Award: ‘Technology for the epoxidation of ethylene over high selectivity silver catalysts’ gained the first prize of SINOPEC Technological Invention Award in 2015. ‘The research, development and industrial application of newly developed middle selectivity silver catalyst’ won the first prize of CPCIF Science-Technology Progress Award in 2012. ‘The industrial development and application of YS-8810 silver catalyst’ was awarded the second prize of SINOPEC Science-Technology Progress Award in 2013. ‘Technology for the epoxidation of ethylene over silver catalysts’ obtained the Golden Award on ‘the exhibition highlighting Chinese Patent during the past 10 years’ in 1995.

Project introduction:

Ethylene oxides (EO) and ethylene glycols (EG) are the crucial derivatives of ethane. And the silver catalysts are the unique catalysts for producing ethylene oxide by the ethylene direct oxidation process. The production capacity of producing ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol has reached to 4,000,000 MTA of EO equivalents at home, then the the demand of silver catalysts at domestic market has reached over 1000 tons per year in 2013. In 2015, the the demand of silver catalysts has made a breakthrough over 2500 tons per year. According to the different technical process of numerous EO/EG units, the silver catalysts are classified into three types, namely high selectivity silver catalyst, middle selectivity silver catalyst and high activity silver catalyst. The new-built EO/EG units usually tend to adopt the high selectivity silver catalyst.

The high selectivity silver catalyst, YS-8810, developed by BRICI has applied several rounds successfully in various EO/EG units.

The middle selectivity silver catalyst, YS-8520, which has applied successfully in several foreign and domestic EO/EG units, and is mainly used in the early EO/EG units, the decarbonization systems of which have be revamped, and gained the first prize of CPCIF Science-Technology Progress Award in 2012.

The developed high activity silver catalyst, YS-7, is particularly suitable for the reactor where the concentrations of carbon dioxide in feed gas is higher. The comprehensive performances of three types silver catalysts above have reached the international leading level.

The successful industrial application of silver catalysts, namely YS-8810 and YS-8520, made the average unit price of foreign silver catalysts reduce by 45%, indeed, lowered procurement costs tens of millions of dollars for enterprise every year.

Fig. 1 GoldenAward of Chinese Patent

Fig.2 ‘The research, development and industrialapplication of newly developed middleselectivity silver catalyst’gained the first prize of CPCIFScience-Technology Progress Award

Fig. 3‘The industrial development and applicationof YS-8810 silver catalyst’gainedthe second prize of SINOPEC Science-Technology Progress Award

Fig.4 ‘Technology for theepoxidation of ethylene over high selectivity silver catalysts’ gained thefirst prize of SINOPEC Technological Invention Award