According to a report from China National Chemical News, on December 30, 2025, in the production workshop of Changzhou Ruikai Chemical Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Ruikai Equipment), despite the biting cold, the workers were still brimming with enthusiasm for production. Technical staff and workers cooperated seamlessly to lift and install equipment, creating a bustling and vibrant scene. The core patented equipment for the propylene oxide/styrene co-production unit—carefully manufactured by the company for Rongsheng New Materials (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd.—with a capacity of 270,000 tons/year of propylene oxide and 600,000 tons/year of styrene—has been successfully loaded onto trucks.

   Ruikai Equipment Co., Ltd. is a national high-tech enterprise and a Sunan Gazelle Enterprise, and it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Changzhou Ruihua Chemical Engineering & Technology Co., Ltd. Relying on its parent company’s profound expertise in chemical engineering technology, the company has established a unique competitive edge in the field of advanced equipment manufacturing. The company boasts a rich portfolio of core products, including reactors, heat exchangers, towers, crystallization equipment, storage tanks, and various other types of equipment. Thanks to their outstanding performance and excellent adaptability, these products are widely used across diverse industries such as chemicals, oil and gas, metallurgy, food, pharmaceuticals, power generation, and environmental protection, meeting the specialized requirements of different sectors for equipment that can withstand corrosive environments, high temperatures, and high pressures. 
   According to Zhou Yifei, chief engineer at Ruikai Equipment Company, the equipment for the Rongsheng New Materials project includes a primary oxidation reactor, a secondary oxidation reactor, a first epoxidation reactor, a second epoxidation reactor, a first dehydration reactor, a hydrogenation reactor, a secondary dehydration heater, a second crude tower reboiler, a protective reactor, and a first hydrocarbonization reactor, among others. After several days of meticulous preparation and highly efficient operations, a total of 27 core pieces of equipment have now officially completed the loading process and are set to begin their journey, speeding toward the project site. 
   On Monday, Fei stated that from R&D and design through precision manufacturing to rigorous testing, the project team overcame numerous challenges and worked tirelessly day and night, successfully tackling a host of technical hurdles and ultimately delivering high-quality equipment. This delivery not only serves as a powerful testament to Ruihua Technology’s robust R&D capabilities but also marks a new milestone in the company’s market competitiveness in the field of high-end chemical equipment.

   In the future, Ruihua Technology will continue to deepen its commitment to technological innovation, empowering the global chemical industry to achieve high-quality development with even higher-quality products and services! 
   It is understood that propylene oxide is the third-largest propylene-derived commodity after polypropylene and acrylonitrile. It can be used not only to produce polyether polyols, which in turn are used to manufacture polyurethanes, but also a variety of downstream products such as propylene glycol and alcohol ethers. As such, it is an important basic raw material for organic chemical synthesis. 
   The Propylene Oxide and Styrene Co-production Technology (POSM) is a process suitable for large-scale refining and petrochemical facilities, particularly those refineries with abundant aromatics and olefin resources. Compared to the traditional chlorohydrin process, this technology offers significant environmental advantages. The facility can simultaneously produce propylene oxide and styrene, enabling shared use of raw materials, energy, and equipment, thereby enhancing resource utilization efficiency. 
   The Hua POSM technology uses ethylbenzene and propylene as feedstocks to produce epoxides and styrene. Ethylbenzene reacts with oxygen in a plug-flow peroxidation reactor to form ethylbenzene hydroperoxide (EBHP). After alkaline washing and concentration, the high-concentration EBHP is sent to the epoxidation reactor, where propylene undergoes an epoxidation reaction catalyzed by a solid titanium-silica catalyst, yielding propylene oxide and phenethyl alcohol. A byproduct, acetophenone, is also produced during this process. The propylene oxide product is then purified to obtain the final product. 
   The mixture containing ethylbenzene, phenylethanol, and acetophenone is sent to the dehydration unit. Under the action of a solid dehydration catalyst, phenylethanol is converted into styrene, which, after purification, yields the final styrene product. The ethylbenzene, after impurities are removed, is recycled back to the oxidation unit. This dehydration catalyst boasts exceptional performance, with a selectivity for styrene and acetophenone exceeding 99%. It also produces minimal coke formation and significantly extends the operational cycle. Acetophenone is hydrogenated to phenylethanol in the presence of a copper-based catalyst, and the hydrogenation product is then returned to the dehydration unit for further processing.