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VietnameseHydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) is a non-ionic cellulose ether with a wide range of applications
Hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) is referred to as hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, with a molecular formula of C2H6O2·xCH4O, and is a non-ionic cellulose ether. Hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose appears as a white or slightly yellow powder, soluble in some organic solvents and cold water, insoluble in hot water, with surface activity, salt resistance and solubility, and is widely used in many fields such as cosmetics, construction engineering, food processing, petrochemicals, medicine, and coatings.
Hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose is usually made from natural polymer materials such as cotton cellulose. Cotton cellulose, also known as refined cotton cellulose, has the advantages of being green and environmentally friendly, having good toughness, good hygroscopicity, and being resistant to dilute alkali. Cotton is the main source of cotton cellulose. my country is a major agricultural country with a huge cotton planting area. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s cotton output reached 5.98 million tons in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 4.3%. Adequate supply of raw materials will lay a good foundation for the development of my country’s hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose industry.
According to the “2023-2027 China Hydroxyethyl Methyl Cellulose (HEMC) Market Monitoring and Future Development Prospects Research Report” released by the Xinshijie Industry Research Center, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose belongs to non-ionic cellulose ethers. Non-ionic cellulose ethers can be subdivided into single ethers and mixed ethers, among which mixed ethers can be divided into hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC). In recent years, benefiting from the growth of downstream demand, the output of non-ionic cellulose ethers in my country has continued to increase, reaching nearly 200,000 tons in 2022. With the accelerated development of the non-ionic cellulose ether industry, my country’s hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose will have broad market prospects.
Hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose has a wide range of applications, including cosmetics, construction engineering, food processing, petrochemicals, medicine, coatings, etc. In the field of cosmetics, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose can be used as a thickener and added to lotions and moisturizing creams; in the field of construction engineering, it can be used to manufacture tile adhesives, cement mortar, latex paint, waterproof coatings, building sealing materials, etc.; in the field of food processing, it can be used to process dairy products, baked goods and meat products, etc.
Industry analysts from Xinshijie said that hydroxyethyl methylcellulose has a wide range of applications and a good industry development prospect. At present, benefiting from the sufficient supply of raw materials and technological progress, my country’s hydroxyethyl methylcellulose production has maintained a growth trend. In the future, as local companies continue to make efforts, the development space of my country’s hydroxyethyl methylcellulose industry will be further expanded.
