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The Industry Discusses Ways to Transform Jincheng’s Coal Chemical Industry / Author/Source: Sinochem News Network / Date: May 12, 2023 / Clicks: 23 On May 11, the first Chemical Technology Conference, jointly organized by China Chemical Industry News Co., Ltd. and Jincheng Chemical Industry Association, was held in Jincheng, Shanxi. Centered on the theme of \"Technological innovation in the coal chemical industry, energy conservation and carbon reduction, and high-quality development,\" the conference invited experts from the industry to discuss topics such as the energy revolution in coal chemistry, clean and efficient utilization of energy, and green development. Nearly 200 representatives from over 60 companies attended the meeting. Li Shousheng, president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, said that the development of the coal chemical industry in Jincheng is at a challenging stage; it is necessary to break free from conventional thinking and use innovation to find a path toward progress. Based on the practical challenges faced by modern coal chemical industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, he suggested that the industry as a whole should continue to work hard to overcome these difficulties – making further innovations and breakthroughs in six areas: coal-to-olefins production, the development of high-end and differentiated aromatic products, innovative technologies for kerosene blending, technologies for directly producing chemicals from coal, technologies for recycling carbon dioxide, techniques for the selective utilization of coal, and new green, energy-saving, and water-saving processes for modern coal chemical production. “The coal chemical industry can certainly pursue a path of differentiated and integrated development compared to the petrochemical industry. ”Li Shousheng said that methanol and synthetic ammonia in C1 chemicals hold great potential for producing new materials as chemical raw materials, and coal-based hydrogen production also has bright prospects as long as the issue of recycling carbon dioxide can be resolved. He hopes that Jincheng will be able to pursue a path of technological innovation based on its resource advantages in the future, and become a leader in high-quality development for Shanxi and the entire industry. According to Zhang Pengfei, the vice mayor of Jincheng, the city already has the capacity to produce 3.5 million tons of synthetic ammonia, 6 million tons of urea, 2 million tons of methanol, 200,000 tons of dimethyl ether, 600,000 tons of coal-based synthetic oil, and 140,000 tons of caprolactam per year. He said that the Jincheng Municipal Party Committee and government are taking advantage of the adjustments in policies regarding raw material and energy consumption, and are using measures such as extending the industrial chain, establishing chemical industrial parks, and carrying out technological upgrades to promote the high-quality development of the coal chemical industry. He said, “I hope that through this conference, everyone can gain a deeper understanding of one another, build more mutual trust, and reach more cooperation agreements.” ” Wang Suokui, chairman of Jinneng Holding Equipment Manufacturing Group Co., Ltd., said that against the backdrop of policies such as the \"dual carbon\" goals and dual controls on energy consumption, the traditional chemical industry faces severe challenges including overcapacity and intense homogeneous competition, while at the same time it also has historical opportunities stemming from the energy revolution and technological upgrades. Acting in line with the trends, overcoming challenges, and achieving high-quality development in the industry are their common responsibility and goal. “Together, we are stronger! ”Wang Yong, deputy general manager of China Chemical Industry News Co., Ltd., said in his speech that coal is the foundation of Jincheng; anthracite chemistry represents the core of Jincheng’s transformation and development, as well as the basis for ensuring people’s livelihoods, creating jobs, and sustaining the local finance. The newspaper has long paid attention to the development of the chemical industry in Shanxi and the anthracite industry in Jincheng. In the future, the newspaper will also strengthen cooperation in areas such as \"integration of coal chemistry,\" \"smokeless coal gasification,\" \"conversion of anthracite into materials,\" and \"going global while bringing in external resources,\" in order to contribute to the sustained prosperity of Jincheng’s chemical industry. “\"Stabilizing fertilizers and promoting improvement\" was the key idea shared by Li Zhijian, deputy director of the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Planning Institute, at the meeting. He suggested that Jincheng City should continue to focus on enhancing the competitiveness of fertilizers, while stabilizing consumption levels and economic benefits related to anthracite coal ； Develop new chemical industries and growth areas ； Develop a path for building an integrated upstream and downstream industrial chain featuring Jincheng anthracite. On the one hand, complete the upgrading of the gasification process in order to change the image of bituminous coal being used for \"intermittent\" gasification; maintain urea production at around 6 million tons, and strengthen the foundation of the fertilizer production base ； On the other hand, accelerate the expansion of the industrial chain, improve the competitiveness of methanol and syngas, and reduce costs. In light of the requirement in Jincheng City to phase out all fixed-bed batch gasifiers by September 2024, Xue Wenlin, general manager of Shanxi Today Think Tank Energy Co., Ltd., advised coal mining enterprises to take measures in advance to cope with the decline in the prices of anthracite nationwide. These measures include cooperating with power plants that can use anthracite in order to promote the use of this resource and ensure sales channels for coal products. Shanxi Province **should also make an overall plan for the development of new coal chemical industries across the province, giving priority to approving projects that use the province’s own anthracite. Jincheng City **can also make early preparations in areas such as the new coal-based carbon materials industry to find breakthrough points. In terms of energy conservation and carbon reduction, Liu Siming, deputy director of the Energy and Chemicals Division at the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Planning Institute, outlined a path for industries related to coal chemistry, suggesting that enterprises develop plans based on the priority order of carbon reduction at the source, during production processes, and at the end stages, while taking into account the efficiency of carbon reduction associated with each chosen approach. “The energy substitution ratio determines the economy and efficiency of the carbon reduction pathway. ”He concluded that, without considering non-market policy tools, economic substitution of energy can occur only when the energy price ratio is lower than the substitution ratio. However, he also pointed out that there is a conflict between the efficiency and flexibility of carbon reduction pathways, and companies need to make reasonable choices based on their own circumstances. In the field of intelligent manufacturing, Guan Shitai, deputy chief economist at the China Chemical Industry Economic Development Center, used actual cases from companies such as Jiujiang Petrochemical and China National Coal Group Shaanxi to summarize the path for enterprises to achieve digital transformation into four stages: planning first, business orientation, data-driven decision-making, and process optimization. He pointed out that the goals for the digital and intelligent development of chemical enterprises are to make money safely, manage operations transparently, and enable employees to work happily; however, many small and medium-sized enterprises in China still need to improve their level of intelligent manufacturing. In addition, he also introduced the \"Guidelines for Assessing the Intelligent Manufacturing Maturity Level in the Petrochemical and Chemical Industries,\" which establish five levels – Initial, Standardized, Digital, Collaborative, and Intelligent – to serve as a reference for enterprises to evaluate their own capabilities. Prior to the conference, the Jincheng Chemical Industry Association and China Chemical Industry News Co., Ltd. successfully signed a 5-year strategic partnership agreement to foster strong collaboration between the two parties. The conference was chaired by Zhang Jinqiao, Deputy General Manager of Jinneng Holding Equipment Manufacturing Group Co., Ltd. and President of Jincheng Chemical Industry Association.