【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment】From 1961 to 2024, the new generation of anthraquinone hydrogenation catalysts have achieved excellent results

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Safety first. Prevention is key. Let’s give a thumbs up and encouragement to the achievements made by China’s chemical technology and equipment industry. ********************** [Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment] This is a continuously updated summary thread; everyone is welcome to join the discussion: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum) ***************** The latest statistics show that the new generation of anthraquinone hydrogenation catalysts jointly developed by Liming Research & Design Institute Co., Ltd. and Beijing University of Chemical Technology have been applied in 24 large-scale hydrogen peroxide production facilities operated by companies such as Jiangxi Shilong, Henan Baililian, and Henan Xinlianxin, with excellent results achieved. According to the manufacturer, the amount of catalyst required is reduced by more than 30%, its activity increases by 20%~30%, the rate of anthraquinone formation is decreased by 40%, and anthraquinone consumption is reduced by more than 12%. 　　Application data show that the new generation of anthraquinone hydrogenation catalysts exhibits significantly improved activity and selectivity. While maintaining their strength, they reduce the catalyst packing density, which allows for a significant reduction in the amount of catalyst required. This also slows down the formation of degradation products and reduces the dependence of the fixed-bed process on alkali regeneration, thereby laying the foundation for replacing the fixed-bed process that relies on alternating use of acids and alkalis. This technology passed the appraisal of scientific and technological achievements organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation this July. Experts from the evaluation committee believe that this project is highly innovative, with its technical level reaching international advanced standards. 　　“Anthraquinone hydrogenation is a key process in hydrogen peroxide production, and traditional anthraquinone hydrogenation catalysts suffer from issues such as high consumption, low activity, and poor selectivity. ”It is reported that this project adopts a school-enterprise cooperation innovation model to rapidly transform pilot-scale results into industrial applications, addressing bottleneck issues such as the simultaneous decline in catalyst strength due to reduced bulk density, low activity caused by the agglomeration of precious palladium nanoparticles, and poor selectivity resulting from the disordered growth of palladium crystal surfaces. 　　It is understood that this project developed a mesoporous alumina support material with a pore size of 20 to 30 nanometers, and prepared palladium-based anthraquinone hydrogenation catalysts with high strength, high activity, and good dispersion. By simultaneously enhancing the reaction and mass transfer processes, the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide production and the safety of the process were significantly improved. The main innovations of this project include: the development of a method for controlling the colloidal structure of aluminum sols, the creation of a new type of water-based polymer template with hydroxyl-functional groups on its side chains, and the production of spherical alumina catalyst carriers with low density, mesoporous structure, and high strength ； A new method has been developed for the in situ synthesis of nanocrystals on the surface of spherical alumina using layered composite metal hydroxides containing transition metals with variable valence states. This method enables high dispersion of palladium, the active component of the catalyst, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of anthraquinone hydrogenation ； A three-solvent working fluid with p-xylene as the main component has been invented, which improves the hydrogenation efficiency of anthraquinones and suppresses the occurrence of side reactions during their hydrogenation. 　　The development of this catalyst went through four stages: pilot tests, pilot plant trials, performance evaluations using full-scale model reactors, and assessments on industrial production facilities. The final product was the fourth-generation palladium catalyst (LDHA-1 type palladium catalyst). The project also established an industrial production facility for catalysts with a capacity of 400 tons per year; the production runs smoothly, and the product quality is satisfactory and stable. Since its introduction into the market in 2020, this catalyst has been used in 24 production units at 20 hydrogen peroxide manufacturing companies in China, generating sales of nearly 900 million yuan and an annual output value of over 3.6 billion yuan. 　　Zhao Xiaodong explained that the company will cooperate with the transformation of domestic fixed-bed fully acidic processes by accelerating the research, development, and deployment of fifth-generation catalysts with better selectivity, thereby helping to upgrade these domestic fixed-bed processes and striving to achieve stable operation of truly fully acidic fixed-bed processes.