Dimethyl ether is gradually becoming a new generation of energy. The development and promotion of dimethyl ether need to pass three hurdles.

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The shortage of petroleum resources and the worsening of environmental pollution have led to an increasing enthusiasm for finding and developing new energy sources around the world. Recently, the 30,000-ton dimethyl ether project of Shandong Jiutai Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. was successfully put into operation, marking that dimethyl ether has achieved gratifying results in terms of scale and cost control. Dimethyl ether is a new type of clean energy produced from coal. As a supplement to traditional energy, it is no longer a distant dream to replace gasoline, diesel, liquefied gas, natural gas, etc. dimethyl ether: The new generation of energy, DME, is a non-toxic oxygen-containing fuel. It is produced from coal, natural gas and other resources. It can achieve efficient and clean combustion and has great application prospects in transportation, power generation, civil and other fields. In recent years, it has caused widespread concern in Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea and my country * * and experts attach great importance to it, accelerating the development and research of its application technology. The "2003 International DME Forum" held in Shanghai this year was hosted by the International DME Association. * Together with experts and scholars from Japan, South Korea and China, we discussed how to promote the development and utilization of DME (dimethyl ether). At the press conference for Jiutai’s 30,000 tons of dimethyl ether production and the industrial development prospect demonstration meeting, Ni Weidou, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zhou Longbao, professor of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Wang Binggang, director of the expert committee of the National Clean Vehicle Leading Group, Rong Huikang, executive deputy director of the expert committee of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and other experts engaged in dimethyl ether production and application research believed that: The development of dimethyl ether is not only economical and environmentally friendly, but also strategic. Jiutai Chemical has set an example for the strategic adjustment of my country's energy structure. Experts predict that my country will have a demand for 5 million to 10 million tons of dimethyl ether within five years. Therefore, the market prospects for dimethyl ether are broad, and the key lies in cost control. It is understood that after the annual output of 30,000 tons of dimethyl ether project of Jiutai Chemical was put into operation, the cost was successfully controlled within 3,000 yuan/ton, which indicates that dimethyl ether has the prerequisite for large-scale development. Xi'an Jiaotong University has been responsible for the development of dimethyl ether as automobile fuel since 1997. * * Research on the performance and combustion characteristics of direct-injection diesel engines using dimethyl ether jointly funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China and Ford Motor Company has been continuously improved. The engine has been tested from laboratory bench tests to driving tests on highways. It has been shown that using dimethyl ether can increase the power of the original diesel engine by 10% - 15%, increase the thermal efficiency by 2% - 3%, reduce combustion noise by 5% - 10%, and the maximum speed exceeds that of a diesel engine vehicle of the same model. Diesel and dimethyl ether fuels can be easily switched to achieve smokeless combustion in the entire speed load range. At the development demonstration meeting of Jiutai Chemical's dimethyl ether project, Zhou Longbao, professor of the Department of Automotive Engineering of Xi'an Jiaotong University and chairman of the Shaanxi Internal Combustion Engine Society, pointed out: In big cities, vehicle exhaust has become one of the main sources of atmospheric pollution. Compared with other energy sources, cars using dimethyl ether fuel can not only * * Reducing the environmental pollution caused by tail gas emissions, and more importantly, its low production cost and guaranteed fuel source will bring a clean and beautiful living space to urban people and bring an epoch-making fuel revolution to the automobile industry. The industry has long regarded DME (dimethyl ether) as the ultra-clean fuel of the 21st century. Experts call for: Our country must speed up the development and research of dimethyl ether. Whether it is to replace LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for civilian use, or to replace diesel and gasoline on a large scale, or for power generation, its preparation, storage, transportation, and distribution are relatively easy to solve. This is fully consistent with my country's western development and the strategy of coordinated economic and environmental development, and can promote the development of new generation automobiles and electric power and other energy industries. There are three hurdles to overcome in the development and promotion of dimethyl ether. Ni Weidou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has been engaged in energy research. He participated in the commissioning ceremony of Jiutai. At the press conference and industrial development demonstration meeting for the commissioning of Jiutai Chemical's dimethyl ether project, Academician Ni Weidou pointed out: It is expected that my country's demand for dimethyl ether will be huge within five years. Therefore, there is no outlet problem for dimethyl ether. The key lies in cost control. According to reports, the current domestic mature production process of dimethyl ether has a long production chain, and the product cost changes with the fluctuation of methanol prices. The price of methanol in the domestic market fluctuates widely, ranging from more than 1,000 yuan per ton at low times to more than 2,000 yuan at high times. If the price of dimethyl ether also fluctuates, its attractiveness as a civilian fuel will be greatly reduced. He believes that compared with the calorific value of currently used liquefied petroleum gas, the cost of dimethyl ether cannot exceed 3,000 yuan. This is the first hurdle. Fortunately, Jiutai has successfully overcome this hurdle. The second level proposed by Ni Weidou is the technical level. Several key issues currently faced by dimethyl ether are:: High-efficiency, low-cost coal-to-gas technology and equipment are needed ； Need a reactor capable of large-scale dimethyl ether production ； Solve the problem of utilization of carbon dioxide in the production process of dimethyl ether made from coal as raw material ； Development and production of related catalysts ； Mature and economical dimethyl ether separation and purification technology, etc. ； This will bring the future construction of large-scale dimethyl ether production equipment to a new level. Jiutai Chemical adopts the dimethyl ether production process with independent intellectual property rights, which solves the world-wide problems in the production of dimethyl ether from the perspective of industrial production. It overcomes the shortcomings of high purification cost and expensive investment of the traditional gas phase dehydration method. Compared with similar products produced by other manufacturers, the investment is It is reduced by 1/2 and the production cost is reduced by more than 1/3, which has a strong market competitive advantage. After more than two years of production operation, it has been proved that the process technology has matured. The expert appraisal committee organized by the Shandong Provincial Department of Science and Technology has determined that the production process technology has reached the international leading level. The third hurdle is a policy hurdle that is difficult for experts and scholars to resolve. Academician Ni Weidou believes that only * * Only by formulating preferential policies in terms of investment and taxation can dimethyl ether be developed as a new energy source. At present, investment in dimethyl ether construction projects in my country is mostly self-raised by enterprises, local and * * Supporting loans, foreign corporate investment and * * loan. None of these three methods can guarantee the great development of dimethyl ether. Academician Ni Weidou believes that although the amount of investment in dimethyl ether is high, it will not be large in scope. * * Considering energy security and market demand, the high investment is worthwhile. He suggested, * * Relevant agencies should provide preferential support to supporting loans for the construction of dimethyl ether projects from the perspective of supporting clean energy. ； After the project is completed and put into production, tax exemptions will be provided. Even limited loan and tax deduction amounts can highlight * * Regulatory attitude is a necessary means to help the clean energy industry develop and grow.