Commissioner Zhang Mingsen: Treat coal chemical industry and petroleum chemical industry differently

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“The development of coal chemical technology can be said to be quite mature, yet there are still many controversies surrounding it; some consider it an advancement in technology, while others see it as a step backward. ”Zhang Mingsen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and deputy chief engineer at Sinopec Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology, speaks at length whenever the topic of coal chemical industry is brought up. “In fact, it’s not possible to simply determine whether coal chemical industry is progressing or regressing; we need to consider it from different perspectives under various conditions. ”Zhang Mingsen said that, from a purely technical and process perspective, coal chemical industry is slightly more complex than the petroleum chemical industry. “For example, when it comes to producing ethylene, it’s very simple to do so from oil – once it enters the furnace, no catalyst is needed to convert it into ethylene; there are also various other compounds such as propylene and butylene, and these can be separated directly after production. If coal is used to produce ethylene, it first needs to be converted into syngas, the syngas then into methanol, and finally methanol into ethylene. Each of these steps is complex, and it is a process that is both energy-intensive and polluting. ”Zhang Mingsen gave an example. The process by which everything comes into being is a complex one; we cannot consider it from just one perspective, said Zhang Mingsen. “The same is true for petrochemical and coal chemical industries.” ”Although, technically speaking, coal chemical industry is slightly more complex than the petroleum chemical industry, on another level, coal is our primary energy source; making better use of this resource is also a **strategic goal for development, and from this perspective, the coal chemical industry represents progress. “Of course, these factors are not the most important in determining what is advanced and what is backward! ”Zhang Mingsen emphasized, “Whoever can make a profit is advanced.” ”Zhang Mingsen said that whether profitability is achievable depends on considering the total cost, which includes expenses for raw materials, technology, and environmental protection. All of this is considered on an equal footing, region by region: for example, in the petrochemical industry, in areas where oil is available, such as coastal regions and the Middle East, petrochemical production is certainly advanced. If coal is transported to the Middle East for use in coal chemical processing, it certainly won’t be profitable, nor can it be considered advanced. On the contrary, for example, in Xinjiang, where coal resources are abundant, using local materials to develop coal-based chemical industries is certainly more appropriate than developing petroleum-based chemical industries there. To engage in petrochemical production, oil first needs to be transported to Xinjiang for chemical processing, with all related costs taken into account; even with advances in technology, coal-based chemical production is still a more suitable option for development compared to petrochemical production.