The world’s first thousand-ton-scale “liquid solar fuel synthesis demonstration project” has passed the evaluation for scientific and technological achievements

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According to the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on October 15, 2020, the thousand-ton-scale “Liquid Solar Fuel Synthesis Demonstration Project” passed the evaluation of its scientific and technological achievements, conducted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, in Lanzhou New Area. The experts on the appraisal committee unanimously agreed that the liquid solar fuel synthesis demonstration project has integrated and innovated the entire process equipment for liquid solar fuel synthesis; it possesses complete independent intellectual property rights, and its overall technology is at the international leading level. They approved the project for appraisal. The project consists of three units: solar photovoltaic power generation, water electrolysis for hydrogen production, and the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to produce methanol. By using carbon dioxide as a carbon source to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the methanol produced as a solar fuel is green methanol; it differs from methanol produced from traditional coal and natural gas, as it results in zero carbon emissions. The liquid solar fuel synthesis demonstration project has achieved large-scale hydrogen production of over 1,000 cubic meters per hour using a single electrolyzer, with the energy consumption per unit of hydrogen reduced to less than 4.3 kWh per cubic meter of hydrogen – representing the highest efficiency for large-scale alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production worldwide to date. The developed solid-solution bimetallic oxide catalyst enabled the production of green methanol on an industrial scale at a rate of thousands of tons per year; the methanol selectivity reached 98% and the purity of methanol was 99.5%. The catalyst was resistant to poisoning and sintering, showing no significant degradation after more than 1,000 hours of operation. The project was developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; it is built and operated by Lanzhou New Area Petrochemical Industry Investment Group Co., Ltd.; and its design was carried out by Hualu Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. The project commenced in 2019. On January 17, 2020, the one-time trial run of the solar fuel synthesis demonstration project was a success. On October 8, 2020, the project successfully passed the 72-hour on-site assessment. According to Ye Deqiang, general manager of Lanzhou New Area Specialized and Innovative Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., the project has been in operation for over 1,000 hours to date; all units of the facility are operating stably, and the key performance indicators of the catalysts in each unit meet the design requirements. Moreover, the degree of localization of the main equipment as well as related supporting equipment is 100%.