Xinjiang Guotai Xinhua: Building a circular economy industry chain for BDO and PTMEG

Thread Content

Xinjiang Guotai Xinhua: Building a circular economy industrial chain for BDO and PTMEG / Author/Source: Sinochem New Network / Date: 2020-05-26 / Clicks: 1. The Yangmei Group has established the Coal-based Fine Chemicals Circular Economy Industrial Park of Xinjiang Guotai Xinhua Chemical Co., Ltd. in the Zhundong Economic and Technological Development Zone in Xinjiang. The total investment for the first phase of the project is 11.3 billion yuan, covering an area of 4,480 mu. The main facilities include a calcium carbide production plant with an annual output of 400,000 tons, a BDO production plant with an annual output of 200,000 tons, a PTMEG production plant with an annual output of 60,000 tons, and a methanol production plant with an annual output of 200,000 tons. At present, all units of Phase 1 have been put into operation and have met their production targets, with the entire project operating well. This project is one of the key construction projects in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and it is also a key enterprise for the Zhundong Economic and Technological Development Zone in developing a modern coal chemical industry. The second phase of the Guotai Xinhua Chemical project is currently in the planning stage. Xinjiang Guotai Xinhua Chemical Co., Ltd. is a large-scale modern coal chemical enterprise established by Shanxi Yangquan Coal Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. in the Zhundong Economic and Technological Development Zone of Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang, in response to the calls for the development of the western region and the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. Since its construction began in 2014, the Phase I project of Guotai Xinhua has gone through four years of arduous work; by overcoming various difficulties, it has established a coal chemical industry park worth tens of billions on the land of Zhundong. The Zhundong coal field in Xinjiang is currently the largest integrated coal field in China, and it is also an important part of the **fourteenth coal production base. Guotai Xinhua owns coal resources in the Wucaiwan mining area of Zhundong, covering an area of 64.4035 km2 with reserves of 2.133 billion tons. Leveraging its abundant coal resources, Guotai Xinhua conducted thorough research and evaluations, and ultimately decided that the first phase of the project should focus on the clean, efficient, and low-carbon utilization of coal, as well as the development of high-end coal chemical products. With a total investment of 11.3 billion yuan, an industrial park based on circular economy principles was established, featuring a 200,000-ton/year BDO production facility and a 60,000-ton/year PTMEG production facility as its core units. Additional facilities include a 200,000-ton/year methanol production plant, a 400,000-ton/year calcium carbide production plant, and two 350MW power plants. The basic production process is: coal → methanol → formaldehyde → BDO → PTMEG. In April 2014, construction of Phase 1 of the project officially began, and it was completed and put into operation by the end of 2017. The BDO plant achieved a successful commissioning in just one attempt, producing BDO products with a purity of 99.75%, which is at the leading level in the industry; it was able to operate at 105% capacity already in its first year of operation. The PTMEG production facility is currently capable of manufacturing three types of products with molecular weights of 1000, 1800, and 2000; these products are suitable for use in the spandex and PU slurry industries. In the future, based on the demands of downstream markets, efforts will be made to develop products with molecular weights of 3000 and 4500, thereby expanding the range of available products and further increasing the application of PTMEG products in high-end fields such as PU, TPU, and premium leather. The first-phase project consumes approximately 3 million tons of coal per year, enabling the comprehensive utilization and advanced processing of the abundant coal resources in the Zhundong region, thereby transforming local resource advantages into industrial and economic advantages. At the same time, BDO and PTMEG products are widely used in various fields such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, papermaking, the automotive industry, and consumer chemicals, thereby effectively promoting the development of local industrial clusters. The company’s project installations employ advanced process technologies from both domestic and international sources, ensuring that the overall production technology is sophisticated and reliable. The methanol gasification unit utilizes the Jinhua furnace gasification process, a patented product of Shanxi Yangmei Chemical Machinery; the synthesis unit employs the methanol synthesis process developed by Nanjing Guochang Company ； Formaldehyde is produced using the iron-molybdenum oxidation process developed by the Swedish company Perstop, while acetylene is produced via Beijing Ruisida’s dry acetylene process ； BDO uses its own patented acrolein process for production ； PTMEG is produced using the manufacturing process of the Italian company CONSER. The overall project has certain advantages in terms of safety, environmental protection, cost, and profitability, as well as strong technical competitiveness. At the same time, the company persists in seeking benefits through technological innovation. In April 2019, it identified 29 technological innovation projects from the year 2018; these projects were expected to save over 100 million yuan. They not only improved the efficiency of existing equipment but also reduced environmental pollution, while generating significant economic benefits as well. Adhering to the bottom lines and red lines regarding safety and environmental protection, the company passed the assessment for Level 2 certification as a standardized enterprise in terms of work safety in the autonomous region in January 2019, on the first attempt. Environmental protection is given a prominent position in the overall work plan. The total investment in environmental protection for the first phase of the project amounts to 750 million yuan, accounting for 6.63% of the total investment of 11.3 billion yuan, and the treatment of waste materials is effective. Continuously advance technological upgrades and innovation to reduce costs and improve efficiency. To address the issue of ineffective utilization of lime powder and limestone fines generated during the calcium carbide production process, a set of lime pelleting equipment and a set of lime rotary kiln equipment have been installed, with an expected annual profit of 22 million yuan ； Optimizing the combustion system of the power plant’s boilers is expected to save 10 million yuan annually. The second-phase project is being planned, making full use of the land reserved for construction in the first phase, the existing utility facilities, and the excess power generation capacity. Building on the current products, this phase aims to extend the industrial chain, thereby facilitating a sustainable and healthy cycle within the park. The total investment for the second-phase project is approximately 2.5 billion yuan, which will be used to build a PTMEG plant with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, a γ-butyrolactone plant with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons. Additionally, there will be a BDO plant with an annual capacity of 180,000 tons, a hydrogen production facility using calcium carbide furnace exhaust gas at a rate of 15,000 m3/h, a facility for incinerating high-salt waste liquids at a rate of 4 tons/h, as well as other utility systems. The construction of the second phase can enable the on-site conversion of 200,000 tons of BDO, allow the power plant to operate with two units, and significantly improve the overall economic efficiency of the enterprise. The Guotai Xinhua Coal-based Fine Chemicals Circular Economy Industrial Park project is a key project in Shanxi Province’s efforts to support Xinjiang; it is also a priority construction project for the autonomous region and Changji Prefecture. Additionally, it represents a key strategic project for Yangquan Coal Group aimed at achieving transformation and development.