There are many difficulties, what is the way forward for petrochemical technology

Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus in 2020, the world has paid more attention to climate change, and traditional energy companies in various countries have proposed energy transformation roadmaps to transform into low-carbon energy
.
China has also proposed a carbon neutralization strategy in due course.
The carbon peak will be reached in 2030 and carbon neutrality will be reached in 2060.
The third energy revolution is about to emerge
.
As the core of the second energy revolution, the petrochemical industry is facing unprecedented changes in the energy industry in the past century, and the petrochemical technology industry is facing unprecedented pressure
.
How to adapt to the development of the new situation and ensure that they are not eliminated by the market is a problem faced by every practitioner in the petrochemical industry
.

my country's petrochemical technology industry faces many difficulties

First, as China's economic growth slows down and the population ages, China's energy demand will gradually enter a plateau in the future, and energy demand will tend to stabilize
.
In addition, under the background of double carbon, the "Carbon Peak Action Plan before 2030" issued by the State Council in 2021 clearly requires that China's oil refining capacity will be controlled within 1 billion tons in the future, which means that not only will new oil refining capacity not be Approved, the existing refining capacity will be gradually reduced, that is, the petrochemical market will shift from an incremental game to a stock game in the future, which will be a new challenge for petrochemical technology practitioners who have been accustomed to rapid market growth in the past 20 years
.

Second, the popularity of electric vehicles has accelerated in recent years
.
Global EV sales have grown 56% annually since 2012
.
Sales in 2021 will double from the previous year to an all-time high of 6.
75 million units
.
Looking ahead, many governments have introduced policies to limit or even ban the production of gasoline-powered vehicles, while reducing or exempting electric vehicle taxes
.
Governments and businesses around the world are investing heavily in charging facilities
.
Compared with fuel vehicles, the new generation of consumers is more inclined to buy electric vehicles
.
These phenomena will continue to drive electric vehicle supply and demand growth
.
Although the current domestic electric vehicle fuel substitution equivalent is one million tons, the trend has been established and will be another challenge for the petrochemical industry in the future
.

Third, most petrochemical technologies have entered the R&D platform stage, and both processes and catalysts are basically mature
.
Although new processes such as suspended bed and crude oil to olefins have appeared in recent years, there are still some problems in technology maturity, feedstock and product applicability, and it may be difficult to subvert the currently mature petrochemical processes and technologies in the future
.
In the research and development of petrochemical technology on a global scale, it is difficult to make new breakthroughs in the original technology system.
Petrochemical technicians have to face the state of doing more with less, and the marginal efficiency of input and output is getting lower and lower
.

Fourth, because petrochemical technology has matured for a long time, the technical threshold has gradually decreased, and competitors from all walks of life have entered the track to fight, resulting in fierce competition and intensified involution, and even in a specific technology, there are more suppliers than customers.
In the situation, the average profit of the industry is getting lower and lower, and it has become a red sea market
.
If it does not rely on the internal protection policies of the relevant enterprise groups, the industry is bound to be more impacted by the outside world
.
To some extent, petrochemical technology is already in a state of excessive competition
.

Therefore, from the perspectives of policy, market, technology, competition, etc.
, the petrochemical technology industry has stood at the crossroads of transformation.
If the transformation cannot be realized, the relevant enterprises and institutions will be eliminated by the market in the future, or will gradually wither
.
Therefore, how to work hard, grow new branches from old trees, create a new market through technological innovation, and break into the blue ocean from the red ocean is a must-answer question in the petrochemical technology industry
.

Five directions to promote the transformation of petrochemical technology

First, break the boundary conditions and stimulate the vitality of innovation
.
Since ancient times, human activities have always been carried out under the constraints of boundary conditions, but when development bottlenecks or crises occur, some original frameworks must be broken before progress can be achieved.
It should be said that almost all major innovations in human history are Obtained by breaking boundary conditions, the history of human innovation is the history of constantly breaking boundary conditions and expanding boundary conditions
.
Active under the original boundary conditions, after a period of time, it is bound to return to the state of stagnation and involution
.
Therefore, the petrochemical technology industry is facing a major turning point.
It is necessary to have the courage to break through the original rules and regulations.
Whether the boundary conditions are conceptual or institutional, we must break the stereotypes and expand new boundaries
.

Second, encourage different directions to try
.
It is necessary to fully delegate power, liberate the minds of scientific researchers, break the constraints on the direction of the original departments, create conditions to stimulate the innovative vitality of scientific researchers, encourage bold attempts, dare to think and do, abandon mental laziness, not afraid of failure, but afraid of not wanting
.
Even if many projects seem useless now, they should be encouraged.
Often many innovations are hidden in these "useless efforts", and there may be specific opportunities in the future
.

Third, expand foreign cooperation and introduce external stimulus
.
Human history shows that in the long-term competition among ethnic groups, those who are good at external learning and good use of external resources are often the ones who gain the upper hand.
However, long-term isolation and complacence can only breed complacency, blindness, and insensitivity to external changes.
Lack of acumen before the big change, when the change comes, you will be unprepared, and will eventually be eliminated by history
.
Therefore, to expand foreign cooperation and exchanges, and ask for advice with an open mind, it is not only limited to this field, but also extensive cooperation in other fields, to understand new trends and directions in different fields, and to inject life into itself
.

Fourth, strengthen the speed of transformation of achievements and seize the market
.
At present, the speed of technological iteration is fast, and the "fresh-keeping period" of the results is short.
If the market cannot be quickly captured within the window period of leading technology, it will face more severe market competition in the future
.
If you can seize the opportunity and promote it quickly, it will help the establishment of the corporate brand and the subsequent promotion of technical standards that are beneficial to you
.
Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of its own market capabilities, and pay equal attention to scientific research and the market
.
And coordinate the relationship between scientific research and the market, from one-way transmission of scientific research-market to two-way transmission, that is, in addition to daily sales and promotion, the marketing department should also provide services for scientific research, provide market concerns for researchers, and assist research and development
.

Fifth, continue to maintain traditional advantages
.
In addition to popular directions such as new energy and new materials, we must continue to maintain our dominant position in traditional advantageous fields.
While continuing to conduct in-depth research in related directions, we must pay attention to cross-field transplantation and innovation of related technologies, and fully explore the market of traditional technologies outside this field.
, rejuvenate the old technology and make the best use of its own intellectual property advantages
.

The examination questions of the times have been placed in front of the industry.
Whether they want to or not, every company in the industry has to face this big examination.
If they pass the examination well, they will be reborn, and if they do not pass the examination, they may be eliminated.
Questions that tech companies should ponder
.