China sees numerous highlights in the development of clean coal

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Highlights in the development of clean coal in our country Business News, November 26 – “From now until 2015, humanity has 7 years left to save the Earth.” ”British climatologist Bill McGurk said that climate issues have become a core problem affecting human survival, and the solution lies in developing a low-carbon economy. 　　The ongoing financial crisis of this round also tells us that there is no simple path to economic growth in the world; pursuing the old path of high energy consumption and high emissions is not sustainable. The rise of new economies must pave the way for new paths of economic development. Developing a low-carbon economy that is resource-efficient and environmentally friendly is the inevitable path for China’s economic growth. Given China’s energy resource endowments and energy consumption structure, the utilization of clean coal will become a key focus for the development of a low-carbon economy in the country. 　　**Liu Qi, deputy director of the Energy Bureau, said on November 16 that clean coal will become one of the key areas of focus in the field of clean energy. From November 14th to 15th, the third Roundtable Meeting for CEOs of Chinese and Foreign Multinational Companies was held in Beijing. At the Clean Coal Development Forum, 10 major coal enterprises in China joined the United Nations’ Clean Coal Technology Demonstration and Promotion Project, while companies such as Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group, Shanxi Jinmei Group, and Shanxi Lu’an Group were awarded the title of “United Nations Clean Coal Technology Demonstration and Promotion Enterprises”. 　　A new model for the comprehensive conversion of coal and salt The Comprehensive Utilization Project in Jingbian Chemical Industrial Park is one of the few circular economy demonstration projects in China and even the world that utilize oil, gas, coal, and salt resources in a comprehensive manner. ”Shen Hao, chairman of Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Company, told reporters. 　　It is reported that the comprehensive utilization project in the Jingbian Chemical Industry Park uses coal, oil field gas, residue oil, and other resources from the Jingbian area of Yulin as raw materials to build facilities for producing 1.8 million tons per year of methanol, 1.5 million tons per year through catalytic thermal cracking, 600,000 tons per year of MTO (methanol-to-olefins), 600,000 tons per year of PE (polyethylene), and 600,000 tons per year of PP (polypropylene). This project involves the thorough optimization and allocation of various resources and production factors, breaking away from the traditional strong correlation between coal chemical processing and greenhouse gas emissions. It creates an integrated industrial cluster characterized by intensification, as well as features related to a circular economy and energy conservation and emission reduction, thereby achieving high-level conversion of resources and clean production. 　　Academician Zhang Yi from the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the local resources of Yanchang Petroleum are characterized by the simultaneous presence of oil, gas, coal, and salt – which lays a foundation for the development of new types of chemical industries based on comprehensive utilization and transformation of these resources. 　　Shen Hao explained that through the optimal combination of chemical elements such as coal, oil extraction products, dry gas, methane, and hydrogen, as well as through the optimized design of the production process, the resource utilization rate of this project is 8.86% higher than that of internationally advanced levels. Compared to the advanced domestic standards, this equates to an annual savings of 255 million cubic meters of natural gas or 419,000 tons of coal. 　　Zhang Yi pointed out that the development of chemical synthesis using carbon-based materials is an important aspect of the advancement of coal chemistry. If oil, coal, and even coalbed methane can be combined to adjust the hydrocarbon ratio appropriately, this would constitute an excellent model for developing a circular economy, and it represents a highly promising technology for the comprehensive utilization of coal. 　　The cost-effectiveness advantages of coalbed methane are becoming increasingly prominent. “To advance clean coal technologies, it is necessary to promote the coordinated development of the coal and coalbed methane industries.” ”Yang Maolin, general manager of Shanxi Jinmei Group Company, said at the meeting that the company has developed and implemented new models for integrated coal and gas mining, gas management, and coalbed methane exploitation. 　　Jinmei Group is currently the largest base for the development and utilization of coalbed methane in China, with a coal production capacity of 50 million tons per year and a coalbed methane production capacity of 1.2 billion cubic meters per year. “Jinmei’s coalbed methane industry has embarked on a path of market-oriented development. ”A relevant official from Jinmei Group told the reporter. 　　