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Though the cellulose ethers market is global, most of the production capacity is in Europe, as is most of the consumption. Most of the major producers have facilities in more than one region; they move their products among regions in order to balance production of the various grades and they export to regions in which they do not have facilities. China is the largest target for new cellulose ether plant construction and expansions of existing plants. Therefore, production of and capacities for cellulose ethers must be viewed on a global basis.
The commercially important properties of cellulose ethers are determined by the molecular weight of the cellulose used, the chemical structure and distribution of the substituent groups and the degree of substitution (DS) and molar substitution (MS) (where applicable). These properties generally include solubility, viscosity in solution, surface activity, thermoplastic film characteristics, and stability against biodegradation, heat, hydrolysis and oxidation. Viscosity in solution varies directly with molecular weight.
Both water-soluble and water-insoluble (i.e., organic soluble) forms of cellulose ethers are available commercially. This report discusses primarily water-soluble cellulose ethers.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of cellulose ethers by region:
Europe consumes the largest amount of cellulose ethers, followed by Asia and North America. Carboxymethycellulose (CMC) is the major cellulose ether consumed. representing nearly 56% of the total volume consumed. Methylcellulose (MC) represents about 27% by volume, followed by hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) at 12%. The world market value of MC is about equal to that of CMC.
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