Dimethyl silicone oil: Breakthroughs in Recycling Technology and a quality Revolution in niche markets

1. Waste silicone oil recycling technology solves the problems of environmental protection and resource conservation
The catalytic cracking and recovery technology for waste dimethyl silicone oil has achieved a phased breakthrough, providing core support for the circular economic development of the industry. The application of the new hydroxyimidazole basic ionic liquid catalyst has achieved efficient cracking of waste silicone oil. Under the reaction conditions of 150-160℃, the recovery rate of methylsiloxane ring bodies (DMC) is 30% higher than that of the traditional acid-base method, and the catalyst can be reused, avoiding secondary pollution. The supporting closed-loop recovery system has enabled the recycling rate of the by-product tetramethyldisiloxane to exceed 95%, and a certain demonstration project has achieved a 40% reduction in the unit recovery cost. With the maturation of technology, it is expected that the recycling rate of waste silicone oil in the industry will increase from the current 25% to 45% by 2027, reducing the consumption of fossil raw materials by 12,000 tons annually.

2. Iterative upgrading of daily chemical-grade products driven by regulations
Under the constraints of the EU REACH regulation and the Stockholm Convention, dimethyl silicone oil for daily chemical use is accelerating its upgrade towards lower toxicity and lower residue. In response to the restrictive requirements of cyclic siloxanes D4 and D5 in cosmetics, the enterprise has developed a new linear structure silicone oil alternative solution. When applied in sunscreen sprays, it can achieve rapid drying and film formation within 30 seconds, with a water resistance rating of IPX4, and the residual oil content on the skin is less than 0.2mg/cm². In hair care products, polyether-modified silicone oil, by introducing hydrophilic groups, has solved the problem of accumulation and residue of traditional silicone oil, improving the combing ability of hair by 30% while leaving no heavy feeling after washing. In the first half of 2025, the shipment volume of daily-grade silicone oil that complies with the new EU regulations increased by 65% year-on-year, becoming the main driver of export growth.

3. Expand safety application scenarios for food-grade products
Food-grade dimethyl silicone oil, with dual certifications from the FDA and GB 9685-2016, has achieved multi-scenario penetration in the food processing field. In chocolate production, adding 0.05% to 0.1% of 5cSt silicone oil can increase the surface gloss of the product by 40GU, and there will be no oil stains left after cooling. After the inner pad of the oral liquid aluminum-plastic cap is treated with silicone oil, the opening torque is reduced by 35%, and there is no risk of migration. In the pharmaceutical industry, the compound polishing agent of silicone oil and talcum powder reduces the surface roughness of capsules from 1.2μm to 0.4μm, meeting the ICH Q3C solvent residue standard. With the upgrading of food and drug safety requirements, the market size of food-grade silicone oil is expected to exceed 800 million yuan in 2025, with an annual growth rate of 12%.

4. Functional modification in the coatings field opens up incremental space
The functional modification application of dimethyl silicone oil in the coating field has become a new growth pole. After adding hydroxyl silicone oil emulsion to wood varnish, the friction coefficient of the paint film is reduced by 50%, the scratch resistance is improved by 4 times, and in the water resistance test, it can be soaked for 24 hours without whitening. In the field of Marine engineering, the biodegradable silicone hydrogel coating developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, through the copolymerization of PDMS and functional monomers to construct a protective interface, has an anti-biological adhesion efficiency of up to 99.8% and a theoretical anti-fouling life of up to 5.5 years, solving the ecological pollution problem of traditional coatings. In industrial anti-corrosion coatings, the silicone oil modified system has extended the protection period of the coating in salt spray environments from one year to three years. Currently, the market penetration rate of this type of modified coating has reached 18%.