Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is widely used and my country is the world’s largest producer and exporter.

​ ​ ​ Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble polymer produced by the alcoholysis of polyvinyl acetate. Its chemical formula is [C2H4O]n and it is an important chemical raw material. Polyvinyl alcohol appears as white floc, flake or powdery solid, soluble in water, but insoluble in methanol, toluene, gasoline and kerosene. Polyvinyl alcohol has the advantages of good film-forming properties, good light resistance, and corrosion resistance, and has been widely used in many fields.

According to the “China Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Market Feasibility Research Report 2022-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center, my country As the world’s largest producer of polyvinyl alcohol, the output of polyvinyl alcohol has been on a downward trend in recent years due to factors such as restrictions on national environmental protection policies and structural adjustments in the chemical industry. According to statistics from the China Chemical Fiber Industry Association, my country’s polyvinyl alcohol production will reach 750,000 tons in 2021, a year-on-year decrease of 7.4%.

The polyvinyl alcohol production process includes natural gas acetylene method, ethylene method and calcium carbide method. The main raw material of the natural gas acetylene process is methane, and my country has abundant methane resources. At the same time, the natural gas acetylene method has the advantages of low production cost and high production efficiency, and is suitable for large-scale production. However, this method has high technical barriers and has not been widely used in my country. At present, the ethylene method and the calcium carbide method are the mainstream production processes of polyvinyl alcohol in the world, and the ethylene method accounts for 98.0%.

Polyvinyl alcohol has a wide range of applications, including medicine, chemical industry, papermaking, building materials, and textiles. In the medical field, polyvinyl alcohol has good biocompatibility and is widely used in medical dressings, artificial joints, artificial kidney membranes, etc. At the same time, adding polyvinyl alcohol to drugs can control the drug release rate. Common drugs include sustained-release tablets, enteric-coated tablets, etc. The chemical industry is the largest demand side for polyvinyl alcohol, with demand accounting for 70.0%. Polyvinyl alcohol can be combined with other chemical raw materials to make products such as adhesives and polymerization aids. As the application fields continue to expand, the demand for polyvinyl alcohol is growing day by day.

In terms of import and export, my country is the world’s largest exporter of polyvinyl alcohol. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, my country’s polyvinyl alcohol export volume will reach 168,200 tons in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 16.1%, and the export value will reach 400 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 168,200 tons. An increase of 43.5%. Asia is my country’s main export destination for polyvinyl alcohol, including South Korea, India, and Malaysia. The above countries account for nearly 40.0% of my country’s total polyvinyl alcohol exports.

Industry analysts said that as an organic compound, polyvinyl alcohol is widely used. As market demand continues to be released, the industry will Develop in the direction of high-end and refinement. my country is the world’s largest producer and exporter of polyvinyl alcohol. Under the influence of factors such as rapid economic development and the gradual implementation of national environmental protection policies, polyvinyl alcohol manufacturers with backward production capacity will be eliminated by the market, and industry concentration is expected to further increase.