The world's first pilot plant for the reaction of methyl acetate and formaldehyde to produce MMA was successfully launched, with a process flow diagram

Sunburst Technology's world's first MMA pilot plant for methyl acetate and formaldehyde production was successfully launched

Recently, the pilot plant for making methyl methacrylate (MMA) from methyl acetate and formaldehyde independently developed by Beijing Sunburst Technology Co., Ltd. has been successfully launched. As the world's first similar device, Sunburst Technology has achieved a breakthrough in the industrialization of new MMA production technologies and processes.

Current status and challenges of MMA production technology

At present, the production of methyl methacrylate at home and abroad mainly adopts the acetone cyanohydrin method (ACH method), but this method has the disadvantages of long process flow and highly toxic use of hydrocyanic acid. Other process routes include isobutylene method (C4 method), ethylene method (C2 method), improved acetone cyanohydrin method (MGC method), etc. In particular, Lucite Company has improved the ethylene method and proposed the Alpha process route. This technology mainly includes two reaction processes: ethylene reacts with carbon monoxide and methanol at a certain temperature and pressure to form methyl propionate; methyl propionate reacts with formaldehyde to form methyl methacrylate. Compared with other technologies, this process technology has the advantages of green, good atomic economy, simple process, low investment, low cost and no pollution. However, the relevant patent (99805463.X) shows that the second reaction process uses a fixed bed reactor, which has the problem of catalyst deactivation and short lifespan.

Sunburst Technology MMA Technology Breakthrough and Innovation

According to the person in charge of the R & D team of Sunburst Technology, the newly developed MMA technology of Sunburst Technology has opened up a new process route for the synthesis of MMA from methyl acetate and formaldehyde downstream of C1 chemical raw materials, which is original on a global scale. The pilot plant started to complete the catalyst amplification, process verification and product separation and purification work. The pilot test results showed that it was better than the small test, and the product quality after separation and purification reached the national standard of excellent quality. During the operation of the pilot project, Sunburst Technology R & D personnel have successfully collected the basic data required for the amplification design and process package preparation, laying a solid foundation for the industrialization implementation of this major innovative technology.

The person in charge said that as the world's first MMA process technology for methyl acetate and formaldehyde, the company has spent many years and painstakingly tackling this problem. It has overcome many difficulties and overcome many problems in the process of opening up the process route, process optimization, catalyst amplification, process simulation, etc. The company has developed 12 patented technologies in reaction process, catalyst preparation, reactor, etc. with independent intellectual property rights, of which 10 have been authorized.

"The success of this pilot test has completed an important step for the laboratory to industrialize, indicating that the MMA technology route of methyl acetate method can be opened, which will enrich and extend the methanol industry chain in our country. At the same time, its unique process route can flexibly use ethylene and propylene as raw materials to prepare MMA, creating a new and green new process route, with huge economic and social benefits." The person in charge said.

Technical route and process flow

According to the patent of Xuyang Chemical Technology (CN104513163A, CN102775302B), the continuous and stable production of methyl methacrylate is achieved through the combination of the total reaction in the fluidized bed reactor and the hydrogenation reaction in the fixed bed reactor.

Step 1: In a fluidized bed reactor, methyl acetate and formaldehyde are catalyzed by acetal catalyst in the presence of methanol and fluidized gas to carry out the first acetal reaction to generate methyl acrylate;

Step 2: In a fixed bed reactor, the intermediate product containing methyl acrylate is hydrogenated in the presence of hydrogen under the catalysis of a hydrogenation catalyst to generate methyl propionate;

Step 3: In a fluidized bed reactor, methyl propionate and formaldehyde are carried out under the presence of methanol and fluidized gas, and the second acetal reaction is catalyzed by an acetal catalyst to generate methyl methacrylate;

Step 4: The catalyst in the fluidized bed reaction and the fixed bed reactor is passed through a catalyst regenerator, regenerated via a re-gas, and then re-injected into the corresponding reactor.

The deactivated catalyst is regenerated in a catalyst regenerator, and the catalyst is recycled between the fluidized bed reactor and the regenerator to ensure continuous and stable conversion of methyl propionate and formaldehyde.

Project Prospects and Market Value

It is also reported that Sunburst Technology has completed the feasibility report of the 100,000-ton/year MMA project. The evaluation shows that the project has good economic benefits, strong comprehensive profitability and strong market competitiveness.

With the vigorous development of the coal chemical industry, the domestic market for coal chemical products such as acetic acid and formaldehyde has experienced overcapacity and insufficient operating rates of most production enterprises. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop alternative processes for synthesizing methyl methacrylate from coal chemical raw materials.