Gas purification holds great potential under the new circumstances

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Gas purification holds great potential under the new circumstances. Author/Source: Sinochem New Network. Date: November 5, 2021. Clicks: 21. On November 3, the 21st National Annual Conference on Gas Purification and Sulfur Recovery Technologies in the energy and chemical industry was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang. The theme of the conference focused on gas purification and sulfur recovery, reflecting the development trend toward deeper desulfurization and decarbonization as well as reduced emissions of pollutants in this industry, and it brought new ideas to the sector. 　　Liu Ming, director of the National Gas Purification Information Center and general manager of Sinopec Nanjing Research Institute of Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., pointed out that whether it is oil, coal, natural gas, or other types of field gas or shale gas, industrial applications rely on purification processes, and gas purification will play an important role in these processes. Gas purification is an essential core technology in energy and chemical systems, and it is key to further improving conversion efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions. Gas purification is no longer limited to the desulfurization and decarburization of feed gas; it also encompasses the suitability of the feed materials, the energy consumption and reliability of the equipment, the rational layout and design of the purification processes, as well as the operational skills required. Moreover, it extends to both the upstream and downstream stages of the entire production process, thereby broadening the scope of research and application in gas purification. It is evident that gas purification holds great potential under the new circumstances. 　　Liu Ming emphasized that to achieve a green and low-carbon transition, it is necessary to pursue approaches such as reducing carbon emissions at the source, replacing energy sources, improving energy efficiency, promoting recycling, upgrading manufacturing processes, and employing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Among them, CCUS is an important approach for deeply reducing CO₂ emissions in order to address climate change. 　　At present, a number of related projects led by large enterprises are underway in the country ； From the perspective of app markets, our country has broad prospects for development. Initial estimates suggest that the global CCUS industry could reach a value of trillions of dollars, with China’s investment in CCUS expected to amount to 3.5 trillion yuan by 2060. New environmental protection standards issued in recent years, such as the \"Emission Standards for Pollutants in the Petrochemical Industry,\" the \"Emission Standards for Pollutants in the Petroleum Refining Industry,\" the \"Guidelines for Identifying VOCs Pollution Sources in the Petrochemical Sector,\" and the \"Technical Specifications for the Treatment of Exhaust Gases from the Petroleum Refining Industry,\" will also lead to revisions of existing standards and set higher requirements for reducing pollutant emissions in the energy and chemical industries in the future ； Furthermore, with the vigorous promotion of policies for clean production and the upgrading of petroleum products, \"green and low-carbon\" will be the development trend and direction for the energy and chemical industries in the future. 　　Liu Ming pointed out that to meet the increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements and local pollutant emission control standards, high-concentration acidic waste gases must be sent to sulfur recovery units for treatment, and oil and gas must be recovered and processed in order to control emissions of carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, malodorous substances, and toxic and harmful materials. In particular, with the use of fossil feedstocks such as high-sulfur crude oil and high-sulfur coal, gas purification and sulfur recovery will undoubtedly play a significant role in environmental protection efforts in the future. Deep desulfurization and decarbonization of feed gas, sulfur recovery, the resourceful recycling of carbon dioxide, deep desulfurization of petroleum products, removal of VOCs from flue gases, and ultra-clean emission of flue gases will be the key trends in the development of China’s gas purification and sulfur recovery industry. 　　Liu Ming said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the petrochemical and modern coal chemical industries, as high-value sectors, will accelerate the development of a modern petrochemical and chemical industry system driven by innovation and characterized by green and low-carbon practices, with the creation of a number of enterprises and industrial clusters that possess international competitiveness. Newly built, renovated, or expanded petrochemical and coal chemical projects must meet the requirements for improving regional environmental quality, controlling the total emissions of key pollutants, achieving the goal of peak carbon emissions, as well as relevant environmental assessment and planning standards. Promote the research and development as well as industrialization of technologies related to carbon emission reduction, carbon neutrality, carbon dioxide recycling, green hydrogen utilization, and the production of biodegradable materials, in order to create growth points for the development of a low-carbon economy in this industry. At the same time, more detailed guidelines for carbon inventory and carbon accounting should be developed for the industry, and active participation in the national carbon trading market should be pursued at the appropriate time. 　　At this conference, industry experts and scholars delivered excellent speeches, sharing their technologies and experiences in areas such as desulfurization and decarbonization of feed gas, sulfur recovery, advanced purification of syngas, treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), comprehensive utilization of CO₂ and sulfur resources, as well as carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality.