China’s EnBA market relies on imports and domestic industrialization has not yet been achieved

The full name of EnBA in English is Ethylene N-Butyl Acrylate, also known as ethylene butyl acrylate or ethylene-n-butyl acrylate. It is a binary copolymer generated by ethylene and butyl acrylate through high-temperature and high-pressure free radical reaction. This copolymer Materials containing up to 35% BA (butyl acrylate).

EnBA has good temperature resistance, the thermal decomposition temperature and extrusion processing temperature are higher than ordinary EVA materials, and the melting point and softening point are higher. The processing performance is similar to LDPE, and the viscosity is smaller; EnBA has higher polarity than ordinary EVA materials and is compatible It has better resiliency and higher filling power and resistance to environmental stress. For halogen-free flame retardant additives (aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide), the filling rate can reach 70%; EnBA has a wide distribution of molecular weight, higher melt strength, and is easy to extrusion The cable has the characteristics of good gloss and high flatness; EnBA has a high melting point and softening point, and a low modulus. The finished product made of it as raw material has good flexibility, temperature resistance and impact resistance.

EnBA is widely used in wires and cables, adhesives/sealants, packaging films, extrusion coating products, hoses and children’s toys. Since there are certain substitutes for EnBA products and the Chinese market is monopolized by foreign companies, the production costs of downstream companies have increased. Therefore, the downstream market demand for my country’s EnBA products is limited. According to the“China EnBA Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center, 2022, China EnBA demand is 4029 tons.

Due to the lack of research on ethylene and acrylic acid (ester) series copolymers in China, the relatively weak technology accumulation and talent reserve, coupled with the small scale of market demand, and the low enthusiasm of enterprises to invest in the construction of production lines, the industrialization of China’s EnBA is relatively lagging behind. So far, the localization of EnBA has not been achieved.

At this stage, China’s EnBA market relies on imports. The market is mainly occupied by foreign chemical giants such as DuPont and ExxonMobil, and market competition has eased. In addition, some domestic petrochemical enterprise facilities have initially acquired the ability to produce ethylene-acrylic acid and its ester copolymers. They can try to produce EnBA, thereby getting rid of international monopoly, lowering the overall product price, and meeting domestic market demand.

my country’s EnBA market consumption is limited, and it is mainly concentrated in the fields of wires and cables and adhesives/sealants, with few applications in other fields. In the future, as relevant domestic research institutions and enterprises deepen their research on EnBA applications, the application scope of EnBA may be further broadened. In addition, industrial upgrading will increase the demand for high-end raw materials, and the demand for EnBA will also grow.

In the future, as the EnBA market demand grows, a certain number of companies may try to enter this field. However, due to the small overall development scale of the industry and the limited market growth, it is expected that not many companies will enter the EnBA industry in the future. The EnBA industry will continue to maintain a high degree of concentration and competition will remain relatively mild.