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Progress on the Construction of Zhengda Kai’s New Material Plant Producing 1.2 million tons of ethylene glycol along with 100,000 tons of electronic-grade dimethyl carbonate / Author/Source: Gasification World / Date: 2023-05-06 / Clicks: 20. Recently, at the construction site of the advanced manufacturing industrial park project of Sichuan Zhengda Kai New Materials Co., Ltd. in Xuanhan County (hereinafter referred to as “Zhengda Kai”), pile drivers and loaders were constantly in use, transport vehicles moved back and forth, workers were busy non-stop, and the sound of construction work was incessant – it was a vivid picture of active construction activities. To date, 90% of the trenching for the underground pipeline installation has been completed, 60% of the pipeline installation is done, and 15% of the backfilling has been carried out. It is expected that by May, all construction work on the underground pipeline network will be completed, and the company responsible for manufacturing and installing the main equipment of the factory will arrive. From February to August next year, the installation of equipment and branch pipelines will reach its peak. By next October, the factory will be completed and put into operation to enter the trial production phase. The Zhengda Kai project, which involves the production of 1.2 million tons of ethylene glycol along with 100,000 tons of electronic-grade dimethyl carbonate as a new material, uses natural gas as raw material; through compression, desulfurization, and conversion, syngas is produced. The technology for producing ethylene glycol and dimethyl carbonate is provided by Pu Jing Chemical, while Cheng Da Engineering Company is responsible for the EPC work. Phase 1 of the project commenced construction on January 3 this year. The plan is to complete an investment of 3 billion yuan this year, bring the facility online in October 2024, and achieve full operation by 2026. The Zhengda Kai project, which involves the production of 1.2 million tons per year of MEG along with 100,000 tons per year of DMC, has a total investment of 12.2 billion yuan. It utilizes the core technology for producing dimethyl carbonate from ethylene glycol developed by Shanghai Pujing Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Pujing Chemical”), with the engineering design carried out by China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. On November 25, 2022, Shanghai Pujing Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. and Sichuan Zhengda Kai New Materials Co., Ltd. held a meeting dedicated to the construction of a new production facility capable of manufacturing 1.2 million tons of MEG per year along with 100,000 tons of electronic-grade DMC, in Dazhou, Sichuan. A contract for the technical implementation of this project was also signed during that meeting. On the same day, China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. signed an EPC general contract with Sichuan Zhengda Kai New Materials Co., Ltd. Project Overview: The Sichuan Zhengda Kai New Materials Co., Ltd. project, which aims to produce 1.2 million tons of MEG per year along with 100,000 tons of electronic-grade DMC, is planned to be built in the Puguang Chemical Industry Park within the Puguang Economic Development Zone in Sichuan Province. The main components of this project include the production of 1.2 million tons of polyester-grade ethylene glycol and 100,000 tons of electronic-grade dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The total investment for the project is 1,226,865 million yuan, of which 250,900 million yuan is allocated to environmental protection measures. The project uses natural gas from the Puguang purification plant as the feed gas; after compression and desulfurization, it is sent to a natural gas conversion unit where syngas is produced using pure oxygen conversion technology. CO2 is then removed via the MDEA method, followed by deep cooling of H2/CO and PSA pressure swing adsorption to separate H2 and CO. CO is used with purchased methanol to synthesize DMO, and H2 then reacts with DMO to produce ethylene glycol, along with by-products such as ethanol, mixed monohydric alcohols, heavy dihydric alcohols, and light dihydric alcohols. The synthesis of ethylene glycol utilizes Pu Jing Chemical’s ethylene glycol technology. Dimethyl carbonate is produced by Pu Jing Chemical using the solid-phase method based on dimethyl oxalate, that is, dimethyl carbonate is synthesized through the decarboxylation of dimethyl oxalate. DMC is produced using some of the DMO manufactured by the esterification coupling unit of the ethylene glycol plant as raw material. The project is constructed in two phases. The first phase of construction will involve the production of 600,000 tons per year of polyester-grade ethylene glycol; as by-products, 18,000 tons per year of high-quality DMC (dimethyl carbonate), 6,796 tons per year of chemically pure ethanol, 11,900 tons per year of mixed monohydric alcohols, 13,500 tons per year of light dihydric alcohols, and 12,300 tons per year of heavy dihydric alcohols. The second phase of construction will involve the production of 600,000 tons per year of polyester-grade ethylene glycol, along with 100,000 tons per year of electronic-grade DMC, 11,900 tons per year of mixed monohydric alcohols, 13,500 tons per year of light dihydric alcohols, and 12,300 tons per year of heavy dihydric alcohols. Of the 100,000 tons of DMC, 36,000 tons per year are obtained by purifying high-quality DMC produced as a by-product of ethylene glycol production in phases 1 and 2, while 64,000 tons per year are obtained by removing CO from DMO (dimethyl oxalate) synthesized in phases 1 and 2. Phase 1 of the project involves the construction of new facilities for syngas production, ethylene glycol synthesis, air separation, as well as related auxiliary systems. In the second phase, new facilities for syngas production, ethylene glycol synthesis, air separation, and related auxiliary systems will be constructed. Phase 1 was originally scheduled to start construction in July 2022 and be completed by July 2024. Phase 2 is scheduled to start construction in May 2024 and be completed by October 2026. Sichuan Zhengdaikai New Materials Co., Ltd. was established in December 2021. Its shareholders are Zhejiang Zhengkai Investment Group Co., Ltd. and Dazhou Investment Co., Ltd. Zhengkai Group is one of the largest listed companies in China specializing in bottle-grade polyester. Once completed, the project will lay a solid foundation for the development of an advanced manufacturing industrial park and the creation of an industrial chain for cooperation between eastern and western Zhejiang and Sichuan. It will drive the coordinated development of related upstream and downstream industries in Sichuan and the central and western regions, such as those in the petrochemical sector, food-grade PET, polyester-based new materials, packaging, textiles and fibers, and logistics. By taking advantage of the local natural gas resources, new new material industry clusters will be formed.