The \"30,000 tons/year industrial complete set of technology for rare earth isoprene rubber\" has passed the appraisal by Sinopec

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Recently, the \"30,000 tons per year industrial technology suite for rare earth isoprene rubber\", which was jointly developed by Yanshan Petrochemical, Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology, and Yulong Petrochemical and features independent intellectual property rights, passed the appraisal by Sinopec. The Technology Department of Yanshan Petrochemical stated that, as one of Sinopec’s ten key research projects, this project led to the development of a complete set of technical processes for producing rare earth isoprene rubber on a scale of 10,000 tons per year; an industrial plant with an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons was built, and it achieved successful operation from the first attempt. The facility produces two grades of products for use in the tire and medical industries: Nd-IR01 and Nd-IR02. It has developed a number of patents and proprietary technologies, 14 of which have been granted Chinese invention patents while 6 have been granted international invention patents; the overall technology level is at an internationally advanced stage. It is understood that this project features eight major innovations, including an efficient, homogeneous, and stable preparation technology for rare earth catalysts, a unique adiabatic polymerization process using three reactors in series, as well as a flexible and effective Mennicke regulation technique. The preparation technology for rare earth catalysts is a world first; it offers higher catalytic efficiency and better orientation capability, endowing rare earth isoprene rubber products with excellent overall properties. Additionally, it provides good stability, which facilitates storage and use. The three-reactor series adiabatic polymerization process is also the first of its kind in the industrial production of rare earth isoprene rubber. It features a high monomer conversion rate, which significantly reduces the energy and material consumption of the plant; moreover, it requires fewer pieces of equipment, resulting in lower initial investment costs as well as reduced operating and maintenance expenses. The Menni regulation technique, through methods such as adjusting the amount of molecular weight regulators and catalysts, enables the Menni value to be brought within the technical specifications for the product in a short time and to remain stable, thereby effectively increasing the product’s pass rate. It is reported that isoprene rubber is an ideal substitute for natural rubber, and can be used in fields such as tires, medical devices, and food packaging, with its primary application being in tire manufacturing. The successful development of the industrial complete set technology for rare earth isoprene rubber at Yanshan Petrochemical has effectively addressed China’s severe reliance on imported natural rubber, holding great strategic significance; meanwhile, the isoprene rubber production technology is also a key element in the comprehensive utilization of C5 compounds by Sinopec.