Sinopec’s ethylbenzene catalyst was successfully commissioned in Taiwan’s 350,000-ton/year ethylbenzene plant

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Following the successful application of Sinopec’s styrene technology in Taiwan, more good news has come from overseas markets. Recently, the AB-12 catalyst for the production of ethylbenzene via pure ethylene gas-phase synthesis, developed by the Sinopec Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology (hereinafter referred to as Shanghai Institute) and manufactured by Catalyst Nanjing Branch, was successfully put into use for the first time in Taiwan Chemical Fiber Corporation’s (hereinafter referred to as Taiwan Chemical) 350,000-ton/year ethylbenzene production facility. 　　Formosa Plastics currently has three ethylbenzene/styrene plants with capacities of 250,000, 350,000, and 840,000 tons per year, respectively, which were put into operation in 1998, 2002, and 2007. Among them, the first two units both use a gas-phase process for the production of ethylbenzene, and catalysts from internationally renowned companies have been used throughout. During an international technical exchange, Formosa Plastics learned that the Shanghai Research Institute also possessed relevant technologies and products. As a result, they conducted multiple technical exchanges with the Shanghai Research Institute and sent technicians to the mainland to examine the application of the ethylbenzene catalyst developed by that institute in various production facilities. Through repeated technical discussions and performance comparisons, they ultimately decided to use the AB-12 ethylbenzene catalyst developed by the Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology. 　　Since the AB-12 ethylbenzene catalyst was used industrially abroad for the first time, both parties attached great importance to it. The Shanghai Research Institute dispatched its top technical experts, such as Sun Hongmin and Liu Wenjie, to Taiwan to provide start-up technical support. The two experts developed a detailed and thorough startup plan. Before starting the process, they had thorough discussions with the technicians from Taihua Company regarding technical details such as the steps involved, process conditions, and sampling analysis, thereby finalizing the ultimate startup plan. At 2:30 a.m. on October 16, ethylene was fed into the reactor of Formosa’s ethylbenzene plant, and by 3:00 p.m. that same day, the plant was operating at full capacity. The analysis results showed that the ethylene conversion rate reached 100%, the ethyl selectivity was greater than 99%, and the purity of the ethylbenzene product also improved to some extent. The professional technical services provided by the technical experts from Shanghai Institute, along with the overall performance of the AB-12 catalyst, were highly recognized by Formosa Plastics Corporation. The successful commissioning of the AB-12 catalyst helps Shanghai Research Institute to continuously accumulate experience in application and technical services in overseas markets, which holds great practical significance for Sinopec’s ethylbenzene catalysts in expanding their presence in foreign markets.