- technical background:
From 2013 to 2018, global MMA production capacity increased from 4.19 million t/a to 5.12 million t/a; global demand increased from 3.59 million t/a to 4.24 million t/a.
- Process comparison:
At present, there are four main processes for producing MMA at home and abroad: acetone cyanohydrin method, C4 two-step oxidation method, ethylene method, and C1 method.
| Ethylene method | Acetone cyanohydrin method | C4 method | C1 method | |
| raw material | easy | restricted | easy | easy |
| environmental impact | environmentally friendly | heavy pollution | environmentally friendly | environmentally friendly |
| Operating costs | high | high | Low | Low |
- Process overview:
C1 method:
C4 method:
- Product indicators
Polymer Grade Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) Product Specifications
| serial number | project | unit | index | Analytical method |
| 1 | Chroma (Platinum-Cobalt) | RIGHT HERE | ≤5 | GB/T 3143-1982 |
| 2 | purity | wt% | ≥99.9 | gas chromatography |
| 3 | Moisture | wt% | ≤0.05 | GB/T 6283-2008 |
| 4 | Free acid (based on methacrylic acid) | wt% | ≤0.005 | Acid-base titration |
| 5 | Polymerization inhibitor | ppm | 10±5 | ASTM D3125 |
- Technical advantages
The complete set of carbon-to-MMA technology uses aldol condensation reaction, using methyl acetate as raw material, to produce methyl methacrylate through aldol condensation reaction, replacing the traditional ACH process and C4 synthesis process. It has the characteristics of low raw material price, no pollution and mild reaction conditions. Relevant technologies will be applied to the 110,000 tons/year polymer polymerization monomer methyl methacrylate (MMA) project between the company and Xinjiang Zhongyou Puhui Technology Co., Ltd. The project is the world’s first installation of this technology.