According to different product application fields, cellulose ethers can be divided into building materials grade (also known as "industrial grade" in the market), pharmaceutical grade, food grade and daily chemical grade.
Building materials grade cellulose ethers have excellent properties of thickening, water retention and slow setting, and are widely used in premixed mortar, PVC, latex paint, putty and other building materials products, with the largest market demand. Pharmaceutical grade cellulose ether is a high-quality pharmaceutical excipient, which is used in pharmaceutical excipients such as pharmaceutical tablet coating, sustained-release preparations, and plant capsules. Food grade cellulose ether, as a food safety additive, is used in baked foods, cellulose casings, non-dairy cream, sauces and meats, etc., to play a role in thickening, water retention and improving taste. Compared with building materials grade cellulose ethers, pharmaceutical and food grade cellulose ethers have higher production technology and added value, and higher price levels.
In addition, generally speaking, according to the characteristics of ionization, cellulose ethers can also be mainly divided into non-ionic cellulose ethers and ionic cellulose ethers. Since the physical and chemical characteristics of non-ionic cellulose ethers in high temperature, different HP values, and different metal ion environments are more stable than those of ionic cellulose ethers, they have a wider range of applications.