Production of fuel ethanol from steel plant exhaust gases
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On May 16, as the industrial waste gases from Shougang Jingtang Company underwent a remarkable transformation, high-quality fuel ethanol with a purity of 99.5% was produced in the distillation towers. Shougang Langze Company’s world’s first facility for producing fuel ethanol through biological fermentation using industrial waste gases, with an annual capacity of 45,000 tons, was successfully commissioned at Shougang Jingtang Company. This successful debugging marks a revolutionary breakthrough for Shougang Langze Company in the field of bio-clean energy. This independently developed technology has set multiple world records; over 20 patents have been applied for, placing it at the forefront of the development of new energy sources. Converting clean energy through biotechnology using industrial exhaust gases is a global challenge that involves numerous difficulties across various fields, and to date there have been no precedents for its industrial application worldwide. In 2011, Shougang Group Company established Shougang Langze Company in collaboration with New Zealand’s Tangming Group and U.S.-based Langze Technology. In 2012, the world’s only pilot plant with a capacity of 300 tons per year for the entire production process was built at Shougang Jingtang Company. The R&D personnel at Shougang Langze have, through multiple rounds of pilot tests, continued to drive technological innovation and optimize the production processes. They successfully developed an integrated system for the entire production process, laying a solid foundation for the construction of the first commercial project. As a flagship project in the Caofeidian Industrial Zone, with the support of two strategic investors, Shougang Fund and Shanghai Dehui Group, Shougang Langze invested 350 million yuan to build, in December 2017, the world’s first commercial-scale facility for producing clean energy through biological fermentation of industrial exhaust gases, with an annual production capacity of 45,000 tons; the degree of domestic production for the equipment involved was over 97%. Industrial waste gas undergoes microbial fermentation in large-scale fermenters, being efficiently converted from a gaseous state into a liquid form of clean energy. This allows for the value-added utilization of resources that would otherwise pollute the environment, turning them into fuel ethanol, natural gas, and high-protein feed with high added value. What seemed like an unattainable technology – after seven years of hard work by Shougang Langze Company – was ultimately turned from the impossible into reality. Through the diligent efforts of the management team, the technology R&D team, and the engineering team, numerous technical challenges were overcome, and world-leading innovative technologies in this field were developed. As a result, liquid fuel ethanol with a concentration of 99.5% that meets **standards was successfully produced, thereby achieving green and low-carbon development, as well as sustainable growth. The successful commissioning of Baoshan Langze Company’s world’s first 45,000 tons per year production facility for fuel ethanol produced via biological fermentation of industrial exhaust gases marks a milestone in both the treatment of industrial exhaust gases and the traditional fuel ethanol production industry. This facility will produce approximately 45,000 tons of fuel ethanol per year, around 7,650 tons of protein feed, and 3.3 million cubic meters of compressed natural gas. This project reduces pollutant emissions resulting from the combustion of industrial exhaust gases, and produces fuel ethanol, thereby providing a new approach for the value-added utilization of such exhaust gases. It helps to improve the comprehensive utilization efficiency of industrial enterprises as well as the development of a circular economy; at the same time, it opens up a new technical pathway for diversifying the raw materials used in fuel ethanol production in China.
What do you all think of this technology? It is said that its drawback is high water consumption. What are the prospects for this? I think the biochemical tests are fine.
Ethanol is produced through biological fermentation using converter gas and a portion of blast furnace gas under conditions such as a temperature of 37°C and 5 atmospheres of pressure, with a gas utilization rate of over 85%. Calculations show that approximately 8,000 m3 of gas and 15 tons of water are required to produce one ton of ethanol with a purity of 99.5%, along with 170 kg of protein powder as a by-product and 73 m3 of compressed natural gas. The total cost is around 4,200 yuan, while the total revenue from ethanol, the protein powder by-product, and natural gas amounts to 7,400 yuan, resulting in a profit of 3,200 yuan – indicating high economic efficiency. In addition, this project helps steel companies develop their \"non-steel\" business areas and improves the overall efficiency of resource utilization. Compared to traditional combustion-based power generation in steel plants, it can reduce particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions by 67%, as well as carbon dioxide emissions by 30%. Adding ethanol to gasoline can also cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 35%, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fog formation.
It doesn’t seem that simple to introduce non-crude oil fuels into the market; further processing is required to turn them into engine fuel that meets the necessary standards!
In metallurgical enterprises where chemical plants are operated, there are numerous conflicts in terms of industry management, which require careful organization and coordination.
Steel mills in the southern region are not short of water; installing one set per mill offers great prospects
If there are truly such good statements, they can be recommended for inclusion in environmental priority projects
Improve the extensive management level of steel mills. Nowadays, steel mills increasingly resemble chemical plants in terms of aspects such as gas production, exhaust gas treatment, and environmental protection related to wastewater
I think exhaust gas from all industries in the metallurgy sector should be feasible, such as the treatment of exhaust gas from alumina production. Nowadays, most new steel mills are built near the sea, and it is hoped that this practice can be promoted.
Driven by the external environment, along with relatively favorable costs; it’s similar to desulfurization and emission control in power plants