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On November 18, at the 2025 Energy and Water Conservation Experience Exchange and Technology Promotion Conference for the petroleum and chemical industry, hosted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, a roundtable discussion themed \"Prospects for Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ period\" attracted significant attention. Those who participated in the discussion were officials from the four major \"high-energy-consuming\" industries in this sector; let’s take a look at how they spoke about energy conservation and carbon reduction. “Green development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period: Opportunities and challenges coexist. Speaking about the industry’s prospects over the next five years, Li Chong, secretary-general of the China Sulfuric Acid Industry Association, stated that the sulfuric acid industry will face the convergence of four major contradictions during this period. These issues include the contradiction between the continuous growth in demand for sulfuric acid and insufficient availability of sulfur resources, as well as the need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions through the use of sulfur-containing waste in sulfuric acid production, alongside the urgent need to upgrade older industrial facilities to be safer, more environmentally friendly, and more intelligent. There is also the contradiction between the growing demand for high-end products such as high-purity sulfuric acid and its derivatives and the technical barriers that hinder their production, as well as the contradiction between the rapid expansion of industry capacity and the shortage of technical talent. Jiang Shunping, deputy secretary-general of the China Calcium Carbide Industry Association, also has a clear view on the prospects for the calcium carbide industry over the next five years. Jiang Shunping said that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the calcium carbide industry finds itself at a crossroads where challenges and opportunities coexist, and high-quality development is the only way forward; thus, the task of transformation and upgrading is extremely urgent. Jiang Shunping said that there will be three profound changes in the industry over the next five years: the first is a change in the industry landscape. The backbone of the industry – polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – will maintain a steady demand for calcium carbide. Undoubtedly, the greatest drivers of growth in the future will come from strategic emerging industries such as new energy and new materials, particularly 1,4-butanediol (BDO). As a key raw material for the biodegradable plastic PBAT and the binder NMP used in new energy batteries, the demand for BDO is experiencing explosive growth, which will drive traditional \"chlor-alkali plants\" to undergo a strategic transformation into high-value \"new materials suppliers\". The second is model transformation. The previous extensive and energy-intensive model of development can no longer be sustained. “During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, green and low-carbon development is no longer a matter of choice; rather, it serves as the ‘admission ticket’ and the ‘line that determines survival’ for the industry. Third is the transformation in the dimension of competition. Future competition is no longer about scale and cost, but rather a comprehensive competition in terms of supply chain coordination, technological innovation, and carbon management capabilities. Companies must consider how to establish a green and low-carbon closed loop with their upstream and downstream partners. “Therefore, actively embracing change during the 15th Five-Year Plan period is the only option for enterprises. ”Jiang Shunping said. “‘The ‘alkali-chlorine imbalance’ remains the main challenge facing the development of the chlor-alkali industry. ”Han Jingkang, General Manager of the Operations Management Department at Dezhou Shihua Chemical Co., Ltd., said that \"an imbalance between alkalis and chlorine\" is a structural issue that has persisted in the chlor-alkali industry for a long time. “During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, demand for caustic soda is expected to increase slightly alongside the growth of China’s GDP. However, the demand for polyvinyl chloride, a major chlorine-consuming product, is expected to rise at a moderate pace, and there are certain challenges in making efficient use of the production capacity for other chlorine-consuming products. The issue of \"short supply of caustic soda and surplus chlorine\" remains a problem that the industry must address. Furthermore, compliance with international conventions also imposes higher requirements on the development of the chlor-alkali industry. The Montreal Protocol, the Stockholm Convention, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and the Global Plastic Treaty, which is still under negotiation, are all closely related to the chlor-alkali industry. Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins are currently under consideration by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, they will be added to Annex A of the Convention for regulation. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol came into force in our country on September 15, 2021. In the future, apart from research on the use of carbon tetrachloride as a raw material, the development of downstream applications for dichloromethane and trichloromethane will also represent major challenges for the industry. The goals and directions for energy conservation and low carbon emissions are already clear. In Li Chong’s view, the objectives and key areas for energy conservation and low carbon emissions in the sulfuric acid industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period are well defined; firstly, it is necessary to improve the system of standards related to carbon emissions and carbon footprints ； Secondly, the resource utilization of sulfur-containing waste should be regarded as a key approach, with particular emphasis on making good use of waste sulfur ； Third, it is necessary to carry out research and development as well as promote new processes and technologies for energy conservation and low carbon emissions, such as the conversion of high-concentration sulfur dioxide, power generation using by-produced high-pressure steam, recovery of low-temperature waste heat, and the development of efficient catalysts ； Fourth, it is necessary to ensure strict implementation of standards such as those related to energy consumption, evaluation indicators for clean production, and green factories. Dou Jinliang, secretary-general of the China Soda Ash Industry Association, said that the energy-saving and carbon-reduction goals for the soda ash industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period should be determined based on the industry’s current and future actual conditions. “During the 14th and 15th Five-Year Plans, China’s soda ash technology has reached world-class levels. At