Nanjing Chengzhi, in collaboration with the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a new coal-based adiponitrile technology

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Nanjing Chengzhi, in collaboration with the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a new coal-based adiponitrile technology. Author/Source: Chemical Industry Network – Coal Chemicals; Date: 2020-04-22; Clicks: 9. In order to further optimize the product portfolio, extend the industrial chain, and enhance market competitiveness, Nanjing Chengzhi Clean Energy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Nanjing Chengzhi”) and the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as “the Institute of Process Engineering”) will develop this new coal-based adiponitrile technology independently. The two parties have recently signed a technology development agreement; they plan to first build a pilot plant with an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons. On this basis, they aim to develop larger-scale production processes, create an industrial-scale technology package, and construct an industrial demonstration plant. Adiponitrile is primarily used to produce adipamide, an intermediate for nylon 66. Due to the high technical barriers and investment requirements involved, both the products and production technologies related to it are currently monopolized by foreign companies, resulting in a severe imbalance in China’s industry chain for adiponitrile-adipamide-nylon 66. Nylon 66 is an important raw material for industrial production. It boasts excellent comprehensive properties, including high strength, good rigidity, impact resistance, oil and chemical resistance, wear resistance, and self-lubricating characteristics. It is widely used in industries such as manufacturing, apparel, decoration, and engineering plastics. Our country is one of the world’s major producers and consumers of nylon 66, but at present it does not have any industrial facilities for the production of hexamethylenedinitrile, and all the required products must be imported. Therefore, breaking through the technical blockade on adiponitrile is of great significance to China’s nylon industry. The coal-based adiponitrile technology developed independently this time is simpler in process compared to the commercially available methods abroad, such as butadiene hydrocyanation and acrylonitrile electrolytic dimerization; it involves fewer reaction steps, requires less energy, does not use highly toxic chemicals, is more environmentally friendly and safer, and offers better cost advantages ； At the same time, being coal-based and in line with China’s natural resource endowments, it is more conducive to the security of related industrial chains as well as the clean utilization of coal. Chengzhi Co., Ltd. is a high-tech listed company controlled by Tsinghua University, a member enterprise of Tsinghua Holdings, and a key enterprise in Jiangxi Province. Nanjing Chengzhi Clean Energy Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chengzhi Co., Ltd., was established in September 2003. Located in the Jiangbei New Materials Science and Technology Park in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, it has a registered capital of 3.685 billion yuan and covers an area of 54 hectares. Multiple production facilities have been built there in three phases. Nanjing Chengzhi specializes in the production and distribution of various gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, as well as products like methanol, olefins, and butyl octyl alcohol. Its products are mainly supplied to enterprises in Nanjing’s Jiangbei New Area and its surrounding areas.