Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian), part of China’s Hengli group, has started up what it says is the world’s largest catalytic dehydrogenation plant, in Liaoning Province.

The new mixed feed single-train PDH unit uses the Catofin catalyst technology and heat generating material (HGM) of Swiss speciality chemicals producer Clariant, licensed through the Lummus Technology division of US engineering contractor McDermott.

The process pairs Clariant’s Catofin catalyst with the Lummus process technology and is said to enable high reliability and yields, cost efficiency and simplicity. McDermott also provided process design, training and technical support for the project.

One of seven such facilities set to start up in China in 2019, the PDH unit is capable of processing 500,000 t/y of propane and 800,000 t/y of isobutene for production of propylene and isobutylene.

According to Clariant, this will be the world’s biggest combined propane dehydrogenation (PDH) with iso-butane plant using its Catofin technology.

Altogether, China’s polypropylene capacity is projected to increase by more than 7.5 million t/y from 2019 to 2020, significantly adding to the country’s current capability of more than 23 million t/y.