China Fluoride Materials Monthly Report 201304

China Fluoride Materials Monthly Report 201304

In March 2013, most listed fluorine chemical companies in China released their annual financial reports, which showed that most of them had a poor business performance in 2012. The downturn's extent of the listed fluorine chemical companies exceeded the predictions, giving investors little confidence.

Concerning technology, the utilization of fluorite tailing is a success. Chenzhou Fluorine Chemical's project on utilizing fluorite tailing won the first prize of science and technology, awarded by the China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization (CARCU), which means the technology of recycling fluorite tailing made a great breakthrough and the tailing pond may turn into a treasurehouse. Although the domestic market situation of AlF3 at present is depressed, some new AlF3 projects are still under construction. On March 23, 2013, the first test run of Hongyuan Chemical's AlF3 project with a capacity of 80,000t/a made a success and operated stably for 72 hours. In addition, Shanxi Warwick and China Star's AlF3 projects are also progressing.

fluoride(AHF) has kept increasing for 5 months from Oct. 2012–Feb. 2013, and it is estimated that it will not rise in Mar. 2013. The market price of AHF in Feb. 2013 was USD1,230/t, increasing by 19.4% compared with that in Sept. 2012, which was about USD1,030/t, the lowest point in 2012.

In addition, on Feb. 1, 2013, the expansion project of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) of Zhejiang Chemical Institute Technology, a subsidiary company of Sinochem Lantian, started to be constructed in its original factory–Shangyu industrial area of Hangzhou bay, Zhejiang Province. This expansion project also includes constructing materials that support facilities for trichlorotrifluoroethane (CFC-113a). But, Thaihot Group, a listed A-share company which mainly engages in real estate development and the manufacturing and sales of chemicals, explained that the organic fluorine project, including alternatives of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), fluorine resin and other fluoropolymers, will be delayed being put into operation until the end of 2013, although it was supposed to be launched in H1 2013. Moreover, the Government of Zhejiang Province published an innovative experimental scheme for the fluorosilicone industry on Jan. 23, 2013, and 8 enterprises have taken part in the scheme.