Novel Process for Clean Production of Zeolites Developed by SINOPEC’s RIPP and Other Institutions

The project “The 1.5 kt/a industrial demonstration unit for preparation of H type ZHP zeolite by means of bipolar membrane electrodialysis”, jointly undertaken by the SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing(RIPP), the SINOPEC Catalyst Branch Company, and the Hangzhou Water Treatment Technology Company, has passed the technical appraisal organized by the SINOPEC Science and Technology Division. This technology boasts the independent intellectual property rights.

RIPP in an attempt to devote technical human resources to grapple with problems related with the disposal of high-ammonia nitrogen and high-COD wastewater with complicated impurity content has for the first time innovatively embedded the multi-membrane coupling technique such as super-filtration, electodialysis, and bipolar membrane electrodialysis in the ZHP zeolite(with MFI structure) production process, leading to the novel process for manufacture of the H type ZHP zeolite catalyst coupled with the establishment of an industrial demonstration unit rated at 1.5 kt/a.

The outcome of uninterrupted and smooth operation of the industrial demonstration unit for more than 1200 hours has revealed that this technology can fully utilize all ingredients in the wastewater (including silica, sulfuric acid, NaOH, normal butylamine and demineralized water)without any wastewater discharge. All quality indicators of the H type ZHP zeolite prepared thereby can meet the quality standard. This technology has been applied in the process for manufacture of the TiSi zeolite (HTS zeolite) and the ZHP zeolite and can be disseminated to the process for manufacture of zeolites using organic templates such as the zeolites beta, ZSM-22, ZSM-35,MCM-22, and SAPO-34 to exhibit ample market potential and dissemination value.