Fixed-Bed Cobalt-Based Fischer-Tropsch Technology Developed by National Institute of Clean and Low-Carbon Energy Recognized as Internationally Advanced

On December 18, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation organized experts for a sci-tech achievement appraisal in Beijing on the technology of “fixed-bed cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthetic catalyst productive for high-melting-point wax and 300t/a pilot test” developed by National Institute of Clean and Low-Carbon Energy (NICE) under China Energy. The appraisal committee agreed that NICE’s fixed-bed cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis technology is innovative, internationally advanced, with a broad application prospect, and is thus recommended to be promoted and applied extensively.

The high-melting-point cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch wax.

“The fixed-bed cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis technology productive for high-melting-point wax”, as a new technology for producing high value-added chemicals from coal independently developed by NICE, is the latest achievement in tackling key problems in scientific research for “high-end, diversified and low-carbon” coal chemical technologies. This technology is not only suitable for large-scale high value-added conversion and utilization of coal as the raw material, but also for small-scale conversion of coke oven gas, calcium carbide furnace tail gas, coalbed methane and biomass-based syngas as raw materials. The high-melting-point wax aromatics and metal produced by this technology have extremely low impurities (ppb grade), and even meet the food grade standards. Such high-melting-point wax products are widely used in polyolefin and PVC processing, hot melt adhesives (such as EVA wax), dyes, inks, cosmetics, electronics, aerospace and other fields. In addition, with the dual advantages of highly added value of technical products and adaptivity of long industrial chain, the high-melting-point wax can be further applied to the production and processing of heavy lubricating oil for fans and heavy machinery as well as food-grade white oil.

The fixed-bed cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis technology for producing this kind of high-melting-point wax had long been monopolized by foreign companies and was banned for export to China. After making technological breakthroughs in the new cobalt-based catalysts and core reaction the R&D team of NICE successfully developed a complete set of technologies, realized the scale-up of catalysts from laboratories to industrial units, and completed the pilot test verification in a 300t/a pilot facility. The pilot test results show that the synthesized gas consumption per ton of product is less than 5700Nm³, the dropping melting point of crude wax product is higher than 110℃, and the wax oil ratio in the product is greater than 5.0. The core catalyst are highly resistant to fluctuations during the production process, with low selectivity of by-product methane and high selectivity of high melting point wax. This technology has reached the internationally advanced level in key indexes such as raw material utilization rate, wax product selectivity and space-time yield.

This technological breakthrough will provide a new approach to clean, efficient and high-value-added utilization of coal, coke oven gas and other raw materials in China, and further enhance China’s overall level in the field of coal chemical technology.