After extensive and continuous research for decades, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CIAC, CAS) has made great progress on rare earth-based catalyst system for isoprene polymerization, which possesses characteristics of highly active, highly cis-1,4 oriented, low cost and controllable molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. Thereafter, with catalyst technology as the core, the advanced engineering and technologies on polymerization, coagulation and drying processes have been developed and assemblied in Mar, 2011, symbolizing complete sets of industrial technology with Chinese intellectual property rights on NdIR production has been successfully developed.

By licensing complete sets of industrial technology from CIAC, Shandong Shenchi Petrochem. Co. Ltd. has built 30kt/a rare-earth catalyzed isoprene production facility, and on Sep. 13, 2012, the production line runs successfully with only one trial, establishing a record of the shortest construction period and one trial-one success among the industrial synthetic rubber facilities of the same size. Until now, the facility runs smoothly with the stable quality and optimal processing conditions. The current facility and production process possess characteristics of advanced quality ranking, largest capacity of the sinle production line and the lowest energy, monomer and solvent consumption as well among the facilities worldwide for NdIR production, demonstrating milestone achievement in developing complete sets of industrial technology for high performance, large varieties of synthetic rubber in China. Simultaneously, it plays the leading and exemplifying roles in developing new product varieties, new technique and new brands of synthetic rubber in China. According to the manager of Shenchi Petrochem, the company will build new facilities using the same technology from CIAC for promoting production capacity of NdIR to 100kt/a in three years.