Pigment is an indispensable raw material in the production process of coatings, which is divided into organic and inorganic two kinds. The synthetic inorganic pigments after chemical reaction include various metal oxides, chromates, carbonates, sulfates and sulfides, such as aluminum powder, copper powder, carbon black, zinc white and titanium white, etc., all belong to the category of inorganic pigments. Inorganic pigments are widely used in coatings, plastics, synthetic fibers, rubber, building materials, cultural and educational supplies, painting pigments, ink, paper and other fields.

The pigment market is inseparable from the coatings industry

Data show that in June 2011, 342 enterprises in the national pigment manufacturing industry, the total industrial output value of the month was 5935.407 million yuan, industrial sales output value of 583.411 million yuan, and export delivery value of 590.8661 million yuan. In July of the same year, the total industrial output value was 5648,328 thousand yuan, the industrial sales output value was 5269,690 thousand yuan, and the export delivery value was 622,974 thousand yuan.

With the recovery of the global economy, domestic and foreign construction materials, coatings and paints, plastics, ink and other industries have experienced rapid growth, and the demand for inorganic pigments has also increased rapidly. It is understood that the total production of coatings in China in 2010 was 9.666 million tons, an increase of 22.8%; China's annual pigment production in 2010 was about 2,247,640 tons, an increase of 22%; In 2011, the national paint production reached 1079.5 tons, an increase of 16.44%, in order to calculate the annual national pigment production in 2011 is expected to exceed 2.6 million tons, it can be said that the development of pigments has been inseparable from the paint industry.

Selection and application of organic and inorganic pigments

When choosing pigments, organic pigments and inorganic pigments have advantages and disadvantages, organic pigments usually have bright colors, high color concentration, easy to disperse and other advantages, while inorganic pigments are usually more light resistant, heat resistant and durable than organic pigments, they can also provide better hiding power, but usually need more inorganic pigments to produce the same color effect. Inorganic pigments are commonly used to make white, black, and gray coatings, as well as other darker colors.

Therefore, in practical applications, it is necessary to choose the appropriate pigment according to the environment and use requirements of the paint, such as in the indoor environment, because it is not affected by factors such as sunlight and oxidation, organic pigments can be used to obtain more vivid colors and better color retention. In the outdoor environment, due to the influence of sun and rain, acid rain and other factors, it is necessary to choose inorganic pigments with better durability and corrosion resistance.

In addition, it is also necessary to consider the application of coatings and effects, organic pigments are usually used in water-based coatings, paints, etc., while inorganic pigments are more suitable for use in powder coatings, paint, etc., while organic pigments and inorganic pigments can also be mixed with each other to obtain more effects and characteristics.

In general, organic pigments and inorganic pigments have their own advantages and application range, can affect the color of the paint, hiding power, gloss and durability, in practical applications, paint manufacturers usually need to consider the environment of the paint, use requirements, application methods and other factors to choose the appropriate pigment, in order to obtain the best painting effect and appearance, as well as durability.

Where is the future market opportunity for organic pigment industry?

With the rapid development of the downstream application of organic pigments, small and medium-sized enterprises should improve their independent innovation capabilities, produce differentiated, distinctive pigment products, and enable them to continuously and stably meet the performance requirements of the downstream market. In addition, for the innovation results obtained by independent research and development (such as new products, new production processes, new application fields), pigment enterprises can protect their intellectual property rights by applying for patents.

In recent years, the sales volume of pearlite pigment in China has grown rapidly, from 78,100 tons in 2016 to 165,400 tons in 2020, with a CAGR of 20.6% in 2016-2020. Benefiting from the improvement of synthetic mica technology and pearlescent pigment related production technology, the automotive pearlescent pigment market is growing fastest in all downstream application fields, and the market size of pearlescent pigments in the automotive field is 316 million yuan in 2020, accounting for 6.52%, and the market size of pearlescent pigments in the cosmetics field is also growing rapidly, and the market size of pearlescent pigments in the cosmetics field is 708 million yuan. The proportion was 14.61%.

From the perspective of application fields, the market size of pearlescent pigments in China's paint field reached 1.453 billion yuan, accounting for 25.46%; The application scale of plastic field is 1.004 billion yuan, accounting for 17.59%; The application scale of ink field is 725 million yuan, accounting for 12.70%; The application scale in the automotive field is 458 million yuan, accounting for 8.02%; The application scale in the cosmetics field is 851 million yuan, accounting for 14.91%.

In the future, in order to reduce the pressure on environmental protection, the transfer to areas with loose policies will gradually decrease. Regarding safe production, the cognitive level and safety awareness of operators are essential. In the process of product production, enterprises should increase the popularization of safety risks and precautions of production processes to employees.

Article source: China Research Network, Anhui Hongchang plastic additives, Jingyan Chemical industry