【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】The world’s first bio-based 1,5-pentanediol production process was successfully tested at the Zhoushan facility from 2645 to 2025

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Give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical technology and equipment sector; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Equipment】Continuous updates and summaries available – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Recently, Sebel Corporation announced that its world’s first bio-based 1,5-pentanediol production process was successfully tested at its base in Zhoushan, using the world’s first one-step hydrogenation process. Tests have shown that the purity of its bio-based 1,5-pentanediol is over 99.5%, the colority is less than 5, and the moisture content is less than 0.1%; all these parameters meet or even exceed international standards. Currently, two main technical approaches are used in industrial production, both of which require strict control of reaction conditions to ensure product purity. The petroleum-based route uses **furfuryl alcohol as the starting material, and the target product is obtained through two steps of transformation. The specific process is as follows: First, **furfuryl alcohol is dehydrated under acidic conditions to produce a dihydropyran intermediate; during this step, the temperature must be kept within 50°C, and the reaction time should be maintained at 30–40 minutes ； Subsequently, the dihydropyran was converted into 5-hydroxyvaleraldehyde through a hydration reaction; a hydrogenation reaction was carried out using a nickel catalyst at 120–150°C and a pressure of 6 MPa. Finally, the fraction at 119–120°C (0.4 kPa) was collected by vacuum distillation, with a yield of the product exceeding 85%. The key quality control points are pH adjustment during the neutralization process and temperature control during the distillation stage. The bio-based route uses cyclopentadiene as a starting material; through a photooxidation reaction, an epoxypentenal intermediate is formed, which is then subjected to catalytic hydrogenation at temperatures of 70–100°C and pressures of 7 MPa. The advantage of this process lies in the renewability of its raw materials, but it requires a sophisticated reactor design, including specialized photochemical reaction equipment and a high-pressure hydrogenation system. The final products of both process routes must meet the standards for cosmetic ingredients, with key parameters including purity of ≥99%, moisture content of ≤0.1%, and heavy metal residues of ≤10ppm. Sebel’s production technology for bio-based 1,5-pentanediol represents the world’s first one-step hydrogenation process that utilizes special catalysts, and it holds significant demonstrative value. During the design and testing processes, the requirements for environmental protection, safety, and efficient production were fully taken into account. An advanced automated control system is employed to ensure precise control and stable operation of the production process. Bio-based 1,5-pentanediol, as an important raw material in organic chemistry, is widely used in various fields. In the high-end cosmetics industry, 1,5-pentanediol is the preferred ingredient for many well-known brands due to its excellent moisturizing and preservative properties. 1,5-Pentanediol of bio-based origin better meets today’s consumers’ demand for natural and green cosmetics, resulting in strong market demand. In the field of cosmetic ingredients, the purity of 1,5-pentanediol directly affects its efficacy and safety. According to industry standards, the purity requirement for cosmetic-grade 1,5-pentanediol is not less than 99%, a standard that is equivalent to that for its isomer, 1,2-pentanediol. In the field of biomedicine: 1,5-pentanediol can be used to synthesize various drug intermediates, and it is of great significance for the research, development, and production of drugs. Its high purity and stability meet the strict requirements of the biopharmaceutical industry for raw materials, providing strong support for the development of innovative drugs. High-end polyurethanes, electric vehicle industry: 1,5-pentanediol also plays a key role in the production of high-performance polymers such as high-end polyurethanes and polyesters. By using bio-based 1,5-pentanediol, high-performance polymer materials with improved properties and environmental benefits can be produced, such as advanced PCDL, valerolactone, and new types of PA56 fibers. These materials are exported to Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia, and are widely used in pharmaceutical intermediates, coating materials for electric vehicle lithium batteries, high-end clothing materials, as well as in the construction and packaging industries.