Technical Development Status of the Phosphorus Chemical Industry during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period, as well as Technical Development Trends and Recommendations for the 12th Five-Year Plan Period

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According to the original schedule for the meeting, it was planned to have Professor Chen Jiafu, a veteran in our industry and a senior expert, give a presentation on technical developments in the phosphate chemicals sector, as only he possesses the necessary expertise for that. However, Mr. Chen fell ill. Deputy Director Wang, a member of the association’s committee, asked me to speak, and I was very embarrassed and nervous. Commissioned by Mr. Li Guozhang, President of the Phosphorus Chemicals Branch, to report on the development of phosphorus chemicals technology. If there are any mistakes in what I have said, I ask the experts and leaders to point them out and offer their corrections. I. Review of the technological development in the phosphorus chemicals industry during the 11th Five-Year Plan period Technological development in the industry during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (I) Yellow phosphorus. In 2005, yellow phosphorus products were classified by the **Ministry of Environmental Protection as “high-emission, high-consumption, and resource-intensive” products. Due to the increasing efforts in environmental protection and the practical need for yellow phosphorus manufacturers to reduce costs, the comprehensive utilization of waste generated during the yellow phosphorus production process has received growing attention during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, and positive progress has been made in this regard. 　　1. Wastewater containing elemental phosphorus. Through years of relentless effort, most enterprises have achieved a fully closed-loop system for wastewater containing elemental phosphorus, meeting the requirement of zero discharge for such wastewater. 　　2. Exhaust fumes. Due to the specific composition of the exhaust gases from yellow phosphorus electric furnaces and various technical constraints, a large amount of such gases is still released after combustion in China’s yellow phosphorus production enterprises, resulting in a low level of comprehensive utilization. At present, the annual volume of yellow phosphorus exhaust gases burned for heating other materials in China is approximately 2.1 billion m3, which has a significant impact on the environment. “During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, as requirements for the emission of yellow phosphorus exhaust gases became increasingly strict, and there was a desire to further increase the added value of downstream products derived from these exhaust gases, efforts to develop technologies for exhaust gas purification were intensified. A number of technologies for the purification and comprehensive utilization of yellow phosphorus exhaust gases emerged, such as electrostatic dust removal for the initial purification of furnace gases, emulsification dust removal for the initial purification of exhaust gases, as well as the A.D.A., PDS, TV, and DDS methods for the advanced purification of exhaust gases ； In terms of comprehensive utilization methods such as producing C1 chemicals from yellow phosphorus exhaust gases, generating electricity with gas, and using gas boilers, many yellow phosphorus manufacturers have made various attempts, but due to technical and other factors, these methods have not been widely adopted. How to further improve the comprehensive utilization efficiency of yellow phosphorus exhaust gases and reduce pollution remains a pressing challenge for the yellow phosphorus industry. 　　3. Progress in solid waste utilization. The solid wastes generated in yellow phosphorus production mainly include slag, sludge phosphorus, the residues after recovery, and dust produced during the drying process of yellow phosphorus raw materials. “During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, China made positive progress in the reuse of yellow phosphorus slag. 　　(1) The technology for producing cement from yellow phosphorus slag is already mature. Many yellow phosphorus manufacturers have used all the water-quenched slag to produce cement, achieving excellent economic, environmental, and social benefits. 　　(2) Other uses for yellow phosphorus slag are making progress. Using slag ground into ultra-fine powder as an additive for high-performance, high-strength concrete, manufacturing calcium-silicon fertilizer from slag, or producing microcrystalline glass through thermal melting of slag without water quenching, can all significantly reduce the energy consumption in yellow phosphorus production and improve economic and environmental benefits. 　　(3) Sludge phosphorus and its residues. Comprehensive phosphorus chemical enterprises are able to achieve 100% treatment of sludge phosphorus, such as Wengfu Group and Xingfa Group. 　　