How to solve the issue of MTO catalyst strength?

Looking at the experience in the refining industry, this is not an easy problem to solve; if it were easy, it would have already been solved. Increasing strength is a direction for effort, but such efforts are limited by the inherent properties of the molecular sieve catalyst itself. Therefore, perhaps while working on increasing strength, efforts should also be made in another direction, namely to develop cheaper catalysts. At least that’s the case in the refining industry; the problem of agent leakage has persisted for years, and it remains unchanged. Looking at the catalysts that have fallen down next to the catalytic unit equipment is quite shocking.

I wonder how the original poster obtained those figures? For processing 500,000 tons of methanol, with a reagent consumption of 1.0 kg per ton, the amount used in one year is only 500 tons. What is the price per ton of catalyst? At 200,000 yuan per ton, that’s 100 million yuan. It doesn’t seem right to conclude that the catalyst loses hundreds of millions in value over the course of a year!

This post was last edited and replied to by Haina Chuan on 2010-8-13 at 22:33. Reply to 3#txfhyr: This is the most critical issue regarding whether MTO can be successful. A methanol loss of 1 KG per ton cannot be avoided; it should be at least 1.5 KG per ton or more. From the perspective of improving catalyst activity, it’s not possible to use spherical catalysts with good wear resistance, as the loss would then be higher than that in FCC processes

The unit price of the catalyst is also an assumed value. The information I found states that UOP’s initial quote was 70,000 dollars per ton, while the price of the catalysts provided by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics was 13%-20% lower than that. The 200,000 yuan per ton I mentioned earlier is just an estimated value; the actual figure is likely not that high. Currently, MTO catalysts are only available in Dalian, and the production volume is not high – around 2,500 tons per year. As production increases in the future, the unit price of the catalysts will further decrease.

Thank you all; spherification can help reduce running losses to a certain extent. However, the strength of SAPO-34 is said to be difficult to address through the catalyst’s own production process. I’m wondering if it’s possible to mimic the approach used in composite materials by adding some short fibers of nanocarbon tubes during mixing to enhance the material. Using fibers for reinforcement – sure, give it a try. Using 20% of SAPO-34 at $70,000 per tcat means the raw materials themselves cannot be purchased! The actual price received by the company = 7X6.8 (exchange rate) X1.17 (value-added tax) X1.055 (business tax) X1.XX (tariff) = 585,000 RMB. 500 tons, that’s 300 million. For a plant with a capacity of 500,000 tons, can the net profit really be 300 million? 500,000 tons of methanol at 2,500 yuan per ton equals 1.25 billion yuan. If this product is converted 100% into ethylene, then 14/32 times 500,000 tons equals 218,000 tons. At a current price of 8,000 yuan per ton for ethylene, the total value is 1.744 billion yuan. If the processing cost is 500 yuan per ton (which corresponds to 2.5 tons of steam used – quite low, actually), then the processing fee amounts to 250 million yuan. It’s really difficult to calculate the profit. If the investment cost is calculated, 30% is from equity capital and 70% from bank loans. The result is that catalyst manufacturers and banks profit, while companies (except state-owned ones) struggle for several years before going bankrupt. Just one person’s opinion, haha

Using the traditional process of separating ethylene by cooling the tank, the processing cost per ton is around 1,100–1,300 yuan; for 500,000 tons, the total cost amounts to 550 million yuan. The accounts are really hard to calculate. Catalysts used in standard processes generally account for an insignificant amount in terms of cost; for example, the UOP benzene hydrocarbonation catalyst and Y molecular sieve cost around 1 million per ton, with a service life of 12 years, which translates to just a few yuan in terms of the cost of the final product.

Actually, I’ve been thinking about one thing: people use carbon fiber fabric to cover concrete columns in order to strengthen them； Can it be used to enhance catalyst particles? How to do it? I really want to give it a try. Fill the carbon fiber framework with catalyst powder? Burn it and smash it? Can it handle it?

Reply to 8# knightinsun: Use carbon fiber fabric to wrap the concrete columns in order to reinforce them. Is it to enhance its strength in terms of ductility and heat resistance? The compressive strength and wear resistance of carbon fiber don’t seem to be very high, do they? If you wish to do so, you can choose a template agent to grow carbon fibers and then load them with ZSM5 molecular sieves, in order to examine the catalytic and mechanical properties of the new catalyst. Carbon fiber generally suffers from severe carbon buildup, while burning seems to be relatively rare. But you can give it a try, hehe. :)

Approach it from two aspects: first, research on reducing catalyst costs； II. Improve the efficiency of cyclone separation and reduce catalyst loss

The wear problem of MTO catalysts has now been well resolved, so there’s no need to worry! Furthermore, through improvements in spraying technology and further exploration, practice has shown that the problem of catalyst wear can definitely be solved!