28 • Sustainability Report 2012
New Energy Developments
We are looking for new and more diverse ways
to produce clean energy. As such, a new-energy
research and development centre was established
in 2010 – in addition to carrying out in-house
research, the facility also works in close partnership
with research and technology institutes both
locally and around the world. Focusing actively on
the use of renewable resources, waste materials
and low-grade fuels to create high value resources
and products, a number of projects are now
nearing fruition.
One recent example is the upgrading of tar oil,
a by-product in the coal carbonisation process,
into clean vehicle fuels. A further benefit of this
technology is that it can also be adapted to convert
unconventional feedstocks into conventional
energy products. With research being in good
process, we expect to turn this project into a viable
commercial proposition in 2013.
Our focus on organic and waste materials is also
fuelling an increasing interest in biomass energy
and the many developments taking place in this
field. For instance, our team is currently testing an
innovative approach to gasify agricultural waste,
turning it into syngas for further conversion into
clean fuels.
Alternative and
Non-conventional Energy
Clean Coal Energy
We are also making our mark in the world of
clean coal energy. Capitalising on the vast stores
of coal in China, we have been looking into coal
gasification techniques to create synthesis gas,
which can be used in turn to create a range of
useful products. Unlike the traditional burning
of coal, which is highly polluting, the process is
free from SOx and NOx emissions and any CO
2
generated is in such pure form that it can be easily
captured and stored for other uses.
In 2010, our coal-based methanol plant was
completed in Inner Mongolia. Currently
undergoing pilot production with an annual
production capacity of 200,000 tonnes of
methanol, it provides a block feedstock which can
easily be converted chemically into products such
as gasoline or other oil products.
