After more than 20 years of development, China's modern coal chemical technology and industrial scale have generally ranked among the leading international position. Experts pointed out that in the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, China's coal chemical industry as a whole is facing multiple pressures. Only by targeting high-end, diversification, and low-carbon efforts is the ultimate way out.

Good news has spread again in China's coal chemical industry. Recently, the construction site of the Zhuozheng Coal Chemical Industry Large-scale Project in Inner Mongolia has begun to consolidate the foundation to prepare for the full start of construction in April. Public information shows that the project has a total investment of 59 billion yuan. Based on the original project with an annual output of 1.2 million tons of methanol and 1 million tons of acetic acid, it uses advanced technologies such as advanced coal quality classification, efficient clean comprehensive utilization and other advanced technologies to produce vinyl acetate (VAC). There are 19 products such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), and more than 30 new materials have been produced through later chain extension and complementary chain production, achieving high-end and refined development of coal chemical projects.

经过20多年发展，中国现代煤化工技术和产业规模总体已处于国际领先地位。 In June last year, the National Development and Reform Commission and other six departments jointly issued the "Notice on Promoting the Healthy Development of the Modern Coal Chemical Industry"(hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), proposing to strengthen the clean and efficient utilization of coal and promote the high-end, diversified and low-carbon development of the modern coal chemical industry.

Build a bridge from coal to chemicals

In recent years, China's modern coal chemical industry has developed rapidly, and its main product production capacity and output have remained first in the world. Data shows that China's coal (methanol) to olefins production capacity in 2023 will be 18.65 million tons, an increase of 17.9% compared with 2019; coal-to-gas production capacity will be 6.71 billion cubic meters, an increase of 33.3% compared with 2019; coal-to-ethylene glycol production capacity will be 11.18 million tons, an increase of 131.5% compared with 2019; coal-to-liquids production capacity will be 11.38 million tons, an increase of 23.56% compared with 2019.

Large state-owned key enterprises such as National Energy Group, Sinopec, China Coal Energy, and Shaanxi Coal Chemical Group, as the main body of R & D and demonstration implementation of major projects, have carried out joint research and development with scientific research units such as the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and General Academy of Coal Science. A series of original technologies with independent intellectual property rights have been developed, a number of major demonstration projects have been built, and a bridge for the transformation of coal resources to oil, gas and chemicals have been successfully built.

In March last year, the national key research and development plan "Complete Technology for Direct Conversion of Low Carbon Dioxide Selective Synthetic Gas to Long-Chain α-Olefins" project was launched. It is understood that the project is led by the Beijing Low Carbon Clean Energy Research Institute of the National Energy Group. Coal is converted into synthesis gas through gasification technology, and then the synthesis gas is converted into long-chain alpha-olefin mixtures and purified through catalytic means. The project is expected to form a long-chain α-olefin production technology with an annual output of 100,000 tons, realize high-end, diversified and low-carbon clean conversion of China's coal, and solve the problem of excessive dependence of China's long-chain α-olefins on foreign countries.

Areas with advantageous coal resources are also accelerating the advancement of coal chemical industry towards high-end, low-carbon and diversification. Taking Shanxi, a major coal province, as an example, in July last year, the Shanxi Province Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Provincial Energy Administration jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Integrated Development of Coal and Coal Chemical Industry" proposing that Shanxi Province will create 10 key coal chemical industry chains, including two high-end carbon material industry chains, two carbon-based synthetic material industry chains, two coal-coking benzene material industry chains, two coal-based energy storage material industry chains, A co-production industrial chain for clean utilization of low-grade coal quality and an industrial chain for high-end chemicals and new chemical materials.

In a critical period of development

Many experts pointed out that in the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, China's coal chemical industry as a whole is facing multiple pressures. Only by targeting high-end, diversification and low-carbon efforts is the ultimate way out.

