Public Notice on the Approval of the 100-ton and 10,000-ton Pilot Projects for the Direct Conversion of Baotou Syngas into Long-Chain α-Olefins
Thread Content
Public announcement on the environmental impact assessment for the project of directly converting syngas into long-chain α-olefins. Recently, the Baotou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau issued a public announcement regarding the approval of pilot projects for producing long-chain α-olefins on a scale of 100 tons and 10,000 tons through the direct conversion of syngas; this marks a step forward as this important technological project moves steadily toward industrial application. This project primarily involves the construction of one pilot-scale unit capable of producing 100 tons per batch, and another unit capable of producing 10,000 tons per batch, for the direct conversion of syngas into long-chain α-olefins. By studying the nature of the active phases in iron-based catalysts, catalysts based on pure iron carbide with high activity and low carbon dioxide selectivity are to be developed, as an alternative to traditional Fischer-Tropsch synthesis methods. Additionally, efficient slurry-bed reactors and processes for the production of long-chain α-olefins are to be developed using slurry reactors, thereby creating an industrial-ready set of technologies for the direct synthesis of long-chain α-olefins from syngas with low carbon dioxide selectivity. The 100-ton pilot plant provides the design basis data for a pilot plant for producing long-chain α-olefins from syngas. Once built, experiments for the production of long-chain α-olefins and process optimization will be carried out there, serving as a foundation for tests on a 10,000-ton scale for producing long-chain α-olefins from syngas – that is, scaling up from the results of the 100-ton verification tests to a 10,000-ton scale in order to obtain optimized data for future large-scale production. The experimental setup for this project mainly includes a membrane separation system, a slurry reactor, and a separation circulation system, along with supporting start-up oil tanks and light oil buffer tanks. Using the desulfurized syngas currently available at Shenhua’s methanol plant – whose main components are hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, etc. – as raw material, the hydrogen-to-carbon volume ratio is adjusted via membrane separation devices before the mixture is fed into a synthesis reactor. There, under the action of catalysts, high-carbon hydrocarbons containing long-chain α-olefins are synthesized. Subsequently, through processes such as thermal fractionation, the light hydrocarbons and heavy hydrocarbons containing long-chain α-olefins, along with synthesized water and gaseous products, are separated. Some samples of light hydrocarbons and heavy hydrocarbons are periodically taken and sent to Ningxia Coal Chemical Group for separation and testing (such separation and testing activities are not within the scope of this project evaluation); the remaining materials are stored in the waste methanol water tanks at Shenhua Phase I. After the oil and water separate due to gravity, the upper layer of oil is periodically sold externally by Shenhua’s external sales department ； The synthetic water is sent to the Shenhua Phase I wastewater treatment system for treatment before being reused, without being discharged outside ； The gaseous products are sent to Shenhua’s existing fuel gas system pipeline network. The project’s water, steam, compressed air, nitrogen, and synthesis gas used as test materials are all supplied by the existing utility systems at the Shenhua plant. After the 100-ton scale unit operates successfully, the 10,000-ton scale unit is put into operation; both units have a testing period of 1 year, operate intermittently, with a maximum annual operating time of 4,000 hours each. After the tests at the 100-ton and 10,000-ton scales are completed, all installations are shut down; if the tests at the 100-ton scale are not successful within one year, then tests at the 10,000-ton scale will not be carried out.
