September 29, 2024 – A grand launch ceremony was held at the Zhongjiao Inner Mongolia Baotou Base, unveiling the nation’s first-ever 10,000-ton-scale chloroprene rubber production facility utilizing butadiene-based technology. The prestigious event was honored by the presence of Ma Peihua, Vice Chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Ding Xiufeng, Secretary of the Baotou Municipal Committee, and several heavyweight industry figures, including Wu Zhongze, former Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Zhang Liqun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Yan Deyue, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Lin Li, Member of the Standing Committee of the Baotou Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, and Sun Jingyu, Chairman of Zhongjiao (Inner Mongolia) New Material Co., Ltd. The occasion, moderated by Li Bin, Vice President of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, was marked by an exuberant atmosphere with guests delivering speeches to commemorate this significant milestone.
Chloroprene rubber, a high-performance synthetic rubber, boasts remarkable resistance to ozone, oil, aging, solvents, abrasion, as well as heat and flame, thanks to its structural similarity to natural rubber and unique polar negatively charged groups. These exceptional comprehensive physical and mechanical properties make chloroprene rubber widely applicable in various sectors such as industry, construction, petroleum, chemicals, automotive, and defense, serving both as a general-purpose and specialty rubber. It stands as one of the indispensable key basic chemical materials in the national economy and a crucial strategic resource in the defense industry.
However, the production technology for high-end chloroprene rubber has long been dominated by a few developed countries due to high technical barriers and complex manufacturing processes. Currently, China primarily employs the acetylene method for chloroprene rubber production, which exhibits notable deficiencies in multiple aspects. According to Color Masterbatch Industry Network, the butadiene-based chloroprene rubber production facility established by Zhongjiao (Inner Mongolia) New Material Co., Ltd. in the Jiuyuan Industrial Park, Baotou, adopts an entirely new technology route developed independently by the company. As the first set of major technical equipment in China, it successfully fills the industrial gap and breaks the monopoly of foreign manufacturers in the high-end market for chloroprene rubber in China. The completion of this project will substantially increase the output of chloroprene rubber products, effectively meet the domestic market’s demand for high-end rubber products, and promote the localization substitution in the high-end chloroprene rubber sector, holding great significance for enhancing the development level of the synthetic rubber industry in Inner Mongolia and across China.