Breakthroughs have been achieved in the efforts to miniaturize the anhydrous hydrogen fluoride production facility in Guizhou; the process documentation for the \"miniaturized, modular complete set of equipment for producing anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) from fluorosilicic acid\" has been completed
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Progress has been made in the efforts to miniaturize the anhydrous hydrogen fluoride production facility at Guizhou Phosphorus Chemicals. The \"Development and Application Project for Miniaturized, Modular Equipment for Producing Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride (AHF) from Fluorsilicic Acid\" has seen its process package completed. Recently, the task force responsible for minimizing the size of Guizhou Phosphorus Chemicals’ anhydrous hydrogen fluoride production facility finished preparing the process package for this project; some of the key core technologies and equipment are currently undergoing industrial-scale testing, and they have passed the evaluation process conducted by Guizhou Province’s science and technology innovation platform. Relevant officials stated that if this technology achieves phased progress, it will not only lay the foundation for overcoming the barriers to scaling up Guizhou Phosphate Group’s traditional process of producing anhydrous hydrogen fluoride from fluosilicic acid on a scale exceeding 10,000 tons; it will also, with its disruptive advantages of “miniaturization, modularity, digitalization, and intelligence—enabling rapid deployment as well as green and low-carbon operations”—pave a completely new path for the transformation and upgrading of the basic phosphorus and fluorine chemical industries. The project is scheduled to be industrialized and put into operation by 2026; at that time, it will reshape the value chain of phosphorus and fluorine chemicals, promote cross-industry collaborative innovation, and lay a solid foundation for establishing an integrated green circular industrial ecosystem encompassing \"phosphoreous rock – phosphate fertilizers – fluosilicic acid – anhydrous hydrogen fluoride – high-end fluorine materials\". For the phosphate chemical industry (the upstream sector), this will enable phosphate fertilizer manufacturers of all sizes – particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that previously could not afford large-scale facilities for producing anhydrous hydrogen fluoride from fluorosilicic acid – to convert the by-product fluorosilicic acid into high-value-added products such as anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and silica gel in an economical manner. This will not only generate significant economic benefits but also facilitate a deeper transition of the phosphate chemical industry toward a green circular economy.
For the fluorine chemical industry (the downstream sector), this approach can significantly improve the economic viability and widespread adoption of the route that utilizes phosphorus chemical by-products such as fluorosilicic acid. It enables diversification and localization of raw material sources, helps to reduce industry costs more effectively, enhances the resilience of the industrial chain and supply chain, and provides new impetus for the advanced and refined development of fluorosilicon chemicals. After more than a decade of development, Guizhou Phosphorus Group has achieved maturity and stability in the technology for producing anhydrous hydrogen fluoride using fluorosilicic acid, which is a by-product of traditional phosphate fertilizers. However, this technology faces issues such as large-scale facilities, high investment costs, long construction periods, and high technical barriers, all of which severely hinder its adoption by small and medium-sized phosphate fertilizer manufacturers as well as in certain applications. As a result, a large amount of valuable fluorine resources (in the form of fluorosilicic acid) fail to be effectively recovered and utilized, leading to both resource waste and environmental concerns. How to reduce AHF production facilities of 10,000-ton scale to 1,000-ton scale or even lower, so that such facilities can be flexibly deployed in phosphate production plants with a capacity of less than 300,000 tons, and thus overcome the \"last hurdle\" in the efficient conversion of fluorosilicic acid produced as a by-product by small and medium-sized phosphate fertilizer enterprises, has become a new mission and challenge for Guizhou Phosphorus Chemical Group. Since 2024, in order to further implement the \"3311\" strategic plan for the fluorosilicon chemical industry and accelerate the development of the anhydrous hydrogen fluoride industry, Guizhou Phosphorus Chemical Group has established a task force to explore the development and application of compact sets of equipment for the efficient utilization of fluorine resources associated with phosphate mines. Process optimizations were carried out in areas such as improvements to the concentration system, shortening of the reaction process, and the use of purification systems in the equipment; meanwhile, the development of high-temperature resistant, corrosion-resistant, and efficient packing materials was achieved, along with the selection of smaller-sized and upgraded materials for key equipment such as heat exchangers. At the same time, research projects on the intelligent \"zero-manual\" technology for anhydrous hydrogen fluoride production facilities have been launched in full force, and efforts are being made to advance the development of digital smart factories through the implementation of MES platforms, all in order to support the development and application of compact, modular equipment for anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) production. The task force will also adopt an approach of bringing in external expertise and going out to collaborate with renowned universities and outstanding enterprises both domestically and internationally. It will continue to highly integrate core processes such as the complex reaction of converting fluorosilicic acid into anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, distillation, purification, and exhaust gas treatment into prefabricated standardized modules, thereby enabling the use of efficient reactors and upgrading key technologies such as defluorination of dilute phosphoric acid and high-temperature calcination of silica. While ensuring a reduced size and high integration level of the equipment, it is necessary to achieve product purity, fluorine resource utilization rate, and energy consumption levels that meet or even exceed the standards set by existing large-scale anhydrous hydrogen fluoride production facilities.
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