Experts in soda ash production, please come in
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I have been working in the chemical industry for almost ten years now, and I am planning to start my own business by establishing a soda ash factory with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons. Since I have always worked in the coal chemical sector, I don’t know much about soda ash. I would like to ask those who are experienced in this field: how much investment is required to set up a factory with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons of soda ash? What equipment is needed? And what production process would be the best? I appreciate any advice you can give!
There are many pieces of equipment; for those worth 600,000, the cost is probably around 700 to 900 million. The cost for those worth 50,000 is also significant. Phase 3 of Shandong Haihua has a capacity of 2 million tons, and phase 4 is currently in the trial operation stage
At least 800,000 tons now, I guess. Large-scale chemical products are not suitable for individuals to handle. Apart from having a lot of money, or having mineral salts locally, what other advantages are there such as lower environmental requirements?
May I ask if you use the ammonia-alkali process or the combined-alkali process for production? There are also industry-related restrictions on the production scale: 1. Ammonia-alkali plants with a capacity of less than 1 million tons per year; 2. Combined-alkali plants with a capacity of less than 300,000 tons per year
It’s too small to withstand competition! Probably sixty million! This post was last edited by yzhms on 2008-4-20 09:02.]
The process route and methods have not been determined, making it difficult to estimate the investment costs. Where will the ammonia come from? And where will the CO2 come from?
It is advised not to enter industries you are not familiar with, unless you have unlimited money. A scale of 50,000 tons is definitely impressive.
If the scale is too small, production costs will increase, which is not economical
50,000 tons is too small, unless for personal use.
The new transformed gas-based soda ash production technology, when applied in integrated soda ash manufacturing plants, not only achieves significant energy savings per ton of soda ash produced, but also helps to extend the operational life of the soda ash production towers, improves the quality of the crystallized soda ash, results in a substantial reduction of the mother liquor in such systems, and thus enables zero discharge of wastewater generated in soda ash production. This is of great significance for the caustic soda industry to achieve clean production and pursue a circular economy path; therefore, its prospects for promotion are very broad. The adoption rate of this technology in the soda ash industry is currently around 15%, and it is expected to reach 50% during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, resulting in energy savings of 200 million gigajoules. To date, this domestically innovative and internationally advanced new alkali production technology has been adopted by more than a dozen enterprises in China, all of which have achieved significant results in energy conservation and emission reduction, as well as economic and social benefits. Taking Shijiazhuang Shuanglian Chemical Co., Ltd. and Shanxi Fengxi Group Jishan Alkali Industry Company as examples, the former invested 150 million yuan in carrying out energy-saving technological upgrades for the production of alkali from 300,000 tons of modified shift gas, while the latter invested 150 million yuan in launching a new project for producing alkali from 150,000 tons of modified shift gas. Both companies have achieved clean and efficient production, generating an additional 60 million yuan in taxes and fees each year as well as an additional 40 million yuan in profits; the payback period for the investment is only 3.5 years.
The key is what production process you use: the combined alkali method, the ammonia-alkali method, or the natural alkali method? Should an air tip, coal tip, or oil tip be used? Different processes have a significant impact on investment; based on your work experience, it is likely that coal will be used. Among the three ammonia production processes, the coal-based method requires the highest investment and generates the most pollution; however, it eliminates the need for facilities such as lime kilns, and it also offers certain cost advantages over the oil-based method. As mentioned above, a capacity of 5W is too small and results in high production costs; however, it is still unclear whether 20W or 80W offers a better cost advantage. On the other hand, **industry policy requirements dictate that new soda ash production facilities should have a capacity of at least 30W. As for the application of ammoxidation process for soda production in small units (below 20W), it is feasible; however, it presents significant challenges for larger units. The key issue lies in the stability of the system’s production, and how to further increase the pressure of the ammoxidation gas remains an unresolved problem. There is also considerable debate regarding the extent to which energy consumption and investment costs can be reduced. Even companies such as Shijiazhuang Shuanglian and Sichuan Guangyu, which operate well using the ammoxidation process, do not enjoy much cost advantage. In terms of investment, based on my experience, if the caustic soda process is used, the investment for just the soda ash production facility is around 1,000 W per ton of soda ash produced; the investment for ammonia synthesis using gas as a feedstock is also around 1,000 W per ton of soda ash (this figure does not include utilities such as heat and power generation). As for the investment required when using coal as a feedstock, I’m less familiar with that figure. Currently, there are many small ammonia synthesis plants in various regions, and their profitability is not very good. It is recommended that you adopt an acquisition approach to reduce investment in ammonia synthesis. It is reported that a private enterprise in Xuyong, Sichuan, which intended to enter the soda ash industry, purchased a 40,000-ton ammonia synthesis plant for only 800 million yuan (and the reliability of that plant was likely not very high either); already in the following year, it was able to produce 45,000 tons of ammonia. Furthermore, medium and small-scale ammonia synthesis plants equipped with the two-stage process can significantly reduce natural gas consumption; in this regard, Chengdu General and Chengdu Chengda (formerly the Eighth Chemical Research Institute) possess patent advantages and technical expertise. :lol :lol :lol