The current development status and trend of China's baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) industry
Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is a small white crystal with a lower solubility in water than sodium carbonate, and is an industrial chemical. Possible toxicity. The solid gradually decomposes to form sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide, and water above 50 ° C, and completely decomposes at 440 ° C. Sodium bicarbonate is an acidic salt formed by the neutralization of strong bases and weak acids, which exhibits weak alkalinity when dissolved in water. This characteristic can make it a leavening agent in the food production process. Sodium bicarbonate will remain after action, and excessive use will cause the finished product to have an alkaline odor. Baking soda has a wide range of applications and is not only a common ingredient in daily life, but also has many benefits in medical applications.
In recent years, the domestic production capacity of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in China has gradually expanded. According to statistics, the production capacity of baking soda in China was about 3015000 tons in 2021, an increase of 170000 tons compared to 2020; The capacity utilization rate is 78.9%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from 2020.
In recent years, the domestic baking soda industry market has shown an increasing trend in production and sales. In 2021, China's baking soda production was 2.38 million tons, an increase of 132000 tons compared to 2020; The demand for baking soda is 1.98 million tons, an increase of 250000 tons compared to 2020. It is expected that the production of baking soda in China will reach 2.51 million tons in 2022, an increase of 130000 tons compared to 2020; The demand for baking soda is 2.097 million tons, an increase of 117000 tons compared to 2020.
Before 2020, China's baking soda industry had been in a state of overcapacity and oversupply for a long time. The price of baking soda is closely related to the price of soda ash, which is one of the important raw materials for making baking soda. The large-scale production of soda ash has led to a long-term low price of baking soda.
In 2020, due to the impact of the epidemic, downstream demand rapidly contracted, and due to large-scale factory shutdowns, the domestic baking soda market declined, resulting in a continuous decline in baking soda prices, dropping to 1455 yuan/ton. Even if factories start construction at the end of the year, demand remains lackluster, and the spread of the epidemic abroad has seriously affected the export of baking soda.
In 2021, driven by multiple positive factors such as cost and demand, the price of baking soda rose strongly, reaching 1750 yuan/ton. After the decline in coal prices in the fourth quarter, multiple industries formed a stable price return trend, and the market price of baking soda products also showed a significant decline. And the main driving force for a significant increase after the start of the new year is partly due to the relatively low inventory levels among enterprises after the year, and partly due to the impact of the increase in raw material pure alkali products. Of course, the active purchase of goods by demand users has also provided significant support for prices. It is expected that the price of baking soda in China will slightly increase in 2022, reaching approximately 1800 yuan/ton.
With the prominent contradiction of local overcapacity in soda ash production in the past two years, the development of China's baking soda industry has also undergone new changes in the direction of some enterprises. In addition, with the optimistic expectations of the environmental protection industry for the desulfurization ability of baking soda production capacity and the high popularity in the international market, the downstream development of the baking soda industry is actively being promoted, and the baking soda market industry can have further positive development. For product prices, with the further expansion of baking soda production capacity and scale, it is likely that baking soda product prices will begin to decline after crossing the peak period in the future, and the overall situation will continue to decline.
From the current perspective, the improvement of process technology is a major development trend in the industry. In addition, in terms of environmental protection. The process of producing baking soda in China mainly uses natural brine as the raw material, which is rich in raw salt and readily available ammonium bicarbonate. It is also known as the natural brine method, which involves the double decomposition reaction between brine and ammonium bicarbonate. By utilizing the low solubility of sodium bicarbonate, it directly precipitates from the solution. During the process of producing baking soda using the double decomposition method, a large amount of mother liquor is produced, which is usually discharged directly into rivers by most enterprises, Not only does it increase production costs and reduce economic benefits, but it also pollutes the environment and cannot meet the actual production needs. In the future, environmentally friendly production processes will also be a major development trend in the industry.
