Applying old projects without prior approval for construction! World’s largest vinyl alcohol ether plant ordered to shut down!
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World’s largest vinyl alcohol ether plant ordered to shut down On July 17, Qixiang Huali New Materials Co., Ltd., the company that owns the \"world’s largest vinyl alcohol ether facility,\" was reported. The whistleblower claimed that Huali Company failed to follow the regulations regarding the simultaneous implementation of construction, environmental protection, and safety measures during the production of vinyl alcohol ethers; the project was constructed without proper approval, it was not approved according to legal procedures, and no assessments for safety and environmental impact were carried out. In fact, while Walli Company aggressively promoted the idea of it being \"the largest in the world\" to create hype, it never actually initiated any project for this purpose; instead, it reused the existing vinyl methacrylate project of the company. On July 17, the Emergency Management Bureau of Luxi New Area in Heze City, Shandong Province, issued a statement stating that, following a joint investigation by the Heze City Emergency Management Bureau and this bureau, the products manufactured by Huali Company’s vinyl methacrylate production facility did not match the approved specifications at all; moreover, the company had altered its production processes without authorization, which constituted a serious hazard that could lead to accidents. The authority has ordered Huali Company’s vinyl methacrylate production facility to cease operations immediately; production can be resumed only after the potential hazards have been eliminated and approval is given following an inspection. Currently, the staff at Huali Company have stated that they have halted operations related to those facilities for rectification, as required by the emergency management authorities.
There are very strict regulations for the production of chemical products. To produce Product A, it is necessary to first register the production project, carry out design work, and then go through a series of stringent procedures such as environmental impact assessments, safety evaluations, completion inspections, trial production, and full-scale operation before the product can be integrated into the industrial chain. Moreover, if only that production line is approved for manufacturing Product A, it cannot be used to produce Product B, even if the hardware and software are identical; in other words, fraudulent practices are not allowed. The whistleblower claimed that Huali Company did not initiate any project related to vinyl alcohol ethers at all; although its project for vinyl acetate methacrylate was approved, the company actually did not produce vinyl acetate methacrylate, but rather vinyl alcohol ethers.
On July 17, the Emergency Management Bureau of Luxi New Area in Heze City issued a statement stating that, following a joint investigation by the Heze City Emergency Management Bureau and this bureau, the products manufactured by Huali Company’s vinyl methyl acrylate production facility were significantly different from those approved, and the company had altered its production processes without authorization, creating a serious hazard that could lead to accidents. The authority has ordered Huali Company’s vinyl methacrylate production facility to cease operations immediately; production can be resumed only after the potential hazards have been eliminated and approval is given following an inspection. According to the \"Principles for Naming Organic Chemicals,\" \"vinyl methacrylate\" and \"vinyl alcohol ether\" are two different types of chemicals, with significant differences in their production principles and processes. The “three simultaneities” facilities as well as the procedures for safety assessments and environmental impact evaluations required are also entirely different; therefore, the regulatory requirements vary, and they cannot overlap or replace one another. If the intermediate products produced involve flammable and explosive hazardous chemicals such as acetylene, a separate safety production license must be obtained, and safety facilities must be designed, constructed, and used specifically for that purpose. Typical \"vinyl acetate methacrylate\" products, such as vinyl ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl acrylate (VEEA) or vinyl ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl methacrylate (VEEM), are synthesized through an ester exchange reaction between ethyl acrylate or ethyl methacrylate and diethylene glycol monovinyl ether, rather than through a direct reaction between methacrylic acid and vinyl alcohol ether. The synthesis principle of the typical \"vinyl alcohol ether\" product, vinyl ethylene glycol ether, is achieved through the reaction of acetylene with ethylene glycol. Industrial production is not feasible if vinyl alcohol ethers are manufactured by reacting homemade acetylene with purchased ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, etc., and then using these vinyl alcohol ethers to react with methacrylic acid to produce vinyl methacrylate. Because vinyl alcohol ethers are unstable under acidic conditions and prone to various reactions such as decomposition, dehydration, and cyclization, the aforementioned process is not feasible in actual production and cannot pass the completion inspection.
Finding loopholes, but it knows that approval will eventually be given; it’s just a slight loss of benefits.