The Dawn of Heroes: Investigation and Reflection on the Localization of Adiponitrile (Part 2)

There is a heroic dream behind adiponitrile
.

The hero rushes to the dawn, but it is the night that makes him
.
"The road to localization of adiponitrile is long and difficult, but there are always people who grit their teeth and move forward
.
" During the interview, many industry insiders praised the unremitting exploration of Chinese companies in the localization of adiponitrile for decades
.
Most of them believe that the full localization of adiponitrile is moving forward with the footsteps of the pioneers
.

Face the wall for ten years and break the wall, it is hard to be rewarded as a hero
.

The silent journey, the endless drum horns

According to experts, the production technology routes of adiponitrile mainly include adipic acid catalytic ammoniation method, acrylonitrile electrolytic dimerization method, butadiene method and caprolactam method
.
Among them, the competitiveness of the adipic acid catalytic ammoniation method is largely affected by the price of raw materials, and the production scale of the caprolactam method is greatly limited by the source of raw materials
.
The acrylonitrile electrolytic dimerization method and the butadiene method have short technological process, low raw material consumption, and similar product quality, but the latter has a lower cost and is the current mainstream process
.

Li Wenjun, a researcher at China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, told reporters about the exploration cases of localization of adiponitrile
.

Liaoyang Petrochemical Company was the first to "eat crabs".
In the 1970s, it introduced foreign technology (adipic acid catalytic ammoniation method) to build the first domestic adiponitrile production unit
.
But the device was shut down in 2002 due to poor operation and high raw material cost
.
In August 2015, Shandong Runxing Chemical Technology Co.
, Ltd.
applied the acrylonitrile electrolytic dimerization method to build the first 100,000-ton adiponitrile production unit in China, but an explosion occurred during the commissioning phase and stopped there
.
In 2018, Chongqing Ziguang Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
built a 500-ton/year acrylonitrile electrolytic dimerization method adiponitrile pilot plant, but there has been no public report since then
.

The localization horn is still going
on.
In October 2019, the 50,000-ton/year adiponitrile plant constructed by Huafon Group using the adipic acid catalytic ammoniation method achieved stable operation, becoming the first domestic enterprise to realize the industrialization of adiponitrile
.
In August 2019, Tianchen Qixiang New Materials Co.
, Ltd.
started construction of the 200,000-ton/year adiponitrile project
.
The project adopts the current global mainstream butadiene method and is highly anticipated
.

In recent years, the adiponitrile project has blossomed everywhere
.
In 2020, Henan Xiaguang Polymer Materials Co.
, Ltd.
will have a 50,000-ton/year adiponitrile plant (introduced the patented technology of adipic acid catalytic ammoniation from Sweden), and Henan Shenma Aidian Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
will have 200,000 tons/year (one 50,000 tons/year) adiponitrile project (butadiene method) started
.
In April of that year, Nanjing Chengzhi Clean Energy Co.
, Ltd.
signed a contract with the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop coal-based adiponitrile technology and build a 3,000-ton/year demonstration plant
.

Just recently, news of the localization of adiponitrile has spread frequently
.
The reporter learned from Zhejiang Xinhecheng Co.
, Ltd.
that the company's adiponitrile project has completed the pilot test (the technical route is unknown)
.
On April 30, Beijing Daosike Mining Equipment Technology Co.
, Ltd.
developed a two-step process for producing adiponitrile with methanol and butadiene as raw materials, and passed the scientific and technological achievement evaluation organized by China National Chemical Industry Information Center
.
According to reports, the 500-ton/year pilot plant using this technology has achieved stable operation, and the construction of the 10,000-ton plant is about to start
.

It is worth mentioning that on May 5, the new nylon 66 material project of Ningxia Ruitai Technology Co.
, Ltd.
, a subsidiary of Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical Group, was started
.
This project can bypass the restriction of adiponitrile raw materials and prepare hexamethylene diamine in a different way
.

Walking alone in the long night, the avenues follow one after another, and the sparks start a prairie fire
.

