Clariant to Develop New Propane Dehydrogenation Unit for Xuzhou HaiDing

Clariant International Ltd has signed an agreement with Xuzhou HaiDing Chemical Technology Co Ltd, to develop a custom-built Catofin catalyst and propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in cooperation with its technology partner Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I).

The project includes the license and engineering design of the unit, which is to be built in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

The Xuzhou HaiDing plant is designed to produce 600 kilotons per year (KTA) of propylene and will be based on Clariant's Catofin catalytic dehydrogenation technology, which employs the company's Catofin catalyst and heats generating material (HGM).

Catofin is a proven, highly reliable dehydrogenation catalyst used for the production of olefins, such as propylene or isobutylene, from light paraffin feedstocks. HGM is a patented metal-oxide material loaded with the catalyst that increases the selectivity and yield of CATOFIN units. To maximize the yield of propane to propylene, the process operates at thermodynamically advantaged reactor pressure and temperature and utilizes a highly selective catalyst. CATOFIN's optimized conditions deliver the highest conversion and selectivity among the technologies proven in the market today.

"Clariant has always led the way in developing ground-breaking catalyst technologies so we are honoured to be part of this important project for Xuzhou HaiDing Chemical Technology in China," said Stefan Heuser, senior vice president & general manager business unit catalysts, Clariant.