Thread Content
Recently, at the 7th National Forum on Innovation and Development in the Alkane Dehydrogenation Industry held in Ningbo, Zhuo Runsheng, chairman of Runhe Catalyst Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Runhe Catalyst”), announced that the chromium-based fixed-bed propane dehydrogenation catalyst developed by the company (hereinafter abbreviated as “PDH”) has seen its first successful industrial application in China. After more than 20 years of research and development, it has now been operating stably in an industrial plant with a capacity of 500,000 tons per year at a domestic petrochemical company for over a year, with all technical parameters exceeding international leading levels. Key indicators have been significantly surpassed, enabling a shift from following to leading. As one of the core processes for producing propylene, propane catalytic dehydrogenation technology has long been under the exclusive control of American companies. Although our country accounts for over 70% of the global PDH production capacity, it continues to face risks such as high patent licensing costs and unstable supply chains. Today, Runhe Catalyst has delivered impressive results: a one-way conversion rate of 44% for propane, an acrylene selectivity of 88.2%, an operational capacity that has increased to 108%, a 30% improvement in anti-coking performance, and a 40% increase in mechanical strength. The pressure drop across the bed during the reaction and regeneration phases is at the best level in the industry, while the CO2 content in the deethanization off-gases is below 3 mol%. Its overall performance far exceeds that of similar foreign products. Zhuo Runsheng said that this breakthrough is not merely a matter of localization; it represents a technological upgrade in catalyst performance. The technical barriers established by Runhe Catalyst through more than 50 invention patents have enabled Chinese companies to move from following others to taking the lead in the field of alkane dehydrogenation. The production capacity for various catalyst types is comprehensive, offering the potential to shift from import to export. In terms of the catalyst supply chain, as a company with the capability to produce dehydrogenation catalysts of three types – fixed-bed, fluidized-bed, and moving-bed – Runhe Catalyst invested 600 million yuan to build a facility in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, during the period 2021–2023. This facility has an annual production capacity of nearly 10,000 tons of PDH catalysts, enabling it to supply the world with a wide range of alkane dehydrogenation catalysts of excellent quality and backed by superior service. After its release, this technology attracted widespread attention in the chemical industry. Industry experts point out that this breakthrough is milestone-like: for enterprises, the costs and lead times associated with catalyst procurement are significantly reduced, inventory pressures are lowered, and access to localized technical support becomes easier ； For the industry, China’s PDH production capacity has exceeded 23 million tons per year, accounting for 32.3% of the total propylene production capacity. Advances in PDH catalyst technology help accelerate the optimization of the industrial structure, enhance the resilience of the industrial chain, and promote the internationalization of PDH technology. Adopting continuous technological innovation as its development strategy, Runhe Catalyst has managed to shift from following others to taking the lead in this field. It has now become China’s second-largest catalyst manufacturer, with a catalyst production capacity of 50,000 tons per year and over 100 different types of catalysts. Its products are sold in more than 20 countries and regions including the United States, India, and the Middle East, providing core catalytic materials to over 30 large-scale petrochemical companies both domestically and internationally.