Calm thinking, inquiry question mark

The project boom is surging, but many experts remain calm
.

"Technical level, product quality, and economic competitiveness all need to be tested by industrialized production
.
" Fu Xiangsheng, vice president of the Petrochemical Federation, reminded in an interview with reporters, "Some people will say that last year's benefits were very good, but last year was a special year, and the impact of the epidemic , shipping containers 'hard to find a single container', supply chain disruption, etc.
have caused product prices to rise sharply, which cannot be used as a reference for normal years
.
It is necessary to wait for the normal operation of industrial production equipment and the market to return to normal, completely in the face of fair competition in a normal state.
Rationally judge the maturity or success of the project
.
”

What are the difficulties in the industrialization of adiponitrile? Li Wenjun believes that the production process of adiponitrile is long, the catalyst system is complex, the technical barriers are high, and it is extremely difficult to scale up the project
.
Taking the current mainstream butadiene method as an example, the highly toxic nature of the raw material hydrocyanic acid makes most research institutions discouraged, and the development of the core catalytic system based on zero-valent nickel-phosphine complexes is even more blank in China
.

Li Wenjun suggested that enterprises should do a good job in technology route selection and technology amplification risk control
.
At the same time, new projects should carefully analyze possible technical risks, safety and environmental risks, intellectual property disputes,
etc.

"We have also noticed that many domestic adiponitrile projects are currently under construction, and various production technologies are being developed and tested, and most of them are mainly enterprises
.
" Li Wenjun said, "This shows that in this field, enterprises are becoming the main body of innovation.
The integration of technology and finance is getting higher and higher, and intellectual property protection is getting more and more attention
.
”

Another expert said that the adiponitrile industry should make macro plans to avoid blind investment and expansion
.

Mandao Xiongguan is like iron, and teach dripping water to pass through stone, perseverance and righteousness
.

The future landscape, the banner of striving

Among the above-mentioned adiponitrile industrialization cases, Huafeng Group and Tianchen Qixiang received the most attention
.

"Faced with the unfavorable situation of foreign blockades and supply cuts, Huafeng Group has made a major breakthrough in the development and innovation of the process route of adipic acid catalytic ammoniation to produce adiponitrile, and opened up and built benzene-adipic acid-adiponitrile/ The complete industrial chain of hexamethylenediamine-nylon 66.

" Chen Enzhi, vice president of Huafeng Group and general manager of Chongqing Huafeng Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
, said that after solving the problem of adiponitrile, it still needs to solve whether it is good or not and whether it is competitive.
problem
.

The relevant person in charge of the company said that although the production technology of butadiene method and acrylonitrile electrolytic dimerization method is 100% monopolized by foreign countries, with its relatively mature technical foundation and its raw material advantages, adipic acid catalytic ammoniation method is still feasible.
choice
.

Tianchen Qixiang's butadiene adiponitrile project has attracted more attention
.
Chairman Liang Junxiang told reporters that the first phase of the project will build a production capacity of 200,000 tons/year of adiponitrile, of which about half is for personal use and half for export
.
The whole industry chain design from adiponitrile to nylon 66 can fully resist the risks brought by external market competition in the early stage of technology industrialization
.

According to Jiao Zaiyue, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and General Manager of China Tianchen Engineering Co.
, Ltd.
, under the technical blockade, there are almost zero reference materials.
After more than 10 years of hard work, the research team of China Tianchen has successfully developed the production of adiponitrile with independent intellectual property rights.
technology, and actively promote industrialization
.
It is reported that the Tianchen Qixiang adiponitrile project is progressing smoothly, and it is expected to complete the commissioning test in the near future
.

"Once the device is completed and put into operation, it means that the industry has broken down even the most difficult bones, which is also a great benefit to the downstream industry chain
.
" Li Wenjun commented, "The parallel of the two technical routes can greatly protect China's nylon.
The security of the industrial chain
.
”

A ray of dawn is in sight, the heroes are watching the dawn, and the sunrise is in the east
.