4. Progress in waste heat utilization. Utilization of slag waste heat has begun. In the production of yellow phosphorus, more than a quarter of the electrical energy used (around 27%-29%) is wasted as the slag carries away this energy in the form of sensible heat. To reduce costs, Wengfu Group has completed pilot tests on converting molten slag directly into microcrystalline glass. Xingfa Group plans to utilize the thermal energy of the slag to generate high-temperature gases that can serve as a heat source for chemical reactions or material drying, while also using the highly reactive slag to produce high-strength building materials. 　　Meanwhile, during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the phosphorus yellow industry also made continued positive progress in technical research and practice related to process optimization and electric furnace design. 　　(II) Phosphoric acid. 　　1. Breakthroughs have been achieved in the utilization of waste heat from thermal phosphate reaction processes. The phosphoric acid waste heat boiler process, developed under the leadership of the Yunnan Chemical Industry Research Institute with the participation of various institutions including Tsinghua University, has been installed in numerous yellow phosphorus production facilities in China. It enables annual savings of 340,000 tons of standard coal, 7.67 million tons of cooling water, and 14.08 million kWh of electricity; it also reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 850,000 tons, coal slag by 185,000 tons, and sulfur dioxide by 16,000 tons. 　　2. Significant progress has been made in thermal phosphoric acid production technology, the quality of food-grade acids has further improved, and the introduction and adoption of electronic-grade phosphoric acid technology are underway. 　　3. Significant progress has been made in wet-process phosphoric acid technology. Companies that have performed well in purification include Sinochem, Wengfu, and Yihua, etc.; the hydrochloric acid process for wet phosphoric acid production is becoming increasingly mature. At present, the amount of wet-process phosphoric acid used to replace hot-process phosphoric acid in the phosphate chemicals industry (excluding phosphate fertilizers) is small. 　　4. Kiln-process phosphoric acid is increasingly favored by the industry. “During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, many enterprises such as Sanxin, Yaozhihe, and Guangxi Mingli actively pursued research on phosphoric acid production using the kiln method, making some positive progress. 　　(III) Pentasodium. “During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, due to suspicions that phosphorus-containing laundry detergents were the source of eutrophication in water bodies, various countries and regions imposed bans on phosphorus use. Although no final conclusion has been reached yet, this has led to a significant drop in the consumption of sodium pentoxide in the laundry detergent industry; many production lines for sodium pentoxide across the country have been shut down or reoriented to other products. As new areas of consumption for pentasodium continue to be developed, significant technological progress has also been achieved. 　　1. The symbiotic relationship between pentasodium and related industries is becoming increasingly strong. The use of wet-process phosphoric acid to replace part of the hot-process phosphoric acid in the production of pentasodium compounds, along with increasing cooperation between companies that produce pentasodium compounds and those that manufacture caustic soda, as well as the co-production of pentasodium compounds from silica and the use of ammonium salts in their production, have all contributed to reducing costs. 　　2. Positive progress has been made in the recovery of exhaust gases to produce carbonate products, as well as in the reuse of waste heat. 　　3. Significant progress has been made in the production technology for pentasodium. 　　(IV) Feed phosphates. “The 11th Five-Year Plan period was a time of rapid development for feed phosphates in China, with significant improvements in both production capacity and quality. 　　(5) Other phosphates. “During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the structural upgrading of China’s phosphorus chemical industry accelerated, and the technical capabilities for developing high-value phosphorus chemical products were further enhanced. 　　1. The production technologies for hypophosphorus, hexametaphosphorus, and red phosphorus are steadily improving, with technological development accelerating as their application areas expand ； Phosphorus pentoxide is developing rapidly. Phosphate products such as monosodium, disodium, and trisodium salts are developing in a series-based format. 　　2. The production technology for raw materials and intermediates of organophosphorus products such as phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus oxytrichloride, and phosphorus pentasulfide has improved rapidly, with an increased capacity to handle yellow phosphorus. 　　“Status of industry technology policies during the 11th Five-Year Plan period During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the industry technology policies that were introduced or are currently being formulated include: “Access Requirements for Yellow Phosphorus” ； 　　\"Evaluation Index System for Clean Production in the Yellow Phosphorus Industry\" ； 　　\"Limits on energy consumption per unit of yellow phosphorus produced.