Chinese coal firm upgrades industrial chain with tech innovation and green transformation

State Energy Group Ningxia Coal Industry is advancing comprehensive industrial upgrading and green transformation, achieving substantial growth in high-value chemical product exports through continuous technological breakthroughs and low-carbon operational optimisation.

Industrial operational data shows that the company’s chemical products have been exported to 44 countries and regions in the first half of this year, with export volume surging by 98 per cent year on year. The enterprise has built diversified overseas shipping channels via multiple coastal ports, forming a coordinated export layout for cross-border commodity delivery.

As a key player in China’s modern coal-based new material industrial chain, the enterprise is driving profound structural transformation across its production system. It has resolved industrial bottlenecks in fine chemical manufacturing and strengthened high-end new material production capacity, completing a strategic shift from basic coal sales and single oil product output to intensive deep processing and diversified high-value industrial clusters. The full integrated industrial framework covering coal processing, chemical manufacturing and new material production has lifted the comprehensive value per tonne of coal by seven times.

Sustained technological research and development investment underpins the steady elevation of coal resource utilisation value. The enterprise focuses on core industrial technological breakthroughs, achieving iterative progress in green and low-carbon manufacturing techniques, high-end chemical separation processes and independent catalyst development. A self-developed Fischer-Tropsch oil hydrocracking catalyst has been successfully applied to a 4-million-tonne coal indirect liquefaction facility, raising distillate oil yield and improving product quality, which strengthens the market competitiveness of its coal chemical products.

A series of independent intellectual property technologies have achieved large-scale industrial application. Self-developed coal-based aerospace kerosene has supported multiple domestic carrier rocket launches, breaking long-term reliance on single imported aviation fuel sources. The self-developed C-plus high-end lubricant series fills domestic technical gaps in premium lubricant manufacturing, covering 11 categories of products for automotive and industrial scenarios. The enterprise now operates a product portfolio of 40 categories across five major sectors, including oil, wax, gas, new materials and fine chemicals.

Low-carbon and circular production models are being fully implemented throughout operational processes. The company’s methanol production facility adopts carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology to capture and liquefy carbon dioxide emissions for 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 is in stable operation, capable of capturing 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Circular resource utilisation systems have been widely deployed across production bases. Advanced environmental technologies for carbon reduction, water resource optimisation and solid waste recycling have been rolled out to realise full-cycle reuse of industrial wastewater, waste gas and solid residues. The chemical park maintains nearly 99 per cent rates for wastewater reuse and sulphur recovery, achieving zero wastewater discharge. Deep processing of industrial waste wax converts by-products into high-value refined wax materials, generating an annual output value increase of 420 million yuan.

Clean energy integration further accelerates low-carbon transformation. Leveraging abundant local photovoltaic resources, the enterprise has built a full-chain demonstration project integrating photovoltaic green hydrogen production and green hydrogen-coupled coal chemical manufacturing. Up to June 30, the project has consumed 18.58 million standard cubic metres of green hydrogen, delivering an equivalent carbon dioxide emission reduction of 31,600 tonnes.

Located in Ningdong Energy and Chemical Industry Base, a national core energy production and modern industrial demonstration zone, the enterprise will continue to advance iterative upgrades in efficient green mining, coal indirect liquefaction technology and high-end new material research. It will foster a competitive modern industrial system with local characteristics, promoting comprehensive transformation from low-value resource processing to high-end intelligent manufacturing, and shifting operational advantages from cost reliance to technological and brand competitiveness.