China has achieved remarkable success in technological innovation in nitrogen fertilizer and methanol production; the proportion of advanced production capacity continues to rise, with continuous breakthroughs in key indigenous technologies

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China has achieved significant progress in technological innovation in the field of nitrogen fertilizers and methanol; the proportion of advanced production capacity continues to rise, while breakthroughs are being made in key domestic technologies. According to reports from the 2025 China Nitrogen Fertilizers and Methanol Technology Conference held by the China Nitrogen Fertilizers Industry Association in Fuyang, Anhui, from July 3rd to 5th, the proportion of advanced production capacity in China’s nitrogen fertilizer and methanol industries is on the increase. There is ongoing progress toward larger and more efficient manufacturing facilities, and continuous advancements are being made in core domestic technologies. The industry has thus embarked on a new path of sustainable development. Over the past year, the share of production capacity for nitrogen fertilizers and methanol has continued to rise, contributing to the ongoing optimization of the industrial structure. The trend of using new coal gasification methods to replace traditional processes is evident, with a number of ammonia and methanol production facilities that employ advanced pressurized coal gasification techniques such as dry coal powder gasification, water-coal slurry gasification, and crushed coal gasification being put into operation one after another. By the end of 2024, the production capacity of synthetic ammonia produced using new gasification technologies with bituminous coal and lignite as raw materials had increased significantly, reaching 46.01 million tons – an increase of 8.7% compared to the previous year – accounting for 60% of the total production ； The output of related devices was 46.634 million tons, an increase of 13.1% compared to the previous year, accounting for 63.7% of the total output. The coal monoalcohol plant utilizing advanced new gasification technology has a production capacity of 79.63 million tons, accounting for 72.5% of the total capacity, an increase of 4.6% compared to the previous year ； Production reached 74.687 million tons, an increase of 10.8% over the previous year, accounting for 81.3% of the total production. Meanwhile, the number of traditional fixed-bed atmospheric batch gasification ammonia synthesis plants is declining, with their share of production capacity and output both below 15% in 2024. The scale effects in the nitrogen fertilizer industry continue to materialize. The capacity scale of the synthetic ammonia industry has taken on a \"inverted pyramid\" structure: the annual production capacity of 500,000 tons and above amounts to 33.63 million tons, an increase of 2.69 million tons compared to the previous year, accounting for 43.6% of the total capacity, with a growth rate of 8.7%. The “inverted pyramid” structure in the urea industry is even more pronounced: the production capacity of 500,000 tons or more accounts for 59.43 million tons, representing as high as 85.9% of the total. In 2024, nearly 3 million tons of urea production capacity was put into operation, with each facility having a capacity of over 500,000 tons. Furthermore, continuous breakthroughs in core autonomous technologies drive the ongoing upgrading and evolution of the industry. The space-based powder coal gasification semi-reactor device, featuring independent intellectual property rights, was successfully put into operation in September 2023 at Anhui Haoyuan Group’s 4.0 MPa, 2,000-ton capacity ammonia synthesis plant. It generates 50 tons of steam per hour, with a stable steam output that shows no signs of decline, enabling long-term stable operation – a milestone achievement for the industry. Shandong Ruixing’s 6.5MPa, 3,500-ton class semi-waste-boiler-type aerospace powder gasification furnace is also operating stably ； The half-waste/fully waste coal pressurized gasification furnaces produced by Aerospace Maiwei have achieved long-term stable operation in projects such as Baling Hengyi and Lianyungang Shenghong Refining & Chemical, with a steady output of steam that shows no decline ； The third-generation high-efficiency, low-energy urea synthesis technology developed by Wuhuan Engineering Company achieves a world-class level, with steam consumption (saturated) of around 600 kilograms per ton of urea produced, which is 30% lower than the industry average ； Qingdao Huajie Company has developed an energy-saving technology for generating electricity using flash steam turbines from gasified black water, filling a gap in China’s industry. The green and low-carbon development of the nitrogen fertilizer and methanol industries is reflected in four main aspects: First, the level of energy savings and carbon reduction in existing production capacity continues to improve. In existing fixed-bed batch gasification units, nearly half of their production capacity has already undergone, or is planned to undergo, \"cleaning upgrades\" or conversions to continuous gasification using pure oxygen/oxidized air; indirect cooling of semi-water gas replaces direct cooling, thereby preventing the emission of air pollutants such as phenols, cyanides, and ammonia ； The new gasification unit achieves efficient energy utilization by recovering the waste heat and pressure from devices such as gasification and low-temperature methanol washing units. Second, the proportion of high-efficiency technologies and equipment in newly built installations continues to increase. A new batch of installations features efficient, modern pressurized gasification furnaces that utilize a semi-waste-boiler process, as well as technologies such as cascade refrigeration for low-temperature methanol washing; in addition, larger-scale high-efficiency auxiliary facilities such as air separation units and boilers have been installed. Third, the level of technological innovation related to green ammonia is continuously improving. The invention patent of Donghua Engineering Company, “A Waste Heat Cooling Method Adapted to Dynamic Green Hydrogen Production,” can address the issue of difficulty in utilizing volatile steam. Fourth, some enterprises have reduced the overall energy consumption and carbon emissions of their products by increasing the proportion of green electricity used and fostering integrated development with other facilities or industries.