Gujarat Fluorochemicals: A hidden fluorine story

An overview of Fluoropolymer Industry

Fluoropolymers_Market_Data_Update_-Final_report-_May_2022.pdf|attachment (1.2 MB)

Source: https://fluoropolymers.plasticseurope.org/

Summery of the above report

The fluoropolymer producers in Europe anticipate strong growth in the fluoropolymer market in the medium term (e.g., by 2025). The Allied Market Research “fluoropolymers market” report indicated that the global fluoropolymers market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% from 2020 to 2027.

Sales of fluoropolymers onto the EEA market generate a revenue of around €750 million per year, and sales onto the EU28 market generate €740 million per year. This is the sales value of sales of fluoropolymers in basic form; this is just the first stage of the value chain. The value of the final products made using fluoropolymers would be substantially greater.
The first sector breakdown (as in the 2016-2017 Fluoropolymer SEA study) breakdown, transport (15,500 tonnes worth €280 million) and chemical and power (11,000 tonnes worth €200 million) were by far the largest sectors in 2020. Compared to 2015, in terms of tonnages, most sectors remained stable (electronics, renewable energy) or experienced a decrease in volumes which was most pronounced for medical applications (-67%) and textiles and architecture (-50%). The only exception was “other sectors” (not elsewhere classified) which grew by about 50%. However, in terms of sales values, several sectors experienced significant growth, namely renewable energy (+300%), electronics (+40%) and “other sectors” (+100%).

Industry wise application of fluoropolymers:

AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

• Fuel lines and hoses
• Hydraulic systems
• O-rings, gaskets
• Electronic systems
• Coating for a variety of purposes (cables, wires, etc.)
• Tapes, wires and cables
• Satellites: Fluoropolymers can be used as a fuel for satellite propulsion systems (solid fuel instead of liquid fuel)
• Exterior surface coatings

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

• Turbocharger hoses

• Multilayer fuel hoses

• Hydraulic hoses

• ABS break lines

• O-rings used as seals in fuel containment systems and fuel injectors

• Shaft seals and valve stem seals

• Air intake manifold gaskets

• Cylinder head gaskets

• Automotive venting products

• Lambda oxygen sensors in exhaust systems

• Reliable Electronic systems

• Wires and cables

CHEMICAL AND POWER SECTOR

• Tanks, vessels, pipes, tubing, column packing, heat exchangers, pumps, filters, seals and/or the lining of these components
• Power and data cable insulation
• Coal burning and waste incinerator heat exchangers and desulfurization units
• Battery binders
• Chloralkali processes
• Nuclear industry fluid handling, filtration and gas sampling

ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY

• Semiconductor and photovoltaic cell manufacturing infrastructure: pipes, vessels, valves, pumps, spinners, filters, seals, fluid storage containers and wafer baskets
• Printed Circuit Board and semiconductor part cushioning, packaging and release film
• Wires and cables

FOOD AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

• Lining of valves, piping, tubing, filters, seals, gaskets and other standard fluid handling components
• Lining of mixing vessels and tanks
• Coating on processing belts
• Labware
• Medicine Packaging
• Items that need sterilization

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND DEVICES

• Surgically implantable medical devices such as vascular grafts
• Heart patches
• Catheters
• Diaphragm pumps
• Membranes for filtering and venting purposes
• Fluoropolymers play an essential role in enabling medical imaging and analysis (via electronic chips and semiconductors in X-ray, MRI, CT scan and echography) as well as medical analysis (blood, tissue, urine analysis)
• Sterile container filters, needle retrieval systems, Tracheosto, catheter guide wire for laparoscopy, valves, fittings, pumps, tubing and medicine inhaler canister coatings

TEXTILES

• Aerospace suits
• Outdoor applications like awnings, umbrellas, furniture, boat covers and sails
• Fabrics with fluoropolymer membranes are a key component for a composting solution for the treatment of organic waste (green waste, food waste, source separated organics, biosolids or Municipal Solid Waste – MSW)
• Industrial filtration and gas sampling to prevent emissions in the chemical and power sectors
• ePTFE sewing thread, fibers and weaving yarn are used in demanding environments and high-performance ropes

ARCHITECTURE

• Architectural films. Films from fluoropolymers such as ETFE are used as parts of the roofs in stadia, domes and other structures
• Fluoropolymer coated glass fabric roofs, and laminated coatings
• PTFE Woven Fabric
• Fluoropolymer-based paints
• Bridge and offshore bearing pads. Made from fluoropolymers as they provide the lowest friction coefficient of all plastics
• “Cool Roof” technology

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Photovoltaic:

• Front sheets: protected by fluoropolymers, provide weather resistance, ultraviolet blocking, optical transparency, fire resistance
• Back sheets: improve electrical insulation, protection from weathering and chemicals
• Vents: fluoropolymers are used e.g. in junction boxes

Wind turbines:

• Control centers for offshore windparks
• Paints and coatings: long term protection against weathering to increase product life, extend maintenance cycles
• Release film: support production of composite turbine blades esp. for offshore

Fuel Cells and flow batteries:

• Ionomer exchange membranes offer an environmentally safe way to generate large amounts of hydrogen, without emitting CO₂.
• Energy storage: used as a component e.g. binders which provide chemical, heat and oxidation resistance, and long-term storage of renewable energies and stationary energy storage

COOKWARE

• Non-stick coatings for cookware, ovenware and small electrical appliances

A similar report from US but published in 2020:

Socio-Economic-Assessment-of-the-US-Fluoropolymer-Industry-Executive-Summary.pdf (1.8 MB)

Thanx…