\" 　　The \"Emission Standards for Yellow Phosphorus Pollutants\" are about to be issued. II. Technical Development Trends and Prospects for the Phosphorus Chemicals Industry during the 12th Five-Year Plan Period (I) Yellow phosphorus. “During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, efforts to protect the environment will only increase and not decrease. Meanwhile, with the availability of phosphorus resources in countries such as Vietnam, the demand for phosphorus production will rise; as a result, phosphorus producers will not only face competition among each other domestically but also competition from new types of producers, as well as competition from different production methods such as wet-process phosphate and furnace-process phosphate. Therefore, technical work on yellow phosphorus must be strengthened during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. 　　1. Strengthen research on the production technology of yellow phosphorus to further improve the capability for process control in its production. Expand thinking and methods, and conduct research in various areas such as controlling slag acidity, reducing raw material consumption, improving phosphorus recovery rates, and optimizing circuit manufacturing parameters, in order to enhance the overall technical level of China’s yellow phosphorus industry. 　　2. Accelerate the technological development of yellow phosphorus off-gas purification technologies as well as downstream C1 chemicals. Continue to work on improving the electrostatic dust removal technology for furnace gas purification; the key is to increase the stable operation time, reduce the dust content in the furnace gas, minimize phosphorus-containing sludge, and improve the recovery rate ； Continue to intensify efforts in improving the existing methods for advanced exhaust gas purification, namely the A.D.A method, PDS method, TV method, and DDS method, and constantly optimize the process solutions ； Research on developing new advanced purification process technologies ； Strive to achieve at least one or two breakthroughs in comprehensive utilization methods such as producing C1 chemicals from yellow phosphorus exhaust gases, gas-powered power generation, and gas boilers, so that these methods can be widely adopted. 　　3. Make further breakthroughs in the value addition of solid waste utilization. Although the technology for producing cement from yellow phosphorus slag is already mature, it has also yielded excellent economic, environmental, and social benefits. However, other utilization methods are still in the experimental stage, and the comprehensive utilization of solid waste and waste heat has not been effectively integrated. It is necessary to strengthen technical research to significantly reduce the energy consumption in yellow phosphorus production and improve economic and environmental benefits. 　　4. Actively promote the utilization of waste heat. 　　(II) Phosphoric acid. 　　1. Continue to optimize the operating process scheme for the waste heat boiler used in thermal phosphoric acid production, in order to further increase the stable operation time. The focus is to continue working on anti-corrosion materials for boilers, improve the anti-corrosion properties of these materials, reduce the frequency of repairs, and further enhance efficiency. 　　2. Continue to optimize the thermal phosphoric acid production process, fully absorb the process technologies and related technologies for electronic-grade phosphoric acid, thereby laying a foundation for the further development of phosphate-based electronic chemicals. 　　3. Significant progress has been made in wet-process phosphoric acid technology. Strengthen technical cooperation with relevant research institutions and the introduction of advanced technologies to further improve the efficiency of purification and extraction in wet-process phosphoric acid production and reduce costs ； Increase research on the industrial application technology of wet phosphoric acid produced by the hydrochloric acid method, with the aim of achieving industrial-scale production ； Strengthen the technical efforts to use wet-process phosphoric acid as a substitute for hot-process phosphoric acid in the production of phosphorus chemical products. Strengthen technical research on the prevention and control of pollution as well as the comprehensive utilization of off-gases and waste residues from wet phosphoric acid production. 　　4. Actively promote the industrial production of phosphoric acid via the kiln process. 　　(III) Pentasodium. “During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, Wusodium should, in line with the demands of new consumer sectors, utilize new technologies to develop new products, while continuing to focus on advancing technologies such as exhaust gas desulfurization and waste heat utilization. 　　1. The application of pentasodium in various fields has led to quality research, resulting in distinct systems of raw materials and processing technologies. 　　