the current level of technology, there is little room for further reduction in the energy consumption per unit of soda ash produced; the focus should be on improving the energy consumption levels of those enterprises that are relatively backward. Therefore, during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, building on the achievements of the 14th Five-Year Plan, efforts should be made to achieve a further reduction of 2%–3% in energy consumption per unit of soda ash produced, as well as a reduction of 3%–5% in carbon emissions. Dou Jinliang also said that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the focus of energy conservation and carbon reduction in this industry should shift gradually from dual control over energy consumption to dual control over carbon emissions, in order to accelerate the green and low-carbon transition and promote the use of renewable energy and green electricity. At the same time, promote the application of advanced low-carbon technologies and phase out outdated production capacities and inefficient equipment to reduce carbon emissions. This includes optimization of the manufacturing process, the use of large-scale equipment and heat pump technology, etc. Companies that have the necessary resources should adopt principles of circular economy and comprehensive resource utilization to reduce consumption of raw materials and fuel. They should also reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by recycling low-concentration carbon dioxide to produce downstream products, making use of energy at various levels, and recovering waste heat and pressure. Technological breakthroughs serve as a “lever” for green development. Dou Jinliang said that to achieve the goals of energy conservation and carbon reduction in the soda ash industry, the following measures should be taken during the 15th Five-Year Plan period: First, accelerate the research and development of the one-step heavy soda ash production technology. This technology enables the direct production of heavy soda ash products from heavy alkali—composed mainly of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, and water—obtained from the effluent of carbonation towers during the soda ash manufacturing process, using wet decomposition and evaporation crystallization methods. Compared with existing heavy soda ash production, it can save a large amount of medium-pressure steam, thereby achieving energy savings, reduced consumption, lower carbon emissions, and cost reduction. This technology is currently under development, and certain results have already been achieved. Further investment is needed to continue improving the process equipment, with the goal of putting it into use as soon as possible. Second is the improvement of the heavy alkali centrifuges and related process equipment, which have already achieved certain results. Using a centrifuge to directly separate the crystals from the liquid obtained from the carbonization tower has been the goal pursued by generations of soda ash producers. Compared with traditional vacuum filtration methods, this technique can reduce the moisture and salt content in the heavy soda ash, significantly decrease the amount of exhaust gas generated during filtration, improve separation efficiency, enhance product quality, reduce energy consumption for filtration, and lower steam usage in the calcination process, thereby achieving energy savings and carbon reduction. “Advancing energy-saving and low-carbon technologies as well as key equipment represents the core approach for the transformation of the calcium carbide industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Relevant technical efforts must be systematically carried out around the three key aspects of ‘carbon reduction at the source, carbon control during the process, and carbon utilization at the end stage’. ”Jiang Shunping said. Jiang Shunping said that, first of all, a “green revolution” must be launched at the source of the manufacturing process. The goal is to fundamentally change the \"high energy consumption\" gene. On the one hand, it is necessary to accelerate the adoption of mature technologies such as the pelleting of composite calcium-based raw materials in order to rapidly reduce power consumption. On the other hand, it is necessary to proactively plan for disruptive new processes. The new approach of \"calcium-cycle solid-phase particle calcium carbide\" that the association is focusing on holds promise for reducing the synthesis temperature from 2200°C to around 1800°C; this reduction in temperature also entails a reconfiguration of the mechanisms underlying traditional metallurgical practices. The goal is to reduce process electricity consumption by more than 15%, bring carbon emissions close to zero, and cut calcium carbide slag emissions by over 75%. Secondly, it is necessary to advance intelligent upgrades throughout the production process, as this is key to improving energy efficiency. In terms of equipment upgrades, it is necessary to continue promoting large-scale, enclosed, and intelligent calcium carbide furnaces with a capacity of 40,500 kVA or more. In terms of digital empowerment, it is necessary to deeply integrate AI and big data. In particular, it is necessary to promote digital twin systems for electric furnace-controlled smelting, use virtual mapping to optimize actual production, and achieve an additional cost reduction of 3% to 5%. Third, fully utilize resources. Efficient separation of CO and H₂ from calcium carbide furnace gas through advanced technologies is necessary in order to use them for the synthesis of high-value chemicals such as ethylene glycol and ethanol. Furthermore, through value-added utilization technologies, calcium carbide slag and purified ash are completely transformed into building materials, turning \"waste\" into \"treasure\". Regarding energy conservation and carbon reduction efforts in the chlor-alkali industry over the next five years, Han Jingkang said that actions should be taken in the following areas. First, traditional energy consumption is replaced through direct purchase of green electricity or by utilizing complementary new energy sources. Secondly, in terms of technical equipment, caustic soda production plants using the ion-exchange membrane process achieve further energy savings and reduced consumption by upgrading large-scale electrolysis cells, allowing them to operate at lower current densities; as a result, the electricity consumption per ton of caustic soda can be reduced by more than ten kilowatt-hours. For large mechanical equipment, frequency conversion upgrades can be considered to reduce energy consumption. In terms of intelligence, the application of APC advanced process control technology can help achieve energy conservation and consumption reduction in the system. Third, conduct standard research focused on the \"dual control\" of carbon emissions. Such as conducting research on carbon footprint, carbon asset management, and the methodology for China’s Certified Voluntary Emission Reductions (CCER) applicable to the chlor-alkali industry.