2023 Fine Chemical Industry Development Trends

1. High-end, differentiated, and customized products

With the development of the national economy and the diversification of social needs, the market has higher, newer, and more refined requirements for the quality, variety, and functions of fine chemical products. Traditional bulk general-purpose products can no longer meet market demand, while high-end, differentiated, and customized products have become the new favorites of the market. These products have higher technological content, stronger market targeting, higher added value, and greater development potential. For example, in the pharmaceutical field, emerging technologies such as biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy are changing the landscape of the pharmaceutical industry; in the pesticide field, environmentally friendly products such as biopesticides and green pesticides are receiving increasing attention; in the dye and pigment field, high-performance products such as functional dyes and organic pigments are replacing traditional dyes; in the food additive field, healthy products such as natural and functional food additives are becoming the choice of consumers; and in the coatings field, low-pollution products such as water-based and powder coatings are replacing solvent-based coatings.

2. Industrial agglomeration, base, and park development

Agglomerated operations are an important trend in the development of the fine chemical industry. Through industrial agglomeration, advantages such as resource sharing, joint facility construction, information sharing, and collaborative innovation can be achieved, improving industry efficiency and effectiveness. At the same time, through industrial agglomeration, unified standards for environmental protection and safety management can also be achieved, reducing industry risks and costs. Currently, China has formed a number of fine chemical industry bases or parks with strong influence and competitiveness, such as Jiangsu Taizhou Pharmaceutical City, Zhejiang Pinghu Biomedicine Park, Shandong Binzhou Pesticide Park, Hebei Chengde Dye Park, Guangdong Huizhou Food Additive Park, and Shanghai Jinshan Coatings Park. In the future, China's fine chemical industry will further strengthen industrial agglomeration, forming more characteristic advantages and regional brands.

3. Green, clean, and circular technology

Green, clean, and circular development is an inevitable trend in the development of the fine chemical industry. Faced with increasingly severe environmental problems and the growing pressure of social responsibility, the fine chemical industry must transform its traditional high-energy-consuming and high-pollution production model and embark on a path of sustainable development. This requires the fine chemical industry to innovate and transform its technology, adopting more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and safer technologies and equipment, improving resource utilization and energy efficiency, reducing waste emissions and hazards, and achieving green, clean, and circular production processes and products. For example, in the pharmaceutical field, using microreactor technology and flow synthesis technology can improve reaction efficiency and selectivity, reducing energy consumption and waste; in the pesticide field, using bioenzyme catalysis technology and microwave-assisted technology can improve synthesis speed and purity, reducing the use of organic solvents; in the dye and pigment field, using supercritical fluid technology and nanotechnology can improve the performance and quality of dyes and pigments, reducing wastewater emissions; in the food additive field, using biofermentation technology and enzymatic extraction technology can improve the naturalness and safety of food additives, reducing their environmental impact; and in the coatings field, using water-based and powder coating technologies can improve the coverage and durability of coatings, reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds.