The coal-to-aromatics (MTA) market has broad development prospects, but its industrialization process is slow.

Coal-to-aromatics (MTA) is a process that uses coal as raw material to first produce methanol, and then uses methanol as raw material to produce aromatics through dehydrogenation and cyclization reactions using a bifunctional active catalyst. Coal-to-aromatics is an emerging aromatics production technology. The traditional aromatics production method relies heavily on petroleum resources. However, my country’s resource endowment is “poor oil, rich in coal and little gas”. The coal chemical industry has overcapacity. In order to ensure national energy security, my country’s energy structure has been adjusted. Speed ​​up. Developing the coal-to-aromatics process can not only save petroleum resources, but also help alleviate the problem of overcapacity in the coal chemical industry.

Aromatic hydrocarbons are important basic raw materials for the production of bulk petrochemical products. Subdivided products include pure benzene, xylene, paraxylene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, etc. Aromatic hydrocarbons are widely used in medicine, consumer electronics, aerospace, chemical fiber, chemical industry, engineering plastics and other fields. my country is a major producer and consumer of aromatic hydrocarbons. In recent years, with the growth of my country’s economy, the downstream demand for aromatic hydrocarbons has continued to rise. At this stage, the supply of aromatic hydrocarbons in my country is It is mainly petroleum-based, accounting for more than 90%. Coal-to-aromatics has enriched the diversified production routes of pure benzene, xylene and other aromatic products, and is conducive to ensuring national energy security. Its development is of great significance.

According to the “2022-2026 Coal-to-Aromatics Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report released by the Industrial Research Center, coal The aromatics-to-aromatics market has broad development prospects, but at present, my country’s coal-to-aromatics project is still in the industrial trial stage and there has been no substantial progress. Factors limiting the development of the coal-to-aromatics industry include but are not limited to immature technology, weak cost advantages, and lack of practical experience. The industrialization process of coal-to-aromatics is slow, but research enthusiasm in this field is high. With the continuous deepening of research and the intensive release of patents/documents, more technological breakthroughs have been achieved in coal-to-aromatics. The industrialization of coal-to-aromatics will be an inevitable trend in the future.

The technical route of coal to aromatics includes direct conversion of synthesis gas into aromatics (STA), alkylation of toluene and methanol, alkylation of benzene and synthesis gas, methanol to aromatics, etc. Relevant domestic R&D institutions include Shanxi Coal Chemistry Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Henan Coal Chemical Group Research Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Industry, etc. In 2022, the “36,000 tons/year Methanol to Aromatics (S-MTA) Complete Technology Pilot Research” project undertaken by the Shanghai Petrochemical Research Institute passed the appraisal of the group company. The technical indicators of the project are generally at the leading level in the world.

Industry analysts said that coal-to-aromatics not only enriches the diversified route of raw materials for the production of aromatic products, but also reduces the dependence of aromatics on petroleum. It has also alleviated the problem of overcapacity in the coal chemical industry, and the coal-to-aromatics market has broad prospects for development in the future. However, due to immature technology and poor cost advantages, the industrialization process of coal-to-aromatics is slow and most construction projects are in the industrial trial period. In the future, my country’s coal-to-aromatics industry urgently needs to achieve breakthroughs in technology, cost, scale and other aspects.