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:Hug: Due to a \"scam\" and a promise, over a decade ago, Zhang Lu, with tens of millions earned in the real estate industry, shifted from a sector that generated profits to one that required heavy investment of capital. This \"money-burning\" industry still sounds very cutting-edge today: light hydrocarbon gas. After more than a decade of struggles, he lost tens of millions, but by holding onto the light hydrocarbon gas supply system he had created himself, Zhang Lu, who had always kept a serious expression, was now smiling happily. He realized that he was like Alibaba, accidentally stumbling upon an amazing \"treasure\". The Neglected Energy “Treasure” Over a decade ago, Zhang Lu, who was involved in real estate development, built a residential complex in Hohhot and advertised the availability of gas supply, but the pipelines were not capable of delivering it. Someone came to sell a new technology called \"light hydrocarbon gas,\" and Zhang Lu followed them for thousands of miles to buy the equipment and have it installed. I didn’t expect that what goes in this thing is residual oil, and what comes out is still residual oil. The so-called “new technology” is completely unusable. Zhang Lu thus “fell” into a world that surprised him. He spent money to recruit people to develop this technology again, but once he got involved, he wasn’t willing to back out anymore. Light hydrocarbons are by-products of the production processes in oil fields, gas fields, and refineries; their presence can be easily detected in the liquid that remains unburned at the bottom of liquefied gas cylinders, as well as in the \"constant flame\" that is kept burning in some oil and gas fields throughout the year. Light hydrocarbons have a high calorific value and are safe and environmentally friendly; if utilized scientifically, they can be turned from waste into a valuable resource, serving as an excellent alternative to conventional fuels. While the whole world is struggling with energy issues, the strategic importance of making rational use of light hydrocarbons becomes particularly significant. According to incomplete statistics, there are approximately over 10 million tons of light hydrocarbon raw materials available for use nationwide each year. About 3 million tons of this are used as raw materials for ethylene and solvent oil blowing agents, while the remaining approximately 10 million tons are wasted. If all of these 10 million tons of light hydrocarbons are used for urban gas supply, and assuming each household has 3.5 members who consume 220 kilograms per year, it would be sufficient to provide gas for cooking and bathing to 45 million urban residents. Its scale effect is comparable to that of the \"West-to-East Gas Pipeline\" project. And if the 26 million tons of diesel used annually across the country for industrial fuel were replaced with light hydrocarbon gas, it would equate to a **one-fifth reduction in diesel consumption each year. In the domestic market, light hydrocarbons are at least 1,000 yuan per ton cheaper than diesel; the direct benefits of using 10 million tons of light hydrocarbons to replace an equivalent amount of diesel can be as high as 10 billion yuan. Not only that, but since light hydrocarbon fuels basically do not suffer from the secondary pollution issues associated with the direct combustion of diesel, the positive impact of this approach on environmental protection and emission reduction is immeasurable. This striking figure shows many people the financial potential of light hydrocarbons, which still do not have the best uses available on a global scale. From prohibition to promotion: a decade driven by innovation. Although light hydrocarbons are remarkable, they are not \"docile\". It contains as many as hundreds of components, and the light hydrocarbons produced in different oil and gas fields have distinct saturated vapor pressures at their respective critical points. Therefore, from liquid light hydrocarbons to light hydrocarbon gas, and from gas production to distribution, the technical requirements are extremely high; the material can easily revert to a liquid state if not handled carefully. Ensuring the stable combustion of light hydrocarbon gas in end-use appliances in accordance with **standards is a key focus of light hydrocarbon gas technology. Especially in the cold northern regions during winter, the phenomenon of \"dew formation\" during the production and delivery of light hydrocarbon gas to the point of combustion represents a major challenge for those working on this technology. Most devices, just like the products that Zhang Lu fell for back then, are unable to overcome this challenge and fail to meet the **standards**, which in turn leads to frequent accidents. As a result, in 1995, **the relevant authorities were forced to issue a directive banning the use of light hydrocarbon gas. It was also that winter that, in order to fully overcome the challenges associated with light hydrocarbon gas, Zhang Lu founded Yelusheng Gas Company. After more than a hundred failures, the light hydrocarbon gas system developed by Yelusheng was finally successfully applied in a residential complex in Hohhot the following year. Over the following decade or so, light hydrocarbon gas moved forward with great caution. Until last March, the agencies that had originally issued the regulations – the **National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Construction, the Fire Protection Administration under the Ministry of Public Security, the **Technical Supervision Bureau, the China Urban Gas Association, and the **Environmental Protection Administration – officially designated light hydrocarbon gas as the “fourth type of urban gas”. Throughout this long journey, Yelusheng’s products have overcome technical barriers, and to date they have undergone six generations of innovation. Whether it’s the “coarse” or “fine” materials from oil fields and chemical plants anywhere in the world, they can all be processed by this system. Regardless of whether the location is in the north or south, in cold or hot climates, the raw materials require no further processing before gas can be produced from them. The current light hydrocarbon gas supply system consists of a light hydrocarbon gas generation unit and a distribution system. Using liquid