Wanhua maleic anhydride plant ups performance with Clariant’s catalyst

Swiss chemical firm Clariant says its SynDane 3142 LA catalyst, which started up in 2024, at Wanhua Chemical’s maleic anhydride plant in Yantai, Shandong province, China, has demonstrated “very good operational results, delivering on its promise of efficiency and sustainability benefits”.

The SynDane catalyst is now achieving performance metrics, with notably high yields and significantly reduced byproduct formation at the Yantai facility, one of the world’s largest maleic anhydride units with a production capacity of 200,000 tonnes/year. SynDane’s design continues to drive sustainability through reduced pressure drop and lowered energy consumption.

“We are pleased with the strong performance of our SynDane catalyst at Wanhua’s facility. The high selectivity and yield achievements demonstrate how our innovative solutions deliver long-term value. This is a special project for us, as we can showcase how our broad portfolio offers a complete spectrum of sustainable solutions that increase efficient energy utilisation and enhance productivity,” remarked Nora Schiefenhoevel, Vice President and Head of Clariant Specialty Catalysts.

Wanhua Chemical Group is one of the largest chemical producers in China and ranks among the top 20 globally. The company is based in Yantai, Shandong province, China.

Clariant’s Applied Catalyst Technology team based in Panjin, China, provided technical service throughout the project and the recent implementation of Clariant’s digital platform Clarity has further enhanced collaboration, enabling efficient data exchange and analysis to continuously optimise plant performance, it adds.

SynDane 3142 LA is a selective oxidation catalyst featuring Clariant’s proprietary doublealpha shape, which provides physical and chemical properties that maximise selectivity for maleic anhydride production while significantly reducing pressure drop compared to conventional ring-shaped catalysts.

This patented doublealpha design gives producers a distinct advantage with higher productivity at lower process and energy costs. SynDane also enables good maleic anhydride quality by minimising the formation of undesired by-products, reducing plant downtime. Thanks to its operating stability, SynDane offers a long lifecycle of more than 5 years. The proprietary doublealpha shape represents a significant innovation that differentiates SynDane 3142 from conventional ring-shaped catalysts, Clariant claims.