The field of coal utilization in China is on the verge of producing countless Nobel Prizes!
Thread Content
"Since humans are able to use mild methods such as atmospheric distillation and catalytic cracking to convert large-molecule petroleum into small-molecule light oils, which can then be further processed to produce thousands of chemicals including olefins, aromatics, naphthenes, alcohols, etc., coal, which has a similar formation process and elemental composition, should theoretically also be able to be processed, transformed, and altered through mild methods. Unfortunately, at present, both oxygen-enhanced combustion and oxygen-enhanced gasification use very aggressive and harsh methods to break the molecular bonds in coal, resulting in the formation of small molecules such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. This leads to high energy and water consumption during the coal conversion process, as well as the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide and wastewater, thereby causing a range of environmental problems. The next research focus for my team is to develop a special catalyst that allows coal to be converted into oils and chemicals in a gentle manner, without the need for combustion or oxygen addition; this involves breaking down the large molecular structures of coal in a mild way, so that it can be transformed into such products just like oil. Nothing is difficult in the world if you’re willing to climb. " High-End Interview | Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Bao Xinhe: In the future, coal will definitely be processed in a manner similar to oil refining (3) Polaris Power Network News Center. Source: Coal Chemical Industry Network. Author: Chen Jijun. Date: 2016/5/26 9:02:26. I want to submit an article. Category: Thermal power generation. Keywords: Coal chemical industry, coal-to-natural gas, coal-to-oil. Training on electricity sales – Understanding electricity sales policies and gaining insights into the electricity sales market (North China Electric Power University · Polaris Power Network’s specialized training course on electricity sales). In the mid-1990s, researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed the concept of “oxygen-free activation” for methane conversion, which involves carrying out this conversion without the use of oxygen. In 1995, my team and I began working on the challenge of “anaerobic activation”. Based on the new concept of \"nanolimited catalysis,\" my team creatively developed single-center iron catalysts confined within silicide lattices, thereby establishing a new approach for the selective activation of methane under anaerobic conditions to efficiently produce high-value chemicals such as ethylene, aromatics, and hydrogen – namely, the technology for producing olefins and aromatics from methane in an anaerobic environment. On May 9, 2014, once this achievement was published in the American journal Science, it immediately attracted significant attention within the industry. Alexis Bell, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, commented that this achievement represents another significant step forward in the research on the direct conversion of methane, and it could become a focus of interest for the industry in the future. By the end of 2015, our technology for the anaerobic one-step production of olefins, aromatics, and hydrogen from methane had completed 100 hours of laboratory testing, confirming the stability of the catalyst; patents were filed in countries and regions such as China, the United States, Japan, Europe, and the Middle East. Around this year’s Spring Festival, we completed another 1,000-hour lifetime evaluation test for the catalyst. On March 22, 2016, the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, PetroChina, and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation signed a memorandum of cooperation regarding the pilot testing, process optimization, and industrial demonstration of technologies for the anaerobic production of olefins, aromatics, and hydrogen. The three parties will work together to advance the industrialization of this innovative technology. Reporter: It’s hard to believe that you and your team have achieved so much while remaining relatively unknown. Both of these innovations you have introduced have the potential to trigger an industrial revolution. I wonder what your team and you have in mind for the next steps? Bao Xinhe: This is also some progress achieved on the basis of the extensive work done by those who came before us. In the coming years, in addition to continuing to advance basic research on catalysts, we will also focus on promoting the industrial application of existing technological achievements such as the production of olefins from syngas, the anaerobic conversion of methane into olefins, aromatics, and hydrogen, so as to bring these advancements to industrial use as soon as possible. Meanwhile, we will actively carry out theoretical research on the mild decomposition of coal to produce liquid products and hydrocarbon products. Our goal is to be able to process coal into high-value products such as liquid fuels and olefins in the future, just as oil is processed today. Reporter: Processing coal in the same way as oil? Is that really feasible? Bao Xinhe: We believe it is feasible. Coal and oil are primarily composed of hydrocarbon elements; both are formed through a long process of sedimentary evolution of hydrocarbon substances under the action of microorganisms, and they share many similar characteristics. Since humans are able to use mild methods such as atmospheric distillation and catalytic cracking to convert large-molecule petroleum into small-molecule light oils, which can then be further processed to produce thousands of chemicals including olefins, aromatics, naphthenes, alcohols, etc., coal, which has a similar formation process and elemental composition, should theoretically also be able to be processed, transformed, and altered through mild methods. Unfortunately, at present, both oxygen-enhanced combustion and oxygen-enhanced gasification use very aggressive and harsh methods to break the molecular bonds in coal, resulting in the formation of small molecules such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. This leads to high energy and water consumption during the coal conversion process, as well as the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide and wastewater, thereby causing a range of environmental problems. The next research focus for my team is to develop a special catalyst that allows coal to be converted into oils and chemicals in a gentle manner, without the need for combustion or oxygen addition; this involves breaking down the large molecular structures of coal in a mild way, so that it can be transformed into such products just like oil. Nothing is difficult in the world if you’re willing to climb. We have made some progress in our research in this field, and we believe that with time, this goal will be achieved! By then, coal conversion processes that are not characterized by high energy consumption, high water usage, high emissions, and high pollution levels will truly constitute clean production processes. Such processes will not only be able to integrate seamlessly with petrochemical, natural gas chemical, and biomass chemical industries, but they will also be able to compete fairly in terms of cost-efficiency, environmental protection, and energy conservation. By then, coal will no longer be a synonym for a high-carbon energy source, but rather a very valuable and clean carbon resource. This can also be considered our “Chinese Dream”. Reporter: Thank you for taking this interview! We wish that the technology for producing olefins from syngas can be put into industrial use as soon as possible! We look forward to your team developing new technologies for the mild conversion of coal. Bao Xinhe: We will work hard on it! (Bao Xinhe was born in August 1959 in Yangzhong City, Jiangsu Province. