graphitized petroleum coke for steel-making and casting
The current status of the graphitized petroleum coke industry in 2019, domestic production cannot meet demand, and imports have increased significantly
1. Industry overview of graphitized petroleum coke for steel-making and casting
Graphitized petroleum coke is a by-product of oil refining. It is a solid product produced by a delayed coking unit using residual oil as a raw material. It has a wide range of applications in electrolytic aluminum, glass, steel, metal silicon and other fields. It is an irreplaceable raw material for production in many industries. The quality of graphitized petroleum coke products is greatly affected by the types of crude oil processed by the refinery. Most of the sulfur and impurities in crude oil are enriched in graphitized petroleum coke. According to the level of sulfur content, graphitized petroleum coke can be divided into low-sulfur coke, medium-sulfur coke and high-sulfur coke.
Related report: “2020-2025 China Graphitized Petroleum Coke Industry Development Trend Forecast and Investment Strategy Consulting Report” issued by Huajing Industry Research Institute.
2. Current status of graphitized petroleum coke for steel-making and casting industry
In 2019, my country’s graphitized petroleum coke production reached 27.6775 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5%, while my country’s apparent consumption of graphitized petroleum coke reached 30.281 million tons. The domestic production of graphitized petroleum coke was not enough to meet the demand, and a large amount of imports was still needed. The production of graphitized petroleum coke in China is mainly concentrated in East China, and the production capacity accounts for 54%, of which Shandong Province accounts for 36%.
In 2018, the import volume of graphitized petroleum coke was 9.55 million tons, an increase of 28.6% year-on-year, surpassing the 9.32 million tons in 2013, becoming the highest import volume of China’s graphitized petroleum coke in a year. The economic trend in 2018 has a significant impact on the overall demand for graphitized petroleum coke, and the import of graphitized petroleum coke is greatly affected by the Sino-US trade war and policy changes in other countries. Imports of graphitized petroleum coke from source countries such as Saudi Arabia, Colombia, India, Russia, Chile, and Brazil increased significantly, while imports of graphitized petroleum coke from Canada increased slightly, while imports from the United States and Kazakhstan dropped slightly.
3. Competitive landscape of graphitized petroleum coke for steel-making and casting industry
my country’s graphitized petroleum coke production companies include Sinopec, CNPC, CNOOC and various local refineries, and their production capacity accounts for 38%, 13%, 7% and 42% respectively.
4. Development trend of graphitized petroleum coke for steel-making and casting industry
1. Changes in the import structure of graphitized petroleum coke
The domestic smog is severe, and environmental protection is strictly controlled in various places, which exerts great pressure on high-polluting industries. The impact of environmental protection policies and systems on the quantity and quality of imported graphitized petroleum coke has become apparent. Imports of high-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke will continue to shrink, and the number and proportion of imports of low-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke will increase.
2. Downstream demand
The demand for aluminum can continue to grow year by year, but the growth rate will gradually slow down. It is estimated that by 2020, my country’s total electrolytic aluminum production capacity will reach 50.00Mt/a, which will become the main growth point of the demand for graphitized petroleum coke.
In terms of fuel use, the country has recently issued new regulations on environmental protection, which has increased the pressure on environmental protection. The use of green coke, especially high-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke, as a highly polluting product is obviously restricted, and the rigid demand of the fuel industry will shift to high-quality graphitized petroleum coke or alternative energy.
In the fields of silicon metal and silicon carbide, there is overcapacity and the industry’s operating rate is extremely low. Under the pressure of environmental protection and the elimination of backward production capacity, the consumption of green coke is expected to decline. Switch to medium and low sulfur graphitized petroleum coke.
The downstream industry’s demand for low-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke will greatly increase, and the demand for high-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke will shrink. It is expected that low-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke resources will be tight and high-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke will have overcapacity. The investment of excess high-sulfur graphitized petroleum coke resources in overseas markets will be one way out.