The project Coupled Catalytic Strategy and Pilot Verification of New One-Step Syngas-to-Light Olefins Process, participated by Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical, has won the First Prize of Sinopec Forward-looking and Basic Research Science Award.
Light olefins are essential basic chemical monomers widely used in synthetic materials and indispensable to national economic development and daily life. Traditional light olefin production heavily relies on petroleum resources. However, growing petroleum resource shortages and high external oil dependence have made conventional oil-based routes insufficient to meet rising market demand for olefins. Developing alternative production technologies has become critical for the sustainable development of the petrochemical industry and for safeguarding national energy security.
In line with China’s resource characteristics of lean oil, lean natural gas and rich coal reserves, the development of coal-based syngas (CO+H₂) to light olefins technology delivers remarkable economic and social benefits. Leveraging its existing production facilities, Yangzi Petrochemical carried out in-depth research on the one-step syngas-to-olefins (STO) process.
Through raw material substitution, process optimization and high-efficiency catalytic systems, the advanced STO technology significantly reduces production costs and improves economic returns. It also enhances national energy security and accelerates the low-carbon transformation of the chemical industry, serving as a core driving force for the upgrading and green development of China’s coal chemical sector.
The project’s pilot test unit was constructed within the carbon monoxide facility in the Aromatics Division’s syngas production area. Civil construction started on September 23, 2020. Pilot tests were conducted in two phases in March 2023 and May 2024 respectively. The research successfully established a reaction kinetic model and obtained key technical parameters for large-scale reactor engineering design.
The project realized efficient one-step conversion from syngas to light olefins, accumulating reliable operational and experimental data for future industrial-scale application. It greatly accelerates the industrialization process of syngas-based olefin production and carries strategic significance for the iterative upgrading of China’s clean coal conversion and biomass conversion technologies.
