[Chasing Dreams with Stars] Min Enze: Turning stones into gold, a catalyst for life that never fades

Min Enze is the founder of my country's oil refining catalytic application science, a pioneer of independent innovation in petrochemical technology, and a pioneer of green chemistry. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and is known as the "Father of Chinese Catalysts." He won the first prize of the National Technological Invention Award in 2005 and the National Highest Science and Technology Award in 2007.

Perseverance in paving the way for innovation in catalytic refining

In 1924, Min Enze was born in a scholarly courtyard on Hongzhaobi Street in Chengdu, Sichuan. He loved reading since childhood and had a solid foundation in calligraphy and mathematics. After graduating from university in 1946, Min Enze was assigned to the Shanghai No. 1 Printing and Dyeing Factory for an internship. At that time, prices in Shanghai were soaring and people were living in poverty. Having experienced national and ethnic disasters but still having patriotic ambitions, he could not help but feel confused and wondered where the future of the country and himself would lead.

In 1948, Min Enze came to the United States to continue his studies. Due to the Korean War, the US government did not allow Chinese students in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine to leave the country, so he could only find a job to survive. From 1951 to 1955, working at Nalco Company in the United States gave Min Enze the opportunity to learn in practice how industrial companies discover topics from the market and users, conduct research, give back to users, and open up markets. These industrial development experiences became a valuable asset for his later work.

Academician Min Enze (Photo from the Internet)

Starting in 1960, the Soviet Union gradually reduced and stopped supplying catalysts to my country, directly threatening the production of aviation gasoline. Min Enze was ordered to organize the research and development of catalysts. Due to the lack of technology and experience, he and his colleagues risked their lives in several very simple bungalows and conducted repeated experiments... After overcoming one difficulty after another, they finally successfully produced my country's high-quality spherical silica-alumina catalyst. In the following years, he overcame difficulties one after another and developed phosphoric acid superposition catalysts, platinum reforming catalysts, microspherical silica-alumina cracking catalysts, etc., which were urgently needed by the oil refining industry, laying the foundation for the development of oil refining catalysts in my country.

In the 1980s, although my country's refining catalysts had reached the international advanced level, Min Enze still worked tirelessly to promote catalyst innovation. Among the many research results, the preparation of ZRP-1 molecular sieves with excellent hydrothermal stability by heteromorph-oriented synthesis and aluminum phosphate modification methods was rated as one of the top ten national scientific and technological achievements in 1995, supporting the development of the new technology of "catalytic cracking of heavy oil to produce low-carbon olefins"; "Innovation and integration of amorphous alloy catalysts and magnetically stabilized bed reaction processes" won the first prize of the National Technological Invention Award in 2005.

"We must not only catch up quickly, but also strive to gain the leading position in technology." As environmental protection became a consensus, Min Enze began to devote himself to applying catalytic technology to green chemistry. Entering the new century, at the age of seventy, he entered the new field of biomass resource utilization, using oil crops to develop biodiesel to reduce my country's dependence on imported oil, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and protect the environment. In the face of praise, he said calmly: "It is my greatest happiness to combine my life with the needs of the people and contribute to the construction of the country."

An open-minded attitude of being willing to be a stepping stone for others

Min Enze likes the song "Where is the Road" very much. If "flatten the bumps and make a road, fight the difficulties and set off again" is a portrayal of Min Enze's unremitting pursuit and perseverance in his career, then "I carry the burden and you lead the horse" uses simple language to embody the team spirit he advocates of everyone doing their best.

"When you are the leader of a team, you must learn to suffer losses, and the first thing is to help others produce results." After He Mingyuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, returned to China in 1984, Min Enze appointed him as the director of the Basic Research Department of the Petrochemical Research Institute (referred to as the Petrochemical Research Institute). "After a result comes out, the first person to sign is often not Mr. Min, but the comrade in charge." According to Academician He Mingyuan's recollection, Min Enze paid great attention to the motivation and cultivation of team spirit. Under the influence of this "suffering losses" philosophy, the Basic Research Department has always maintained its fine traditions and fully utilized the enthusiasm of everyone, especially young people. Many of the students trained by Min Enze have grown into scientific research backbones and academic leaders in my country's petrochemical field.

