Polyurethane (pu) is the only all kinds of polymer materials in plastic (10160, 65.00, 0.64%), rubber (12415440.00, 3.67%), and functional polymer fibers, coatings, adhesives, etc all have important application value of synthetic polymer materials, has become the most varieties in the polymer material, USES the most popular and fastest growing special organic synthetic material.
After years of development, China has become a major global polyurethane consumer market, in 2015 will become the world's largest polyurethane market. The world famous multinational companies constantly increase investment in China, set up r&d center, some international advanced manufacturing technology for China to achieve the first localization production.
Polyurethane raw materials especially the technical barriers isocyanate is higher, so the world polyurethane industry's market share is mainly composed of several major chemical giant, industry concentration is very high.
MDI, by the end of 2013, the global MDI can output around 7 million tons, domestic MDI output can reach more than 250 ten thousand tonnes. MDI production of leading enterprises in China chemical wanhua MDI production capacity of 1.6 million tons/year, and yantai 600000 tons of MDI project and its construction in early 2012, is expected to end of this year will be completed and put into operation. In addition, wanhua chemical in the 2011 acquisition of Hungary's largest chemical company BorsodChem96 % equity, has obtained the production capacity 200000 tons of MDI, also go abroad for the company to a solid step. In the next few years domestic MDI has two important construction project plan: basf company invest in the construction of 400000 tons/year in chongqing MDI project will be in the second quarter of 2015 and put into production; In addition, basf, huntsman, sinopec Shanghai huayi, chlor-alkali chemical industry jointly announced recently, will start to build new MDI production plant in Shanghai, the production capacity of 480000 tons, plans to begin production in 2017.
TDI, today, there are more than 30 companies around the world, more than 40 sets of TDI production device, the total capacity of up to more than 270 ten thousand tonnes. In the next few years, the global TDI market demand will grow at a rate of 4% ~ 5%, is expected to global TDI market demand in 2015 reached 2.3 million tons, the TDI market demand reached more than 80 ten thousand tonnes.

Polyurethane industry in China after recent years of development, from basic raw materials to products and mechanical equipment, has considerable scale. With the aim of energy conservation and emissions reduction, the energy-saving, environmental protection material and its upstream raw materials products will have a bigger development space.
China produces 95% of the world's shoes and 60% to 70% of the refrigerated container, toy; China's building materials, spandex, textiles, synthetic leather and car production are first in the world; China's urbanization process to speed up, high speed railway investment increase, environmental protection compound wood demand. The strong development of the industry have brought huge market opportunity for polyurethane.
In terms of the world, the Asian market polyurethane industry is a rapid development momentum, relative to the western mature development of polyurethane industry, it is in a rapid growth in Asia, and China has become a global polyurethane development speed of the fastest. Is expected by the end of 2015, China's polyurethane industry scale will reach 9 million ~ 10 million tons, by speeding up industrial restructuring, improve the level of high-end products, preliminary form a rational layout, green environmental protection, low carbon efficient polyurethane industrial system. China will be polyurethane production country, is the main force to promote the growth of global polyurethane in the future market.
In our country, the introduction of oxygen index, motivation is to prevent contractor shoddy, in practice, however, became a polyurethane not past a barrier. "In one of the most common heat preservation material, EPS, XPS and polyurethane, three in the SBI test result is the same case, the oxygen index is not the same, polyurethane, XPS middle and EPS supreme."
Li jianbo said, compared with EPS, XPS, pu the oxygen index of low does not mean that the fireproof performance. "The introduction of oxygen index indicators, especially the oxygen index B1 level materials must be greater than or equal to 30, will lead to a strange phenomenon: some materials such as polyurethane on combustion performance is can completely through the SBI B1 level standard, but it cannot meet the standard of oxygen index to reach 30, while others though heat preservation material can not reach the SBI B1 level standard, but it can meet the requirements of oxygen index." He said.

Don't remind li potter industry, compared with the SBI strict laboratory conditions, the oxygen index test method is more convenient, supervision company usually adopt this approach. But the result is very rough, and varied from person (testing), the same batches of product inspection data are difference is very big, it is easy to lead to real B1 level standard material was kicked out, and the unqualified material can satisfy the standard of oxygen index instead be "qualified" material.
Li jianbo advice "build rules" in reference to GB8624 increase when called the common thermal insulation material of oxygen index and the corresponding relationship of combustion performance level of the appendix, to eliminate polyurethane unfair evaluation.
Fire can't one size fits all
If to bring in oxygen index of the difference of opinion is still in product testing, so by GB/T29416-2012 is likely to mean that the advantage of polyurethane. "Building gauge public opinion has retained the two standard draft, but in the later documents GB/T29416-2012 has been removed. The building regulations may well not using its experimental methods, it is unfair to thermosetting material such as polyurethane and phenolic." Li jianbo said.
Li jianbo thought, structure fire prevention is the core of building fire protection. "Building done, should have the building as a system to consider, nor is it only a fire caused by thermal insulation material, should consider the fire performance of the whole system, this is the meaning of GB/T29416-2012." He said.
GB/T29416-2012 is a reference to the British standards. According to the experiment method, thermosetting material such as polyurethane, need not set fire belt, EPS, XPS and thermoplastic insulation materials, must be set fire insulation materials, can through the fire experiment requirement. Li jianbo mentioned, polyurethane belongs to thermosetting heat preservation material, meet the fire burning, the surface will form the carbide layer, carbonized layer can prevent fire spreading. The EPS and XPS are thermoplastic materials, in case of fire when melting, dripping, dripping and these things also can burn.

Li jianbo thinks, polyurethane and phenol is inherently more expensive than EPS and XPS, if require all the exterior use organic heat preservation material set fire belt, make "one size fits all", will not only wasteful, it can also cause a thermosetting material shrinking market. "In Germany, polyurethane and even can be used as EPS fire belt." He said.