China’s Chromium Salts Industry Made Progress in Restructuring and Technical Innovation in 2013

By Wang Peilin, China Inorganic Salts Industry Association

Chromium salts are important inorganic chemical products widely used in metallurgy, tanning, pigments, dyes, perfumes, metal surface treatment, wood preservation, military and other industries. According to statistics, about 10% of all industrial products made in China are related with chromium salts to a certain degree. Most producers of chromium salts in China use the calcium roasting process, which is obsolete, high-polluting and energy-intensive. China is the largest producer and consumer of sodium dichromate in the world, and its capacity, 380kt/a, accounts for 30% of the global total. Currently, there are thirteen sodium dichromate producers in China, and their combined output was about 300 kt in 2013.

The domestic market was sluggish

The year 2013 was tough for most chromium producers in China. The industry was affected by the unsound global economy and weak demand from the domestic market. In order to curb overcapacity, China’s chromium industry must adjust its structure. Despite all the difficulties, China’s chromium salt producers made significant achievements in the treatment and utilization of chromium slags in 2013.

Government regulations became strict

Starting from the beginning of this century, the Chinese government has strengthened the restrictions on chromium salt production. The State Council 412nd Document issued in 2004 listed chromium salts as a type of product that its production requires approval from the central government. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Environmental Protection also announced a series of regulations from 2010 to 2013.
Comprehensive administrative licensing management in China’s chromium salt industry started in 2013. The first batch of enterprises that passed the examination and approval was awarded the Permit for Production and Construction of Chromium Salt Projects.


Clean production technologies made progress

In order to eliminate obsolete production units and promote the development of clean production technologies, in 2011, the National Development and Reform Commission of China issued the Guiding Catalogue of Industrial Structure Adjustment (2011 version); the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Implementation Plan for Five Clean Production Processes including Chromium Salts. Enterprises are encouraged to conduct technical innovation and replace traditional processes with clean production processes. In recent years, Chinese chromium salt producers have developed many new technologies, having promoted the restructuring of the industry.
The non-calcium roasting method for chromium salt production has been disseminated. A 100kt/a unit in Gansu Jinshi Chemical Co., Ltd. has been in operation for nearly ten years. Other units using a non-calcium roasting method developed in China including a 20kt/a production line of Xinjiang Shenhong Chemical Co., Ltd. and two 25kt/a production lines of Hubei Huangshi Zhenhua Chemical Co., Ltd. In addition, the non-calcium roasting unit in Chongqing Minfeng Chemical Co., Ltd., which uses technology introduced from Russia, has been in operation for six years. In 2013, the combined capacity for sodium dichromate units using the non-calcium roasting method accounted for 42% of the domestic total.
The liquid-phase oxidation process is very promising. A 10kt/a unit co-developed by Bluestar Yima Chrome Chemical Co., Ltd. and the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences has been operating smoothly for quite a long time. A commercial 10kt/a production unit in Baiyin Changyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. was built using the pneumatic fluidization tower liquid-phase oxidation process developed by Chongqing Changyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. The process has advantages like energy conservation, low material consumption, high yield, low emission and low costs. Moreover, a 50kt/a project using ferrochrome/fused caustic alkali oxidation process has passed its environmental impact assessment and is scheduled to start construction in 2014. Two pilot production units developed by Sichuan Anxian Yinhe Constructional & Chemical Group, including a 5kt/a unit using a ferrochrome oxygen-rich oxidation process to produce sodium chromate and a 1kt/a unit using carbonation method to produce sodium bichromate, passed an evaluation by Sichuan province and is being prepared for commercialization.
In recent years, significant progress has been made in the replacement of tradition production processes (mainly calcium roasting process) with clean processes (such as liquid-phase oxidation and non-calcium roasting). The restructuring of China’s chromium salt industry has achieved preliminary success. However, units using new technologies have not been running for long, and these technologies still have space to improve. Also, support from central and local governments is crucial for the popularization of these advanced technologies, technologies which are certain to change China’s chromium salt industry fundamentally.