With the rapid development of the coal chemical industry, advanced coal gasification technologies have emerged at home and abroad. It stands to reason that these technologies have a transformative impact on the upgrading and transformation of China's traditional small and medium-sized chemical fertilizers and should be favored by many small and medium-sized fertilizer companies in China. However, the reporter learned that the actual situation is that many companies do not favor advanced coal gasification technology.
The reporter recently conducted a survey on some nitrogenous fertilizer companies in Shanxi using coal gasifiers. The survey showed that 100% of the enterprises did not use advanced coal gasification technology. Taking Shanxi Jincheng City as an example, currently there are 8 urea production enterprises built in Jincheng City, and there are 11 projects with 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea. The total investment is about 10 billion yuan, and the urea production capacity is 5 million tons. /year. However, in the construction site of all 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea here, many small gasifiers can be seen everywhere. It is understood that these new projects do not use advanced coal gasification technology and still use the fixed-bed batch gasifier (UGI furnace) developed abroad in the 1930s. According to experts, this type of furnace uses block-shaped anthracite or coke as raw materials, air and water vapor as gasifying agents, and produces synthetic raw gas or fuel gas at normal pressure. Although the technology is low in investment and easy to operate, it has a low gasification rate, a single raw material, high energy consumption, and waste water and waste gas that is discharged are likely to cause environmental pollution. Currently, it is a backward technology. Earlier this year, the Shanxi Province Jincheng Chemical Fertilizer Plant produced 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea projects because the supporting slag yard did not fully implement the environmental impact assessment requirements. The environmental protection facilities were incomplete and there were illegal activities such as excessive COD, ammonia nitrogen, petroleum, and SO2. It was included in one of the 10 illegal construction projects notified by the State.
According to the reporter, the same phenomenon is not just in Shanxi. Most of the small and medium-sized chemical fertilizer companies in China still use UGI furnaces to produce synthetic hydrogen raw gas. Why do these fertilizer companies turn a blind eye to the new coal gasification technologies at home and abroad and are keen to lag behind in the UGI furnace?
The company reflects that there are three major problems with the adoption of coal gasification technology.
First, the introduction of foreign investment in technical equipment is too large. China has also introduced some advanced coal gasification facilities abroad, such as Lurgi furnaces, Texaco coal-water slurry gasifiers, U-GAS gasifiers, etc., but these introduced devices have a large one-time investment. For example, for a project with 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea, the selection of a traditional UGI furnace will cost only 100 million yuan, while investment in the use of foreign technology and equipment will require 500 million yuan. Most companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, cannot afford to invest hundreds of millions of dollars.
Second, domestic technology industrialization is slow. It is understood that China's self-developed coal gasification technology is only in the experimental and small-scale industrial demonstration stage, and it still does not have the conditions for large-scale promotion. For example, the advanced ash fusion technology developed by China itself is a good technology for the selection of new coal gasification units or technological transformation of existing gasification units. However, this technology needs to accelerate the improvement and promotion.
Third, there is little support for national policies. Coal gasification technology, one of the advanced technologies for the clean and efficient use of coal, is a key development target in China's energy sector. China's "Eleventh Five-Year Plan for Development of Chemical Industry Science and Technology" puts forward that nitrogen fertilizers in the fertilizer industry will focus on the development of new coal gasification technologies with independent intellectual property rights. Shanxi Province in various places in the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan for the development of coal industry in Shanxi Province" also proposed the use of advanced coal gasification technology, promote the localization of raw coal and the use of advanced coal gasification technology, strengthen the use of advanced coal gasification technology to produce urea Guide. However, the government does not currently have mandatory environmental protection support policies that must select new technologies, lack systemic and comprehensive incentive policies, and lack adequate financial subsidies. The policy is not matched and the company naturally lacks motivation.
Some experts suggested that to change the status of China's heavy reliance on traditional fixed-bed batch gasification technology and upgrade the level of China's coal gasification technology, it is first necessary to establish a government extension mechanism. To actively promote coal gasification technology developed by China and with independent intellectual property rights, we must step up the development and construction of a batch of coal gasification demonstration devices; second, we must jointly purchase foreign proprietary technologies. Several large companies can be organized to jointly invest in low-cost foreign advanced coal gasification equipment and mature technology; the third is to develop incentives and promotion policies. The state should formulate relevant policies and implement preferential treatment for enterprises that use advanced coal gasification technologies to improve energy conversion efficiency and reduce pollution. The use of advanced coal gasification technology will increase the cost of fertilizer plants. Under this circumstance, the government can guarantee certain profit levels of fertilizer plants through subsidies, tax reductions, or price policies. Internalize the external benefits of recycling resources and pollution control to achieve the unity of internal and external benefits.
