Environmental Impact Assessment Public Notice for Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical Co., Ltd.’s 200,000 tons/year isononanol project (Phase I: Butylene separation unit)

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Recently, the Zibo Ecology and Environment Bureau officially issued a public notice regarding the acceptance of the environmental impact assessment for Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical Co., Ltd.’s 200,000 tons per year isononanol production project (the butylene separation unit in Phase I), with the period for soliciting public opinions running from January 29 to February 11. This crucial step marks the entry of the first phase of this major project in Shandong Province into a final push phase prior to compliant operation, and it also injects new momentum into the development of the high-end chemical industry in Zibo and throughout Shandong by helping to extend, strengthen, and optimize its industrial chains. As a state-owned listed company controlled by Shandong Energy Group, Qixiang Tengda’s isononanol project, for which a total investment of 1,798.69 million yuan has been allocated, is located within the new factory complex of Qixiang Tengda in the Qilu Chemical Industry Zone, at geographical coordinates of 118°9′21.5″ east longitude and 36°45’18.0″ north latitude. The overall project plan includes five core units: a butene plant with an annual capacity of 350,000 tons, an octene plant with an annual capacity of 180,000 tons, an isononanol plant with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons, a syngas plant with an annual output of 88 million Nm³, and a unit for catalyst preparation, recovery, and evaluation. Once completed, these facilities will further strengthen the company’s position as the world’s largest base for the deep processing of carbon tetra compounds, enabling the implementation of the strategic plan for the coordinated development of both carbon tricompounds and carbon tetracompounds. The key highlight of this environmental impact assessment announcement is the optimized adjustment to the operating plan for the butylene plant. It is reported that the 350,000 tons per year butylene plant has been fully constructed and is ready for operation. However, the downstream 180,000 tons per year octene plant and 200,000 tons per year isononanol plant, although they received environmental approval in 2024, have not yet begun construction. To avoid resource waste and improve the economic efficiency of the plant, Qixiang Tengda innovatively designed two switchable operating modes: In Mode 1, purchased C4 hydrocarbons are used as raw material, with both the etherification unit and the butylene separation unit operating simultaneously; advanced extraction distillation technology is employed to achieve efficient separation of the various components ； In Condition 2, crude isobutylene is used as the raw material, and only the etherification unit is operated to focus on the production of core products. The two operating modes are not used simultaneously; instead, they are switched flexibly based on market conditions. Before such a switch, the wastewater discharge permit is updated to ensure both compliant operations and maximum efficiency.