Ningxia Coal Advances High-end and Low-carbon Coal Chemical Transformation with Technological Innovation

Booming industrial production operations are underway at Ningxia Coal Industry Co., Ltd., affiliated with China Energy Investment Corporation. Traditional coal resources are processed through gasification and synthesis procedures to produce high-value chemical products including polypropylene and polyethylene, forming a continuously upgraded coal value chain. The company’s chemical products have been exported to 44 countries and regions in the first half of the year, with export volume surging by 98 per cent year on year as of 30 June.

Acting as the key enterprise leading the indirect coal liquefaction sub-industry chain within China’s modern coal-based new materials sector, Ningxia Coal Industry prioritises technological innovation to eliminate industrial bottlenecks and strengthen high-end new material manufacturing capacity. The enterprise is undergoing comprehensive industrial upgrading, shifting from extensive raw coal sales to intensive deep processing, from single oil product output to diversified cluster production, and from high-carbon operation to low-carbon circular development.

Increased research and development investment underpins iterative technological breakthroughs across core industrial segments. The company has made substantive progress in green and low-carbon manufacturing techniques, high-end chemical separation technologies and independent catalyst preparation processes. Self-developed Fischer-Tropsch oil hydrocracking catalysts have been fully applied in the 4-million-tonne indirect coal liquefaction facility. The industrial application raises the yield of middle distillate oil, optimises finished product quality and strengthens the market competitiveness of coal chemical products.

A series of independent intellectual property achievements have achieved large-scale industrial implementation. Self-developed coal-based aerospace kerosene has supported the launch of Long March 12 carrier rockets, diversifying domestic aerospace fuel supply channels. The self-developed C Plus high-end lubricant series fills domestic technical gaps in premium lubricant manufacturing, covering 11 product categories for automotive and industrial scenarios. The enterprise has built a comprehensive industrial cluster comprising four major product lines including oil, wax, gas, new materials and fine chemicals, with nearly 40 specific product varieties. The integrated coal-chemical-materials industrial system lifts per-tonne coal economic value by seven times.

While optimising product structure and phasing out extensive production models, the enterprise accelerates green and low-carbon transformation across operational links. The methanol production workshop adopts advanced carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology. Captured and liquefied carbon dioxide is applied to oilfield flooding and geological sequestration, cutting operational costs for flooding agents and water injection. The first phase of the 3-million-tonne full-process CCUS demonstration project has been officially put into operation, capturing 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Systematic ecological and circular manufacturing mechanisms have been established to boost resource utilisation efficiency. Ongoing technological upgrades in carbon capture, water resource recycling and solid waste reuse enable full-cycle recycling of industrial wastewater, waste gas and solid residues. The chemical park maintains nearly 99 per cent reuse rate of industrial wastewater and sulphur recovery rate, achieving zero wastewater discharge. Industrial waste wax residues are further processed into high-value refined wax products, generating an additional annual output value of 420 million yuan.

Leveraging abundant local photovoltaic resources in Ningxia, the enterprise develops integrated demonstration projects covering photovoltaic green hydrogen production and green hydrogen-coupled chemical manufacturing. Cumulative green hydrogen consumption reached 18.58 million standard cubic metres by 30 June, delivering an equivalent carbon dioxide emission reduction of 31,600 tonnes.

Located in the Ningdong Energy and Chemical Industry Base, a national core energy hub and demonstration zone for new industrialisation, the enterprise advances targeted industrial optimisation, innovation and green upgrading in line with local industrial development layouts for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Ongoing upgrades cover safe and efficient coal mining, iterative coal indirect liquefaction technologies and high-end new material research.

Future operational adjustments will drive the enterprise’s transition from low-value processing to high-value manufacturing, from price-oriented competition to technology-driven development, and from cost advantages to brand competitiveness. Continued technological iteration and industrial chain improvement will translate regional resource endowments into sustainable industrial and economic advantages.