The Hungry Dragon: Coal-to-Chemical as a Game Changer in China

Related Vendors

Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH

CAC ENGINEERING GMBH

Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions Germany GmbH

Methanol-to-Propylene - It works

The engineers in Frankfurt developed the methanol-to-propylene (MTP) process at a time when natural gas was generally seen as the major alternative to oil and the resurgence of coal was not yet visible on the horizon. A phase of intensive marketing followed, and the continued scarcity of propylene has created a situation which favors the MTP process, said Wurzel.

Rising demand for propylene in China and the availability of cheap ethylene from ethane crackers in the Middle East have tipped the balance in favor of MTP at the expense of the competing MTO technology, opening the door to the first MTP project in China. “In recent years, the shortfall of propylene has increased, resulting in price increases. Following heavy investment in ethane crackers in the Middle East, ethylene is available in China at landed prices which have made the MTO process uncompetitive.”

Under the circumstances, NDRC (National Development and Reform Commission) recommended MTP as the reference technology. Two more plants have been built in Mongolia, and the shale gas bonanza in America has resulted in further queries. “Since the first complex went into operation in 2011, we have seen strong interest in MTP technology outside of China,” reported Wurzel.

Integration is the key

The showcase project is the Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group (SNCG) complex. Lurgi provided the know-how for the entire highly integrated process chain which follows coal gasification.

Syngas is produced from pulverized coal. Following syngas conditioning and upgrading, methanol is produced using the MegaMethanol process, and the final step is production of propylene with the MTP process.

“We are an integrated player. Besides the processes needed for coal conversion, we can also supply the air separation units,” said Wurzel. Air separation is a major step, because large amounts of oxygen are needed for gasification and the oxygen has to come from somewhere.

(ID:43089498)