2. Actively promote the industrial production of pentasodium salts via the co-production of silica gel and pentasodium/ammonium salts process. 　　3. Strengthen research and development in exhaust gas desulfurization technologies to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions ； Actively promote technical research on the recovery of exhaust gases for the production of carbonate products. 　　(IV) Feed-grade phosphates. Increase biological testing, optimize production processes, reduce the content of harmful components, improve absorption rates, and lower production costs. 　　(5) Other phosphates. “During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the upgrading of the industrial structure in China’s phosphorus chemicals industry will surely accelerate further, and the technical capabilities for developing high-value phosphorus chemicals need to be improved ainda more. Strengthen the development of production process technologies for high-purity phosphates, special phosphates, functional phosphates, and phosphate chemical materials. 　　“During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the phosphorus chemical industry should meet the requirements of the petrochemical industry revitalization plan for \"integrated, park-based, and intensive development,\" by strengthening research on symbiotic and coupled technologies with related industries, thereby promoting the integrated, park-based, and intensive development of this industry. III. Policy Measures and Recommendations to Ensure the Achievement of the Technical Development Goals for the Phosphorus Chemicals Industry during the 12th Five-Year Plan Period By reviewing the technical development progress in the phosphorus chemicals industry during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, it is evident that the accelerated advancement of technologies in this sector, as well as the growing strength and scale of the industry, are closely related to China’s industrial policies – policy support playing a key role in driving this development. Had we continued to use the policies from the ’10th Five-Year Plan period, or even those from an earlier era, during the ’11th Five-Year Plan period, it would have been impossible for China’s phosphorus chemicals industry to reach its current level of development. For example, high tax rebates are still provided for the export of yellow phosphorus. Since foreign companies have lower costs in producing phosphorus-based chemicals, it is impossible for the production capacity and technology related to such chemicals to be transferred to our country; as a result, China’s phosphorus chemical industry cannot develop significantly. Therefore, technological progress in the industry is driven by industrial policies. To this end, the following policy measures are recommended: (1) Accelerate the adjustment of the industry’s structural layout, and provide the phosphorus yellow industry with the necessary policy guidance and financial support for such structural adjustments. Adjust the current method of collecting fees based on the volume of phosphate ore resources to a method based on value ； Implement a floating fee system for phosphorus ore resource fees in the yellow phosphorus industry, linking such fees to the level of resource utilization and environmental management ； Encourage yellow phosphorus manufacturers to increase efforts in developing high-tech, high-value-added products derived from yellow phosphorus, as well as in carrying out comprehensive environmental management ； Formulate policies regarding the preferential allocation of phosphate rocks and other related resources to large enterprises with the capacity for advanced processing of phosphate products ； Low-level redundant construction is prohibited. A range of preferential policies regarding credit and other aspects are implemented to encourage corporate mergers and reorganizations. Efforts are made to facilitate direct power purchases and bilateral transactions for large users of yellow phosphorus that meet the relevant criteria. Large yellow phosphorus enterprises with complete industrial chains are supported in carrying out cross-regional joint reorganizations, while key large enterprises are encouraged to undertake technological upgrades that enable them to replace smaller enterprises. Comprehensive measures such as appropriate adjustments to environmental capacity quotas within the industry are also adopted, with the aim of fostering 1–3 large-scale phosphorus chemical enterprises with annual sales revenues exceeding 10 billion yuan and significant influence in the industry ； Establish a regular announcement system for the phasing out of outdated yellow phosphorus production capacity and for identifying enterprises (projects) eligible to enter the industry ； The study explores a storage system for yellow phosphorus during peak seasons, encouraging enterprises that are in a position to do so to carry out such storage, thereby leveraging the capacity-storing function of yellow phosphorus products and maximizing the value generated from resource conversion. 　　