The reporter recently conducted a survey on some nitrogenous fertilizer companies in Shanxi using coal gasifiers. The survey showed that 100% of the enterprises did not use advanced coal gasification technology. Taking Shanxi Jincheng City as an example, currently there are 8 urea production enterprises built in Jincheng City, and there are 11 projects with 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea. The total investment is about 10 billion yuan, and the urea production capacity is 5 million tons. /year. However, in the construction site of all 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea here, many small gasifiers can be seen everywhere. It is understood that these new projects do not use advanced coal gasification technology and still use the fixed-bed batch gasifier (UGI furnace) developed abroad in the 1930s. According to experts, this type of furnace uses block-shaped anthracite or coke as raw materials, air and water vapor as gasifying agents, and produces synthetic raw gas or fuel gas at normal pressure. Although the technology is low in investment and easy to operate, it has a low gasification rate, a single raw material, high energy consumption, and waste water and waste gas that is discharged are likely to cause environmental pollution. Currently, it is a backward technology. Earlier this year, the Shanxi Province Jincheng Chemical Fertilizer Plant produced 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea projects because the supporting slag yard did not fully implement the environmental impact assessment requirements. The environmental protection facilities were incomplete and there were illegal activities such as excessive COD, ammonia nitrogen, petroleum, and SO2. It was included in one of the 10 illegal construction projects notified by the State.
According to the reporter, the same phenomenon is not just in Shanxi. Most of the small and medium-sized chemical fertilizer companies in China still use UGI furnaces to produce synthetic hydrogen raw gas. Why do these fertilizer companies turn a blind eye to the new coal gasification technologies at home and abroad and are keen to lag behind in the UGI furnace?
The company reflects that there are three major problems with the adoption of coal gasification technology.
First, the introduction of foreign investment in technical equipment is too large. China has also introduced some advanced coal gasification facilities abroad, such as Lurgi furnaces, Texaco coal-water slurry gasifiers, U-GAS gasifiers, etc., but these introduced devices have a large one-time investment. For example, for a project with 180,000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 300,000 tons of urea, the selection of a traditional UGI furnace will cost only 100 million yuan, while investment in the use of foreign technology and equipment will require 500 million yuan. Most companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, cannot afford to invest hundreds of millions of dollars.
Second, domestic technology industrialization is slow. It is understood that China's self-developed coal gasification technology is only in the experimental and small-scale industrial demonstration stage, and it still does not have the conditions for large-scale promotion. For example, the advanced ash fusion technology developed by China itself is a good technology for the selection of new coal gasification units or technological transformation of existing gasification units. However, this technology needs to accelerate the improvement and promotion.
Third, there is little support for national policies. Coal gasification technology, one of the advanced technologies for the clean and efficient use of coal, is a key development target in China's energy sector. China's "Eleventh Five-Year Plan for Development of Chemical Industry Science and Technology" puts forward that nitrogen fertilizers in the fertilizer industry will focus on the development of new coal gasification technologies with independent intellectual property rights. Shanxi Province in various places in the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan for the development of coal industry in Shanxi Province" also proposed the use of advanced coal gasification technology, promote the localization of raw coal and the use of advanced coal gasification technology, strengthen the use of advanced coal gasification technology to produce urea Guide. However, the government does not currently have mandatory environmental protection support policies that must select new technologies, lack systemic and comprehensive incentive policies, and lack adequate financial subsidies. The policy is not matched and the company naturally lacks motivation.
Some experts suggested that to change the status of China's heavy reliance on traditional fixed-bed batch gasification technology and upgrade the level of China's coal gasification technology, it is first necessary to establish a government extension mechanism. To actively promote coal gasification technology developed by China and with independent intellectual property rights, we must step up the development and construction of a batch of coal gasification demonstration devices; second, we must jointly purchase foreign proprietary technologies. Several large companies can be organized to jointly invest in low-cost foreign advanced coal gasification equipment and mature technology; the third is to develop incentives and promotion policies. The state should formulate relevant policies and implement preferential treatment for enterprises that use advanced coal gasification technologies to improve energy conversion efficiency and reduce pollution. The use of advanced coal gasification technology will increase the cost of fertilizer plants. Under this circumstance, the government can guarantee certain profit levels of fertilizer plants through subsidies, tax reductions, or price policies. Internalize the external benefits of recycling resources and pollution control to achieve the unity of internal and external benefits.
Henan Zonghai Plastic Industry Co., Ltd. , https://www.hnzonghai.com