Min Enze at work (Picture from the Internet)

In the eyes of students, Min Enze, who has a calm and easygoing personality, is very strict in his work and does not tolerate any carelessness or perfunctory work. "When I was writing my graduation thesis, Mr. Min revised the writing level and words and sentences of the thesis again and again. I copied and revised the 20,000-30,000-word thesis over and over again seven or eight times. Now, I also teach students very seriously, and I feel like Mr. Min is standing behind me. I have to be serious." Zong Baoning, deputy chief engineer of the Institute of Petroleum Science and Technology, still remembers Min Enze's words and deeds.

In order to cultivate world-class energy and chemical technology talents, Min Enze used more than 5 million yuan of his savings to set up a number of scholarships to encourage and cultivate young people. After winning the National Highest Science and Technology Award, he devoted himself to writing two books, "Petrochemical Industry - Exploring the Road to Independent Innovation from Cases" and "Expo Practical Innovation", summarizing the lessons learned from more than 50 years of success and failure, and incorporating his own insights and experiences into them for talent training.

Optimistic and simple fun life

Just after the successful development and smooth production of the spherical silicon-aluminum catalyst, Min Enze was attacked by illness. In the autumn of 1964, Min Enze went to the hospital for a checkup due to rhinitis and was diagnosed with lung cancer. The doctor comforted him by saying that he only had a benign tuberculoma and that he would be fine after an operation. Min Enze believed the doctor's words completely and returned to his intense work after removing two lobes of his lungs. It was not until he looked through his medical records during a physical examination four years later that he learned the truth. "Your mind is too simple, and you only think about catalysts." His daughter's words were both heartache and the greatest compliment to him.

Min Enze and his wife Lu Wanzhen (picture from the Internet)

When he returned to China from the United States in 1955, the "Report on the Problem of Intellectuals" had not yet been published, and Min Enze could not even find a job. He was introduced by a friend and was assigned to the Beijing Petroleum Refining Research Institute to work on catalyst research. "I was very touched. I didn't expect the country to trust me so much!" Although Min Enze's major was not directly related to catalysts, he felt very satisfied to have an opportunity to contribute to the country.

"Mr. Min emphasizes social needs. He will study whatever the country urgently needs, no matter how big the scope is." Academician He Mingyuan admires Min Enze's non-picky character very much.

People who know Min Enze think he has a good temper. He can always take things that others find worrying lightly. For a while, his wife went to work in another city, leaving the child with him in Beijing. Eating became a problem for the father and daughter. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I learned to cook by myself." He applied catalytic thinking to cooking, and believed that "harmony of five flavors" is also a catalytic process. As a Sichuan cuisine lover, he carefully considered the time to add chili peppers, the heat, the oil temperature, etc., just like a scientific research experiment. "They have all eaten the dishes I cooked." For colleagues and students who came to eat for free, he couldn't hide his pride and complacency in his tone.

People who are familiar with Min Enze know that he has a characteristic, that is, "three sentences a day, he always talks about his work." Once, when the hospital leader went to pay him New Year's greetings, he started talking about work after just a few words of greeting: what should be paid attention to, what should be done urgently... Everyone present was deeply moved after hearing this.

Memorial Room of Academician Min Enze and Academician Hall of the Institute of Petroleum Science and Technology

The Memorial Room of Academician Min Enze and the Academician Hall of the Institute of Petroleum Science and Technology are located at No. 18, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, covering an area of ​​439 square meters. It includes two major areas: the Academician Hall of the Institute of Petroleum Science and Technology and the Memorial Room of Academician Min Enze.

Part of the Memorial Room of Academician Min Enze (Photo provided by the Institute of Petroleum Science and Technology)

The Memorial Room of Academician Min Enze is located on the second floor of the Petrochemical Building, Area B, of the Institute of Petroleum Science and Technology. It is a reconstruction of the original office of Min Enze during his lifetime, covering an area of ​​42 square meters. The northern area of ​​the memorial room retains the information cabinets and furnishings he used when working. The display cabinets on the east side mainly display some materials of Academician Min Enze's study and work in the United States. The display cabinets on the south and west sides display the achievements of Academician Min Enze in chronological order. The small office condenses the life of Academician Min Enze's meticulous pursuit of truth, forge ahead and constantly explore, indifferent to fame and fortune, tenacious and persistent, and working together to help and support others. It carries the scientific spirit and character that the older generation of scientists have passed down for decades, and is a vivid textbook for vigorously promoting the spirit of scientists.

Author: Zhang Xiaohua, omnimedia reporter of Guangming Daily

Review expert: Luo Xingbo, Modern Scientist Research Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences