Guoneng Xinjiang Chemical Co., Ltd. plans to carry out a fluidized-bed methanization demonstration project by utilizing the fluidized-bed methanization technology developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics.

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It was recently reported that Guoneng Xinjiang Chemical Co., Ltd. plans to carry out a fluidized-bed methanation demonstration project. The project utilizes the fluidized-bed methanization technology from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project mainly involves the construction of 1 methanation unit with a capacity of 2,500 m3/h, 1 hydrogen production unit via water electrolysis with a capacity of 3,000 m3/h, and 1 LNG plant with a capacity of 60,000 m3/day, along with the corresponding auxiliary infrastructure. Process flow: The hydrogen produced by the electrolytic water hydrogen production unit is compressed and mixed with syngas from the old plant to obtain the methanation feed gas. After preheating and desulfurization, this feed gas enters the first-stage fluidized bed reactor. Part of the heat required for preheating the feed gas is provided by the high-temperature syngas exiting the first-stage fluidized bed reactor, while the remaining heat can be supplied by electric heaters or small gas-fired heaters. In the first-stage fluidized bed reactor, 85%-90% of the CO is converted. The gas exiting this reactor is preheated, used to produce low-pressure steam, and then cooled in a washing tower; the liquid phase is separated from this gas, while the gas phase is preheated before entering the second-stage fluidized bed reactor. There, the remaining CO and CO2 are converted. The gas exiting the second-stage fluidized bed reactor is cooled to remove water, resulting in synthetic natural gas as the final product. The natural gas produced by the methanation unit is sent to the LNG plant, where it is liquefied using a mixed refrigerant process to produce LNG at -162°C, which is then stored in LNG tanks for shipment. The plant consists of a 2500 m3/h methanation unit that utilizes synthetic gas fluidized bed methanation technology, and it includes a first-stage methanation unit and a second-stage methanation unit. The 3000 m3/h electrolytic water hydrogen production plant uses an alkaline electrolysis process for hydrogen generation, equipped with 3 alkaline electrolyzers of 1000 m3/h each. The 60,000 m3/d LNG plant employs a single-stage mixed-refrigeration liquefaction process, which includes a pressurization and metering unit, an acid gas removal unit, a dehydration and heavy hydrocarbon removal unit, a mercury removal unit, a liquefaction unit, a BOG recovery system, and an LNG storage and loading system. The project is located within the existing plant area of **Energy Group Xinjiang Chemical Co., Ltd., to the west of the original methanol synthesis unit. In January 2026, the Xinjiang Ecology and Environmental Protection Industry Association published a public notice on the environmental impact assessment for the project. The 680,000-ton/year coal-based new materials project of Guoneng Xinjiang Chemical (formerly Shenhua Xinjiang Chemical Co., Ltd.) uses GE coal slurry gasification and DAVY methanol synthesis technology to produce 1.83 million tons of methanol per year. Shenhua’s fluidized-bed methanol-to-olefins SHMTO technology utilizes a catalyst specifically designed for methanol-to-olefins production and owned as intellectual property (SMC-001), together with INEOS’ Innovene polypropylene process and LyondellBasell’s Lupotech polyethylene technology; this setup enables an annual production of 270,000 tons of polyethylene and 450,000 tons of polypropylene. It came online in October 2016.