(June 2, 2026) In the first half of 2026, the domestic silica industry completely abandoned the extensive capacity expansion model. Against the backdrop of normalized dual carbon policies and continuous upgrades in environmental protection standards, major manufacturers are focusing on promoting green technological transformation, process innovation, and energy-saving and carbon-reduction transformations. A large number of low-carbon intelligent production lines have been successfully put into operation, with core technologies such as wastewater recycling, solid waste resource utilization, and ultra-low emissions widely implemented, driving the industry's deep transformation from "large-scale mass production" to "green quality improvement," becoming a benchmark track for low-carbon upgrades in the fine chemicals sector.
As a core new material in tires, photovoltaics, lithium batteries, coatings, and other fields, silica has traditional production processes that suffer from high water consumption, many by-products, and high energy consumption, making it a key area for environmental protection in the chemical industry for a long time. Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has introduced a new round of ultra-low emission control rules for the fine chemical industry, setting higher standards for the disposal of waste gas, wastewater, and solid waste during the silica production process, directly accelerating the elimination of outdated industry capacity. According to industry statistics, as of early June, domestic inefficient, high-energy-consuming small silica production capacity had been cleared out by over 400,000 tons this year, significantly increasing the concentration of high-quality capacity in the industry.
Green technological transformation has become the core driver for enterprise development in the industry. Leading domestic white carbon black producers are ramping up technological research and development, iterating and upgrading production processes. Compared to traditional sedimentation production processes, the new closed-loop circular production technology achieves a qualitative breakthrough. Through raw material recovery, wastewater recycling, and waste heat reuse, it reduces overall production energy consumption by more than 18% and increases water resource utilization to 95%, completely solving the industry's problems of high water consumption and excessive wastewater discharge in traditional production. At the same time, the company has achieved full resource utilization of sodium sulfate and silicate solid waste through precise by-product purification technology, truly achieving near-zero emission production.
Significant results have been achieved in the implementation of intelligent and low-carbon production lines. Recently, many enterprises in core production areas such as Shandong, Jiangsu, and Fujian have successively put into trial operation of intelligent low-carbon silica production lines. The new production line is equipped with automated batching, intelligent temperature control, and a real-time environmental monitoring system, which not only greatly improves product purity and stability but also meets the needs of high-end fields such as new energy and premium coatings, while effectively reducing labor costs and energy consumption. After the technological upgrade, the production line can precisely control core parameters such as specific surface area and dispersion, raising the yield rate of high-end modified silica from 92% to 99%, with a significant increase in product added value.
Technological innovation has also fundamentally changed the industry's profit structure. In the past, the industry relied on low-end products for volume-driven competition, with thin profits and severe homogeneity. Now, with green technological upgrades driving product upgrades, low-carbon, high-end silica has become a scarce category in the market. Currently, domestic low-carbon certified high-disperse silica, photovoltaic adhesive-specific silica, and lithium battery separator ultra-fine silica have market premiums 10%-20% higher than ordinary products and have long been in short supply. At the same time, green production qualifications have become a core threshold for enterprises participating in supply chain bidding for large new energy enterprises and leading tire manufacturers, and the market competitiveness of technological transformation enterprises continues to stand out.
Driven by both policy and market conditions, industry R&D investment continues to increase. Many companies are focusing on tackling low-carbon synthesis and modification technologies, with a particular focus on hydrophobic, ultra-fine, and functional high-end silica products, continuously breaking overseas technology monopolies. Industry data shows that in 2026, R&D investment in the domestic silica industry will grow by 22% year-on-year, with high-end functional product capacity accounting for over 50% for the first time, and significant results in optimizing the industrial structure.
Industry analysts say that the silica industry has entered a critical window of green transformation, and the development model relying solely on capacity expansion has completely ended. In the future, environmental protection processes, technological innovation, and low-carbon production capacity will become core competitive barriers in the industry. With the continuous expansion of downstream new energy and high-end manufacturing industries, coupled with tightening environmental policies, the silica industry will keep phasing out outdated capacity, accelerating its focus on green, intelligent, and high-end development, and ushering in a new cycle of high-quality development with the achievements of low-carbon transformation.
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