China Builds the World's Largest Polyurethane Chain Extender Production Base

Suzhou Xiangyuan New Materials Co., Ltd. has announced that its subsidiary, Jiangsu Xiangyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., has successfully completed acceptance and commenced operations of its Phase III polyurethane chain extender project. With this new phase coming online, Xiangyuan New Materials has expanded its annual production capacity of polyurethane chain extender products to over 35,000 tons, establishing the world's largest and most advanced production base for polyurethane chain extenders. This marks a major breakthrough for China in the field of high-end polyurethane functional additives.

Polyurethane chain extenders are indispensable additives in the production of polyurethane elastomers, adhesives, coatings, and composite materials, as their performance directly affects the properties and quality of end products. China's high-end chain extender market had long been heavily reliant on imports. Xiangyuan Chemical's Phase III project adopts a fully intelligent production system and optimizes the atmospheric-tower liquid-phase continuous hydrogenation reduction process, achieving product purity of over 99.9%. The facility also incorporates an intelligent packaging system and RTO waste gas treatment equipment, reducing energy consumption by 20% and cutting “three wastes” emissions by 35%.

According to Lv Guohui, Secretary-General of the China Polyurethane Industry Association, Xiangyuan Chemical's Phase III project represents a key breakthrough for China's polyurethane additives sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Its intelligent and green production model aligns with the nation's industrial upgrading goals. The project not only improves production efficiency but also achieves internationally leading standards in product quality and environmental performance. It will provide downstream sectors—including new energy vehicles, national defense, and high-end composites—with more competitive chain extender products, significantly enhancing the global competitiveness of China's high-end polyurethane chain extender industry.

Chairman Zhou Jian stated that the Phase III project includes nearly 20,000 tons of new products such as MOCA and aspartic ester DMD230, positioning Xiangyuan Chemical as the world's largest supplier of polyurethane chain extenders. This also greatly strengthens China's self-sufficiency in high-end polyurethane chain extenders, better meeting demand in premium markets such as polyurea coatings, polyurethane elastomers, and polyurethane composites.

Zhou further noted that China's polyurethane industry already ranks first globally, with an output of 17 million tons in 2024, accounting for more than 40% of the world's total. With the rapid growth of emerging industries such as new materials and new energy, the demand for high-end, high-quality polyurethane raw materials and additives continues to rise, driven by advancements in processes, formulations, and composites. Xiangyuan Chemical's chain extenders have already been successfully applied in major projects including the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, high-speed railway damping systems, and wind turbine blades, gradually replacing imported products. Looking ahead, Xiangyuan Chemical will continue to leverage new quality productive forces as a growth engine, increase investment in R&D, optimize production processes, and inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the polyurethane industry.