The application areas of ethylene glycol produced from coal are expanding gradually; new national standards are set to be introduced by the end of the year

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With the rapid development of the domestic coal-based ethylene glycol industry, production capacity for this substance has increased significantly in recent years, and its application areas at the downstream level have also expanded, thereby changing the market landscape previously dominated by traditional oil-based ethylene glycol. However, as coal-based ethylene glycol is increasingly used in the fiber industry, its drawback of variable quality and purity has gradually become apparent. The 2008 version of the **standard, which had been in effect for a decade, did not provide detailed regulations regarding these parameters. Therefore, there is a common call within the industry to further define the specifications for ethylene glycol, to establish new industrial standards for coal-based ethylene glycol, and to provide standardized guidelines for both this industry and the downstream fiber industry. Against this backdrop, in May 2018, the **State Administration for Market Regulation/Standardization Administration of China** jointly issued a new national standard for industrial ethylene glycol: GB/T 4649-2018, which replaced the previous standard GB/T 4649-2008. This new standard was drafted by Yanshan Petrochemical; it is reported that the updated specifications include additional requirements regarding impurities in products derived from coal chemical processes. Compared to the old standard, this new version covers products produced through all domestic manufacturing processes. This report will come into effect officially on December 1, 2018. The specific details are as follows: Click to view the original image. The parts marked in red are those that were not specified in the previous standards, and represent the additions/improvements introduced in the new standards. In terms of quality indicators, the previous precise classification into top-grade, first-grade, and qualified products has been replaced by the current categories of polyester grade and industrial grade. The content of alcohols had not been specified previously, and this standard also details 1,4-butanediol ； Content requirements for 1,2-butanediol and 1,2-hexanediol ； Furthermore, with regard to ultraviolet transmittance, the testing has been refined from three original values to four current values. The Taiyuan Chemical Market Information Network advises that in recent years, the production capacity of ethylene glycol produced from coal has increased rapidly, and its application areas in downstream industries have also expanded. In order to further define the specifications related to ethylene glycol and to establish new industrial standards for this type of ethylene glycol, guidelines can be provided for both the industry producing ethylene glycol from coal and the downstream fiber manufacturing industry. These new standards offer sound technical regulations for the future production of ethylene glycol from coal; they will also encourage technological advancements within China’s industry in this field, thereby providing a technical basis for its widespread use in the polyester industry in the future.