【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】From 1999 to 2024, Haihua independently developed the world’s largest nanofiltration membrane application unit

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Safety first. Prevention first – let’s give recognition and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical technology and equipment sector. **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum Website) ***************** On November 17, 2024, the nanofiltration unit at the soda ash plant of Shandong Huahe Group, which currently features the world’s largest nanofiltration membrane installation, was able to produce over 45,000 cubic meters of refined brine per day. This device makes use of a technology independently developed by Haihua, which employs advanced nanofiltration techniques to refine brine as a substitute for seawater in the process of producing alkali; this approach brings about a revolutionary change to traditional alkali production methods, enabling cost savings and increased efficiency of nearly 100 million yuan per year. 　　It is understood that this facility was completed in September this year after three phases of construction. The device utilizes a technology independently developed by Haihua, which employs advanced nanofiltration techniques to refine brine as a substitute for seawater in the process of producing salt and soda. As assessed by the Science and Technology Bureau of Weifang City, Shandong Province, this technology has reached an internationally leading level. 　　The nanofiltration-based purification of brine for soda production project implemented by Haihua was the first in the industry nationwide to utilize advanced nanofiltration technology and membrane materials to purify brine as a substitute for seawater in the process of producing soda ash, thereby bringing about significant changes to the traditional soda ash production process. Liu Jianlu explained that the project’s daily output of refined brine has exceeded 45,000 cubic meters, enabling the savings of 1 million tons of raw salt per year and generating economic benefits of nearly 100 million yuan. It is equivalent to producing the crude salt that would otherwise require 60 square kilometers of salt pans for drying, all within a nanofiltration facility covering 10,000 square meters. 　　The Weifang Binhai Economic Development Zone, where Haihua is located, boasts abundant underground brine resources, and it has always been the dream of the people at Haihua to use this brine to produce soda ash directly. Since the Haihua Soda Ash Plant began operations in 1989, sea water has been used to produce raw salt for soda ash manufacturing; the costs associated with producing raw salt and refining it have increased the cost of soda ash production. In the early 1990s, the people at Haihua came up with a bold idea: to use underground brine with a higher concentration than seawater to produce soda ash directly. However, underground brines contain large amounts of ions such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfate, which can cause severe damage to soda ash production equipment. 　　In recent years, with the widespread use of nanofiltration membranes, the dream of those at Haihua to use nanofiltration technology to refine underground brine and produce soda ash has been rekindled. Chemical engineering and technical personnel took bold risks by applying various advanced membrane materials and technologies for the first time in projects for producing alkali from refined brine, undertaking original research on membrane-based separation methods ； The application of nanofiltration technology to remove divalent ions such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfate from underground brine was explored, resulting in the successful production of refined brine with sodium chloride as its main component, which is used in soda ash plants for the production of soda ash from salt. 　　The nanofiltration technology for refining brine, independently developed by Haihua, has brought about a revolutionary change in traditional alkali production processes. As the core of nanofiltration-based brine purification technology, the nanofiltration membrane module has become crucial to membrane system engineering. Through repeated technical efforts, the nanofiltration technology for refining brine was moved from the laboratory to industrial application in 2014. After hundreds of technical discussions and thousands of filtration experiments, domestically produced ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes were finally put into use in the second-phase project, with the cost per membrane dropping from 10,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan. 　　Liu Jianlu said that with the implementation of projects for desalination and concentration of seawater, as well as industrial salt production from seawater, this facility can produce 70,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day. The utilization rate of sodium chloride in the concentrated water will exceed 80%, and it will also be possible to make use of other useful resources present in seawater, such as bromine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfate ions. This approach enables the recovery of both fresh water and concentrated solutions, resulting in good economic and social benefits.