Sumitomo Chemical Transfers Revolutionary Caprolactam Technology to HighChem for Global Licensing

On November 26, 2024, Japan's Sumitomo Chemical announced the transfer of its caprolactam production technology (gas-phase Beckman rearrangement technology) to HighChem Co., Ltd., with both parties signing an agreement. HighChem will inherit and plan to globally license this technology. Sumitomo Chemical's technology combines zeolite molecular sieves with fluidized beds, achieving high conversion rates and selectivity without ammonium sulfate by-products, making it the first company to achieve industrial-scale operation of this technology.

There are several synthetic processes for caprolactam, including benzene, phenol, toluene, and cyclohexanone oxime methods. Sumitomo Chemical's gas-phase process is a green technology route. Most Chinese companies use the oxime method and HPO method, with Sinopec possessing proprietary green production technology for caprolactam, significantly simplifying production processes, improving raw material utilization, reducing costs, and lowering pollution emissions. Projects based on this technology, such as Hunan Petrochemical, have successfully commenced production.

By 2024, domestic caprolactam annual production capacity is expected to reach 6.89 million tons, with an additional capacity of about 1.15 million tons. PA6 chips are the primary downstream product, used in various applications, including emerging areas like new energy vehicles and electronics. Despite a balanced market supply and demand, new capacity will intensify market competition.