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Polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG) is a waxy, white solid that melts
to a clear, colorless viscous liquid near room temperature. The chief uses
of PTMEG are in the production of polyurethane elastomers, spandex fibers and
copolyester-ether elastomers.
The three largest global PTMEG producers—BASF, Dairen Chemical Corporation
and INVISTA—together accounted for 72% of world PTMEG capacity in 2007.
In 2012, this share will increase to 75% because of the planned capacity increase
of INVISTA in Singapore.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of PTMEG:
China had no production capacity for PTMEG until 2004, so PTMEG consumed in
China has been imported. Recently, China’s PTMEG imports have increased
dramatically, driven by rapidly increasing demand for spandex fibers. Responding
to the increasing domestic PTMEG demand, new production plants have been established
in China in the past few years by Dairen Chemical, BASF, QianGuo Petrochemical
and Shanxi Sanwei Group.
Chinese PTMEG consumption in 2006 increased by 26% over 2005, mainly because
of the favorable demand for spandex production. Some spandex and textile producers
in Taiwan and the Republic of Korea have been relocating their factories to
China during the last several years, and Chinese consumption of PTMEG is expected
to increase further in the next few years. In the current situation, some local
governments in China are planning to construct additional PTMEG production
facilities, expected to come on stream in about five years.
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