In the second half of 2026, the competition logic of China’s precipitated silica industry is undergoing fundamental transformation. The industry competition focus has shifted from capacity scale competition to differentiated development of powder surface engineering technology. Over the past years, China’s precipitated silica industry achieved scale growth through capacity expansion. A large number of general-grade products suffer from severe homogenization, resulting in prolonged low-price competition and slim profit margins. With the rapid upgrading of downstream new material industries, customers no longer only focus on basic physical and chemical indicators. Instead, they put forward personalized requirements for precipitated silica in terms of surface functional groups, pore structure, dispersibility and rheology adjustment capacity, pushing the industry toward differentiated and customized development routes. Low-end general precipitated silica is still under pressure from overcapacity with weak product profitability. Continuous regulation on environmental protection and energy consumption forces backward production capacity to exit the market. In contrast, surface-modified special silica, fumed silica and functionalized silica products are in short supply. With flexible formula development capabilities, domestic manufacturers keep capturing high-end market share, and domestic substitution has entered an in-depth stage. Many domestic enterprises engaged in organosilicon and powder materials have set up R&D centers for surface modification. Focusing on powder surface engineering technology, they develop various special grades such as hydrophobic, hydrophilic, high specific surface area and low oil absorption silica, and tap into high-value-added sectors including premium tires, special silicone rubber, electronic resins, high-end coatings and pharmaceutical excipients. Industrial capital continues to favor leading enterprises with core modification technologies. Industrial mergers and acquisitions keep moving forward. Small and medium-sized powder enterprises lacking technical reserves face mounting survival pressure, and market share is accelerating to concentrate on technology-driven market leaders.

　　The preparation of precipitated silica via solid waste recycling has become an important direction for the industry’s low-carbon transition. Apart from the rice husk ash route, projects that produce functional precipitated silica by recycling silica fume, industrial silicon slag and other solid wastes have gradually achieved industrialization, opening a low-cost and low-carbon raw material path for the industry. Traditional precipitation processes consume large quantities of chemical raw materials, with high treatment costs for high-salinity wastewater and a large carbon footprint, facing growing restrictions under global low-carbon supply chain requirements. In contrast, the solid waste recycling route uses industrial by-products as raw materials to turn waste into valuables. It greatly cuts raw material costs and reduces environmental pressure caused by waste landfill, delivering a significantly lower product carbon footprint, which meets the mandatory low-carbon procurement requirements of domestic and overseas brands. Precipitated silica prepared from solid waste raw materials can be applied in rubber reinforcement, coating matting and resin fillers after surface modification. At present, multiple domestic pilot production lines for solid waste-based precipitated silica have completed performance verification, and some ten-thousand-ton production lines have entered the trial production phase, which is expected to realize large-scale supply gradually in the future. Many enterprises are simultaneously carrying out intelligent process transformation. Automatic control systems are adopted to precisely adjust reaction temperature, pH value and precipitation rate, stabilize powder particle size and pore structure, improve product batch consistency, and narrow the quality gap with global top brands.

　　Diversified demand from downstream application sectors keeps releasing. Apart from traditional tire and rubber industries, emerging sectors such as new energy, electronics and biomedicine have become new growth engines driving demand for special precipitated silica. In the green tire sector, global tire labeling regulations keep upgrading. Highly dispersible precipitated silica can effectively reduce tire rolling resistance and improve wet grip performance. Its proportion in tire formulas for new energy vehicles keeps rising, serving as a key filler for lightweight and low-energy-consumption tires. In the organosilicon industry, hydrophobically modified precipitated silica acts as the core reinforcing filler for silicone rubber and improves the tensile strength and tear resistance of materials. With the growing demand for silicone rubber supporting electronics and photovoltaics, demand for special precipitated silica rises synchronously. In the coating industry, different modified grades of precipitated silica can realize multiple functions including matting, anti-settling and toughening, and their applications in water-based industrial paints, powder coatings and high-end wood coatings keep expanding. In emerging tracks such as lithium batteries, pharmaceuticals and daily chemicals, ultra-fine high-purity precipitated silica is used for separator coatings, drug carriers, toothpaste abrasives and thickening fillers, and market increments keep releasing. Customers in emerging sectors impose strict requirements on powder purity, heavy metal control and microbial indicators. Although the certification cycle is lengthy, customers show strong stickiness once certification is passed, forming high market barriers.

　　At the international trade level, the new EU regulation on the classification of synthetic amorphous silica continuously affects the supply chain layout of domestic export enterprises. Once the classification takes effect, exported precipitated silica products to the EU need adjustments in safety data sheets, package labeling and transportation classification, which directly raises export compliance costs. Domestic exporters carry out advance product compliance assessment, optimize product formulas and safety documents, and accelerate diversified market layout to reduce reliance on a single regional market. Domestic material enterprises keep tackling core technologies including surface graft modification and nano particle size regulation. They customize powder surface characteristics according to overseas customers’ formula requirements to improve product competitiveness in overseas high-end coating and rubber markets. The rubber product and coating industries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and other regions expand steadily. Local enterprises have stronger demands for supply chain diversification, bringing new opportunities for the export of domestic functional precipitated silica.

　　In terms of market quotations and profit structure, the price of general rubber-grade precipitated silica fluctuates at a low level. Fluctuations in raw material costs keep squeezing profits, making it difficult for enterprises to gain earnings. Functional modified precipitated silica and fumed silica maintain high product premiums relying on technical barriers and become the main profit source of manufacturers. The industry landscape is being reshaped. The era of winning merely by scale and low prices has passed. In the future, enterprises’ core competitiveness lies in powder modification technology, customized development capacity, stable supply and supporting application technical services. In the medium and long run, with the continuous expansion of downstream emerging material markets and the promotion of global low-carbon policies, differentiated special precipitated silica boasts broad growth space. Nevertheless, industrial challenges still exist objectively. High-end grades require lengthy customer certification cycles, and formula adaptation demands massive experimental investment. Domestic enterprises still need to continuously deepen application R&D, polish product performance and steadily seize market share from overseas brands. International material giants are also iterating modification technologies continuously. Domestic enterprises need persistent innovation, consolidate the local market, steadily explore global markets and lift the international influence of domestic powder materials.