Formylization technology
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What is the current progress of hydroformylation technology in China, and are there any differences between it and that used abroad for higher carbon numbers?
Haha, okay! In short: The domestic hydrogenation technology currently has a solid foundation – self-sufficiency has been achieved in low-carbon applications (such as the production of butyraldehyde from propylene), but high-carbon applications (such as long-chain alkenes with C8 or more) remain problematic areas. Foreign giants such as BASF and Dow, thanks to years of experience, have more sophisticated catalysts and processes, resulting in higher product purity and efficiency ； In China, efforts to catch up are still intense, such as developing new catalysts and optimizing reaction conditions, but industrial-scale production has not yet been fully achieved. Summary: Significant progress has been made, but more effort is still needed in the high-carbon range; the gap is narrowing but not yet closed yet~ 😅.
• Highly selective rhodium-based catalysts: The “rhodium-molecular sieve” supported catalyst developed by the Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieves a butyraldehyde selectivity of over 99% in the hydroformylation of propylene, with a TOF (turnover frequency) of 6500 h⁻¹, surpassing the performance of homogeneous catalysts used by international companies such as Shell and UOP. • Solvent-free process: The heterogeneous catalysts developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics enable ethylene formylation without the need for solvents, reducing energy consumption by over 30%; their technical performance is on par with international leaders such as BASF’s homogeneous rhodium catalyst systems
Foreign transferred technologies? Are those available in China for industrial application?