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Lutianhua (Group) Sichuan Zhonglan Guosu New Materials Technology’s industrial PC production facility was put into operation / Author/Source: Sinochem News Network, Date: 2019-06-11, Clicks: 15. Overcoming foreign technological restrictions by developing a new route that does not rely on phosgene. On June 6, Lutianhua (Group) Sichuan Zhonglan Guosu New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. announced in Chengdu that China’s first industrial demonstration project for producing polycarbonate at a rate of 100,000 tons per year, utilizing proprietary melt polycondensation technology that does not depend on phosgene and featuring independent intellectual property rights, was successfully brought online on its first attempt. Zhai Gang, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology, said that this technology fills a gap in China’s market, and it is expected to replace imported products once mass production begins. Tan Guangjun, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Lutianhua (Group) Co., Ltd., said at the press conference that the first phase of Lutianhua (Group)’s Zhonglan Guosu project, which involves a production capacity of 100,000 tons per year of polycarbonate, began construction on April 1, 2017, and high-quality polycarbonate products were produced on May 15, 2019. At present, the device operates stably, with safety under control and environmental standards met; all product specifications reach high domestic quality levels. The success of this project has broken through the foreign blockade on China’s advanced technologies in this field. This facility utilizes the phosgene-free diphenyl carbonate production technology developed by Chengdu Organic Chemistry Co., Ltd. of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as the melt transesterification method for polycarbonate production developed by China National Blue morning Light Chemical Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd. It is the first industrial polycarbonate production plant in China to possess complete independent intellectual property rights; its production process is environmentally friendly, the technology is advanced, and the product quality is excellent. Wang Gongying, Party Secretary and researcher at Sichuan Organic Chemistry Co., Ltd. affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China has long relied on imports for polycarbonate; in recent years, thanks to the introduction of foreign technologies, domestic production capacity has increased significantly, but the products produced are mainly of mid-to-low quality. New plants abroad are basically built using the non-phosgene method, while some new plants in China still use the phosgene method. With the support of programs such as the \"863\" Program, science and technology research initiatives, science and technology support programs, and special projects for the development of major industrial technologies, Chengdu Organic Chemistry Co., Ltd. under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has independently developed new high-efficiency catalysts for the production of diphenyl carbonate using a route that does not involve phosgene, as well as process intensification techniques for integrating reaction and separation steps. It has also created a technical software package for the production of diphenyl carbonate at a capacity of 90,000 tons per year. Zhao Yi, the chief engineer of SinoBlue Morning Light Chemical Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd., said that the company has been researching ester exchange polyester technology since the 1970s, and has developed a technical software package with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons. China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. worked closely with all parties involved in the project to make technical improvements and innovations to the first set of process units capable of producing 90,000 tons per year of diphenyl carbonate and 100,000 tons per year of polycarbonate, thereby laying the foundation for the successful commissioning of the project from the very first attempt. Under the organization of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology, in June 2015, Lutianhua (Group) Co., Ltd., Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China National Blue Light Chemical Engineering Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd., and China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. signed a quadripartite cooperation agreement to officially launch the construction of a 100,000-ton/year polycarbonate industrial demonstration project. It is understood that Luzhou Tianhua (Group) Zhonglan Guosu is planning to build a polycarbonate production facility with an annual capacity of 600,000 tons, covering the entire production chain. For one of these phases, there are 2 units with a capacity of 100,000 tons per year, and the total investment for these units is 2.7 billion yuan. The first unit of 100,000 tons per year in this phase has been built and put into operation, and it is currently in the trial production stage. In the future, the company will further optimize its production processes and strive to develop high-end, specialized polycarbonate products.