Does anyone know what new information will be available at the 2009 Dimethyl Ether Technology Conference held in Chengdu?

At the end of November 2008, the Qilu Petrochemical Research Institute made a significant breakthrough in the use of catalytic distillation for the production of dimethyl ether. The results of the pilot tests on a scale of 60 tons per year showed that all technical parameters met the requirements specified in the contract, indicating that this newly developed technology by the institute will play an important role in adjusting China’s energy structure and in environmental protection. China’s energy structure is characterized by abundant coal, scarce oil, and limited gas. As an important chemical raw material, dimethyl ether has a wide range of applications; it can be used as household gas and vehicle fuel. Thanks to its excellent physical properties, high thermal efficiency during combustion, and low level of pollution, it is regarded as a new type of \"clean energy\" for the 21st century, and serves as a clean fuel that can replace diesel and petroleum-based gases. **The \"Research Report on Alternative Energy in China\" prepared by the National Development and Reform Commission outlines a strategy to give priority to the development of dimethyl ether as an alternative energy source. According to this strategy, it is predicted that domestic demand for dimethyl ether will exceed 16 million tons by 2010. Depending on the reaction conditions and the catalyst used, there are two methods for producing dimethyl ether from methanol dehydration: the liquid-phase method and the gas-phase method. Leveraging its technical expertise in catalytic distillation, the research institute uses it as the primary process method for producing dimethyl ether. Compared with existing technologies, the catalytic distillation method for producing dimethyl ether offers advantages such as low reaction temperature, high conversion rate, good selectivity, low energy consumption, and a simplified process. It overcomes the problems of pollution and corrosion associated with the liquid-phase method, as well as the high production costs of the gas-phase method, thus possessing strong overall competitiveness. The project was officially approved by Qilu Petrochemical Company at the end of 2006. In 2007, a pilot study was conducted with continuous operation for 5 months. Problems such as the catalyst’s activity, strength, temperature resistance, and long-term operation were resolved, yielding satisfactory experimental results. With the pilot plant for catalytic distillation of dimethyl ether passing the equipment acceptance inspection by the department in charge of safety production at the institute, the pilot testing phase has been carried out at full pace. The technical staff of the research team overcame difficulties such as tight testing schedules and high technical challenges, continuously improving the process flow and optimizing the process parameters. The test results showed that the one-pass conversion rate of methanol was greater than 99%, the selectivity for dimethyl ether reached 100%, and the purity of dimethyl ether was greater than 99.9%; all technical indicators met the desired standards.

The co-firing of dimethyl ether still needs further development； Dimethyl ether buses have obtained operational approval ； Tianyi is conducting the feasibility study for a 500,000-ton facility ； Methanol gasoline has basically no chance ；

Hey, are we still working on the methanol project? Then there’s no market for it; it’s better not to use distillation and just produce dimethyl ether directly

The economic crisis creates a challenging environment; if the market for methanol fails, the situation for its downstream products is likely to be no better. Last year, due to the downturn in the panel industry and the liquefied gas market, even companies that produce DME had to suspend production on a large scale. In today’s world, it is difficult to succeed by producing only one type of product; it is better to engage in multiple product productions, so that when one area faces difficulties, another can compensate, enabling companies to adapt better to societal changes.

The reliability of dimethyl ether vehicles is not yet ideal

Proceedings of the conference, Editorial Board of “Nitrogen Fertilizers and Methanol”, 028-83667576； nmtech@vip.163.com

Dimethyl ether is very popular these days; it’s worth paying attention to