Coal chemical industry

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Coal chemical industry: the chemical processing of coal, which involves using coal as a raw material and transforming it through chemical processes into gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels as well as chemicals. It mainly includes coal gasification, liquefaction, carbonization, as well as tar processing and calcium carbide-acetylene chemical industry. Coal chemical industry began in the second half of the 18th century, and a complete coal chemical system was established in the 19th century. Entering the 20th century, many organic chemicals derived from agricultural and forestry products were produced using coal as a raw material, and coal chemistry became an important part of the chemical industry. After World War II, the petrochemical industry developed rapidly, and the production of many chemicals shifted from using coal as a raw material to using oil and natural gas, thereby reducing the importance of coal-based chemical industries within the chemical sector. The chemical structure of the organic matter in coal consists of large molecular structures with aromatic rings as the core units, connected to each other by bridge bonds and containing various functional groups. Through thermal and catalytic processing, coal can be converted into various fuels and chemical products. Coking is the earliest applied method and remains the most important one to this day; its main purpose is to produce coke for metallurgical use, while also generating by-products such as gas, as well as aromatic compounds like benzene, toluene, xylene, and naphthalene. Coal gasification also holds an important role in coal chemical industry; it is used to produce city gas and various fuel gases, as well as syngas ； Processes such as low-temperature carbonization of coal, direct coal liquefaction, and indirect coal liquefaction primarily produce liquid fuels.