At 10:00 on November 21, the National Energy Group Yulin Chemical’s 400,000 tons/year ethylene glycol project opened up the entire process at once and successfully produced qualified ethylene glycol products.
The project adopts China Energy Group’s independent technology and is independently designed and constructed by China Energy Group. All equipment is domestically produced. Among them, the core device of 100,000 tons/year carbonylation reactor is the largest ethylene glycol carbonylation reactor in operation in China. device. The project started construction in July 2018 and was completed in June 2021. Nitrogen tetroxide was introduced at 21:43 on November 16, and it took 108 hours to produce qualified ethylene glycol products. The successful commissioning of this project has laid the foundation for the next step of converting to polyglycolic acid degradable plastics, and has important demonstration significance and positive impact on promoting the transformation and development of the national coal chemical industry to “high-end, diversified, and low-carbon”.
On September 13, 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally visited the National Energy Group’s Yulin Chemical ethylene glycol unit for on-site inspection and investigation and delivered an important speech. He expressed high affirmation of Yulin Chemical’s insistence on innovative development and safe, stable and clean operation. He emphasized that “the coal chemical industry has great potential and great future. We must improve the comprehensive utilization efficiency of coal as a chemical raw material, promote the high-end, diversified, and low-carbon development of the coal chemical industry, and make strengthening scientific and technological innovation the most urgent task, accelerating the key core We will tackle key technical problems and actively develop coal-based special fuels, coal-based biodegradable materials, etc.”
Different from the traditional coal-to-ethylene glycol project, the National Energy Group Yulin Chemical actively explores a new model of coal-to-chemical integrated operation and gives full play to the advantages of large-scale investment and intensive layout. It is deeply coupled with the 1.8 million tons/year coal-to-methanol project that has been completed and put into operation and the world’s first 50,000 tons/year polyglycolic acid degradable material demonstration project under construction, relying on the surplus syngas and public utilities from the coal-to-methanol project. Co-production, and the tail gas emitted by the ethylene glycol unit is recycled as raw material for the coal-to-methanol project, achieving circular and clean utilization of coal, and significantly improving economic benefits and environmental protection effects.
Compared with a coal-to-ethylene glycol unit of the same scale, the investment cost is reduced by about 30%, and the complete product cost is reduced by about 20%. At the same time, in order to further extend the industrial chain and enhance the value chain, the company relies on the intermediate product dimethyl oxalate of the ethylene glycol project as a raw material to produce polyglycolic acid degradable plastics. Compared with the production of traditional plastics, polyglycolic acid degradable plastics have tons of raw materials. Coal consumption can be reduced by about 50%, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by about 65%, and industrial added value can be increased by 2-3 times.
In the future, Yulin Chemical will, in accordance with the strategic base layout of coal-to-oil and gas in the country’s “14th Five-Year Plan”, achieve “chain extension” through deep processing of products, couple new energy sources to achieve “chain complementation”, and focus on the development of coal-based special fuels and coal-based renewable energy. Degradable materials achieve a “strong chain” to effectively protect national energy security, promote the transformation and upgrading of the coal chemical industry to “high-end, diversified, and low-carbon”, and strive to take the lead in developing a new technology, low energy consumption, good benefits, and internationally recognized nationwide. The road to competitive green and low-carbon transformation and development will repay the General Secretary’s earnest entrustment and deep expectations with practical actions and development results.
National Energy Group Yulin 50,000-ton Biodegradable Plastic (PGA) Project
The project is located in Qingshui Industrial Park, Dabaodang Town, Shenmu City, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. It covers an area of 9.8 hectares and adopts Shanghai Pujing Chemical Technology. The total investment is about 1 billion yuan. It is a national demonstration project and a coal-to-olefins industry chain extension project. . The product polyglycolic acid has good biodegradability and biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, excellent formability and excellent gas barrier properties, and can be used in packaging materials, surgical sutures, etc.
On March 1, 2021, the National Energy Yulin Chemical 50,000 tons/year polyglycolic acid demonstration project officially started.
ASIACHEM Consulting learned that according to Yulin City’s 2021 major (preliminary) project plan, the National Energy Group Yulin Energy Chemical Co., Ltd. plans to build a 1.6 million tons/year coal-based biodegradable material project in Yushen Industrial Zone.
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