Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer for ABS Unit

2025-08-26

Project Background

This project establishes an annual crude oil processing capacity of 20 million tons and two ethylene units with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons each, representing a strategic investment of approximately 127.4 billion yuan and a construction period of 24 months. As a flagship initiative for Shandong's transformation to new growth drivers, it will power the integration of the province's 130 million tons of local oil refining industry and accelerate industrial upgrading. Designed on the principle of "less oil, more aromatics, and more olefins," the project processes sulfur-containing crude oil from Saudi Arabia, prioritizing advanced downstream processing and firmly positioning the site as a world-class, high-end petrochemical base.

Located on Yulong Island in Longkou Bay, the project will construct 30 new refining units (including 10 million tons/year atmospheric distillation, 10 million tons/year atmospheric and vacuum distillation, etc.) and 25 chemical units (including #1 and #2 ethylene, FDPE, ABS, etc.).

On April 22, 2025, a 600,000 tons/year ABS unit of a leading petrochemical company in Shandong achieved a milestone: a successful one-time full-process startup, completing the entire process from feedstock input to qualified product output within just two weeks, with seamless coordination across all five central units.

Waste Gas Sources

The waste gas from the ABS unit is categorized into high-concentration waste gas, low-concentration waste gas, and hazardous waste storage area waste gas:

High-concentration waste gas primarily comes from the HRG polymerization unit, coagulation unit, and SAN unit. The gas temperature is 40°C, with a total waste gas volume of 15,000–40,000 Nm³/h. The total hydrocarbon concentration (including acrylonitrile, styrene, butadiene, toluene, etc.) is ≤6,050 mg/Nm³.
Low-concentration waste gas mainly originates from the PBL polymerization unit, HRG polymerization unit, SAN unit, coagulation unit, blending unit, and wastewater pretreatment. The total waste gas volume is 225,000–300,000 Nm³/h, with a total hydrocarbon concentration (including acrylonitrile, styrene, butadiene, toluene, etc.) of ≤1,345 mg/Nm³.

Design Solution

In this project, the maximum flow rates are 40,000 Nm³/h for high-concentration waste gas, 300,000 Nm³/h for low-concentration waste gas, and 68,000 Nm³/h for the hazardous waste storage area's waste gas. Because the waste gases contain water and oil contaminants, pretreatment for water and oil removal is first required for all streams. High-concentration waste gas then undergoes treatment via Rotary RTO equipment for safety and compliance, followed by flue gas denitrification (SCR). After this, the treated high-concentration flue gas is mixed with low-concentration waste gas. The combined stream continues through further treatment, as described below, ensuring that all exhaust meets the required standards.

Thus, the adopted process route is as follows:

High-concentration waste gas is treated through the following steps: Gas-liquid separation, filtration, Rotary RTO equipment, and SCR denitrification.
Low-concentration and hazardous waste storage area waste gases are combined and treated through the following steps: gas-liquid separation, filtration, a Rotary RTO equipment, and release via a stack.

Physical images of the unit are as follows:

Operational Results

After system debugging, the project swiftly reached operational status. It set a benchmark for reducing core pollutant emissions, as atmospheric pollutant concentrations have consistently achieved the petrochemical industry's strict ultra-low limit (20 mg/m³), affirming progress toward green development. The project meets the core area requirements of Shandong’s "Integrated Emission Standard for Regional Air Pollutants" (DB37/2376-2019) and exceeds all indicators of the "Emission Standard for Pollutants in the Synthetic Resin Industry" (GB31572-2015).

Since the operation began, the project has delivered measurable environmental benefits. By cutting emissions at the source and showcasing precise treatment technologies, it offers practical, scalable solutions for the petrochemical industry’s pollution control.

This progress underscores a strong dedication to ecological protection and accelerates the industry’s green transformation. It demonstrates how economic development and environmental preservation can be mutually beneficial.