The Zhong’an United coal-to-olefins project has reached a critical stage where a decisive outcome will be determined!

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The Zhong’an United coal-to-olefins project has reached a critical stage where a decisive outcome will be determined! Author/Source: Yahuahua Coal Chemical Industry. Date: 2019-07-12. Clicks: 5. Zhongan United is a large-scale coal chemical integration project established through a joint investment by Sinopec Great Wall Energy Chemical Company and Wanbei Coal and Electricity Group. The approved total investment for the first phase of this project is 26.7 billion yuan, of which 20.2 billion yuan is allocated to the coal chemical projects and 6.5 billion yuan to the coal mining projects. The main products are 350,000 tons per year of linear low-density polyethylene and 350,000 tons per year of polypropylene, along with a 4 million tons per year coal mine built as a supporting facility. To date, a total of 17.7 billion yuan has been invested in the chemical project, with the overall construction progress reaching 99.5%. “The chemical plant construction is entering its final phase, and with a focus on safety and high quality, all parties are taking extraordinary measures to accelerate the work. ”A responsible official from Zhongan United said with confidence, “At present, the chemical feed-in commissioning is progressing in a solid and orderly manner.” All 4 thermoelectric boilers and 3 steam turbines have completed their performance testing ； All 3 air separation units produced oxygen and nitrogen of qualified quality, with Unit 1 operating at full capacity ； The sewage treatment facility has completed sludge cultivation; the pretreatment area is now in operation. Gasified sewage began to be received on June 15, and sludge acclimatization has started in the biological treatment area. ” At the same time, the 3 gasification furnaces were fed with material, a series of synthesis and purification units were successfully tested, and qualified syngas was produced ； The plant’s flare system has been commissioned and is ready for operation ； The powder testing run for the extrusion granulation unit has been completed ； The materials required for driving, such as methanol, propylene, isopentane, etc., are ready ； Completed 410,000 tons of coal supply ； The sales channels for the company’s own products such as fly ash, slag, and sulfuric acid an have been established. As a new industry, modern coal chemical processing has seen safety, environmental protection, and technical-economic indicators as bottlenecks restricting its development. Leveraging Sinopec’s strong technical expertise and development resources in the field of energy and chemicals, Zhongan United actively pursues an innovation-driven strategy, has overcome numerous challenges, and has set a precedent for the development of the coal chemical industry. Tao Quanbao, the company’s deputy chief engineer, told reporters, “Zhong’an United’s technological innovation is not merely reflected in the innovation of a particular technology or process; rather, it possesses unique capabilities in terms of independent innovation and competitive advantages.” In the core process of transitioning from coal to chemicals, Zhongan United employs the SE-Eastern Gasification Technology, which was independently developed by Sinopec. ” Given the characteristics of Huainan coal – high ash fusion point and high ash content – which posed difficulties in its use in Dongfang furnaces, Sinopec invested 1.6 billion yuan to build a large-scale testing facility at Yangzi Petrochemical. Trials were conducted using \"Zhongan coal\" in two phases with different mixing ratios, and this approach successfully enabled Huainan coal to make the \"critical transition\" from being a fuel to a raw material. In the intermediate processes of this reaction, Zhongan United utilizes the technology known as \"S-MTO\" – a high-efficiency full-process technology for producing olefins from methanol – which won the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress awarded by Sinopec. This technology enables the industrial application of China’s independently developed full-process technologies for producing ethylene and propylene from methanol. In February 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued a directive emphasizing that the Zhong’an Coal and Chemical Integration Project is located in the Huai River basin; therefore, water conservation, reduction of pollutant emissions, and enhanced risk prevention must be considered as key aspects in the project’s development. The supply and drainage systems were required to be designed in accordance with the principles of separating clean water from polluted water, separating rainwater from wastewater, and making multiple uses of water, to ensure that pollutants do not enter the Huai River under any circumstances. Zhonganlian conducts technical exchanges with numerous domestic and international environmental protection and water treatment operators as well as patent holders. It carries out extensive on-site investigations at domestic coal chemical manufacturers, formulates various technological approaches for treating wastewater and high-salinity water, and jointly develops a set of \"zero-discharge\" technologies for coal chemical wastewater that possess independent intellectual property rights in China. “For project wastewater, the system follows the principles of separating clean water from polluted water as well as separating different types of polluted water. The wastewater treatment plant treats and reuses the wastewater generated by production units and auxiliary facilities. ”A relevant official from Zhongan United said. Regarding process exhaust gases such as the flue gas from the pulverized coal filter in coal gasification units, the exhaust gas from acid gas removal systems in purification units, and the flue gas from incineration processes in sulfur recovery units, a representative from Zhongan United said, \"These process exhaust gases are treated before being released into the atmosphere through chimneys, and both their emission concentration and rate meet the latest standards for atmospheric pollutant emissions.\" ” Each heating furnace in the project uses clean fuel, and the flue gas emissions comply with the secondary standards specified in the \"Emission Standards for Air Pollutants from Industrial Furnaces\" (GB8978-1996). The flue gas emissions from the spent alkali solution incinerator and the boilers in the power center both meet the ultra-clean emission standards. Most of the general solid waste generated by the project is sold to enterprises for comprehensive utilization ； Hazardous waste that cannot be utilized must be treated in an environmentally safe manner or handed over to entities designated by the environmental protection authorities for centralized disposal. During the project implementation, low-noise equipment should be used as much as possible; for high-noise equipment, sound insulation and noise reduction measures shall be applied to meet the latest environmental protection standards. “We must protect the Huai River as we would protect our eyes, and build new coal chemical enterprises that are resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, and conducive to social harmony. ”This is a solemn commitment made by Zhongan United to Huainan, and it is also an inevitable choice for Huainan to strive for accelerated transformation and high-quality development.