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Abstract: It introduces the development process of MTBE production technology in China, including catalysts, process technologies, and production applications. The advantages and disadvantages of various MTBE synthesis technologies, such as tubular fixed-bed reaction, fixed-bed external circulation reaction, expanded-bed reaction, mixed-phase bed reaction, catalytic distillation, and mixed-phase reactive distillation (MRD), were analyzed. It was proposed that in the future, MTBE production should involve larger-scale facilities and more raw material resources, as well as an increase in the variety of products available. Keywords: China; Methyl tert-butyl ether; Production; Catalyst; Level of technical development; Review. STATUS QUO AND PROSPECTS OF CHINESE MTBE TECHNOLOGIES Hao Xingren, Yang Zongren. Research Institute of Qilu Petrochemical Company (Zibo, Shandong 255400). Abstract: The Chinese techniques for MTBE production, including the development of catalysts, processes, and their commercial applications, are discussed in this paper. The advantages and disadvantages of various MTBE synthesis methods such as tube bed reaction, mixed bed external circulating reaction, expanding bed reaction, mixed phase reaction, catalytic distillation, and mixed phase reaction distillation (MRD) are analyzed. It is suggested that in the future, the capacity of MTBE production facilities should be increased, the sources of raw materials expanded, and the range of products offered diversified. Keywords: China; Methyl tert-butyl ether; Manufacturing; Catalyst; State-of-the-art; Review. Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has a high octane rating (RON of 117, MON of 101), making it an excellent component for producing lead-free, oxygenated, low-aroma, high-octane gasoline ； The use of oxygenated new formula gasoline further promoted the development of oxygenated high-octane blending components such as MTBE. Since Italy built the world’s first MTBE production plant with a capacity of 0.1 Mt/a in 1973, the world’s annual MTBE production reached 10 Mt by 1990, and it is expected to reach 30 Mt by the year 2000. MTBE is one of the petrochemical products that has seen the fastest growth over the past two decades. To meet the needs of the development of the petrochemical industry and gasoline upgrading, China began research on MTBE production technologies in the late 1970s. Techniques such as tubular fixed-bed reaction, external circulation fixed-bed reaction, expanded-bed reaction, mixed-phase bed reaction, catalytic distillation, and mixed-phase reactive distillation have been studied and applied, and these techniques have reached or surpassed the levels of similar foreign technologies. To date, more than 30 sets of MTBE production facilities are in operation or under construction in China, with a total production capacity of over 0.7 Mt/a. It is estimated that by the year 2000, China’s total MTBE production capacity will reach 1.0 Mt/a. With the development of China’s petrochemical industry and increasingly stringent environmental protection measures, MTBE production is set to experience significant growth. 1 Catalysts To date, most MTBE production facilities both domestically and internationally use large-pore strong acid cation exchange resin catalysts. The most widely used of these is the Amberlyst-15 resin catalyst produced by the American company Romanhass, and this technology is quite mature. While developing MTBE production technology, our country has also developed its own resin catalysts. Catalysts such as S54 produced by the Resin Factory in Daxing County, Beijing, D72 produced by Tianjin University, and D005 produced by Dandong Chemical Plant No. 3 have all been successfully used in the industrial production of MTBE. The typical properties of resin catalysts for industrial applications are shown in Table 1. Table 1 Properties of Resin Catalysts Used in China Resin catalyst model: D005, M-31, A-15, S54, D72 Exchange capacity/mmol H+·g-1: 4.75, 4.63, 4.70, 4.64, 4.90 Water content, %: 54.0, 52.8, 55.1, 49.3, 52.9 Wear resistance (mass fraction), %: 97.5, 93.6, 95.0, 95.0, 95.0 Wet true density/g·cm-3: 1.18, 1.24, 1.24, 1.48 Specific surface area/m2·g-1: 55.2, 49.5, 68.1, 68.8, 14.8 Pore volume/mL·g-1: 0.300, 0.285, 0.323, 0.375, 0.183 Average pore radius/nm: 24.7, 24.0, 19.0, 22.0, 24.7 Maximum operating temperature/°C: 120