China’s Jilin Connell to use Honeywell UOP’s technology to make plastic from coal
China’s Jilin Connell Chemical Industry Co. has selected Honeywell UOP’s Advanced methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process to tap domestic coal resources to produce ethylene and propylene, the essential ingredients for making plastics.
Jilin Connell is the ninth company to license the Honeywell UOP technology, which produces superior yields at lower cost compared to competing technologies.
The new plant, scheduled for completion in 2017, will be located in Jilin City in China’s Jilin Province, and will convert domestic sources of methanol into 300 Mtpy of ethylene and propylene. The new plant’s offtake will be supplied to ethylene oxide and propylene oxide manufacturers currently operating in the same industrial park.
“Honeywell UOP’s Advanced MTO technology is a proven process in China, which is expected to invest more than $100 B in coal-to-chemicals technology in the next five years,” said Mike Millard, vice president and general manager of UOP’s Process Technology and Equipment business. “This technology has the highest yield of ethylene and propylene with the lowest consumption of methanol and catalysts, as well as the lowest operating and capital costs of any methanol-to-olefins solution.”
Ethylene and propylene are the two most widely used components to make plastics in the world. Global demand for ethylene and propylene is growing 4% to 5% per year, with growth driven by strong demand for plastics and other chemicals, particularly in China.
These components have traditionally been derived from crude oil. For regions lacking domestic sources of crude oil, the Advanced MTO Technology allows for the use of other more economical feedstocks such as coal and natural gas.
Honeywell UOP’s Advanced MTO process combines the UOP/Hydro MTO process and the Total/UOP olefin cracking process to significantly increase yields and feedstock efficiency. The process converts methanol from coal and natural gas into ethylene and propylene. At the heart of the technology are UOP’s proprietary catalysts, which make it possible to efficiently adjust the ratio of propylene and ethylene produced so operators can most effectively meet demand for those products. In addition, the Advanced MTO process offers the lowest operating cost, quick and efficient start-up and operational reliability.
Jilin Connell Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. was established in November of 2006 with operations in the Jilin Economic and Technology Development Zone. The company’s main products currently include aniline, nitrobenzene, nitric acid and synthetic ammonia. It also operates a 60,000-cubic meter per hour coal gasification unit.
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