【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】From 2039 to 2024, 11 complete sets of dimethyldisulfide treatment systems and oxygen injection system skid-mounted units were exported. https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5674541-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum [Haichuan Network])
【HaiChuan Technology Frontiers】The decade-long journey toward the industrialization of long-chain α-olefins using pure-phase iron carbide catalysts https://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=5675417 (Source: HaiChuan Chemical Industry Forum [HaiChuan Network])
On September 6, 2024, the Baotou Ecology and Environment Bureau issued a public notice regarding the acceptance status of the environmental impact assessment documents for the construction of pilot projects aimed at the direct conversion of syngas into long-chain α-olefins on a scale of 100 tons and 10,000 tons. Project owner: Guoneng Baotou Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. Location of construction: No. 1, Shenhua Science and Technology Park, Jiuyuan Industrial Park, Baotou City, Jiuyuan District, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Baotou City. Total investment: 37.5 million yuan. Planned construction period: from August 2024 to December 2024. Scale and scope of construction: The nominal production capacity of the facilities for this project is 100 tons per year (at the hundred-ton level) and 10,000 tons per year (at the ten-thousand-ton level). The main construction contents of this project are 100-ton and 10,000-ton direct gas conversion plants for producing long-chain α-olefins. A pilot plant for the production of long-chain α-olefins from syngas on a 100-ton scale is proposed to carry out experiments on the production of long-chain α-olefins and process optimization, serving as a catalyst activation unit for the validation tests of a 10,000-ton-scale plant for producing long-chain α-olefins from syngas. Based on the verification tests conducted with 100-ton-scale facilities, a 10,000-ton-scale test facility will be built on an enlarged scale; once completed, long-term industrial tests for the production of long-chain α-olefins will be carried out. To further explore new technologies for coal-based olefins and enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises, Guoneng Group plans to build a \"100-ton and 10,000-ton pilot project for the direct conversion of syngas into long-chain α-olefins\" in the vacant areas of the existing Shenhua Phase I plant. This project utilizes Fertile Synthesis technology to produce long-chain α-olefins from syngas; it not only facilitates the advanced and diversified clean conversion of coal in China but also addresses the issue of excessive reliance on imports for long-chain α-olefins. It represents the trend and direction for the development of modern coal chemical industry.
This project aims to start from the study of the nature of the active phases in iron-based catalysts, in order to develop pure-phase iron carbide catalysts with high activity and low carbon dioxide selectivity, which differ from the traditional Fischer-Tropsch synthesis approach. It also seeks to utilize slurry reactors to create efficient slurry-bed reactors and processes for the synthesis of long-chain α-olefins, and to conduct pilot tests as well as verification experiments using scale-up facilities of 10,000 tons per year, thereby developing an industrializable technology for the direct synthesis of long-chain α-olefins from syngas with low carbon dioxide selectivity. This pilot plant for producing long-chain α-olefins from syngas on a hundred-ton scale provides the basic design data needed for such a facility, which serves as input parameters for the plant’s design. Once the plant is built, experiments for the production of long-chain α-olefins and process optimization efforts will be carried out. Based on the verification tests conducted with 100-ton-scale units, a 10,000-ton-scale pilot plant was built to provide design basis data for facilities that produce long-chain α-olefins from syngas; these data serve as input parameters for the design of such facilities. Once the 10,000-ton-scale plant is operational, long-term industrial trials for the production of long-chain α-olefins will be carried out. Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen (CO+H2), which is primarily produced by converting coal, oil, natural gas, and biomass through processes such as gasification or reforming, and it can be used to manufacture a variety of high-value downstream chemicals. With the global emphasis on green and low-carbon development, the greening and carbon reduction of syngas have become key priorities, and cutting-edge technologies for the development of downstream products are receiving increasing attention. As a major producer and consumer of syngas, our country sees a continuous increase in the production of downstream products such as methanol/olefins, ethylene glycol, synthetic oils, synthetic ammonia, glacial acetic acid, and synthetic natural gas. Progress continues to be made in technologies such as the direct conversion of syngas into olefins/aromatics, the production of higher/carbon-chain shorter alcohols from syngas, and the synthesis of alpha-olefins from syngas. At the same time, the adoption of green synthesis gas technologies and carbon reduction techniques is also increasing continuously. In terms of carbon reduction technologies, innovative processes such as methane-CO2 combined reforming technology have enabled the resource utilization of carbon dioxide. The green syngas produced by biomass gasification can be used to manufacture high-value products such as green methanol, sustainable aviation fuel, and green synthetic natural gas. In the context of carbon neutrality, the green production of syngas and carbon reduction technologies have become key to achieving this goal. Through technologies such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen production via water electrolysis, the syngas industry is expected to adopt cleaner and more environmentally friendly production methods. The development of syngas industrial parks and bases for downstream products/new materials provides new ideas and directions for the sustainable development of the syngas industry.