【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Engineering Technology】From 2018 to 2023: The First Application of Low-Temperature Freezing + Vacuum Thermal Method for Salt Separation in the Treatment of Coal Chemical Industry Wastewater

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Looking at the development of chemical technology over the past decade, we praise the prosperity and strength of modern China. This is just a starting point to encourage further discussion among everyone; with more people involved, the discussions will be even more lively. HAICHUAN becomes even better with you here. [Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Equipment] – continuous updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html. Prevention first, life above all. -----------------------------------------Recently, at the high-salinity water desalination and crystallization unit of the water treatment facility at Guoneng Yulin Chemical Co., Ltd., sodium sulfate and sodium chloride products, packaged using automated production lines, were neatly arranged, ready to be loaded and transported. It’s hard to imagine that these bags of high-purity industrial salt actually come from industrial wastewater. It is reported that the production wastewater discharged from this factory facility is sent to a treatment system; after processing, it is possible to produce sodium sulfate and sodium chloride of high purity, exceeding 99%, through a salt separation and crystallization unit. This approach allows for the complete utilization of industrial wastewater, enabling the resource recovery of impure salts and achieving ‘zero wastewater discharge’. The low-temperature freezing + vacuum thermal desalination technology used in the high-salinity water desalination and crystallization unit of the Guoneng Yulin Chemical Water Treatment Facility is the first such process technology to be applied in the treatment of coal chemical wastewater in China. Compared with traditional processes, it features lower investment costs, reduced operating expenses, and a shorter treatment process, thus placing it at the forefront of the industry in terms of water resource recycling. Yulin is located in the arid region of the northwest, where water resources have become a \"bottleneck\" restricting industrial development. Faced with the ongoing demand for industrial water and the reality of water scarcity in the region, Guoneng Yulin Chemical has provided a practical solution to promote the green development of the coal chemical industry and alleviate the imbalance between water supply and demand. Adhering to the concepts of a circular economy and low-carbon development, this enterprise actively pursues paths related to ecological civilization and environmental protection. The salt separation and crystallization unit produces high-quality sodium chloride, marking the successful application in coal chemical wastewater treatment of China’s first set of low-temperature critical freezing combined with vacuum thermal methods for salt separation. This achievement fills a technical gap in the country and sets a benchmark for the industry; it enables the reduction and reuse of waste salt while ensuring that not a single drop of water is discharged into the environment. In recent years, Guoneng Yulin Chemical Industry has focused on the development trends of the coal chemical industry toward higher sophistication, diversification, and lower carbon emissions. It drives transformation and upgrading through technological innovation, accelerates research and development in key core technologies, strives to create new processes and products, and works to achieve the goals of extending, supplementing, and strengthening industrial chains. It aims to pursue a path of innovative development for modern coal chemistry characterized by advanced technology, low energy consumption, and high efficiency. Liu Yong, the technical supervisor of the Technology and Quality Department at Guoneng Yulin Chemical Industry, said, “We are actively promoting the development of smart factories. In collaboration with universities and research institutions, we have carried out key scientific and technological projects such as ‘Research on Key Technologies for the Integration of Coal Chemistry and New Energy’ and ‘Research on Site Selection and Key Technologies for CCUS Projects on a Million-Ton Scale.’ We have successfully overcome a series of technical challenges related to the use of domestically produced equipment such as large-scale water-coal slurry gasifiers, methanol synthesis towers, and ethylene glycol carbonylation reactors.” ” Among them, Guoneng Yulin Chemical Industry relies on the project \"Research on Key Technologies for the Integration of Coal Chemistry and New Energy\" to use green electricity and green hydrogen to gradually replace fossil fuels such as coal, and carries out research on the design, construction, and operational demonstration of integrated multi-energy systems that combine photovoltaic power, hydrogen production, heat storage, and energy storage. Backed by the project \"Development of Key Technical Packages for Low-Energy, Low-Carbon Nitrogen-Water-PHOTOCATALYTIC Ammonia Synthesis and Industrial Demonstration Studies,\" the establishment of key technologies for green ammonia synthesis driven by solar energy will promote the transformation and upgrading of China’s ammonia synthesis industry, thereby leading the development of the global ammonia synthesis industry. Centered on the project \"Research on Site Selection and Key Technologies for Million-Ton-Level CCUS under Different Geological Conditions,\" studies on various geological sites suitable for million-ton-level CCUS in the Yulin area, as well as research on key technologies, have been conducted. This has led to advancements in low-cost carbon dioxide capture and storage methods as well as treatment processes for groundwater displacement, thereby promoting closer integration among industry, academia, research institutions, and practical applications.