The pilot project of propylene production from PTP waste plastics by Kemao Environment is about to be put into production and operation.
Recently, the pilot project of PTP (converting waste plastics into propylene) technology, the core innovation achievement of the chemical recycling of waste plastics by Zhejiang Kemao Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., has completed the installation of all equipment at the Hebei Yanzhao Green Chemical Laboratory and entered the commissioning stage, and is about to start production.
Independent innovation breaks through barriers, and core technologies lead the new track of chemical recycling of waste plastics
The implementation of this internationally leading independent innovation technology in Cangzhou not only opens up a new path for China to solve the problem of "white pollution" governance, but also injects strong green impetus into the high - quality transformation of Cangzhou's green chemical industry, the solid implementation of the "dual - carbon" goal, and the deepening of the construction of a "zero - waste city". It has become a landmark project in our city where scientific and technological innovation empowers the industrial economy and green transformation improves the development quality and efficiency.
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of plastics. For a long time, the disposal of a large amount of waste plastics has mainly been landfilling and incineration, which has become a prominent challenge in ecological protection and urban governance. Plastics are difficult to degrade naturally. After landfilling, they are likely to form micro - plastics that pollute soil and groundwater. Incineration will release toxic and harmful fumes, which damage equipment and human health. Low - value waste plastics are the main source of plastic pollution, and their harmless, resource - based, and low - carbon disposal is a core issue that the entire industry urgently needs to solve.
In this context, the industrial application of the chemical recycling technology of waste plastics has significant environmental, social, and economic benefits. This technology can increase the recovery rate of waste plastics in China from the current about 30% to 60% - 70%, breaking through the key bottleneck in pollution control; achieving "using waste to treat waste" and providing economic support for the construction of a "zero - waste city"; replacing crude oil consumption, ensuring resource security, and achieving "net negative pollution, net negative energy consumption, and net negative carbon emissions" in the treatment process. It truly turns waste into treasure and enhances green efficiency, providing solid support for the low - carbon transformation of upstream and downstream industries.
Having been deeply involved in the chemical recycling industry of waste plastics for 17 years, Kemao Environmental has broken the foreign technology monopoly through independent innovation. It has established two core technology systems, PTO (converting waste plastics into oil) and PTP (converting waste plastics into propylene), and has accumulated more than 100 patents, including nearly 50 invention patents and more than 30 international PCT patents. Its technology layout covers many countries, forming a globally leading independent intellectual property matrix. The PTP technology implemented this time realizes the directional and efficient conversion of waste plastics into propylene through the "high - selective catalytic cracking and olefin recombination" process. The overall technology is internationally leading, filling the gap in the relevant domestic fields.
This technology has achieved three disruptive breakthroughs: First, it has the world's leading raw material adaptability. There is no need for water - washing pretreatment of mixed low - value waste polyolefin plastics, which is highly suitable for the actual situation of solid waste disposal in China. Second, it has a top - notch product yield. The propylene yield of pure polyolefin plastics exceeds 45%, and the by - products of propane and butane account for 15% - 20%, achieving a "purified and oil - free" full - chemical output and getting rid of the traditional process's dependence on fuel oil. Third, it has prominent low - carbon advantages. Each ton of waste plastic treatment can reduce carbon emissions by 2 tons, which is highly in line with the national "dual - carbon" strategy. At the same time, this technology, from the reaction mechanism, core equipment to the catalyst, is independently developed, achieving full - chain self - control and contributing the most competitive "Chinese innovation solution" to the global chemical recycling industry of waste plastics.
Deep industrial coupling to solve the pain points of refining and chemical development
The PTP technology forms a highly adaptable and synergistic coupling relationship with the downstream chemical industry, precisely solving the core problems in the production and operation of local refining and chemical enterprises. Currently, downstream refining and chemical enterprises generally face the problems of tight raw material supply and prominent production capacity gaps. As a basic chemical raw material, the shortage of propylene supply directly restricts the release of high - end chemical production capacity. At the same time, the utilization efficiency of by - products such as post - ether C4 produced in the refining and chemical process is not high, and the high - value conversion is insufficient, resulting in a waste of resources.
The PTP technology can produce high - purity propylene directionally, directly making up for the short - board of propylene raw materials for refining and chemical enterprises, stabilizing the supply of core raw materials and ensuring the full - load production of equipment. It can also cooperate with refining and chemical integrated enterprises to digest by - products such as post - ether C4, and further convert them into high - value - added products such as propylene through the olefin recombination process, turning the originally inefficiently used by - products into high - quality raw materials and maximizing resource utilization and doubling economic benefits. This coupling model not only opens up the recycling chain of "waste plastics - propylene - high - end chemicals" but also revitalizes the by - product resources of refining and chemical industries, promoting the transformation of the chemical industry from extensive processing to fine and efficient processing.
Deeply cultivate the industrial fertile land in Yanzhao, and promote green transformation through the integration of the local area and enterprises
As the core carrier of the green chemical industry in Hebei Province, Cangzhou has a strong industrial foundation and significant cluster effects. It has two major petrochemical bases, Bohai New Area and Renqiu. In 2024, the operating income of the city's green chemical industry reached 250.57 billion yuan, accounting for 43.4% of the above - scale industries, providing a complete industrial chain supporting for the implementation of high - end green technologies. As a provincial - level key green chemical pilot platform, the Hebei Yanzhao Green Chemical Laboratory is equipped with world - class facilities and has established a "production - learning - research - application" integration mechanism, providing full - process guarantee for the project and accelerating the transformation of technology from the laboratory to industrial application.
In recent years, Cangzhou has been committed to the direction of green and low - carbon development, vigorously promoting the construction of a "zero - waste city", optimizing the business environment, and precisely cultivating specialized and innovative enterprises and industrial chain leaders, providing a high - quality environment for circular economy projects. This cooperation between the local area and the enterprise is not only a key step for Zhejiang Kemao to layout the northern market and promote the industrialization of technology but also an important measure for Cangzhou to introduce high - end technologies, strengthen the leading industries, and promote transformation and upgrading.
Relying on the implementation and operation of this pilot project, Kemao Environmental's PTP technology can be deeply coupled with Cangzhou's chemical industry, providing technical support for the local area to layout a full - chain industrial base integrating technology R & D, equipment manufacturing, and project operation, and helping the city's chemical industry to accelerate the transformation from "fuel - based" to "chemical - based" and the upgrade from "fossil - dependent" to "resource - recycling".
Next, Cangzhou will continue to strengthen the leading green chemical industry, drive by major innovation projects, promote the implementation and transformation of more cutting - edge technologies, continuously improve the gold content, innovation content, and green content of the industry, and contribute more to the construction of a green and high - quality development demonstration area in the Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei region and the writing of the chapter of Chinese - style modernization in Cangzhou.