(II) Increase support for pollutant control and energy conservation and emission reduction. Projects related to the control of pollutants in the yellow phosphorus industry and energy conservation and emission reduction, such as the reuse of powdered ore and coke powder produced by yellow phosphorus plants that comply with industrial policies, the recovery and resource utilization of waste heat from yellow phosphorus slag, and the purification and reuse of exhaust gases, are included in the special funding programs for the comprehensive utilization of chemical waste. Corresponding financial support is provided, and the profits generated from these projects are accounted for separately; they are considered part of initiatives aimed at encouraging the comprehensive utilization of resources, and thus enjoy tax incentives and other policy benefits. 　　(III) Strictly implement **relevant industrial policies, standards, and regulations. In accordance with the ***“Decision on Issuing and Implementing Relevant Measures” (State Council Document No. 40) and the “Notice on Accelerating the Adjustment of Industries with Excess Capacity” (State Council Document No. 11), as well as the ***“Notice on Approving the Opinions of the Development and Reform Commission on Deepening Economic System Reforms in 2009” (State Council Document No. 26) and its accompanying policies, as well as the ***“Notice on Adjusting the Capital Ratio for Fixed Asset Investment Projects” (State Council Document No. 27), the procedures for approving or registering new construction, renovation, or expansion of yellow phosphorus production facilities must be followed ； Strictly enforce the \"Access Requirements for the Yellow Phosphorus Industry\", the \"Energy Consumption Limits per Unit of Product in the Yellow Phosphorus Industry\", as well as the \"Evaluation Index System for Clean Production in the Yellow Phosphorus Industry\"; new construction, as well as expansions and upgrades that result in additional production capacity, are prohibited to avoid low-level repetitive development ； In accordance with the law, further formulate and improve industrial policies, standards, and regulations that contribute to enhancing the overall competitiveness of the yellow phosphorus industry. 　　(IV) Increase support for maintaining external demand and exports. By further refining the customs export codes for yellow phosphorus products, policies regarding import and export tariffs as well as export tax rebate rates for phosphorus products of the same name but different grades have been established. In line with the spirit of the *** executive meeting on strictly controlling the export of \"high-energy, high-pollution, and capital-intensive\" products, special tariff policies for the export of intermediate materials such as industrial yellow phosphorus and industrial phosphoric acid will be maintained. Greater support will be provided in the form of export tax rebates, export credits, and subsidies for export credit insurance for downstream products, especially high-end ones. Enterprises that produce yellow phosphorus will be encouraged to accelerate the development of highly pure and high-value-added phosphorus compounds as well as downstream products, thereby increasing domestic demand for yellow phosphorus and the proportion of its deep-processing. Implement a series of preferential policies to encourage enterprises to \"go global\" and boost exports; encourage large key enterprises to establish overseas subsidiaries by acquiring foreign resources and technologies, and provide them with facilitations regarding the use of foreign exchange for capital contributions to these overseas entities, fixed asset investments, working capital, as well as subsequent financing needs. 　　(5) Key industry-wide technologies are included in the **scientific research plan. Actively coordinate the inclusion of key technologies common to the industry in **scientific research plans. By establishing a technological innovation system for the yellow phosphorus industry that emphasizes enterprises as the main actors, is market-oriented, and integrates industry, academia, and research, efforts will be made to promote the integration and open sharing of scientific and technological resources within the industry, thereby fully leveraging the role of technological innovation in driving structural adjustments and changes in the development approach of the yellow phosphorus industry. 　　(VI) Strengthen information guidance and industry self-discipline, and give full play to the role of industry organizations. The China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association and the China Inorganic Salt Industry Association assist the relevant departments in overseeing and managing the structural adjustment of the yellow phosphorus industry; they are responsible for collecting, compiling, and releasing data on production and operations, market prices, and investment trends in this industry. They also work to strengthen organizational coordination and industry self-discipline, as well as to regulate market competition practices.