Overview of the core news of the international market of polyacrylamide (PAM) in the first quarter of 2026

2026-03-23 09:51
In the first quarter of 2026, the global polyacrylamide (PAM) market experienced severe fluctuations and profound changes amid the interplay of multiple factors. Cost shocks triggered by geopolitical conflicts, accelerated adjustments in global production capacity layout, continuous tightening of regulatory policies in Europe and the United States, as well as the advancement of industry integration and green transformation, have jointly outlined the complex pattern of the current international PAM market and pointed out the direction for the future development of the industry.
Geopolitical conflicts became the core trigger for the fluctuations in the PAM market in the first quarter. From February to March 2026, the U.S.-Iran conflict continued to escalate, and Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The blockage of this key energy channel directly pushed international crude oil prices to break through 120 US dollars per barrel, which in turn triggered a chain reaction in the PAM industrial chain. As the core raw materials for PAM production, the prices of acrylonitrile and acrylamide soared sharply, directly driving a short-term surge of about 4,500 yuan per ton in global PAM prices. At the same time, supply chain disruptions, delayed cargo arrivals, and panic hoarding in the market further exacerbated the global shortage of PAM supply, resulting in obvious differentiation in regional markets: due to tight local supply in North America, PAM prices continued to strengthen; while the Asian market (especially China), affected by the dual impact of previous high inventories and the subsequent decline in raw material prices, showed a downward trend under pressure, forming a sharp contrast.
On the supply side, the pace of global PAM production capacity expansion and regional layout adjustment continued to accelerate, becoming an important force to balance market supply and reshape the global competitive pattern. In the Middle East, a polymer project (including PAM production capacity) with an investment of 300 million US dollars was successfully put into operation in the first quarter, with an annual production capacity of 240,000 tons, focusing on the Middle East and European markets, further improving the PAM production capacity layout in the Middle East; in the U.S. market, a plan was made to build a new PAM production plant with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons in Texas, which is expected to be officially put into operation at the end of 2026. This move will effectively strengthen the local PAM supply capacity in North America and reduce dependence on imported products. As the world's largest PAM producer, China's production capacity dynamics also affect the global market. A domestic PAM project with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons started construction in the first quarter, and is expected to further consolidate China's leading position in the global PAM production field after its completion at the end of the year.
The continuous tightening of regulatory policies in Europe and the United States has become an unavoidable core barrier in PAM international trade, and also forced the industry to improve product compliance. The European Union included acrylamide monomer in the SVHC list of substances of very high concern in October 2025, clearly requiring all PAM products exported to the European Union to provide complete residue testing reports and supply chain information, otherwise they will be prohibited from entering the EU market; the United States updated the relevant rules of the TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) in January 2026, mandating that the acrylamide residue in imported PAM products shall not exceed 0.02%, and requiring the submission of product polymerization stability data. The impact of regulatory upgrades has gradually emerged. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the volume of returned PAM exports from China due to non-compliant acrylamide residues, lack of carbon data and other issues increased by 37% year-on-year. To meet international regulatory requirements, China Customs implemented the "Green Customs Clearance" policy for PAM exports in March 2026, providing fast clearance convenience only for entities that have obtained carbon footprint certification and recycling certification, and promoting the improvement of compliance levels in the domestic PAM industry.
Industry integration accelerated, and leading global forces have focused on core businesses and strengthened their overall industrial chain advantages through mergers and acquisitions. In the first quarter of 2026, a leading PAM entity in Europe completed the acquisition of the oil and gas business unit of another chemical entity, with a transaction value of 135 million euros. This acquisition further consolidated its global leading position in the field of oilfield chemicals and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). From the perspective of industry trends, leading global PAM entities have gradually moved away from the model of single-product competition and turned to the integration layout of the entire industrial chain, focusing on promoting the integrated development of "benzene - acrylamide - PAM - downstream high-value-added products (PA66, PBAT)", while increasing investment in the research and development of green production processes to enhance core competitiveness.
Demand upgrading and green transformation have become important development themes of the PAM industry in the first quarter. On the demand side, globally, the demand for special PAM products with low acrylamide residue, high molecular weight and salt-alkali resistance has surged in water treatment fields such as municipal sludge dewatering and industrial zero liquid discharge (ZLD), as well as in industries such as oil and gas exploitation (EOR) and papermaking. Low-end general-purpose PAM products are accelerating their withdrawal from the market due to insufficient performance. At the technical level, relevant institutions in Europe and North America have taken the lead in deploying the research and development and application of bio-based flocculants (such as starch-based and chitosan-based products), aiming to replace traditional chemically synthesized PAM and reduce environmental impact; at the same time, green production processes such as the efficient electrosynthesis of PAM from cyclohexene under ambient temperature and pressure have entered the pilot test stage, providing a new technical path for the green transformation of the industry. It is predicted that the global PAM market demand will reach 2.45 million tons in 2026, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%, of which the Asia-Pacific region accounts for nearly 50%, and China and India will become the core driving forces for the growth of the global PAM market.
In general, the global PAM market achieved structural adjustments amid fluctuations in the first quarter of 2026. The five major factors of geopolitical impact, production capacity layout, regulatory upgrading, industry integration and green transformation interacted with each other, driving the industry to transform from scale expansion to quality improvement, compliant development, and green efficiency. For global PAM practitioners, grasping regional market differences, responding to regulatory changes, and focusing on technological innovation and industrial chain integration will be the key to meeting market challenges and seizing development opportunities.


声明：此篇为 Shandong Yongsheng Chemical Co., Ltd. 原创文章，转载请标明出处链接： https://www.sdyshx.com/sys-nd/232.html
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