China’s first independently developed \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" ammonia synthesis technology has passed the scientific and technological achievement appraisal

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China’s first independently developed ammonia synthesis technology based on \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" passed the evaluation for scientific and technological achievements. Author/Source: Yaha Coal Chemical Industry. Date: June 1, 2020. Clicks: 1. On May 31, 2020, the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation organized an evaluation meeting in Beijing for the scientific and technological achievements related to the development and industrial application of this safe, efficient, and low-energy-consuming ammonia synthesis technology based on \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\". The appraisal committee believes that the achievements as a whole have reached an internationally advanced level; in particular, the technology for preparing high-performance ruthenium-based ammonia synthesis catalysts and the \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" ammonia synthesis process using coal as a raw material are at an internationally leading level. The committee unanimously agreed to approve the appraisal. This technology was jointly developed by Fuzhou University, the Petrochemical Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing Sanju Environmental Protection New Materials Co., Ltd. and other institutions. It addresses the issue of high energy consumption in ammonia synthesis under high temperature and pressure conditions through collaborative technical efforts, resulting in the creation of high-performance ruthenium-based ammonia synthesis catalysts as well as a catalytic process for ammonia synthesis that makes use of iron-ruthenium combinations. This technology boasts strong innovation capabilities and market competitiveness. The head of the Fuzhou University Engineering Research Center for Fertilizer Catalysts, as well as the leader of the innovation team in the key field of \"fertilizer catalysis\" under the Ministry of Science and Technology, explained that this technology resulted from over 20 years of research efforts by two generations of scientists. It led to the development of \"stepwise sulfur-resistant shift hydrogen production\" and \"iron-ruthenium hybrid\" ammonia synthesis technologies, and ultimately to the creation of a world-first low-pressure ammonia synthesis system that uses coal as a raw material, combining stepwise shift hydrogen production with iron-ruthenium hybrid ammonia synthesis. Through deep integration of industry, academia, and research, Sanju Environmental Protection, together with Fuzhou University and other institutions, invested in the establishment of the world’s first 10,000-ton-scale industrial ammonia synthesis facility using coal as a raw material and employing \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" at Jiangsu Heyou Chemical Co., Ltd. in May 2017. On this basis, Sanju Environmental Protection, Fuzhou University, and Heyou Chemical jointly worked together to thoroughly transform Heyou Chemical’s existing iron-based ammonia synthesis system. The first set of ammonia synthesis units equipped with iron-ruthenium catalysis, as a result of these reforms, was successfully put into operation in July 2019, and to date it has operated stably for over 6,000 hours. Yang Chao, a researcher at the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, presented the 72-hour on-site evaluation and calibration report for the industrial ammonia synthesis plant using \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\". The calibration results show that the \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" system for ammonia synthesis yields operational parameters that are superior to those of the conventional systems: the reaction pressure is reduced to 12.7 MPa, the ammonia yield reaches 14.5 vol%, the standard coal consumption per ton of ammonia is 1084 kgce, the electricity consumption per ton of ammonia is 1204 kW·h, and 992 kg of steam is produced per ton of ammonia. These improvements result in significant energy savings, reduced consumption, and enhanced efficiency. The comprehensive energy consumption per ton of ammonia has been significantly reduced. China’s first industrial ammonia synthesis plant using \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" operates safely, stably, and efficiently; the pressure required for ammonia synthesis as well as the peak temperature in the catalyst bed have been greatly reduced. Under conditions of low temperature, low pressure, a low hydrogen-to-nitrogen ratio, and a high content of inert gases, the ammonia yield increases to 14.5 vol%, which is more than 35% higher than the ammonia yield achieved by traditional iron-based ammonia synthesis techniques under high temperature and pressure conditions. According to conservative estimates, the newly built industrial \"iron-ruthenium\" ammonia synthesis system reduces the overall energy consumption per ton of ammonia produced by compared to Heyou Chemical’s existing