Specialty chemical producer Clariant Catalysts will provide its NiSat 310 catalyst for use in propylene production at a new plant in China’s Shandong province.
The company is partnering with Evonik and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions to convert propylene in the presence of hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide for the 300,000-ton capacity propylene oxide plant in Zibo City.
Clariant’s NiSat 310 catalyst will remove byproducts by converting up to 95% or more of the unreacted hydrogen peroxide into water and unwanted aldehydes into alcohols. These alcohols can be separated in subsequent production steps.
Evonik and thyssenkrup Industrial Solutions granted a license to Qixiang Tengda for exclusive supply of their HPPO technology.
HPPO stands for hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide.
Evonik and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions jointly developed the process, which has been in use since 2008, to produce polyurethane precursors and intermediates, according to thyssenkrupp.
HPPO uses less energy and fewer resources while generating only water as a co-product, according to Lauren Kjeldsen, head of Evonik’s Smart Materials division.