light hydrocarbons as raw material, a vaporizer is employed to physically vaporize the liquid light hydrocarbons by mixing them with air in a certain ratio, thereby producing gaseous light hydrocarbon mixture gas, which is then delivered to various end-users through pipelines. Automated control is achieved at the operating temperature, pressure, and for gas and oil supply, allowing gas to be generated as needed. Li Shuting, one of the developers of this technology and a former researcher at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, recalled that back then Zhang Lu organized more than 30 senior technical experts from research institutions such as Institute 41 and Institute 46 of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the North China Municipal Engineering Design Institute, Harbin University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, and the Gas Engineering Department of Baotou Iron and Steel Design Institute, as well as enterprises, to work together on this project. The fields involved included gas technology, pipeline transportation, chemical analysis and engineering, control systems, and containers. Experts from the North China Design Institute of the Ministry of Construction and Harbin University of Civil Engineering and Architecture have published monographs based on mathematical models, establishing the theoretical foundation for light hydrocarbon gas technology. Three of the experts who worked together with Li Shuting on that project have passed away since then. Interestingly, while Ye Lusheng continued to improve the relevant technologies, starting in 2002, **the relevant authorities shifted their attitude toward light hydrocarbon technologies and their applications from caution to active support. They issued relevant standards such as the \"Technical Specifications for Civil Use of Light Hydrocarbon Mixed Gas Engineering,\" and included these technologies in the \"Catalogue of Comprehensive Resource Utilization\" as well as in the list of \"Resource-saving, Comprehensive Utilization, and Environmental Protection Technologies Encouraged for Development.\" It was not until last year that it was officially designated as the fourth type of city gas. What makes Ye Lusheng’s people even more proud is that the \"Technical Specifications for Civil Light Hydrocarbon Mixed Gas Engineering\" issued by the Ministry of Construction were developed based on Ye Lusheng’s own enterprise standards. Zhangjiajie: An Emerging Model Evidence shows that there are currently no examples of large-scale use of light hydrocarbon gas on an international scale. Ye Lusheng has built over a hundred light hydrocarbon gas stations in more than a dozen provinces and cities across the country. \"All of these industrial and domestic gas stations are operating safely and stably, which is unique both in China and around the world.\" Zhang Lu said confidently. At Beijing Eddie International School, located in the northern suburbs of Beijing, Master Yu *Fu, who is in charge of operating the boilers, appears lonely and idle. In the past, it took several people to work in shifts to operate the old boilers, but now that the school has set up a light hydrocarbon gas supply station, he is the only one needed to operate the boiler, and all he has to do is press a few buttons. Officials at the school said that they used diesel in the past, but now use light hydrocarbon gas, which saves 500,000 to 600,000 yuan in heating costs per year, and the courtyard also becomes cleaner and neater. Zhang Lu told reporters that light hydrocarbon gas supply allows for complete independence from municipal gas pipelines, enabling independent and stable gas delivery to end-users in any location at any time through its own circulation system. A single unit occupies only 60 to 300 square meters, with a distribution radius of up to 3 kilometers. The main components of this device are buried underground, allowing the ground surface to be turned into a green space. Current technology ensures the automatic operation of light hydrocarbon supply stations; all that staff need to do is to regularly replenish the light hydrocarbon material. “This characteristic of the light hydrocarbon gas system enables it to supply gas for cooking and heating to medium and small towns that do not have natural gas delivery infrastructure, as well as to residential areas located far from urban centers. ”Zhang Lu said. Not long ago, Yelusheng Company signed an agreement with Wulingyuan District in Zhangjiajie City to establish a light hydrocarbon gas demonstration zone there. The energy used for cooking and bathing by 6,000 urban residents in this area will be replaced with light hydrocarbons, and the diesel fuel used in 270 hotels and guesthouses will also be substituted. Zhang Lu did not hide his motives at all. He admitted that his goal was to use this opportunity to collaborate with this famous tourist city in order to create a model for large consumers of diesel fuel across the country, showing how they can replace diesel and electric air conditioning systems with light hydrocarbon gas. “I hope to promote the **effective use of these valuable resources, by replacing diesel, a strategic material, with light hydrocarbon gas,” said Zhang Lu. “It will be time to think about making money then. ” Postscript: Against the backdrop of dwindling oil resources, finding alternative energy sources is almost something that no one **willing to slack off on** ； Today, as environmental protection and resource scarcity have become equally important, the strategic significance of developing more environmentally friendly alternative energy sources cannot be measured in terms of money. However, due to the short time since light hydrocarbons have been used in industrial and domestic gas applications, a large-scale market has not yet been established. Li Shuting believes that to promote light hydrocarbon gas technology on a large scale, strong support from decision-making authorities is essential. Many industry professionals have also voiced similar calls: the relevant authorities should introduce more specific incentive measures as soon as possible, and governments at all levels should specify corresponding policies in their industrial and energy plans, so as to facilitate the rapid development of the light hydrocarbon gas industry as a \"green energy\" source.