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Development and Application of an Industrialized System for the Recovery of Phenol and Ammonia from Coal Chemical Industry Wastewater / Author/Source: Sinochem New Network / Date: 18-01-2021 / Clicks: 3. Overcoming Environmental Barriers to the Clean Utilization of Coal. The development and application of such an industrialized system, carried out through a collaboration between Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Yili Xintian Coal Chemical Co., Ltd., Sino-Singapore Energy Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., and Saiding Engineering Co., Ltd., won the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress at the 2020 China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation Science and Technology Awards. Phenol-amine recovery is a key step in ensuring the proper treatment of phenol-containing wastewater from coal chemical industries. There is an urgent need to overcome the various challenges associated with existing phenol-ammonia recovery technologies, and to develop new, efficient, large-scale, and energy-saving systems and equipment in order to break through the environmental barriers to the clean utilization of coal. With the support of programs such as the Science and Technology Support Program, this project has achieved the following results and innovations: First, a set of key technologies for phenol and ammonia recovery was developed, including high-efficiency extractants and extraction packing materials, techniques for removing emulsified oil, enhanced ammonia removal processes, and technologies for the stepwise purification of by-produced ammonia. These advancements have significantly improved the quality of the treated wastewater and the quality of the by-products, laying a solid foundation for the proper treatment and reuse of wastewater. Secondly, the end-to-end development platform was improved; 5 phenol-ammonia recovery processes were developed, enabling efficient integration and utilization of waste heat from gas. This resulted in a reduction in steam consumption per ton of water by 40–100 kilograms, and the proportion of high-quality steam dropped from 75% to less than 25%. Thirdly, a technology for scaling up phenol-amine recovery units was developed, enabling the scale of the units to be increased to 300 tons per hour, which significantly reduced investment and operational costs; meanwhile, the preliminary design for a unit with a capacity of 500 tons per hour has been completed. This technological achievement has been applied in over 20 large-scale coal chemical enterprises, enabling the proper treatment of wastewater while generating significant economic benefits; in the past three years, it has resulted in additional sales revenue of 1.35 billion yuan and additional profits of 600 million yuan. In addition, the project has obtained 13 invention patents and published 20 papers (10 in SCI Q1), making significant contributions to ensuring China’s energy security, environmental protection, and economic development.