a stumbling start to a global leader
Early Start (1950-1980)
The domestic white carbon black industry started relatively late and relied mainly on imports in the early stages. In the initial and exploratory stages, precipitation method is the main approach, and the production capacity is extremely low. In 1958, Guangzhou People's Chemical Plant built the first industrial equipment for precipitated silica in China, but the high-end product market was firmly monopolized by international companies such as Germany's Wingchuang and Japan's Dongcao for a long time.
Rapid expansion of production capacity (1990-2000)
During this period, the production capacity of sedimentation method significantly increased, achieving the localization of 10000 ton equipment. At the same time, the gas-phase method has also made breakthroughs, independently developing 500 ton level process technology, breaking the long-term technological monopoly of foreign countries and injecting new impetus into industrial development.
Scale and Industrialization (2000-2010)
The production capacity of sedimentation method continues to expand, and its application areas are constantly expanding, extending to emerging fields such as green tires. The rise of leading enterprises in sedimentation methods such as Quecheng Shares has promoted the rapid expansion of the industry scale. In terms of gas-phase method, the problem of by-product utilization has been successfully solved, and the raw materials have been expanded to polycrystalline silicon by-product silicon tetrachloride, achieving effective utilization of resources.
High quality and high growth stage (2010 present)
The domestic white carbon black industry has entered a period of rapid development, with production capacity increasing from 2.036 million tons to 2.77 million tons and output increasing from 1.35 million tons to 1.7521 million tons. China has become the world's largest producer. Huifu Nano has broken through the bottleneck technology and made significant progress in the high-end field. However, precipitation method is still the mainstream process, accounting for 76%, while gas-phase method has a relatively low proportion due to its high technical threshold.
Market pattern and structural contradictions
Market pattern
East China region: Represented by Shandong and Jiangsu, accounting for 35% of the country's production capacity, it gathers leading enterprises such as Quecheng Corporation, and has a significant industrial cluster effect.
South China region: Benefiting from the booming development of new energy vehicles and electronics industries, the growth rate of high-end production capacity is leading, with a year-on-year increase of 18% in 2023, becoming an important region for the high-end development of industries.
Southwest region: relying on abundant quartz sand resources, mainly producing mid to low end products, actively undertaking capacity transfer, and providing new space for industrial development.
Structural contradictions
Supply and demand imbalance: There is a prominent problem in the industry where there is an oversupply of low-end products and a shortage of high-end products. High end high dispersion precipitation method silica and some special gas-phase silica, such as ultra-high purity and special modified products, still rely on imports or are dominated by foreign-funded enterprises in the market.
Environmental protection and cost pressure: With increasingly strict environmental policies, the requirements for energy conservation and emission reduction in chemical enterprises are constantly increasing, leading to rising production costs for enterprises. Gas phase production not only has high energy and raw material costs, but also the supply of raw material silicon tetrachloride is affected by fluctuations in the polysilicon industry, further increasing the operational risks of enterprises.
Intense market competition: In the relatively low technological threshold of the precipitation method in the low-end field, there are numerous enterprises and fierce price competition, which seriously affects the profitability of enterprises.
Future trend: innovation driven, green forward
Technological upgrading and product high-end
Enterprises continue to increase their R&D investment and make every effort to overcome high-end products and technological challenges. Such as ultra-high specific surface area gas-phase silica and efficient hydrophobic modification technology. Huifu Nano plans to build a 6000 ton/year food and pharmaceutical grade product packaging workshop, which is expected to achieve a breakthrough of "zero" domestic pharmaceutical grade products. At the same time, new technologies such as artificial intelligence have also been applied to optimize production processes, using AI algorithms to monitor and regulate flame field temperature in real time, and improve the uniformity of gas-phase products.
Green and Sustainable Development
The pressure of environmental regulations has prompted industries to pay more attention to green processes and the comprehensive utilization of by-products. The gas-phase production method effectively absorbs the by-products of the organic silicon and polycrystalline silicon industries, realizes resource recycling, and promotes the sustainable development of the industry.
Industrial chain synergy and internationalization
Top enterprises are no longer limited to a single manufacturing process, but extend upstream and downstream to create a full industry chain advantage. Henan Haiborui has created an integrated research and production model, enhancing the enterprise's ability to resist risks. At the same time, with the improvement of domestic product quality and the participation of international standards, such as Huifu Nano leading the development of international standards for fumed silica, Chinese enterprises have won more voice and market share in the international market.
Looking back at the "past and present" of China's silicon dioxide industry, its journey from scratch and from weakness to strength is a vivid portrayal of China's modern industrial development. From initially facing technological blockades and difficult explorations, to now breaking monopolies and independent innovation, it is the decades of perseverance and hard work of countless enterprises and researchers. Looking ahead to the future, with the vigorous development of strategic emerging industries such as new energy, new materials, and electronic information, the demand for high-performance silica will continue to grow. This industry chain will continue to expand and write a more brilliant chapter.