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Development of DMTO Generation 3 Technology Accelerates Fully Author/Source: Sinochem News Network Date: July 31, 2020 Clicks: 81 A few days ago, the signing ceremony for the cooperative development project of the new generation of methanol-to-olefins (DMTO-III) technology was held in Luoyang, marking an acceleration in the development of DMTO Generation 3 technology through the partnership between Sinopec Luoyang/Guangzhou Engineering Co., Ltd. and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The DMTO methanol-to-olefins technology refers to a chemical process that uses methanol synthesized from coal or natural gas as raw material, and employs a fluidized-bed reaction system similar to that in catalytic cracking units to produce low-carbon olefins. As early as 1997, the two parties began research and development on this technological advancement. In August 2010, the world’s first million-ton-scale methanol-to-olefins industrial plant was built in Baotou, opening up a new path for the coal-based energy and chemical industry and establishing China’s leading position in the global field of coal-based olefins production. This is of great significance for replacing petroleum-based raw materials in China’s petrochemical industry and ensuring energy security. Subsequently, the two parties began developing second-generation DMTO technology. In 2015, an 1.8 million tons per year DMTO industrial plant built using second-generation DMTO technology was successfully put into operation in Pucheng, Shaanxi. The unit includes two systems: MTO reverse regeneration (first-generation technology) and C4 reverse regeneration, which can increase the olefin yield by 10%. The third-generation DMTO technology developed through this collaboration builds upon the first and second-generation technologies created through their joint efforts, by introducing a new generation of catalysts with improved performance. New types of reactors and regenerators are designed to meet the reaction requirements of these catalysts, and technological innovations such as energy optimization are implemented to maintain a leading position in the DMTO field. At the same time, this technology plays an important role in promoting the clean utilization of coal in China and supporting the sustainable development of the new coal chemical industry. To date, the DMTO technology has seen 26 licensing agreements, and 14 DMTO industrial plants have been built and put into operation, giving rise to a strategic new industry in China for producing olefins from methanol.