China has successfully developed the fluid-bed methanol to propylene (FMTP) process, enabling the substitution of coal for petroleum and the diversification of raw materials for the production of propylene, said Jin Yong, a professor with Tsinghua University on Friday.

The process was jointly developed by the China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation, Tsinghua University, and the Huaihua Group, using a 10,000-tonne/year pilot unit.

The R&D work took more than three years, with cost of near 200 million yuan.

The success is expected to pave the way for the construction of an industrial demonstration project with a capacity of 1 million metric tons (tonnes), according to industry experts.

China expects that the technology will help realize the clean utilization of coal, ease the oversupply of methanol, and extend industry chain of coal chemicals.

China had 10.5 million tonnes of production capacity of propylene in 2008, leaving the country with a more than 4 million tonnes supply shortage, which is expected to get worse in the coming years.

The development of FMTP took place under the framework of the strategic alliance of technological innovation on the new generation of coal (energy) industries, launched by several government departments and banking institutions.

(Xinhua Economic News, December 7, 2009)