Li Shousheng, president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, previously publicly pointed out that currently, the development of China's modern coal chemical industry is in a critical period, facing four major challenges: carbon dioxide emissions, water shortages, similar end products and environmental governance. The new challenges faced by China's modern coal chemical industry have also created an opportunity to create the fourth milestone in the development of the world's coal chemical industry. Under the new situation of the "double carbon" goal, we have embarked on a new path of low-carbon emission of high-carbon raw materials and utilization of carbon dioxide resources.

"After years of market baptism, the coal chemical industry has also deeply realized that only by achieving breakthroughs in high-end, diversification and low-carbonization can the industry have a future. Only through high-end development can the coal chemical industry avoid the disadvantage of direct competition with petrochemicals; through diversified development can coal chemical companies have the ability to withstand market risks; through low-carbon development, coal chemical products can gain entry into the future market. ticket." Li Zhijian, deputy director of the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Planning Institute, previously said.

Many industry experts pointed out that the coal chemical projects planned in the past two or three years have obviously shown more distinctive high-end and diversified characteristics than before. The product chain has been extended a lot and the product types have become much more complex.

It is worth noting that in order to better guide the industry towards high-end, diversification and low-carbon, the "Notice" issued by the six departments previously also emphasized the need to further strengthen planning guidance, optimize the industrial layout, and promote the accelerated implementation of existing modern coal chemical projects. Transformation and upgrading of advanced technical equipment, new projects such as coal-to-olefins, coal-to-paraxylene (PX), coal-to-methanol, coal-to-ethylene glycol, and coal-to-degradable materials will focus on areas with relatively rich coal and water resources and good environmental capacity. Promote industrial agglomeration and park development.

Continue to promote technological innovation

Technological innovation is fundamental to promote the coal chemical industry to further move towards high-end, low-carbon and diversification.

Li Shousheng believes that we must adhere to innovation leadership. The future high-end, diversified and low-carbon development of the coal chemical industry relies on technological innovation. Currently, there is still much room for technological innovation. At the same time, we must adhere to innovation in development models. For example, the gasification island innovation model, the coupling of coal chemical industry with chlor-alkali industry, textile industry, green electricity, etc., and the coal-chemical industry has been parks, bases, and coordinated development of industrial chains.

"Continuously promote technological progress on the existing basis, improve the level of industrial development, and empower enterprises to achieve breakthroughs in high-end, diversification and low-carbon." Li Zhijian pointed out that, for example, in terms of high-end and diversification of products, new brands of polyolefin resins such as polyethylene, ULDPE and propyl-butadiene copolymer polypropylene, melted polypropylene, and high-crystallinity polypropylene copolymerized with α-olefins will be developed; Coupled with petrochemical technology to produce downstream products of ethylene and propylene to extend the industrial chain; develop technology for direct catalytic synthesis of olefins, aromatic hydrocarbons, branched alkanes and alcohol oxygenates from syngas. In terms of low-carbon, develop more and better energy-saving new processes, new technologies, and new equipment, increase output per unit of resources, improve energy resource utilization efficiency, reduce emissions, and achieve efficient and clean conversion of resources.

Yan Guochun and others of China Shenhua Coal-to-liquids Chemical Co., Ltd. wrote an article pointing out that they are recommended to strengthen the layout of major scientific and technological projects, lay out and implement scientific and technological research on clean and efficient coal conversion at the national level, and focus on the research and development of coal-based special fuels, coal-based biodegradable materials and high-end carbon materials, near-zero carbon emission coal chemical processes, low-cost carbon dioxide capture technologies, carbon dioxide utilization and storage technologies, etc., accelerate the breakthrough of a number of key core technologies and support the high-quality development of the coal chemical industry. In addition, it is recommended to strengthen the construction of national-level R & D platforms in the field of coal chemical industry, encourage leading enterprises in relevant industries to increase investment in R & D, integrate national superior R & D forces to achieve deep integration of "industry, academia and research", and jointly build a national strategic R & D force for modern coal chemical industry.

original title:One "high" and one "low", the development of China's coal chemical industry accelerates