【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2185–2022: The World’s First Industrial Demonstration Project for Producing Anhydrous Ethanol via Chemical Synthesis Using Coke Oven Gas

Thread Content

This post was last edited by “Fish Swimming in the Desert” on January 22, 2025, at 07:55. Let’s give a thumbs up and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical technology and equipment. Your participation in the discussion is the greatest motivation for us! ********************** [Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment] This is a continuously updated compilation post; everyone is welcome to join the discussion: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** On December 26, 2022, Henan Liyuan Group successfully completed the entire production process of its 200,000-ton/year project for producing anhydrous ethanol from coke oven gas. The resulting product had a purity level of 99.9%. This marked the successful commissioning of the world’s first industrial demonstration project utilizing chemical synthesis methods to produce anhydrous ethanol from coke oven gas, located in Anyang. To accelerate the green transition and promote low-carbon development, in accordance with the requirements of the Anyang Municipal Party Committee and Government, Liyuan Group took the lead in integrating industry resources to build a coking and comprehensive gas utilization project with an annual capacity of 1.28 million tons. Alongside this, a project for producing anhydrous ethanol from coke oven gas at an annual capacity of 200,000 tons was also established. This represents a valuable attempt by Liyuan Group to make use of coke oven gas resources, and it is also the world’s first industrial project to produce anhydrous ethanol through chemical synthesis using coke oven gas. The production principle of this project is that coke oven gas is compressed and purified, and its hydrogen and carbon components are reorganized; thereafter, it is separated into usable carbon monoxide and hydrogen. These substances, together with methanol, undergo a series of synthetic reactions to produce high-purity anhydrous ethanol. Such chemical synthesis methods make the most of the effective chemical components such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in coke oven gas at the atomic level, moving away from the traditional approach of simply using combustion for heat generation. This enables companies to improve their efficiency while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. It is reported that the project was designed and constructed using the DMTE technology owned by Zhongke (Dalian) Energy Technology Co., Ltd., which features independent intellectual property rights. The total investment in the project amounts to 1.6 billion yuan; its annual output value is 2 billion yuan, while the annual profit and tax revenue generated is 500 million yuan. In the process of ethanol production, in addition to consuming its own carbon dioxide, it is also able to absorb 50,000 tons of external carbon dioxide each year, thereby achieving the capture and reuse of carbon dioxide. This project involves the production of ethanol from industrial exhaust gases, representing yet another innovative application of ethanol technology in the coking industry. It is said that this technology can be applied not only in the coking industry but also to industrial exhaust gases containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, such as those from steel production, thereby turning waste into a valuable resource. The completion and commissioning of this project further solidified China’s global leadership in synthetic ethanol technology. It is understood that currently, over 70% of industrial ethanol production in our country relies on grain fermentation. Taking Elyuan Group’s newly commissioned 200,000 tons per year plant for producing anhydrous ethanol from coke oven gas as an example, this facility can save 600,000 tons of grain each year. It fills a gap in China’s industrial landscape and holds significant strategic importance for ensuring energy security and food security.