Calcium carbonate anchors high quality and efficiency to jointly promote transformation and upgrading
The 2024 China (Yongfeng) Calcium Carbonate Industry Conference was held in Yongfeng County, Jiangxi Province from December 18th to 19th. The meeting pointed out that with the changes in the development situation and market demand, improving the comprehensive utilization level of resources and the added value of products, and expanding application scenarios in high-end emerging fields have become "compulsory courses" for the calcium carbonate industry. Looking at the present, the calcium carbonate industry should focus on high quality and efficiency, leverage the strength of a sound industrial chain to build a high value chain, and gradually complete industrial transformation and upgrading.
China's calcium carbonate industrial chain has been basically established, and the industry is currently at a critical period of industrial structure adjustment and transformation of development momentum. Sun Xingshou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and vice president of the China Building Materials Federation, pointed out that the comprehensive utilization level of non-metallic mineral industry resources is still at an initial stage. Next, the calcium carbonate industry should rely on the distribution characteristics of mineral resources and the foundation of industrial development, focus on laying out and improving the industrial chain, developing a new industrial system, building characteristic industrial clusters, and gradually achieve high-value utilization of mineral resources. Meanwhile, the industry should continuously enhance the green and low-carbon level of non-metallic mineral processing products, strengthen the comprehensive utilization of co-occurring and associated resources, low-grade resources, tailings and waste rocks, and make full use of mineral resources.
To promote the high-quality development of calcium carbonate resources and the high-end production of calcium carbonate products, it is necessary to further innovate synthesis technologies and processes. Academician Zhang Lianmeng of the Chinese Academy of Engineering emphasized the significance of technological innovation in extending, supplementing and strengthening the calcium carbonate industry chain as well as achieving high-quality development. He suggested that calcium carbonate enterprises should focus on high-end application fields. By developing new surface modifiers, nano calcium carbonate, calcium carbonate whiskers, food-grade and pharmaceutic-grade calcium carbonate, etc., they can achieve functionalization, specialization, refinement and customization, and continuously improve quality and efficiency.
Wang Wenli, executive vice president and secretary-general of the China Non-metallic Minerals Industry Association, expressed his agreement. According to him, currently, the price of high-end calcium carbonate products that can be applied in fields such as calendered films, breathable films, high-end special plastics, and high-end special coatings is approximately 1,200 yuan per ton, which has a significant price advantage compared with traditional calcium carbonate products.
It is understood that calcium carbonate products are widely used in papermaking, coatings, rubber and other fields, and their market is mainly concentrated in China. Based on the market operation situation, Wang Wenli suggests that the calcium carbonate industry should take adjusting production capacity as the top priority for implementing industrial transformation and upgrading at present. All production areas of calcium carbonate should reduce capacity expansion on the supply side and expand on the demand side. Let demand guide supply and use market-based means to absorb existing production capacity. Wang Wenli said.
Many downstream enterprises in the industrial chain have indicated that there is indeed a demand for high-end calcium carbonate products. Representatives from enterprises such as Bai Hongcheng, the deputy general manager of Beixin Waterproof Co., LTD., Peng Benjie, the technical director of Shandong Sun Paper Co., LTD., and Chen Zide, the general manager of New Pearl Green Materials of New Pearl Group Co., LTD., all expressed their hope to strengthen cooperation with calcium carbonate enterprises, taking technological and product innovation as the bond to jointly promote the calcium carbonate industry chain towards innovation and strength.
Jiangxi Guangyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. is a leading enterprise in heavy calcium carbonate. Li Haibin, the chairman of the company, said, "Whether it is to expand the industrial chain or enhance the value chain, it is necessary for the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain to collaborate and jointly build a development base to cultivate new growth drivers."
This conference was hosted by the China Building Materials Federation and the China Non-metallic Minerals Industry Association, with over 350 representatives in attendance.