【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2967–2026: The 10,000-ton α-olefin separation unit of the Energy Group’s Ningxia Coal Industry has achieved full operational capability

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This post was last edited by HaiChuan LaoYu on 2026-1-10 at 06:57. Let’s give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical technology and equipment sector; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Equipment】A continuously updated summary thread – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Recently, the 10,000-ton capacity α-olefin separation unit operated by **Energy Group Ningxia Coal Industry Co., Ltd. completed the entire production process successfully in just one trial run, producing polymeric-grade 1-hexene and 1-octene with purities of over 99% and 98% respectively. This represents a significant breakthrough in China’s field of separating high-end chemical raw materials from coal, thereby extending the industrial chain related to α-olefins derived from coal indirect liquefaction and laying a solid foundation for the development of downstream industries such as polyolefin elastomers and metallocene polyα-olefins. α-olefins are the main raw materials for producing high-end polyolefins, high-performance base oils for lubricants (PAO), and other products. For a long time, China has relied on imports for α-olefins of grade C6 and above; in particular, the technology for separating and polymerizing α-olefins of industrial grade from coal-to-oil Fischer-Tropsch synthesis products has been under foreign monopoly for a long time, which has hindered the development of China’s α-olefin industry and related downstream industries. Since the launch of the project in 2019, Ningxia Coal Industry has established an integrated collaborative research and development system that combines industry, academia, research, and application. In this framework, the Coal Chemistry Industry Technology Research Institute takes the lead in carrying out technical research and development, while the Coal-to-Oil Branch is responsible for project construction and commissioning. Over a period of 6 years, the R&D team developed an \"extraction distillation/catalytic distillation\" separation process, overcoming technical challenges such as the deep deoxygenation of Fischer-Tropsch oil, the separation of alkenes with the same carbon count, and the purification of high-purity α-olefins. They moved from single-point experiments to the integration of the entire process technology, resulting in a set of α-olefin separation processes with independent intellectual property rights. “The separation process route for α-olefins features a reasonable flow, a feasible scheme, and reliable technology. The successful commissioning of this device provides core technical support for the industrial production of 1-hexene and 1-octene on a 100,000-ton scale via FTO process. ”The project leader from the Ningxia Coal Industry Coal Chemical Industry Technology Research Institute explained that the 10,000-ton capacity α-olefin separation unit has successfully passed the 72-hour performance test organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. As a key task under the **key research and development program, the successful trial operation of this unit by Ningxia Coal Industry Company provides strong impetus for the clean and efficient utilization of coal in China as well as for the upgrading of the high-end chemical industry. The person in charge of this project at the Ningxia Coal Industry Coal-to-Oil Chemical Research Institute said that, as a key task under the **key research and development program, the successful trial operation of Ningxia Coal Industry’s 10,000-ton capacity α-olefin separation unit has provided strong impetus for the clean and efficient utilization of coal in China, as well as for the transformation and upgrading of the coal-to-oil chemical industry. The reporter learned that since the launch of the project in 2019, Ningxia Coal Industry has established an integrated collaborative system for research, development, production, and application. The Coal-to-Oil Chemical Research Institute took the lead in carrying out technical research and development, while the Coal-to-Oil Company was responsible for project construction and commissioning operations. After more than 2,000 days and nights of hard work, the research team, upholding the spirit of scientists and adopting a practical approach, pooled their expertise to develop an \"extraction distillation/catalytic distillation\" separation process. They overcame various technical challenges, including the deep deoxygenation of Fischer-Tropsch oil, the separation of alkenes with the same carbon count, and the purification of high-purity α-olefins. From single-point experiments to the integration of the entire process technology, they developed a set of α-olefin separation processes with independent intellectual property rights.