The world's first 10,000-metric-ton-scale project to produce aromatic hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide syngas is nearing completion at the Dalu Industrial Park in Ordos' Juungar Economic Development Zone. The project, with a total investment of 394 million yuan ($58.31 million), is expected to begin trial production on June 30.

The project's civil engineering work is 95 percent complete. [Photo by Wang Liman/Juungar Banner Integrated Media Center]

"With 95 percent of civil engineering and all equipment installation completed, we are confident that the project will be ready for trial production on June 30," said Zhu Lihui, a technician from Inner Mongolia Jiutai Xinyuan New Materials Co's engineering technology department.

The project's core technology, developed by Tsinghua University, synthesizes aromatic hydrocarbons directly from carbon dioxide and hydrogen using a proprietary catalyst and a streamlined industrial process. Compared with the traditional methanol-to-aromatics process, this innovative approach features a shorter process, lower energy consumption, and reduced carbon emissions, placing it among the most advanced technologies of its kind globally.

The project will produce 10,000 tons of aromatic hydrocarbons annually and consume about 32,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, converting waste into high-value chemical feedstock while reducing carbon emissions from the coal chemical industry. 

As a key project designated by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Department of Science and Technology, it is expected to fill a global gap in the direct conversion of carbon dioxide to aromatics and contribute to the green, high-end, and smart transformation of the local chemical industry.

A close-up of the project's core facility. [Photo by Wang Liman/Juungar Banner Integrated Media Center]