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Fuyou Technology, from top left to bottom right: a corner of the factory, office building, satellite view, 170 kta coal tar full fraction hydrogenation unit, 500 kta coal tar full fraction hydrogenation unit, 80 kta light hydrocarbon fraction separation unit.
Fuyou Technology has developed combined coal-based process technologies such as coal pyrolysis, hydrogenation of medium and low temperature coal tar full fractions to produce more intermediate distillate oil, efficient impurity removal and aromatics saturation of naphtha to produce cycloalkane chemicals. The company is the leading producer of methylcyclohexane, light white oil, transformer oil and aerospace special oils obtained from medium and low temperature coal tar.
Low-grade coal, which accounts for about 55% of the total coal resources in Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, has low carbon content and calorific value, and relatively high tar yield and hydrogen and oxygen content. The characteristics of the feedstock is conducive to efficient transformation and utilization through medium and low temperature pyrolysis.
Fuyou Technology's pyrolysis process product is separated into three substances: gas (coal gas), liquid (coal tar), and solid (semi-coke), and further converted to obtain clean fuels such as oil, gas, and electricity, as well as high value-added chemical products. The company has built and put into use China's first 170,000 tons/year medium and low temperature coal tar full-fraction hydrogenation high-yield intermediate distillate oil industrial demonstration unit and a 500,000 tons/year coal tar full-fraction hydrogenation production cycloalkane oil unit, promoting the high-end transformation of coal tar and realizing the transformation of coal from a single fuel to diversified products.
The naphtha separation unit now produces 80,000 tpy naphtha, which is converted mainly into cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, and dimethylcyclohexane. Fuyou Technology is the largest methylcyclohexane producer in China, with an annual output of 30,000 tonnes, accounting for 85% of the market share. The company has also laid out industrial chain extension projects to produce high value-added products such as ethylcyclohexane.
Shenmu Fuyou Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and production site in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, have been added. It is a coal to chemical producer and a subsidiary of Shaanxi Coal Group.
Alterra closes investment round with the expectation to accelerate the commercialisation of its plastics pyrolysis technology
Investors Infinity Recycling, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LyondellBasell, and Neste, along with long-term support from Potenza Capital, have successfully closed their latest round of equity funding in Alterra Energy (formerly Vadxx Energy). This investment round is expected to accelerate the commercialization of Alterra’s plastics pyrolysis technology, designed to transform discarded plastic into valuable raw materials.
In its 2023 sustainability report, published in March, Shell is stating that:
“In 2023 we concluded that the scale of our ambition to turn 1m tonnes of plastic waste a year into pyrolysis oil by 2025 is unfeasible.”
The report justifies this step back from the previous commitment due to changing market conditions:
“While Shell sees customer demand for circular chemicals, the pace of growth globally is less than expected due to lack of available feedstock, slow technology development and regulatory uncertainty.”
On its website, Shell advocates for chemical recycling (photo) with the following statement:
“Chemical recycling through pyrolysis, where hard-to-recycle plastic waste like snack bags, ready meals, or plastic film, that are not suitable for mechanical recycling, are turned into pyrolysis oil, a liquid that replaces hydrocarbons to produce circular chemicals.”
Shell has started its strategy to build up chemical recycling capaciities by signing a strategic supply agreement with Nexus Fuels (now Nexus Circular) back in 2019. Nexus operates a 'pilot' Nexus Pyrolysis plant with a rated capacity of 50 tonnes per day at its production site in Atlanta .
Since that date, Shell has successively invested in Dutch company BlueAlp, signed pyrolysis oil supply agreements with Pryme, another Dutch company, and with Finnish company Lamor in Europe, with Environmental Solutions Asia in Singapore , and with Freepoint Eco-Systems in the U.S.A. , invested in two pyrolysis oil upgraders at its Mordijk site in The Netherlands and signed a LOU with Dialog Group Berhad in Malaysia and a MOU with the European branch of Agilyx in Norway for the development of chemical recycling plants.
Circular Polymer Resources and AmSpec Group to develop a process to test and certify the composition and quality of plastic waste used in chemical recycling, Beatriz Santos from Sustainable Plastics reports on Feb 7th.
Notable, the article mentions that:
"Pyrolysis oil must be diluted with fossil-derived oils or treated to improve its quality to bring it ‘on-specification’ for steam cracking. This diminishes the yield of recycled plastic from pyrolysis or requires energy intensive processes, respectively..."
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