New catalyst for coal-based ethylene glycol achieves industrial validation

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As of late September, after one year of operation, the 200,000-ton-per-year coal-based ethylene glycol (MEG) production facility of Tongliao Jinmei Chemical Co., Ltd. had achieved a daily production volume of around 580 tons, with a 100% rate of high-quality output. The 200,000-ton-per-year coal-based ethylene glycol facility operated by Anyang Yongjin, which uses the same technology, has also maintained a high operating capacity of over 92% since it began operations in July this year, again achieving a 100% rate of high-quality output. This is news that came in yesterday from Jiangsu Jinju Alloy Materials Co., Ltd. The successful and stable operation of these two coal-based ethylene glycol production units at high load levels has fully demonstrated the maturity and stability of the new generation of coal-based ethylene glycol catalysts provided by Jiangsu Jinju Alloy Materials Co., Ltd. Based on the actual operation of the two plants in Tongliao Jinmei and Anyang Yongjin, the catalysts demonstrated good catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability. Among them, the carbonylation catalyst achieves a selectivity of over 99.5% for oxalate esters, an ester conversion rate of over 75%, and a normal service life of around 2 years; it solves a series of problems such as the large heat release during carbonylation reactions, high hotspot temperatures, and intense side reactions. As precious-metal catalysts, carbonylation synthesis catalysts have a relatively high cost for their active component, palladium. It is particularly worth mentioning that Jinju Company’s unique processes for preparing the carriers and catalysts ensure that almost no precious metal palladium is lost from the catalyst after two years of operation in industrial facilities. The hydrogenation catalyst developed by this company also exhibits excellent properties, including high catalytic activity at low temperatures during operation; it achieves an ethylene glycol selectivity of over 98%, a oxalate conversion rate of 100%, and a normal service life of around 1 year. At the same time, thanks to the efficient and stable operation of the catalyst, the energy and material consumption in the production of ethylene glycol from coal are significantly reduced; the consumption of CO and H2, the main raw materials for producing ethylene glycol, is approximately 780 Nm3 and 1540 Nm3 per ton, respectively. While ensuring the quality of ethylene glycol products, its low cost also enables it to compete with ethylene glycol imported from the Middle East. In addition, Jinju Company has also supplied catalysts for multiple 200,000 tons per year coal-to-ethylene glycol plants in Puyang, Yongcheng, Luoyang and other locations. As these plants come online one after another, the performance of the new generation of coal-to-ethylene glycol catalysts will receive further industrial validation. It is reported that the coal-based ethylene glycol production process consists of two main steps: the carbonylation of CO to form oxalate esters, and the hydrogenation of those oxalate esters to produce ethylene glycol. The catalyst used for the CO carbonylation reaction is a palladium-based noble metal catalyst, while the catalyst used for the hydrogenation of oxalate esters is a copper-based catalyst. The advancement of coal-based ethylene glycol technology and the competitiveness of its products depend crucially on the availability of catalysts that offer high selectivity, high conversion rates, low costs, and a long service life. To develop the core technologies for high-performance industrial catalysts, Jinju Company concentrated its R&D efforts and, relying on multiple pilot-scale units as well as pilot plants with a capacity of hundreds of tons, conducted extensive experimental studies. These studies revealed the inherent relationship between the microscopic structure of catalysts and their catalytic performance. As a result, a new generation of catalysts for the production of ethylene glycol from coal was developed, and on this basis, the technology for large-scale industrial production of such catalysts was successfully mastered. At present, the company has a production capacity of 2,000 tons of catalysts per year, making it the first and largest manufacturer in China specialized in producing catalysts for coal-based ethylene glycol production. (Source: China Chemical Industry News)