Zibo City, China – Sustainable propylene oxide production is now under way at Qixiang Tengda’s new facility in Zibo City. The global-scale HPPO plant uses technology licensed from Thyssenkrupp Uhde and Evonik, along with catalysts tailor-made by Evonik.
The facility has a capacity of 300MT/year of propylene oxide, which is used to make polyether polyols. It incorporates two plants: one which makes PO directly from hydrogen peroxide, using the Evonik/Uhde technology, and the other a hydrogen peroxide megaplant, licensed from Evonik, which makes the raw material on site using Evonik’s catalysts.
The only by-product in the HPPO process is water. The efficient process, Evonik said, slashes energy and resource use, while saving on emissions and reducing costs compared to conventional PO production.
“HPPO is a prime example of how innovative technology can support greener industrial processes, especially in light of tightening environmental regulations in China,” said Lauren Kjeldsen, head of Evonik’s smart materials division. “I am especially impressed by the efficiency with which these facilities were built and successfully brought online in those times of pandemic restrictions.”
