Peking University Pioneer wins the bid for Guanghui Energy’s project to produce ethylene glycol from coal gas

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Beida Pioneer Wins Bid for Guanghui Energy’s Project to Produce Ethylene Glycol from Waste Gas Author/Source: Beida Pioneer Date: 10-11-2019 Clicks: 11 On September 9, 2019, Guanghui Energy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Guanghui Energy) commenced construction of its project to produce 400,000 tons of ethylene glycol per year from waste gas. This project utilizes waste gas generated as a by-product of Guanghui Energy’s subsidiary, Xinjiang Guanghui Coal Clean Processing Co., Ltd., whose facility is capable of processing 10 million tons of coal per year. A range of technologies such as conversion, reforming, adsorption, and separation are employed to produce high-quality chemical product ethylene glycol. The general contractor for the project, China Fifth Ring Engineering Company, signed a cooperation agreement with Beida Pioneer Company. Beida Pioneer is responsible for designing and constructing a pressure swing adsorption unit for the purification of carbon monoxide at a capacity of 45,720 Nm3/h, thereby producing carbon monoxide with a purity of over 98.5%, which will be used entirely in the production of ethylene glycol. Data shows that this PSA-CO unit is also the largest pressure swing adsorption CO purification unit in the world to date. The composition of waste gas is complex; in this project, the N2 content in the waste gas exceeds 50%, while the CO content is around 28%. After conducting thorough market research, Guanghui Energy and China Wuhuan found that to separate and purify CO from a mixture with such a high N2 content, only Peking University Pioneer’s pressure swing adsorption technology for carbon monoxide separation (PSA-CO) has similar industrial application examples, and it boasts extensive engineering experience. This technology enables CO purity to meet the required standards while ensuring a CO recovery rate of over 86%, thus fully satisfying the technical requirements of this project. After fully understanding the advancement and feasibility of Peking University Pioneer’s carbon monoxide separation technology, China Five Rings Engineering Company decided to adopt this proprietary technology in order to ensure a stable supply of syngas for its ethylene glycol production lines; thus, the two parties began to cooperate on this project. As the first project in China to produce ethylene glycol from waste gas, this project represents a pioneering effort in the comprehensive utilization of such waste gas. Once completed, it will help reduce the consumption of natural resources, lower pollutant emissions, and prevent the loss of coal resources, thereby achieving goals of resource recycling, cleaner production, and a healthier environment. Completion and operation are expected by 2021.