China launches first full-conversion coke oven gas project, pioneering green steel breakthrough

China's first project achieving 100-percent conversion of coke oven gas to clean energy has come online in Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province in the northeast, marking a major leap forward in the green development of the steel industry.

Coke oven gas is one of the industrial tail gases produced in steelmaking and has historically suffered from low comprehensive utilization rates.

At Anji New Energy Technology Company, a newly built energy facility, technicians used next-generation separation and synthesis technologies to convert the coke oven gas fully into liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquid ammonia, and hydrogen.

"The exhaust gas is being transformed into three valuable resources. The LNG is what we call the cleanest fossil fuel. Liquid ammonia is serving as a cornerstone industrial raw material. Hydrogen represents the most promising clean energy. The process has achieved 100 percent conversion efficiency," said Cai Xinbo, project manager of Anji New Energy Technology Company.

Staff members of the company said they are using a special type of molecular sieve to separate different gases in the exhaust.

"Our core technology involves this new-type molecular sieve. As the exhaust gas passes through the molecular sieve, certain impurities are absorbed, allowing only hydrogen to permeate through its micropores. This process generates high-purity hydrogen, which can be applied in high-precision industries such as electronics manufacturing, aerospace and advanced chemical sectors," said Wang Wenge, an engineer at the company.

China is the world's largest coke producer, generating around 210 billion cubic meters of coke oven gas annually. If 30 percent of the volume is comprehensively utilized, it will cut the steel industry's carbon emissions by roughly 45 million tons per year, while creating over 100 billion yuan in additional industrial output value and driving innovative development in the traditional steel sector, analysts said.

China launches first full-conversion coke oven gas project, pioneering green steel breakthrough

China launches first full-conversion coke oven gas project, pioneering green steel breakthrough

The ripple effects of tensions in the Middle East have now spread to the major eastern Chinese trading hub of Yiwu, a city famously known as "the world's supermarket," as companies and traders try to work around the disruption and rely on strong logistics networks across the region to keep business moving.

The Yiwu International Trade Market has become an important center for foreign trade, housing nearly 80,000 booths offering over two million types of commodities. However, the recent situation brought by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the disruption it has caused to both shipping transport and air cargo is forcing some traders to take steps to mitigate the impact.

Zhang Shidan, a plastic household goods trader in Yiwu, said her company has been left with no choice but to raise product prices as transportation and insurance costs have surged due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.

"We will adjust prices after the stocks of most products run out. The prices are expected to rise by 10 percent," Zhang said.

The travel turmoil brought by the conflict has also created a headache for customers from the region who are trying to reach Yiwu themselves.

"We flew from Lebanon to Egypt, from Egypt to Dubai, from Dubai to Hangzhou. It's a long time. Because in [the main] Lebanon airport, only one company can fly -- a Middle East company -- so its expensive," said Heysam Yassine, a Lebanese buyer.

While making the trip from the Middle East to Yiwu has become more difficult, logistics companies with well-established supply chain networks across the region are helping to cushion the impact on trade and working to distribute goods as best as they can.

"We have 28 warehouses across 12 countries in the Middle East, so we have a relatively complete layout in the region," said Chen Fangfang, general manager of Safe Way Express Cargo, a logistics and cargo shipping firm.

Last year, the total value of Yiwu's exports reached over 100 billion U.S. dollars, with more than 14 billion U.S. dollars going to Middle Eastern markets.

Traders in Yiwu look to work around Middle East disruption, rely on strong logistics networks