Color silk production will double, chemical fiber color masterbatch ushers in development opportunities

By 2020, the production of colored silk in the chemical fiber industry will increase from the current 3 million tons to 6 million to 10 million tons, and the demand for high-performance color masterbatches will also greatly increase, bringing huge development opportunities to the color masterbatch industry. On September 26, at the 2016 National Plastic Coloring and Color Masterbatch Academic Technology and Trade Information Exchange Conference held in Guiyang, a reporter from China Chemical Daily obtained such information.

Qiao Hui, Secretary General of the Color Masterbatch Professional Committee of the China Dye Industry Association, stated that in recent years, the global economic downturn has led to a significant decrease in demand for mid to low-end color masterbatches for pipes, films, and building materials. Therefore, enterprises should seize the opportunity brought by color ribbons and vigorously develop chemical fiber color masterbatches.

It is reported that during the 13th Five Year Plan period, the color masterbatch industry will promote the research and development, production, and demonstration projects of PET halogen-free flame retardant full color chemical fiber color masterbatches, research on melt coloring technology and the dispersion and uniform mixing technology of colorants in the melt, to meet the practical requirements of PET chemical fiber products for halogen-free flame retardant applications in clothing, bed sheets, curtains, carpets, and other fields; Develop multi-functional plastic color masterbatches, such as high-performance engineering plastic color masterbatches, metal special effect color masterbatches, and thermoplastic polyurethane full color masterbatches, to meet the needs of high-performance, high brightness, and fluoroplastic color masterbatches; Vigorously promote the application of double rotor internal mixer continuous mixing equipment, reciprocating single screw mixing equipment, and double screw improvement equipment in the color masterbatch industry to meet the different needs of high dispersion in the chemical fiber and film industry, high yield and efficiency in the granulation of large stone production lines, as well as the requirements of device automation.

The color masterbatch industry has taken the first step in the development of the 13th Five Year Plan, "Qiao Hui said. On September 6th, the "13th Five Year Plan" national key research and development project, jointly declared by 18 units including the China Academy of Textile Sciences and Beijing University of Chemical Technology, officially launched the development and application of high-quality raw liquid colored fibers. The project team establishes a database and standard specifications for the preparation and application of raw liquid colored fibers by studying the polymerization, spinning kinetics, and color change mechanisms of polyester and polyamide raw liquid colored fibers, as well as efficient uniform dispersion technology and efficient color masterbatch and paste preparation technology. It forms a pilot platform for technology, equipment, and control systems, and achieves demonstration of raw liquid colored fiber preparation and industrial chain application. This project will greatly promote the rapid and healthy development of China's polyester and polyamide colored fiber industry.

A survey conducted by the Color Masterbatch Special Committee on more than 200 domestic color masterbatch enterprises shows that the annual production of the color masterbatch industry has reached or exceeded 1 million tons, with 80% of the enterprises distributed in the southeast coast, mainly consisting of enterprises with a production capacity of 3000-5000 tons.