traditional iron-based ammonia synthesis system by more than 220 yuan. “Compared with existing traditional iron-based ammonia synthesis technologies at home and abroad, the \"iron-ruthenium relay catalysis\" ammonia synthesis technology features significantly improved intrinsic safety, markedly reduced comprehensive energy consumption per ton of ammonia produced, as well as enhanced economic and social benefits. The complete set of low-pressure isobaric ammonia synthesis reactors using ruthenium-based ammonia synthesis catalysts has been included in the \"Guidance Catalogue for the Promotion and Application of First-of-Kind Major Technical Equipment (2019 Edition)\」issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at the end of 2019. Accelerate the upgrading of China’s ammonia synthesis industry. The ammonia synthesis industry is a major consumer of energy in the chemical sector, and energy costs constitute an important part of its production expenses. The ammonia synthesis industry urgently needs to reduce energy consumption and emissions as well as address excess production capacity. It is estimated that about 3% of the world’s energy consumption is used for synthetic ammonia. Energy conservation and consumption reduction have become one of the main trends in the development of ammonia synthesis technology. Currently, China’s annual ammonia production amounts to 56 million tons, and traditional iron-based catalysts along with high-temperature and high-pressure reaction processes and equipment are still being used. “The “iron-ruthenium relay catalysis” ammonia synthesis technology has broken the long-standing technical monopoly held by foreign companies in the industrial application of ruthenium-based catalysts. By utilizing a new generation of ruthenium-based ammonia synthesis catalysts, this technology reduces the pressure and temperature required in the ammonia synthesis process and improves reaction efficiency, thereby effectively cutting energy and material consumption. Taking a 200,000 t/a ammonia synthesis plant as an example, preliminary estimates suggest that this set of technologies will help the enterprise save over 30 million yuan in energy costs each year. “The “iron-ruthenium relay catalysis” ammonia synthesis technology provides an entirely new approach for the industry to achieve energy savings and reduced consumption. At the same time, ammonia is an efficient carrier for hydrogen energy (1 liter of liquid ammonia is equivalent to 2.2 liters of hydrogen at 700 MPa, or 1200 liters of hydrogen at normal pressure). It can connect the traditional chemical industry with the hydrogen energy industry, and will play a vital role in helping China’s synthetic ammonia industry reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency. It will also make significant contributions to achieving a diversified energy structure as well as ensuring food security and energy security. The appraisal meeting was chaired by Jiang Yanru, Director of the Science and Technology Achievements Department of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. The appraisal committee is chaired by Academician Shu Xingtian from the Sinopec Research Institute, with Academician Chen Jianfeng, Secretary-General of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Academician Xu Chunming from China University of Petroleum (Beijing) serving as vice chairpersons. Professor Gu Zongqin, a senior engineer and president of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association; Professor Hua Wei, a senior engineer and secretary-general of the Chinese Chemical Society; Professor Zhang Laiyong, a senior engineer and deputy general manager of China Global Engineering Co., Ltd.; Professor Li Jinping, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Taiyuan University of Technology; Researcher Yang Chao, deputy director of the Institute of Process Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Professor Yin Shuangfeng, dean of the Science and Research Institute at Hunan University, served as members of the evaluation committee. Researcher Jiang Lilong, Dean of the School of Petrochemical Engineering at Fuzhou University and Director of the **Engineering Research Center for Fertilizer Catalysts, and Wu Yongtao, Assistant to the President of Sanmu Environmental Protection, presented reports on the development process of these technologies, summaries of those technologies, as well as their industrial applications. They also answered the questions posed by the experts on site. Professor Hu Qianlin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Petrochemical Federation and a senior engineer of professorial rank; Li Lin, President of Sanmu Environmental Protection, and Lin Ke, Vice Chairman of the same company; Shi Weihua, an associate researcher and Party Secretary of the School of Petrochemical Engineering at Fuzhou University; Professor Wang Jianming, Senior Engineer of Professorial Rank and Head of the Results Division at the Petrochemical Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation; Wang Jie, Chairman of Jiangsu Heyou Chemical; and Wang Xuelin, General Manager of Nanjing Jutuo Chemical, attended the meeting.