On October 16, 2021, the 20th National Conference on Catalysis was grandly opened in Wuhan, where over 3,000 experts, scholars and researchers in the catalysis industry gathered together. The 8th National Catalysis Award of China was successfully held at the opening ceremony. Professor Xie Youchang from the School of Chemistry, Peking University won the National Catalysis Achievement Award of China (also titled “Award of Zhang Dayu”) and was invited to attend the award ceremony. At the Conference, Professor Xie Youchang gave a technical report themed with “Spontaneous Monolayer Dispersion Theory: From Basic Research to Industrial Application”.

Professor Xie Youchang making a report at the 8th National Catalysis Award Ceremony

The National Catalysis Achievement Award of China is the highest academic award issued by the Catalysis Society of China (CCS). Therefore, it is named after Zhang Dayu, the pioneer of China’s catalysis science, and awarded to Chinese catalysis scientists who have made original innovative or creative achievements in catalytic science and technology researches and have made outstanding contributions to the development of China’s catalysis science or to the major application of catalysis in China. It has a great influence and is highly recognized in both the domestic and foreign catalysis fields.

The Catalysis Society of China awarding a medal to Professor Xie Youchang (second from left)

Professor Xie Youchang has long been engaged in the teaching of physical chemistry, structural chemistry and solid surface chemistry, as well as the research and development of catalysts, adsorbents and nanomaterials. In the early 1980s, he discovered the phenomenon of spontaneous monolayer dispersion and related principles in experiments, and later published a summary paper on monolayer dispersion in the journal of Advances in Catalysis, which was cited more than 800 times, and once the most cited one in China. This basic research achievement was awarded the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award by the State Education Commission in 1986, imposing an important influence in the field of surface chemistry and catalysis in China. With more than 30 years of exploration and development, spontaneous monolayer dispersion has now become a widely applied theory for the preparation of catalytic materials, and the technology developed based on the principle of spontaneous monolayer dispersion has been applied to many fields of catalysis and adsorption.

Professor Xie Youchang, by making good use of the principle of monolayer dispersion, developed a highly potent CO adsorbent, and successfully developed a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process for CO separation and an international advanced large-scale industrial PSA plant for CO separation based on this adsorbent. The PSA CO plant won the first prize of the State Invention Award awarded by the Ministry of Education and was selected into the Top Ten Scientific and Technological Progress of Chinese Universities in 2005 and was awarded the second prize of the State Technological Invention Award in 2006.

The continuous in-depth industrial application of CO separation technology has created an innovative business mode for the efficient utilization of industrial exhaust gas, further boosting the co-production of steel and chemical industry to achieve industrial coupling. Currently, more than 70 large-scale industrial PSA units for CO separation have been built across the country to separate high-purity product CO from industrial gases such as blast furnace gas, converter gas, calcium carbide furnace off-gas and water gas, and the product CO is then used in the synthesis of ethylene glycol, acetic acid, TDI and other chemical products. Compared with similar technologies, this PSA CO purification equipment shows significant superior advantages in the process indicators such as higher CO yield, higher purity, and higher efficiency under the same operating conditions, therefore, it has been recognized by the industry and has ushered in huge market opportunities.

Moreover, the research team led by Professor Xie Youchang has successfully developed a highly potent adsorbent for oxygen generation and a high-efficiency VPSA & PSA oxygen generation technology. Nearly 300 large and medium-sized oxygen plants have been built at home and abroad, including the largest one with a capacity of 87,500 Nm3/h, which is also the largest domestic VPSA oxygen generating plant in operation. According to the latest statistics, the output value of this technology in 2021 has exceeded $203.7 million. The achievement is unprecedented in the field of VPSA & PSA technology in China and even the world, providing an economical and reliable process for industrial purposes of oxygen-rich smelting and combustion supporting in iron and steel manufacturing, nonferrous metallurgy, glass and glass fiber making and other areas, and creating indirect economic benefits of millions of dollars.

Li Can, Director of the CCS and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expressed high compliments when talking about the scientific research achievements of Professor Xie Youchang: “The PSA technology for CO separation and the oxygen generation technology are among the most successful projects on industrial application of scientific research achievements implemented by the School of Chemistry, Peking University, and also among the rare examples of Chinese catalysis field moving from basic researches to large-scale industrial applications in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a typical example of widely applying scientific research results to help with practical development. I am very pleased that Chinese catalysis circle has not forgotten Professor Xie’s contribution, and this belated honor also consoles the Chinese catalysis circle a great deal”.

“I’m happy to see the younger generations making contributions, and though old, I will still make my every effort,” Professor Xie Youchang wrote this motto at his 70th birthday. Now he is nearly 90 years old, but he is still full of energy and spares no effort on his tasks at hand. When making speech at the opening ceremony, he was clear in thought and sounded like a bell. He also vigorously encouraged young scholars to stay true to their missions and persist in their explorations so as to contribute their due force to the advancement of science and technology.

Attached is the list of winners of the National Catalysis Achievement Award of China: