Breakthrough in China’s coal chemical technology enables partial substitution for oil

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Beijing, December 3 (Reporter Ni Guanghui) – A major breakthrough has been achieved in a key coal chemical technology that possesses complete independent intellectual property rights and reaches world-class standards. Jin Yong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Tsinghua University, said at a press conference held in the Great Hall of the People today that the successful development of the fluidized bed methanol to propylene (FMTP) industrial technology has opened up a petrochemical technology pathway that does not rely on petroleum as a raw material, enabling diversification of the raw materials used for propylene production and achieving a partial substitution for petroleum. This is of great significance for breaking through China’s resource constraints and advancing **energy structure adjustment. 　　In the clean and efficient utilization of coal, coal-to-olefins represents a recognized and viable development direction. Among these methods, methanol-to-olefins is a key technology that has not yet been put into industrial use worldwide, and it has become a bottleneck in the development of new coal chemical processes. The success of this industrial test on methanol-to-propylene production using a fluidized bed represents a breakthrough in coal-based olefin technology. It will play an important role in the efficient and clean utilization of coal resources, as well as in the structural adjustment and upgrading of the traditional coal chemical industry, and in the comprehensive utilization of energy in China. 　　It is understood that the \"fluidized bed methanol to propylene industrial technology\" was developed through joint efforts by Sinochem Group, Tsinghua University, and Anhui Huaihua Group. Building on the pilot-scale research conducted at Tsinghua University, the results of those tests were scaled up to a 10,000-ton scale. Through the operation of industrial testing facilities, process parameters were optimized, and the durability of catalysts as well as the reliability of process equipment were evaluated. As a result, the technology associated with this 10,000-ton industrial testing facility, along with its environmental protection metrics, reached advanced levels both domestically and internationally. This provides a technical foundation and a training platform for the development of industrial facilities on a million-ton scale in the future. 　　Experts say that FMTP industrial technology is one of the key technologies suited to the conditions of China’s coal chemical industry. Its successful development will play an important role in the efficient and clean utilization of coal resources, alleviating the overcapacity issue in methanol production, extending the coal chemical industry chain, and promoting the sustainable and healthy development of this industry. The successful development of FMTP industrial technology not only fills a major gap in coal-based olefin technology but also breaks the foreign monopoly on key technologies in coal chemical industry, which will have a significant impact on China’s transformation from a major producer of coal chemicals to a strong country in this field. 　　This conference was hosted by the \"Strategic Alliance for Technological Innovation in the Next Generation Coal (Energy) Chemical Industry\" and organized by China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation. Gu Xiulian, former vice chairperson of the National **** Association; Li Xueyong, member of the Party leadership group and deputy minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology; Li Yongwu, president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, among others, attended the meeting. 　　In 2007, six ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and the Development Bank launched a pilot program for industrial technology innovation strategic alliances. Four such technology innovation pilot alliances were established by key enterprises in major industries, as well as leading universities and research institutions. The “Strategic Alliance for Innovation in the New Generation of Coal (Energy) Chemical Industry,” led by China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation, is one of them.