【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2684-2025: New green synthesis technology for 1,3-butanediol approved in Yulin, Shaanxi

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Let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】A continuously updated summary post – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** A new green synthesis technique for 1,3-butanediol has been approved in Yulin, Shaanxi. On September 16, 2025, the “green technology suite for producing 3-hydroxybutyraldehyde and 1,3-butanediol from acetaldehyde”, developed through collaboration between the Yulin Zhongke Clean Energy Innovation Institute, the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Xi’an University of Science and Technology, passed the evaluation of scientific and technological achievements organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. The evaluation committee, headed by Professor Liu Haichao from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University, deemed this achievement to be highly innovative, with its technology reaching an internationally leading level; they recommended that its widespread application be accelerated. 　　Xu Guoqiang, the project leader at the Qingdao Institute of Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained that in order to overcome the limitations of the currently widely used acetaldehyde condensation and hydrogenation process, such as high energy consumption and large amounts of wastewater generation, they spent 10 years working on this issue. By adopting a strategy of dispersing active components and using an inert scaffold for protection, they developed highly stable solid alkali catalysts. They also created a continuous green technology suite for producing high-quality 1,3-butanediol through acetaldehyde condensation, hydrogenation, and multi-stage distillation, as well as fixed-bed reaction equipment. In this process, acetaldehyde undergoes a condensation reaction to form 3-hydroxybutyraldehyde (an intermediate), which is then hydrogenated to produce high-quality 1,3-butanediol. Compared with traditional liquid alkali catalysis processes, solid alkali catalysts exhibit stable performance, high compressive strength, resistance to deliquescence, swelling, and deactivation. The new generation of such catalysts features mild reaction conditions, high selectivity, low energy consumption during the process, and no generation of waste salts; the products produced meet the requirements for electronic-grade and chemical-grade applications. 　　In 2024, a pilot-scale installation of this technology was built at the Yulin Zhongke Clean Energy Innovation Institute, where 1,800 hours of testing were carried out, achieving long-term, safe, and stable operation. In December 2024, the China Petroleum and Chemical Federation organized on-site evaluation and calibration. The results showed that using 80% concentrated acetaldehyde as the raw material, under reaction conditions of a pressure of 0.3–0.4 MPa and a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, the acetaldehyde conversion rate was 39.2%, while the selectivity for 3-hydroxybutyraldehyde reached 90.1%. At the same time, energy consumption and emissions are significantly reduced compared to traditional liquid alkali catalytic processes. 　　To date, the project team has filed 12 invention patents, of which 4 have been granted. Professor Yang Dongyuan from Xi’an University of Science and Technology, the main contributor to the project, told reporters that this technology can expand the ethanol industry chain and enable value-added developments. They collaborated with the Xi’an branch of Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd. to develop a 10,000-ton-scale process package and prepare a feasibility study report, and are accelerating the rollout of the first industrial demonstration project. 　　It is reported that 1,3-butanediol is a high-value chemical with a wide range of applications; it can be used as a raw material in the production of cosmetics, wetting agents, plasticizers, polyester resins, etc. In recent years, demand for this substance in China has been increasing year by year, yet there are few manufacturers in the country, so imports are relied on to meet the demand. The main production methods at home and abroad are acetaldehyde condensation hydrogenation and biological fermentation, both of which employ a liquid alkali catalysis process.