Shaanxi Coal Yulin Chemical Holds a Technical Exchange Meeting on Coal-to-Ethanol Technology

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Shanxi Coal Yulin Chemical Held a Technical Exchange Meeting on Ethanol Production from Coal Author/Source: Chemical Industry Network – Coal Chemicals Date: 2022-03-14 Clicks: 9 On March 5, Shanxi Coal Group Yulin Chemical Co., Ltd. held a technical exchange meeting on ethanol production from coal. Tian Pinghan, assistant to the general manager of Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd. and project manager for the 500,000 tons per year coal-based ethanol production facility at Yanchang Petroleum Yushen Energy Chemicals; Jiang Meidou, general manager of Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd.’s Yulin High-Tech Energy Research Institute; Zhang Zhiliang, deputy general manager and chief engineer; Zeng Shan, deputy general manager; as well as the head of the company’s technical management department, its deputy managers, full-time technical advisors, and relevant technical staff attended the meeting. At the meeting, the head of the Technical Management Department gave a report on aspects such as the trial operation status of the 1.8 million tons per year ethylene glycol production project, which is part of the company’s demonstration project for the selective utilization of coal to produce new chemical materials; the progress of the olefins, aromatics, and deep-processing projects related to the demonstration project for the clean and efficient conversion of 15 million tons per year of coal; as well as the measures taken to reduce energy consumption and emissions. A relevant official from Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd. provided an overview of the company, information on the ethanol industry structure and market, details on projects under construction, information on planned projects, the application areas of DMTE technology, an economic analysis of DMTE technology, as well as the progress and technical features of the 500,000 tons per year coal-based ethanol project carried out by Yushen Energy Chemicals. The participants had in-depth discussions on the technologies for producing dimethyl ether from methanol dehydration, the carbonylation of dimethyl ether, the hydrogenation of methyl acetate, the direct hydrogenation of acetic acid to produce ethanol, as well as the market and application prospects of fuel ethanol. Through this technical exchange, a deeper understanding was gained of coal-based ethanol processes, technologies, and production methods, as well as of the engineering implementation of DMTE technology and process optimization. This has laid a foundation for the smooth progress of the engineering design work related to olefins, aromatics, and advanced processing in the subsequent 15 million tons per year demonstration project for the clean and efficient conversion of coal by different grades. On March 11, Yulin Chemical Company of Shaanxi Coal Group organized an online seminar on the technology of producing ethanol through acetic acid hydrogenation. **Dr. Tian Shuxun and Zuo Yubang from the Beijing Institute of Low-Carbon Clean Energy of the Energy Group, Liu Wansheng, the chief engineer of Shaanxi Coal Yulin Chemical, as well as the head and deputy managers of the Technical Management Department along with relevant technical staff attended the meeting. Tian Shuxun provided an overview of the **Beijing Low-Carbon Clean Energy Research Institute of the Energy Group, the technology route for co-producing \"acetic acid + ethanol\" from coal through methanol production, the research and development process, technical advantages, product standards, investment estimates, level of technological maturity, and aspects related to scaling up the technology for practical use. The participants had in-depth discussions on pilot-scale plants, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of product, space-time yield of ethanol, catalyst activity, catalyst lifespan, investment comparisons for projects, and plant scale. Through this technical exchange, further insights were gained regarding the pilot-scale plants for the technology of producing ethanol through the direct hydrogenation of coal using acetic acid, as well as the industrial-scale production of carriers and catalysts. This improved the understanding of the process technology for producing ethanol via direct hydrogenation of acetic acid, providing a foundation for the smooth conduct of subsequent technical evaluations. The 15 million tons per year demonstration project for the clean and efficient conversion of coal into various products, operated by Shaanxi Coal Group Yulin Chemical Co., Ltd., is located in the Qingshui Coal Chemistry Industrial Park within the Yulin Yushen Industrial Park. The investment in this project amounts to 126.2 billion yuan, and it will be constructed in two phases and four stages. Phase 1 of the project is divided into two stages: Stage 1 involves the construction of an ethylene glycol plant with an annual production capacity of 1.8 million tons, covering an area of approximately 4.4 million square meters. The total investment required for this phase is estimated at around 26.5 billion yuan, making it the largest coal-based ethylene glycol facility under construction in the world at present. In the second phase, projects for producing 5.6 million tons per year of methanol, 2 million tons per year of olefins, and for advanced processing will be carried out. Phase II of the project focuses on coal pyrolysis and is also divided into two stages. The first stage involves an industrial demonstration facility for the pyrolysis of 1.2 million tons per year of pulverized coal and the deep processing of 500,000 tons per year of coal tar. In the second stage, the scale of pyrolysis is increased to 15 million tons, and the coal tar industry chain is expanded to produce downstream products derived from aromatics and arenes.