A pilot project for a thousand-tonne-scale ethylene oligomerisation process to produce high-carbon alpha-olefins has been jointly launched recently by Apeiron Technology Co., Ltd., PetroChina Lanzhou Petrochemical Company, and Gansu Chemical Industry Research Institute (Gansu Qihua Chuangyuan Chemical Industry Research Co., Ltd.). This marks the official entry of the company's self-developed ethylene oligomerisation technology into the engineering verification phase, laying a core engineering foundation for the future large-scale and industrial implementation of this technological route in China.

The founder and chairman of Apeiron Technology, Wei Dongchu, stated: "This project not only fills the technical gap for a thousand-tonne-scale ethylene non-selective oligomerisation pilot plant within the PetroChina system, but will also open up a new prospect for the domestic substitution of core materials in China, such as high-carbon alpha-olefins, POE elastomers, and mPAO high-end lubricating oils."

The pilot project has a designed scale of 1,000 tonnes per year. It is engineered based on standard operating conditions of 8,000 hours annually, with an hourly processing capacity of 125 kilograms and an operational flexibility range of 50% to 120%. It boasts advantages of strong adaptability to operating conditions and high operational stability. The technological breakthrough by Apeiron lies in the catalyst aspect: it avoids the use of expensive MAO as a co-catalyst while simultaneously addressing the industry pain point of high polyethylene content present in existing technologies.

Centered on this thousand-tonne ethylene oligomerisation pilot plant, the project focuses on verifying the stability and reliability of the ethylene oligomerisation catalyst and production process independently developed by Apeiron. It will systematically collect core data for industrial scale-up, providing comprehensive and precise engineering data support for the subsequent development of a ten-thousand-tonne process package, selection of core equipment, and control of production costs.

High-carbon alpha-olefins (LAO, C6+) are core raw materials for strategic materials such as high-end polyolefins, POE elastomers, and synthetic lubricant PAO. For a long time, China's high-carbon alpha-olefin industry has faced a structural imbalance characterized by "excess low-end capacity and shortage of high-end products." High-end products are heavily reliant on imports, directly constraining the independent and controllable upgrade of domestic industrial chains for high-end polyolefins, POE elastomers, and high-end lubricating materials. This project will help break the long-term technological monopoly by international giants, solidify the core technological foundation for the security and stability of China's high-end chemical materials industrial and supply chains, and accelerate the import substitution process in key sectors.