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Ten years of rapid development in chemical technology – praising the prosperity and strength of modern China. This is just a starting point; more participation from everyone will make things even more lively. HaiChuan becomes even better with your involvement; we welcome everyone to take an active part in the forum discussions. Be careful with fire as the weather gets hotter in July. ---------------------------------------------- On May 14, 2022, the “industrial technology for the polyphase hydroformylation of ethylene at a rate of 50,000 tons per year, followed by hydrogenation to produce n-propanol,” which was developed by Researcher Ding Yunjie and Researcher Yan Li’s team from the Center for Syngas Conversion and Fine Chemical Catalysis (Group DNL0805) at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and which features independent intellectual property rights, passed the evaluation conducted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. Xie Zaiku, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, served as the chairman of the appraisal committee. At the appraisal meeting, Ding Yunjie presented a work report on the industrialization technology for the 50,000 tons/year polyphase hydroformylation of ethylene and its hydrogenation to n-propanol, detailing the research and development process of this technology. Yan Li and Tu Qihui, a senior engineer at Ningbo Juhua Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., presented reports on technological novelty searches and production operations respectively. The experts from the evaluation committee carefully reviewed the relevant technical documentation and had in-depth exchanges and discussions with the R&D team on scientific and technical issues as well as industrial applications. The appraisal committee unanimously agreed that the invented ethylene formylation metal Rh single-atom heterogeneous catalyst represents an innovative technology, with its overall performance at the international leading level; they therefore agreed to approve it. The \"50,000 tons per year industrial plant for the polyphase hydroformylation of ethylene and its hydrogenation to n-propanol,\" which utilizes core technology provided by the Institute of Catalysis, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was designed by Shanghai Huanyu Engineering Co., Ltd. and financed and constructed by Ningbo Juhua Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. It began operations at the end of August 2020 and has been running steadily ever since. From October 18 to 21, 2021, the device was subjected to a 72-hour continuous operation test internally. The results showed that the overall conversion rate of ethylene was 99.26%, while the overall conversion rate of propionaldehyde hydrogenation was 99.58%. The selectivities for propionaldehyde and n-propanol were 99.51% and 98.64%, respectively. The hydroformylation of olefins is a reaction that converts olefins, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide into aldehyde compounds; in this process, the utilization rate of raw materials approaches 100%, which makes it significant for the optimal use of resources. Furthermore, aldehydes can be further converted into chemicals such as alcohols, acids, and esters, which are key raw materials for high-value fine chemicals like detergents, plasticizers, surfactants, as well as pharmaceuticals and fragrances. However, the hydroformylation of olefins presents problems in the catalytic process, such as the loss of precious metals and ligands, difficulties in separating the catalyst from the product, the extensive use of solvents, and low efficiency in utilizing the large amount of reaction heat generated. To address the aforementioned issues, the research team led by Ding Yunjie and Yan Li from the Institute of Catalysis, Chinese Academy of Sciences, independently developed a heterogeneous hydroformylation single-atom catalyst. They designed and synthesized vinyl-functionalized organic ligand monomers containing phosphorus atoms at the molecular level, and prepared organic polymer materials that feature highly exposed phosphorus atom backbones as their structural units, along with high specific surface areas and multi-level pore structures. Such polymer materials possess both carrier and ligand functions, forming single-atom catalysts with multiple coordination structures and high stability together with formylated active metal mon atoms (rhodium and cobalt ions). The \"Industrial technology for the polyphase hydroformylation of ethylene at 50,000 tons per year and its hydrogenation to n-propanol\", which has passed this evaluation of scientific and technological achievements, possesses the following technical advantages: (1) The utilization rate of precious metal atoms is close to 100%, and the amount lost is negligible ； (2) There is almost no separation cost for the catalyst and the reaction system ； (3) A solvent-free, environmentally friendly process is employed in the reaction system; as a result, the aldehyde and n-propanol products have few impurities and high purity ； (4) Through energy-saving design during the engineering process, a large amount of low-grade heat generated in the formylization reaction and hydrogenation reaction was efficiently utilized. “The industrial technology for the 50,000 tons/year polyphase hydroformylation of ethylene and its hydrogenation to n-propanol not only provides a successful example for the widespread industrial application of single-atom catalysts, but also further enriches the theory of single-atom catalysis. At the same time, this technology can also be applied to the hydroformylation of other olefins to produce aldehydes, thereby alleviating the supply and demand imbalance of important chemical raw materials such as alcohols, acids, and fats in China. This project was funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Class A pilot project “Key Technologies and Demonstrations for Transformative Clean Energy”, the Academy’s Class B pilot project “The Nature and Regulation of Energy Chemical Conversion”, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, among other sources.