【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Full Domestic Production of Catalysts for Coal-to-Natural Gas Production at the Southwest Research Institute from 1970 to 2022
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Witnessing the decade-long rapid development of chemical processing equipment; praising the prosperity and strength of modern China. Replies will be rewarded; discussions are welcome. -------------------------------------------------- On July 28, 2022, the coal-to-natural gas catalyst provided by the Southwest Research Institute, which is part of Sinochem, was successfully used in the coal-to-synthetic natural gas plant operated by Qinghua Energy Group. The plant ran smoothly, the product quality met requirements, and the natural gas was successfully integrated into the grid. This marks the first time in our country that catalysts for coal-based synthetic natural gas have been produced domestically, thereby breaking the foreign monopoly and representing a milestone in the coal chemical industry. Coal-to-natural gas projects can utilize low-quality coal to produce high-quality, clean energy resources, serving as an effective supplement to natural gas supplies and playing a significant role in ensuring **energy security**. Catalysts are the most crucial components and important carriers in coal-to-gas conversion, and they are essential for increasing the rate of chemical reactions. All currently operational coal-to-natural gas projects use foreign process package designs, with imported catalysts being employed. In response to the high requirements placed on catalysts in this process, the Southwest Research Institute has successfully achieved domestic production of two key catalysts for coal-to-natural gas production, namely CNGC-2 and CNJ-8. These catalysts feature good thermal stability, low side reactions, a long service life, strong resistance to carbon deposition, and a low activation temperature, all of which help to **reduce startup time and cut production costs.
Recently, Southwest Chemical Engineering Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Southwest Institute) revealed that it has officially signed a supply contract with Qinghua Energy Group Co., Ltd. for the gas regulators used in the CNGC-2 coal-to-natural gas project, as well as the CNJ-8 methanation catalyst, with an annual production capacity of 1.5 billion cubic meters. The successful signing of this contract marks the first time that catalysts for coal-to-natural gas production have been fully domestically produced. In recent years, as demand for clean energy in the form of natural gas has risen sharply, and considering China’s energy profile characterized by abundant coal, limited oil, and scarce gas, the development of coal-to-natural gas technology has become an effective way to supplement China’s natural gas resources. By making full use of low-quality coal and establishing coal-to-natural gas projects on-site, the problem of long-distance transportation of such coal can be resolved, while also facilitating its efficient and clean utilization at the source. The 4 coal-to-natural gas projects that are currently in operation in China all utilize technology from foreign companies; the process of local production of catalysts for these projects is progressing slowly, which constitutes a technical challenge in the field of coal-to-natural gas production. In 2010, the Southwest Research Institute initiated a project to study the technology packages for coal-to-natural gas production as well as the key catalysts involved ； In 2021, this research project was successfully commissioned on the industrial side line of Qinghua Group’s coal-to-gas company. After twelve years, significant breakthroughs have been achieved in China’s coal-to-gas technology and the localization of catalysts, breaking the foreign monopoly. According to the relevant officials, compared with foreign catalysts, the CNGC-2 gas regulator developed by the Southwest Research Institute has higher conversion activity and better stability ； The CNJ-8 methanation catalyst improves the conversion efficiency of the one-pass methanation reaction; it can be used with lower hydrogen-to-carbon ratios (H/C) and gas-to-gas ratios, making it a newer catalyst that is more energy-efficient, more efficient, and more adaptable. At the Sichuan Province Science and Technology Work Conference in 2022, the Sichuan Province Pressure Swing Adsorption Gas Separation and Purification Engineering Technology Research Center, jointly established by entities such as the Southwest Chemical Engineering Research and Design Institute, was recognized as an advanced platform for scientific and technological innovation in Sichuan Province. Leveraging its technical strengths in related fields, this research center focuses on industrial exhaust gases and industrial gases as its main objects of study. Aiming to improve the efficiency of gas separation and enable the recycling of resources, it actively carries out research and development in separation, purification, and comprehensive utilization technologies, as well as related engineering studies, to contribute to achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
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The 12-ton batch of pre-reduction syngas complete methanization (SNG) catalysts, developed by the Datang Chemical Technology Research Institute, was installed in the C102A/B reactors of Datang International’s coal-to-natural gas methanization plant in Keqi, Inner Mongolia, in August 2018; they were put into trial use at the beginning of September and proved to be successful. It is expected to be fully implemented in the Fuxin coal-to-gas methanation unit in the second half of 2019. Since its establishment in 2007, Datang International Chemical Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. has been dedicated to advancing the key core technologies for coal-to-gas projects, particularly the synthesis gas complete methanization process technology and catalyst technology. Relying on the **\"863\" Program**, they carried out the development of methanation catalysts, progressing from laboratory-scale tests and pilot-scale experiments to industrial-scale production. In December 2014, it was recognized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation as having reached international advanced levels. Subsequently, they carried out industrial pilot tests on the complete methanization of syngas produced by gasification, with the catalyst operating stably over a long period at high temperatures ranging from 620 to 650°C. In November 2017, Datang entered into a production and research partnership with Hubei Huihuang Technology Co., Ltd. to manufacture SNG catalysts.