First public announcement on the environmental impact assessment for the pilot project at Zhongyuan Dahua for producing ethylene glycol from straw sugar on a thousand-ton scale

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First Public Announcement on the Environmental Impact Assessment of the 1,000-ton-per-year pilot project for producing ethylene glycol from straw sugar by Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group Co., Ltd. Author/Source: Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group Co., Ltd. Date: 2020-08-12 Clicks: 58 I. Project Overview Project Name: 1,000-ton-per-year pilot project for producing ethylene glycol from straw sugar Developer: Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group Co., Ltd. Location: Southwest corner of the intersection of Shihua Road and Pushui Road in the Puyang Economic and Technological Industrial Cluster (including Puyang Economic Development Zone), within the existing factory premises of Zhongyuan Dahua Company Total Investment: 20.98 million yuan Project Code: 2020-410972-26-03-030443 Scope of the Project: This project involves the construction of a pilot plant capable of producing 1,000 tons per year of ethylene glycol; upon completion, it will be able to produce 746.8 tons of ethylene glycol and 194.4 tons of propylene glycol per year. This project uses biomass straw sugar solutions and hydrogen as raw materials; crude ethylene glycol is synthesized through hydrogenation reactions in the ethylene glycol synthesis section, and high-quality ethylene glycol products are obtained via distillation in the ethylene glycol distillation section, with industrial-grade propylene glycol among other by-products. The main construction facilities include processes such as ethylene glycol synthesis and ethylene glycol distillation. Existing engineering and environmental protection measures: Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group Co., Ltd. is located in the Puyang Economic and Technological Industrial Cluster, and consists of two plant areas: a natural gas chemical processing area and a coal chemical processing area. The site for this pilot-scale project for producing ethylene glycol from straw sugar in quantities of a thousand tons is located within the existing plant area of the coal chemical processing complex. All the auxiliary facilities required for this project make use of the existing infrastructure in that complex; therefore, this section mainly provides an overview of the existing facilities and environmental protection measures in the coal chemical plant area. The main projects in the coal chemical plant area include a 300,000-ton methanol production project, a project to upgrade and expand the wastewater treatment facilities, a pilot-scale development project for the synthesis of 1,000 tons of methyl methacrylate (MMA), a project to achieve ultra-low emission levels through integrated flue gas desulfurization and dust removal for coal-fired boilers, and a project for the recovery and utilization of 300,000 tons per year of liquid carbon dioxide (with Phase 1, capable of recovering 50,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide, already completed) ； Among them, the project for upgrading and expanding the wastewater treatment facilities, as well as the project for integrating flue gas desulfurization and dust removal to achieve ultra-low emissions in coal-fired boilers, are the environmental protection measures related to wastewater treatment and coal-fired boiler management for the 300,000 tons per year methanol production project. The main environmental protection measures for the existing project are as follows: (1) For the 300,000 tons per year methanol plant, dust generated during crushing, coal crushing bins, coal preparation processes, lime bins, coal powder bins, and pressure-driven transportation is collected and treated using corresponding bag filters ； The acidic waste gases generated by the gasification unit and low-temperature methanol washing are sent to a sulfur recovery unit for treatment ； The off-gases generated by low-temperature methanol washing are absorbed by deionized water before being released into the atmosphere ； Methanol synthesis flash vapor, synthesis vent gas, distillation non-condensable gas, etc., are sent to the fuel pipeline network ； The acidic gases from CLAUS sulfur recovery are sent to boilers for combustion; the flue gases from the fluidized bed boilers are treated using a low-nitrogen combustion system, SNCR denitration, an electro-bag combined dust removal system, and an integrated desulfurization and dust removal system ； The exhaust gases from the burning torch are directly released into the atmosphere. Pilot-scale development project for the synthesis of 1,000 tons of methyl methacrylate (MMA): The waste gases are mainly non-condensable gases from the tower top and exhaust gases from vacuum pumps, which are sent to the flare system of the methanol plant for combustion. 50,000 tons/year liquid carbon dioxide recovery project: The waste gas consists mainly of non-condensable gases, with key components being CO, N2, O2, etc., which are directly emitted into the atmosphere through exhaust stacks. (2) Wastewater: The production wastewater from the plant, wastewater generated from floor cleaning, and domestic sewage are sent to the methanol wastewater treatment plant for treatment. The main treatment processes include IC+HBF+secondary AO+sand filtration+ultrafiltration+reverse osmosis, along with a reclaimed water reuse system; the treated water meets the required standards before being discharged into Puyang City’s Second Wastewater Treatment Plant ； The clean wastewater is directly discharged into Puyang City’s Second Sewage Treatment Plant ； Online monitoring devices for COD and NH3-N are installed at the main discharge outlet of the plant. (3) Solid waste: For the 300,000 tons/year methanol project, coal grinding waste residues, gasification fly ash, gasification waste residues, boiler slag, fly ash, etc. will be comprehensively utilized, and an accident ash dump will be established ； Safe landfilling of molecular sieves and aluminum gel ； Waste catalysts are recycled by qualified entities ； Fusel oil and biochemical sludge are sent to the boiler for incineration. Pilot-scale development project for the synthesis of 1,000 tons of methyl methacrylate (MMA): The main components involved are waste catalysts and the heavy fractions from the tower bottom; the waste catalysts are recycled by the manufacturer, while the heavy fractions from the tower bottom are safely disposed of by qualified entities. (4) Noise: Control measures such as sound insulation, noise reduction, and vibration damping are employed to manage the noise sources generated by the project.