Yang Maolin said that the company has built a market network based on the approach of using low-concentration gas from underground sources for power generation, and high-concentration coalbed methane for use in the market; coalbed methane is now widely applied in various fields such as civilian use, automotive fuel, and power generation. 　　“The cost advantage of coalbed methane over gasoline is becoming increasingly evident day by day; as a vehicle fuel, 1 cubic meter of coalbed methane can replace 1.13 liters of gasoline, and using 1 cubic meter of coalbed methane can save at least 2.5–3.0 yuan. ”He said. 　　It is reported that Jinmei currently has compression stations for coalbed methane with a capacity of 7 billion cubic meters per day, a coalbed methane power generation capacity of 18.9 kilowatts, gas supply to over 100,000 residential households, more than 2,000 buses, and over 300 heavy trucks powered by coalbed methane; the daily utilization volume of coalbed methane exceeds 2 million cubic meters. At the same time, by accelerating the construction of coalbed methane pipelines and liquefaction projects, the utilization of coalbed methane has expanded to various regions including Shanxi, Henan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. 　　From January to October 2009, Jinnan Coal Group utilized 540 million cubic meters of coalbed methane, with the annual total reaching 800 million cubic meters; thus the utilization rate was 80%, an increase of 152.37% compared to 2008. “This transforms waste into treasure, turns harm into benefit, and protects the environment. ”Yang Maolin said. 　　Chen Qingru, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out that the utilization of coalbed methane is an important aspect in addressing the inefficient use of energy. “China is a major country in terms of coal energy production and consumption. Coalbed methane is not only the primary threat to the safe operation of coal mines, but it is also a greenhouse gas whose pollution impact is 20–60 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. With the international energy situation becoming increasingly tense and the safety conditions in China’s coal mines under severe pressure, coalbed methane, as a clean energy source with enormous reserves, can serve as a new resource to replace conventional energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. ” 　　The circular economy aspects of coal-to-oil parks Wang Maolin, president of the China International Multinational Companies Research Association, pointed out at the conference that the technologies for converting coal into clean fuels include coal gasification and liquefaction techniques, combined cycle power generation using coal gasification, and magnetic fluid power generation using coal. 　　“Among the four circular economy parks in Lu’an, the coal-to-oil economic circular park is one of them. ”Wang Zhijie, assistant to the general manager of Shanxi Lu’an Group, said that coal-to-oil production will be one of the key areas for Lu’an’s future development. 　　It is reported that this industrial park includes 7 production facilities, such as an 8-million-ton coal mine, a 2×3.5 coal gangue power plant, a 2.1-million-ton coking plant, an IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) power plant, and building material factories. Within the park, the gas generated at traditional coal mines through valve gaps can be converted into heat energy through catalytic combustion, or it can be sent to nearby power plants as fuel, thereby saving standard coal while reducing emissions. In the case of surface extraction of coalbed methane, some of the methane produced during this process is also used for power generation, resulting in a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 1 million tons. 　　In the management of coal-to-oil plants, they installed a urea production unit that converts a portion of the useless oxygen and nitrogen separated during the production process into chemical products directly from carbon dioxide. Furthermore, many low-calorific-value flue gases that are difficult to utilize in chemical processes are also fed into IGCC power plants. Through logistics, energy flow, steam balance, and waste utilization, resources can be almost completely utilized. 　　Chen Qingru said that Lu’an’s experience in coal liquefaction and cogeneration through independent innovation is very important. If coal companies could pay as much attention to the processing and refining of coal as oil companies do, and establish integrated production systems that combine coal chemistry, coal-based power generation, and coal-related construction, it would be very promising to make coal energy cleaner. 　　Cheng Siwei, former vice chairman of the National **Committee, pointed out at the meeting that coal will likely remain the primary energy source in the short term. The clean coal energy program cannot be achieved overnight; it needs to be carried out in a planned and step-by-step manner. 　　He emphasized that our country is not yet in a position to fully and rapidly implement clean coal energy programs at this stage. The State Council is formulating a five- and ten-year long-term development plan that will support policies for the efficient use of clean coal; the introduction of such policies will **accelerate the development of clean coal energy**.