【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】From 1327 to 2023, China National Offshore Oil & Gas Group successfully led the development of a methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation catalyst

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China Offshore Oil & Gas Power successfully led the development of a methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation catalyst. Recently, the Technology R&D Center of China Offshore Oil & Gas Power Group successfully developed such a catalyst. Long-term evaluations conducted by the laboratory show that this catalyst achieves an average conversion rate of 98% for methylcyclohexane, with a selectivity for toluene of 99%, which are superior to the technical specifications of foreign products. Furthermore, no carbon deposition or performance degradation was observed, demonstrating good resistance to carbon deposition and excellent stability. This achievement indicates that China’s independently developed catalyst technology for storing hydrogen in organic materials has reached an internationally advanced level. Hydrogen energy is a secondary energy source that is abundant, green, low-carbon, and widely applicable; it has become an important direction for global energy transformation and development. However, due to the extremely low density of hydrogen, traditional compression-based storage and transportation methods result in a low volumetric energy density; as a result, the costs associated with storage and transportation account for 20% to 40% of the total sales costs at hydrogen refueling stations. Therefore, the storage and transportation of hydrogen have become bottlenecks and challenges restricting the development of the hydrogen energy industry. Organic hydrogen storage is a technology for storing and transporting hydrogen by utilizing reversible hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes, without destroying the main carbon ring structure of the organic compounds. Among the various hydrogen storage and transportation technologies, organic hydrogen storage boasts advantages such as high hydrogen storage density, the ability to create a closed carbon cycle, and the possibility of transoceanic transport and long-term storage; it is one of the most promising technologies for storing hydrogen at low costs. Among them, methylcyclohexane-toluene is one of the most promising technologies among organic liquid hydrogen storage media, thanks to advantages such as its low cost. Methylcyclohexane and toluene are liquid substances similar to diesel at normal temperature and pressure; they can make use of the established trading mechanisms for existing oils as well as well-developed storage and transportation infrastructure, enabling ocean-going ship transportation, land-based pipeline transportation, and large-scale hydrogen storage. Methylcyclohexane-toluene hydrogen storage technology can improve the efficiency of hydrogen storage and transportation while reducing related costs. For medium to long-distance transport over 300 kilometers, it can cut transportation costs by 50% to 80% compared to traditional high-pressure hydrogen tube trailers. However, the methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation process imposes extremely stringent requirements on aspects such as catalyst conversion rate, selectivity, stability, and lifespan, making it difficult to develop; thus, this technology has long been monopolized by foreign countries. Through extensive exploration and experimentation on the formulations and preparation techniques for methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation catalysts, Gas & Electric Group has successfully overcome a number of key technical challenges, including maintaining high conversion rates and selectivity of the catalysts at low levels of precious metals, as well as preventing performance degradation of the catalysts after multiple hydrogenation-dehydrogenation cycles. The successful development of this methylcyclohexane dehydrogenation catalyst represents an important milestone in China’s methylcyclohexane-toluene hydrogen storage technology. It holds great significance for reducing the costs associated with hydrogen storage and transportation, as well as for promoting the development of hydrogen energy technologies and industries. Next, CNG Group will continue to focus on research and innovation in the key areas of the entire technology chain related to hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization. It aims to reduce the costs associated with using hydrogen at the end-user level, promote the development of the hydrogen energy industry, and contribute to China’s energy transition, carbon emission reduction, and environmental protection.