A coke-oven gas-to-compressed natural gas unit, jointly developed by the Southwest Research & Design Institute of the Chemical Industry and Sichuan Tianyi Science & Technology Co, began operation successfully at Hebei Yutai Fuel Co. The unit can produce 30,000 standard cubic meters of compressed natural gas through coke-oven gas methanation, and has been running steadily for 12 days. The Southwest Institute offered catalysis and Sichuan Tianyi provided the necessary technology. The project is the first of its kind in China. The success has created a new approach in utilizing coke-oven gas, which not only converts industrial waste gas into clean energy and boosts coking technology development, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and protects the environment.
Xie Yongli, deputy-general director of the project, said that the unit successfully yielded qualified products on Dec 4. The first batch of goods has already been sold. Product quality adheres to the standards of civil and car use. In one month, the product will be integrated into the gas pipe network in Handan city to ease gas shortages. The project involved a total investment of approximately 2 million yuan ($329.4 million) and spanned 18 months. Its advanced technical process and mature technology has ensured steady long-term operation and low energy consumption. It will help reduce carbon dioxide by 900,000 tons a year; sulfur dioxide by 726 tons; and dust by 10 tons. Output is expected to hit 100 million cubic meters next year.
The Southwest Institute has engaged in scientific research of catalysis and technology utilizing coke-oven gas methanation to produce natural gas since 2006. The institute has finished lab and pilot scale experiments, as well as process software development. Its achievements were recognized by the Sichuan Science and Technology Department in May 2010. The institute has won five national patents for inventions. The project outperformed counterparts in China and abroad, with significant results in energy conservation and emissions reduction, as well as social and economic benefits. The coke-oven methanation technology has been transferred to more than 10 companies, and has been referred to for feasibility study reports in more than 30 companies.
The project means a lot to Hebei and Shanxi, where natural gas is in short supply. It can make full use of waste coke-oven gas to ease natural gas supply, cut environment pollution and realize low-carbon economy. Experts believe that under the dual pressure of the dropping coke price and the worsening environment pollution, finding a way out for coke-oven gas has become crucial to the survival of coking companies. The methanation technology can recover 20 billion cubic meters of coke-oven gas released every year without any utilization to produce 8.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas. China is relatively short on natural gas. The technology turns waste into clean energy, which makes it a crucial part of the national energy strategy. The project will play an important role in restructuring the coking industry and building a resource-conserving and environmentally-friendly society.