In China, the proportion of advanced production capacity in the methanol and synthetic ammonia industries continues to rise; in the synthetic ammonia industry, the scale-based production capacity has taken on an “inverted pyramid” structure

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In China, the proportion of advanced production capacity in the methanol and synthetic ammonia industries is continuously increasing. The production capacity in the synthetic ammonia industry has taken on a \"reverse pyramid\" structure. At present, the share of advanced production capacity in China’s nitrogen fertilizer and methanol industries is on the rise, with efforts to adopt larger-scale and more intensive equipment continuing, and breakthroughs in key domestic technologies ongoing. The industry has embarked on a new path of green development. The China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association pointed out that in 2024, the proportion of newly added production capacity for nitrogen fertilizers and methanol 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 monohydric alcohol plant utilizing advanced new coal 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, a 10.8% increase over the previous year, accounting for 81.3% of the total output. Meanwhile, the number of traditional fixed-bed atmospheric-pressure batch coal gasification plants for ammonia synthesis continues to decline; in 2024, both their production capacity and output accounted for less than 15%. 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. In addition, continuous breakthroughs in core independent technologies are driving the ongoing upgrading and iteration of the industry. The space powder gasification semi-waste boiler unit, featuring independent intellectual property rights, was 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 production level that shows no decline, enabling long-term stable operation – a milestone achievement for the industry. Shandong Ruixing’s 6.5MPa, 3,500-ton class semi-refused-charge aerospace powder gasification furnace is also operating stably ； The semi-waste heat recovery/full waste heat recovery pulverized coal pressurized gasifiers developed by Aerospace Maiwei have achieved long-term stable operation in projects such as Baling Hengyi and Lianyungang Shenghong Petrochemical. The by-produced steam remains stable without any decline in output ； The third-generation high-efficiency, low-energy-consuming 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 power generation using flash steam from gasified black water, filling a domestic gap. The green and low-carbon development of the nitrogen fertilizer and methanol industries is mainly reflected in four aspects: First, the energy conservation and carbon reduction levels of existing production capacities continue 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 rise. 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 Ammonia 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.