Is the straw-to-ethylene glycol project at Zhongyuan Dahua an exploration of carbon-neutral pathways? ?
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The pilot-scale plant for producing ethylene glycol from straw sugar at Zhongyuan Dahuahua uses a biomass straw sugar aqueous solution and hydrogen as raw materials; through catalytic conversion in a high-temperature, high-pressure batch reactor, crude ethylene glycol is obtained, which is then refined to produce high-quality ethylene glycol products, with industrial-grade propylene glycol among other by-products. The production capacity is 746.8 tons per year for ethylene glycol, and 194.4 tons per year for propylene glycol.
From the perspective of raw material properties, Central China is suitable, while Liuzhou in Guangxi is even more suitable
The project will be constructed at the southwest corner of the intersection of Shihua Road and Pushui Road in the Puyang Economic and Technical Industrial Cluster Area of Puyang City (including the Puyang Economic Development Zone), within the existing premises of Zhongyuan Dahuahua Company. The total investment amount is 20.98 million yuan
The technology for producing ethylene glycol from straw fermentation is internationally leading. An unexpected discovery: In previous interviews with journalists, Zheng Mingyuan, a researcher in the biomass-based ethylene glycol production team at the Dahuasuo Institute, told them that this new method for producing ethylene glycol from biomass, which was developed independently by the institute and holds independent intellectual property rights, involves the catalytic conversion of biomass such as straw after pretreatment; currently, it achieves a selectivity of around 60-80% for ethylene glycol production. “At first, we tried to apply tungsten carbide, which is used in the field of aerospace catalysis, to the biomass sector. To our great surprise, we found that there was a high selectivity for ethylene glycol in the catalytic products derived from straw; it was possible to produce ethylene glycol from cellulose in just one step, and this is the first time such a thing has been achieved on an international scale. ”
Bio-based ethylene glycol has become a popular investment area. In China, ethylene glycol products are mainly used in the production of polyesters, antifreeze, as well as adhesives, paint solvents, cold-resistant lubricants, surfactants, and polyester polyols. Among these, polyesters (PET, PU) represent the main sector for the consumption of ethylene glycol in China, accounting for approximately 94.0% of the total domestic consumption. In 1995, China’s apparent consumption of ethylene glycol was only 656,900 tons, while this figure rose to 1,957,100 tons by 2000, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 24.40%. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the apparent consumption of ethylene glycol has continued to rise sharply; in 2002 it exceeded 3 million tons, reaching 3.0199 million tons, making China the world’s largest consumer of ethylene glycol, surpassing the United States. Using biomass materials to produce ethylene glycol has become a key focus for various chemical manufacturers. Not long ago, Coca-Cola, Changchun Meihuo Technology, and Finlux announced a new technology set to be commercialized for the first time, aimed at producing plant-based monoethylene glycol (bMEG): this substance can replace the traditional petroleum-based MEG in PET bottles, thereby enabling the creation of partially bio-based PET materials.