(June 3, 2026) As the domestic chemical industry continues to deepen its green and low-carbon transformation, various regions are implementing environmental protection rules and new regulations on solid waste resource utilization. The silica industry is shifting from the traditional extensive production model of high water consumption and high waste discharge to a green production route of comprehensive by-product recycling and wastewater reuse. The level of resource recycling directly affects production costs and market competitiveness, becoming the core theme of the current transformation and upgrading of the white carbon dioxide industry.
Traditional sedimentation silica production generates large amounts of by-product salt, production wastewater, and waste residue. In the past, most small and medium-sized enterprises had rudimentary processing techniques and low investment in environmental disposal, relying on low costs to capture the low-end market. Entering 2026, many industrial parks will strictly control wastewater discharge and solid waste storage quotas, and production lines without resource recovery devices will be gradually restricted or shut down, causing significant changes in the industry's production cost structure. Leading companies equipped with by-product recovery equipment can recover sodium sulfate from production waste liquids and recycle industrial water, reducing the cost of silica raw materials and water treatment by several hundred yuan per ton, giving them a natural advantage in similar product price competition. Small factories without recycling support continue to raise production costs and are forced to reduce operating rates.
From the perspective of raw material circulation, many leading companies have opened up the upstream and downstream of the industry chain, recycling silica slag, waste glass, and industrial waste silicon to process and produce water glass raw materials, replacing traditional mineral raw materials. This not only reduces solid waste but also alleviates the cost pressure brought by rising water glass prices. The silica products produced from recycled raw materials meet all physical and chemical standards and have been smoothly applied in the fields of ordinary rubber fillers and building material fillers. Leveraging cost advantages, they have quickly captured the mid- and low-end market, further compressing the survival space for pure ore raw material production of silica.
On the demand side, downstream brands of tires, adhesives, and coatings are increasingly emphasizing green traceability of raw materials, with leading domestic and international terminal enterprises prioritizing white carbon black produced with green production certification and recycled raw materials. Among export orders for new energy supporting rubber and plastic products, environmental traceability has become a mandatory procurement condition. The growth rate of export orders from silica factories with resource utilization qualifications is significantly higher than the industry average, and the premium space for green products is steadily expanding. Some modified silica products rely on low-carbon production labels and export prices are 5%~10% higher than ordinary products.
In the foreign trade market, the EU carbon border tariff system is gradually tightening, and the import cost of high-carbon raw materials continues to rise. Domestically produced silica produced using circular processes has a lower carbon footprint, successfully avoiding high carbon taxes. Recently, inquiries from environmentally friendly rubber and plastics companies in Europe and Southeast Asia have been released in large numbers, driving steady growth in green silica exports and becoming the main driver of foreign trade growth. Conversely, exports of high-energy-consuming and resource-based white carbon products are facing increasing resistance, and overseas orders continue to shrink.
Industry research data shows that in the past six months, all newly commissioned silica projects domestically are equipped with by-product recovery and water circulation systems, and the pace of eliminating outdated, environmentally friendly supporting capacity continues to accelerate. Industry experts say that resource utilization and low-carbon development have become irreversible trends in white carbon black. In the future, product price differentiation will continue to intensify, companies holding circular production technologies and environmental protection qualifications will keep capturing market dividends, while small and medium-sized manufacturers clinging to outdated processes will find their survival space shrinking. In the short term, due to investment in environmental protection and technological upgrades, the overall ex-factory price of white carbon remains firm, and medium- to long-term green circular production capacity continues to be released, which is expected to optimize the industry's supply-demand structure and drive the industry as a whole towards the low-carbon new materials track.
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