my country’s difluoromethane industry has large room for development and anti-dumping policies affect the export market

Difluoromethane, with the chemical formula CH2F2, appears as a colorless gas at room temperature and pressure. It can be liquefied under pressure. After liquefaction, it appears as a colorless and transparent liquid. It is non-toxic and has no special odor. Difluoromethane is stable at room temperature, insoluble in water, soluble in some organic solvents such as ethanol, and flammable. It is an organic gas. Difluoromethane has the characteristics of low boiling point, excellent thermodynamic properties, low pressure ratio, and large refrigeration coefficient, and is mainly used as a refrigerant.

The preparation methods of difluoromethane mainly include dichloromethane fluorination method, hydrochlorofluorocarbon (such as difluorodichloromethane, difluorochloromethane) hydrogenolysis reduction method, formaldehyde fluorination method, trioxane method, etc. Among them, the methylene chloride fluorination method is the mainstream preparation process, and it also includes two routes: gas phase fluorination method and liquid phase fluorination method.

According to the “2021-2025 Difluoromethane Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” released by the Industrial Research Center, due to With an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero, difluoromethane can be used as a refrigerant, also known as R32 and HFC-32, and can be used to replace the first-generation refrigerants chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that cause damage to the ozone layer. Difluoromethane is generally not used alone as a refrigerant. It is mixed with other HFC products to form mixed refrigerants. For example, it is mixed with pentafluoroethane, tetrafluoroethane, difluoroethane, etc. to make R410a, R407, etc., with To replace the second-generation refrigerant HCFC-22 (difluorochloromethane), used in the field of medium and low temperature refrigeration.

It is expected that the global refrigerant market will reach US$17.6 billion in 2021. The first-generation refrigerant has high ODP and GWP (global warming potential) and has been withdrawn from the market at this stage. The second-generation refrigerant also has high ODP and GWP and is being phased out at an accelerated pace. The third-generation refrigerant has an ODP of Zero, but still has a high GWP, and will be gradually replaced by fourth-generation refrigerants in the future. However, the current fourth-generation refrigerants still need to be improved in terms of technology, production capacity, cost, etc. In a long period of time, the third-generation refrigerants will Alternative refrigerants will be the mainstream products in the market. Difluoromethane is a third-generation refrigerant and has great room for development in the future.

Industry analysts said that the main manufacturers of difluoromethane in my country include Shandong Dongyue Chemical Co., Ltd. and Taizhou Qingsong Refrigeration New Materials Co., Ltd. Company, Sinochem Blue Sky Fluorine Materials Co., Ltd., Zibo Feiyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Blue Sky Environmental Protection High-tech Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Sanmei Chemical Co., Ltd., etc. After continuous development, my country’s difluoromethane production capacity has continued to increase. In addition to supplying domestic market demand, the products are also exported to overseas markets.

The United States is one of my country’s major exporters of difluoromethane. In August 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a preliminary anti-dumping ruling on difluoromethane (R-32) imported from China. In January 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a preliminary anti-dumping ruling on difluoromethane (R-32) imported from China. China’s difluoromethane made final anti-dumping ruling. The anti-dumping policy of the United States is not conducive to the development of my country’s difluoromethane export market, and export diversification may be one of the solutions.