Pilot plant for producing α-olefins from Ningxia coal Fischer-Tropsch oil products successfully commissioned

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Pilot plant for producing α-olefins from FTO oil by Ningxia Coal Group successfully commissioned Author/Source: **Energy Group Date: 2022-04-02 Clicks: 13 On March 30, good news came from Ningxia Coal Group: the pilot project for producing α-olefins from FTO oil at a capacity of 8,000 tons per year had completed its entire process flow, with the commissioning successful on the first attempt. On March 21, the pilot plant was started up for feeding tests, and at 9:00 on March 26, qualified C6 alkenes were produced. After numerous fine adjustments, qualified C8 alkenes were produced at 5:00 on March 30, with the purity of both products exceeding 99%. Ningxia Coal Company was the first in China to carry out pilot tests of this technology, filling the gap in China’s technology for purifying α-olefins through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This marks significant progress in the development of key technologies for producing α-olefins from Fischer-Tropsch oil, technologies that are owned as intellectual property by Ningxia Coal Company. Pilot plant for the production of α-olefins from Fischer-Tropsch oils. It is reported that 1-hexene among C6 alkenes and 1-octene among C8 alkenes can be used to produce higher-carbon alcohols and polyα-olefin base oils (PAO); after further purification, they can be used in the production of polyolefin elastomers (POE) and polyolefin plastomers (POP), which are then utilized in automotive components such as steering wheels and seats. The pilot-scale separation project for the production of α-olefins from 8,000 tons per year of Fischer-Tropsch oil products is a supplementary project to the key initiative in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, namely “Research and Demonstration on Key Technologies for Coal-based High-end Lubricant Base Oils”. On April 28, 2019, **Energy Group approved the initiation of this project; it constitutes a pilot project within **Energy Group’s “2030 Major Projects” program. This project was independently developed and designed by the Ningxia Coal Chemical Industry Technology Research Institute; the Coal-to-Oil Chemical Engineering Construction Command was responsible for the construction work, while the Coal-to-Oil Branch handled the commissioning process. It took 2 years and 11 months from project initiation to successful trial operation. Liu Suli, the person in charge of the project in its initial stages and director of the Office of the Coal Chemistry Industry Technology Research Institute, explained that α-olefins are important raw materials for the chemical industry. In China, the only α-olefin with a carbon chain length of 6 or more is 1-hexene, and its annual production amounts to only about 45,000 tons; α-olefins with a carbon chain length of 8 or more rely entirely on imports. At present, many domestic research institutions are still in the laboratory stage of developing technologies for the separation of α-olefins from Fischer-Tropsch oil products; no similar products have been produced by other coal-to-oil projects yet. The successful trial operation of this project marks Ningmei Company’s leadership in China in carrying out pilot-scale tests of this technology, placing it at the forefront in the country. Based on the development of key technologies for producing α-olefins from Fischer-Tropsch oils and a pilot-scale demonstration project, this pilot plant can develop a complete set of technologies for an α-olefin industrial chain with independent intellectual property rights. This will provide strong technical support for fine chemical projects. The research outcomes of this project can serve as fundamental data for industrial application, and thus hold great significance for the development of Ningxia Coal Industry’s fine chemical industry. In recent years, Ningxia Coal Company has steadfastly pursued a path of development focused on high-end products, diversification, and low carbon emissions. By seizing opportunities and making concerted efforts to extend, strengthen, and optimize industrial chains, it has expanded the production of high-end polyolefin materials, catalysts, α-olefins, lubricants, solvent oils, and other advanced chemical products. As a result, the added value of its products as well as their market competitiveness have improved significantly.