How does China's aromatics production technology and feedstock landscape evolve?

How does China's aromatics production technology and feedstock landscape evolve?
China's aromatics production relies overwhelmingly on oil and gas routes, mainly catalytic reforming and steam cracking, with coal-to-aromatics capacity still negligible and unlikely to break through soon. The country has made significant strides in technology: Sinopec developed its first-generation high-efficiency aromatics technology in 2013, making China the third country after the US and France to master the full process. By 2022, the third-generation technology was commercially applied at Jiujiang Petrochemical's 890,000-ton-per-year unit. Current domestic aromatics capacity reaches 44 million tons annually. However, the industry still faces challenges in key equipment and control systems, as highlighted by reliance on imported pumps, heat exchangers, and advanced automation. The first CO2-to-aromatics demonstration project, a collaboration between Tsinghua University and Jiutai Group, is under development as next-generation technology.