Thermoplastic polyester

PBT

China succeeded in developing PBT resin in the early 1980s. Up to now, capacity has exceeded 50,000 tons per annum. In 2000, output was about 20,000 tons, which represented at most 47 per cent of the total domestic demand. Among the five largest engineering plastics, PBT is considered to be the most successfully developed.

The average growth rate of domestic PBT market demand remains at about 17 per cent. Meanwhile, import volume increases year by year. PBT manufactured domestically can only meet the requirements of mid- or low-level products' market share. As supply exceeds demand, most manufacturers are operating under capacity, and price competition is fierce.

Table 6.4.8: Output of main PBT resin enterprises in 2000
Enterprise	Capacity (tons per annum)	Output (tons)
Yizheng Chemical Fibre Engineering Plastic Plant	20,000	8,000
Yuyao Fanwei Engineering Plastic Plant	10,000
Jiangyin Sanfangxiang Group	8,000	4,000
Nantong Synthetic Material Plant	5,000	2,000
Nanjing Jiangning Chemical Fiber Plant	3,000	1,000
Yueyang Docron Plant	3,000
Shanghai Docron Plant	1,000
No.2 Film Factory of Lucky Group	3,000
Suzhou Xiangxuehai Co	1,000	500
Zhangjiagang Additive Chemical Plant	2,000	1,000

Table 6.4.9: Domestic PBT consumption pattern by end-use
End-use	Proportion (%)
Electric/electronic appliances	62
Automobile and machinery	13
Telecommunication	4
Others	21

Other thermoplastic polyester varieties

In China, although the level of R&D of PET plastics is high, the level of industrialization remains low. So far, large-scale production has not been achieved, and only a few plants are operating, turning out small quantities of products to replace some of the imported goods. In 2000, Beijing Lianke Nano Co and Yanshan Petro- chemical Corp, employing the technology of the Chemistry Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, succeeded in developing PET modified with nano materials, and carrying out a test trial on production facilities, with development and application tests still under way. Some manufacturers plan to develop PEN, which is similar to PET, but since the supply of the raw material naphthalene dicarboxylic acid is pending, large-scale production cannot be formed in the short term .