Unexpected Anyang ③ | Coke Oven Exhaust? Anhydrous Ethanol!

In Yindu District, Anyang City, China, the Henan Liyuan Group has leveraged technology to transform harmful coke oven exhaust into high-purity anhydrous ethanol, thus improving air quality and turning waste into valuable resources.

焦炉尾气危害大气。在安阳市殷都区，河南利源集团利用科技扫除蓝天“愁云”，并实现变废为宝，将焦炉尾气变成了无水乙醇。

Coke Oven Exhaust? Anhydrous Ethanol!

焦炉尾气？无水乙醇！

Every day, the coke ovens at Henan Liyuan Group are effectively turning waste into "gold". A 100-mm diameter pipe connects tightly to a specialized tank truck, where 99.9% pure anhydrous ethanol is loaded and then transported to the chemical companies nationwide. This ethanol is used in the production of solvents, coatings, paints, and other products.

每天，河南利源集团的焦炉都在喷“黄金”。只见一根直径100毫米的管子与乙醇运输专用罐车紧密连接，纯度99.9%的无水乙醇被装进罐车，随后运往全国各地的化工企业，用于生产溶剂、涂料、油漆等产品。

Liyuan Group's annual production of 200,000 tons of anhydrous ethanol covers an area of 300 acres. The process involves purifying, desulfurizing, converting, and separating the coke oven exhaust, followed by a reaction with purchased methanol, to produce high-purity anhydrous ethanol. That project fills a gap in the domestic and international market for producing anhydrous ethanol from coke oven exhaust.

利源集团的年产20万吨无水乙醇项目占地300亩，在这里，焦炉尾气通过净化、脱硫、转化、分离等工序，并与外购甲醇反应，最终被制备为高纯度无水乙醇。该项目填补了国内外焦炉尾气制备无水乙醇的空白。

The project is the first to use China's proprietary dimethyl ether carbonylation and hydrogenation technology to produce ethanol. Each year, it can process350 million cubic meters of the group's coke oven exhaust and 140,000 tons of carbon dioxide, along with an additional 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide purchased externally. Moreover, the project can save 600,000 tons of food annually, making a substantial contribution to food conservation and energy security. (Source: Henan Daily Reporters: Li Lin, Yang Zhitian Translator: Tong Lin Proofreader: Jiao Dan)

该项目首次采用我国具有自主知识产权的二甲醚羰基化加氢制乙醇技术，每年不仅“吃完”利源集团自家的3.5亿立方米焦炉尾气和14万吨二氧化碳，还外购二氧化碳5万吨，每年可节约粮食60万吨，对节约粮食、确保能源安全都具有重要意义。（中文来源：河南日报 记者：李林 李旭兵 编译：童林 英文审校：焦丹）