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the executive vice president of Fudan University. He obtained his doctorate from Fudan University in 1987, and from 1989 to 1995 he worked as a visiting scholar at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Germany. In 1995 he returned to China, serving successively as the director of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, head of the Department of Chemical Physics at the University of Science and Technology of China, president of the Shenyang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was also the lead scientist for the catalytic foundation project related to the optimized utilization of natural gas and shale gas under the **Key Basic Research Program (973), a member of the International Council for Natural Gas Conversion, a member of the expert advisory group for the fourth **Key Basic Research Program (973), the Chinese leader of the nanocatalysis research partnership between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Society, and the lead executive for the Chinese Academy of Sciences-BP project on clean energy for the future. He has received various awards, including the National Science Award from the Ministry of Education, the German Humboldt Research Fellowship, the **Qiu Shi Outstanding Young Scholar Award, the Second Prize in Natural Sciences, the First Prize in Natural Sciences of Liaoning Province, the Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize for Scientific and Technical Progress, recognition as one of the Top 10 Outstanding Scientists and Engineers in China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award for 2015, and the Zhou Guangzhao Foundation Award for Basic Sciences. Under his leadership, his team has successfully developed a series of advanced technologies that have caused a sensation in the chemical and industrial communities around the world, such as the efficient production of ethylene, aromatics, and hydrogen from methane under anaerobic conditions through selective activation, as well as the high-selectivity conversion of syngas into olefins in a single step.) )
Recent reports: “New Process for Methanation Without Cycles”, Sinowind Group Huafu New Technology.
Coal has been used for hundreds of years, with combustion, coking, gasification, and liquefaction being the main processes for its conversion. Each process encompasses a variety of technical methods and scientific theories. For example, in thermal power generation, this includes everything from coal washing to the selection of combustion furnaces, from heat exchange structures to heat exchange materials, from pressurized steam to ultra-ultra-critical conditions, from direct emission of flue gases to desulfurization and denitrification. Of course, technological advancements in power generation systems are also essential. All of this is built on the so-called \"barbaric\" use of coal. Coal gasification holds a leading position in coal chemical industry worldwide. The fluidized bed has so far represented the highest level of technology for producing syngas from coal. Although there are those promoting plasma gasification technology, a consideration of other aspects of technological progress shows that a range of engineering challenges such as high-temperature resistant materials, energy consumption, and fine powder issues all require further improvement or breakthroughs; it is clear therefore that this represents a systematic upgrade. The path is difficult, yet explorers continue to \"brutally\" work in this coal sector without stopping. Direct coal liquefaction involves breaking the bridge bonds in a so-called mild manner, along with the use of activated hydrogen, to obtain organic molecules within the range of fuel oil boiling points. There are thousands of types of organic molecules, which make organic synthesis chemists eager to obtain them! However, the separation issue stands in the way, and how many people can speak boldly in front of everyone and announce that their team is working to overcome this obstacle? In fact, no one really wants to hear about the news related to this – cheap coal tar contains countless organic molecules! In fact, direct coal liquefaction involves processing coal in a manner similar to oil refining; from this perspective, it becomes clear that there are already people who are converting coal directly into oil products in a gentle way! As for chemicals, as mentioned above, it depends on the ability of one’s own team to separate them. It should be added that the Shenhua coal-to-oil demonstration plant is performing well, but the key to technological progress lies not in catalysts; in fact, catalysts in this area have been studied countless times around the world.
Lao Bao says that the engineering aspects of this project still need improvement. Direct coal liquefaction is not a gentle process; rather, it is a demanding one that involves high temperatures and pressures. Furthermore, organic synthesis has its own unique and wonderful aspects; even with thousands of chemicals in coal tar, they are merely a drop in the ocean compared to what organic synthesis can achieve.
In terms of reaction temperature, coal direct liquefaction operates in a mild range; it is only the high-pressure hydrogenation that makes the operating conditions extremely harsh. Of course, there are methods in the laboratory for extracting coal using solvents, which can be carried out under milder conditions. Although the extraction rate is not high, these methods can provide some structural information as a research tool; however, whether they can be used in industrial production depends on economic considerations and environmental factors. In the laboratory, we can use various methods to achieve a certain experimental goal; however, there is sometimes a connection between the laboratory and industrial applications, while at other times there is a huge difference between them. Bold ideas can include wild fantasies, but only those that are based on a solid foundation are valuable; only then can the success rate through careful verification be ensured.
Of course, whether something is harsh or mild is relative. Some people consider coal gasification and coal combustion to be very intense and brutal ways of using coal, with temperatures ranging from 800 to 1700°C; in comparison, direct liquefaction is much milder. In the refining industry, hydrogenation generally takes place at temperatures below 430°C, while FCC operates at temperatures between 460 and 500°C; delayed coking also falls within this range. Steam cracking occurs at around 800°C. A comparison with the coal industry will suffice here; everyone understands what is meant.
The last edit to this post was made by twinkler on 2016-6-1 at 22:10. In the field of dry coal chemical engineering, if it’s a project, then carry it out with integrity – don’t be dishonest； In the case of dry production, it is necessary to prepare several copies of the commitment letter – one to keep at home, one to submit to the company, one to the community, and one to the public security bureau; otherwise, things will not be clear. It must be made clear that dry coal chemical processing is carried out for the sake of people’s livelihood; in the event that something happens to one, it is definitely not out of intentional suicide or disregard for the company’s safety regulations. Otherwise, after they pass away, people will say that the deceased violated the rules, because the dead cannot speak.