en.Wedoany.com Reported - The 10,000-ton/year full-process pilot plant for dimethyl ether carbonylation to synthesize methyl acetate, jointly developed by Sinochem's Southwest Research and Design Institute of Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (Southwest Institute) and Shaanxi Weihe Coal Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. (Weihe Group), recently passed the on-site calibration assessment organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. This marks the successful validation of the new process technology for synthesizing high-purity methyl acetate, pioneered domestically by the Southwest Institute, providing technical assurance for subsequent industrial demonstration.
The evaluation committee concluded that the pilot plant operates stably with a high level of automation, achieving full capacity; the methyl acetate product is of excellent and consistent quality. The plant's operation achieved zero safety incidents, met environmental emission standards, complied with occupational health limits, and demonstrated stable catalyst performance. The process technology has a solid foundation for large-scale industrial application and broad prospects.
Methyl acetate, as a low-toxicity and environmentally friendly solvent, is widely used in lithium battery electrolyte solvents, pharmaceutical intermediates, high-end coatings, and other fields. With the rapid development of China's photovoltaic and lithium battery industries, the importance of methyl acetate is increasingly prominent. High-purity methyl acetate (content greater than 99.99%) is mainly used in OLED stripping and cleaning, perovskite photovoltaic anti-solvents, and other areas, while also providing a reliable raw material guarantee for synthesizing electronic-grade ethanol.
The success of this pilot test signifies that Sinochem has fully mastered the entire chain technology from coal, syngas, methanol, and dimethyl ether to ethanol, pioneering a new process for synthesizing high-purity methyl acetate. Long-term stable operation has verified the reliability of the new process, which can help promote the clean and efficient utilization of coal in China and provide strong technical support for the high-end fine chemical industry chain.
