The Luan Group’s FTO (direct synthesis of olefins from syngas) pilot project is set to be launched soon

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Luan Group’s FTO (direct synthesis of olefins from syngas) pilot project is set to be implemented. Author/Source: Date: 12-01-2018. Clicks: 15. On January 9, 2018, Luan Group’s leaders Li Jinping, You Hao, Xiao Yaning, and Liu Junyi held in-depth discussions with Sun Yuhan, a researcher from the Shanghai Institute of Advanced Technology affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the Low-Carbon Conversion Laboratory, as well as representatives of relevant partners, on accelerating the implementation of the FTO project, preparing for the establishment of a low-carbon industry research institute, and achieving integration between different technologies. The project leader from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute first gave a detailed presentation on the planning and implementation suggestions for the FTO pilot plant project. Representatives of the participating parties held detailed discussions and reached preliminary agreements regarding EPC cooperation for the FTO project. They reached a high degree of consensus on aspects such as the shareholders’ agreement, shareholder structure, equity shares, and staffing arrangements, and also discussed and decided on the specific location for the pilot phase of the project as well as the practical implementation plans. Li Jinping, Chairman and Party Secretary of Lu’an Group, said that over the years of cooperation with all parties involved in this project, especially Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Lu’an has achieved remarkable results both in the field of forward-looking research and in the transfer and commercialization of technical achievements. He hopes to further deepen strategic cooperation in the future and establish a long-term and stable partnership. He hopes that all parties will make full use of their advantages in innovative scientific and technological achievements as well as technical talent, in order to achieve genuine integration and transfer of strengths, as well as the improvement, optimization, and selection of scientific and technological achievements, so as to connect with international platforms ； Reverse-engineer the schedule, establish detailed phased goals and milestones, and complete the construction of the pilot plant in the shortest possible time ； Gather diverse ideas, optimize the design, and swiftly achieve EPC integration. He said that Lu’an Group is making every effort to advance an integrated full-value-chain approach that combines industry, academia, research, and application, aiming to establish a high-end, open innovation framework consisting of \"one center, seven platforms, and five bases\" in order to create new drivers for high-level development. The FTO project holds great significance for the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements; he hopes that all parties involved in this project will work together, act swiftly, exert their full efforts, and collaborate closely to pioneer a new type of high-end modern coal chemical industry in China, leaving a significant mark in the history of China’s coal chemical sector. You Hao, vice chairman, deputy secretary of the Party committee, and general manager of Lu’an Group, said that as one of the shareholders involved in this project, Lu’an Group will provide full support in terms of project coordination and the handling of related procedures, as well as in terms of staffing for the project. He hoped that all parties would agree on a timeline and stay committed to their goals, so as to facilitate the early commencement of construction. He demanded that all relevant departments within the group carry out comprehensive consideration and overall planning, to ensure that every step in the project’s advancement and implementation is lawful and reasonable, thereby maximizing benefits. It is hoped that all parties involved will further strengthen cooperation, engage in in-depth exchanges, and work together to achieve mutual benefit. FTO technology: On October 6, 2016, the journal Nature published reports on the significant progress made by a research team jointly formed by the Shanghai Institute of Advanced Study of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and ShanghaiTech University in the direct conversion of syngas into olefins. By adopting a novel catalyst active site structure, this study achieved the high-selective direct synthesis of olefins from syngas under mild conditions. The direct production of olefins from syngas employs the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) route. The coal-based syngas FT synthesis oil production process has been put into industrial use in China, but when FT synthesis is used for the production of olefins, challenges such as improving olefin selectivity and effectively controlling the product distribution arise. Since FT synthesis of olefins is a highly exothermic reaction, it can easily lead to local overheating, thereby promoting methanation and carbon deposition and reducing the overall olefin yield. Furthermore, during the FT synthesis process, olefins, as intermediate products, are highly prone to undergoing secondary hydrogenation reactions to convert into saturated alkanes. The Low-Carbon Conversion Laboratory at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has creatively developed a new catalyst. It was found that under mild reaction conditions (250°C and 1–5 standard atmospheres), this catalyst enables the high-selective direct synthesis of olefins from syngas; the selectivity for methane can be as low as 5%, the selectivity for low-carbon olefins can reach 60%, while the overall selectivity for olefins is over 80%. The olefin/alkane ratio can be as high as 30, and the selectivity for products in the C2–C15 range is over 90%.