Dimethyl oxalate
Thread Content
Exploration of dimethyl oxalate: Currently, the enterprises producing ethylene glycol via coal-based processes are those in Tongliao with a production capacity of 200,000 tons, and one in Henan with a capacity of 1 million tons. Does dimethyl oxalate, the intermediate product used in ethylene glycol production, have color? What are the reasons for its coloration? How can this color be removed?
DMO is white; in the presence of water, it turns into oxalic acid of a grassy-green color. It crystallizes rapidly at temperatures below 55 degrees, and its natural crystals are needle-shaped
I want to give praise – it seems this person has a very thorough understanding of DMO; they must have had experience with DMO； The downstream product of DMO is ethylene glycol; I’m not sure if they are involved in the production of ethylene glycol.
As of June 2014, China had built 7 projects for producing ethylene glycol via the oxalate route using syngas, with a total production capacity of 1.1 million tons per year. Among them, in the first half of 2014, an additional production capacity of 200,000 tons per year was added at Sinopec Hubei Fertilizer; the project was successfully commissioned in March, and the first batch of high-quality ethylene glycol was sold to Yizheng Chemical Fibers. In the first half of 2014, the capacity utilization rate of most coal-based ethylene glycol production plants reached 80%, including facilities such as Yongjin Puyang, Yongjin Anyang, Tongliao Jinmei, and Xinjiang Tianye. According to a statement from Danhua Technology, Tongliao Jinmei’s load reached 85% at the end of April this year, while it was around 72% in May and June. After more than two years of operation, the 200,000 tons per year production facility in Anyang, Yongjin, can now achieve an operating load of over 90%, producing more than 500 tons of ethylene glycol per day.
Dimethyl oxalate is colorless and transparent, with an irritating odor. It crystallizes easily at 55°C, forming white flaky crystals. It is flammable; upon long-term storage, it may turn yellow or indigo (based on personal observation)
The load for coal-based ethylene glycol is over 90%, which is likely the best level achievable with current domestic technology. It would be good if such data didn’t come from official sources. I want to know how long it can run continuously under 90% load What percentage does polyester-grade ethylene glycol account for?
:) You’re right; I work at Shanghai Coking [Energy & Chemicals]. We are currently working on a pilot-scale ethylene glycol project. The production volume isn’t an issue at the moment; the main problem lies in the quality, specifically the light transmittance. As far as I know, this is a problem that arises with ethylene glycol produced from coal. There is no other good solution besides multiple rows of recombined components.
I would like to ask which data shows that the production load reaches 90%?
At current crude oil prices, coal-based ethylene glycol may no longer have a cost advantage. The development of coal chemical industry will face an important stage
Current crude oil prices are very low, and the cost of ethylene glycol for oil-based routes is also low； These are only temporary crude oil prices and do not reflect the actual price of oil; ethylene glycol produced from syngas will surely replace oil-based ethylene glycol in the future.