China tests world's largest ethanol production facility

The new facility with an annual output of 600,000 tons of ethanol began trial operations on December 28 in Huaibei, Anhui Province, eastern China.

The world's largest ethanol production facility in Huaibei, Anhui Province, December 28, 2023. Photo: CMG — The world's largest ethanol production facility in Huaibei, Anhui Province, December 28, 2023. Photo: *CMG*

The trial operation of the world's largest ethanol production equipment has helped verify the advanced and reliable level of the new technology called DMTE, according to Li Wei, director at Tanxin Technology.

The new equipment, with an annual output of 600,000 tons of ethanol, can convert coke oven gas into ethanol, significantly increasing the added value of coal, providing a feasible solution for the development of low-carbon steel and petrochemical industries. The equipment was manufactured by Tanxin Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Huaibei Coal Mining Group, and applied advanced technology jointly developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group.

Researchers have developed DMTE technology, which uses synthesis gas or syngas as raw material to produce ethanol by carbonylation of dimethyl ether followed by hydrogenation of methyl acetate. They have continuously upgraded the technology, catalysts and optimized the reaction process, laying a solid foundation for large-scale industrialization.

Ethanol is a very good gasoline additive and also an important basic chemical. It is produced mainly in the United States, Brazil and some other countries, with the raw materials usually being crops such as cereals and sugarcane.

China's ethanol market is in huge demand, according to the study's lead researcher Liu Zhongmin, director of DICP and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. China will face a shortage of about 10 million tons of ethanol fuel by 2022, he added.

Liu said that large-scale production of grain-free ethanol plays a key role in ensuring China's food security, energy security, chemical industrial chain and supply chain security.

Thu Thao (According to CGTN )

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