China’s First 10-Million-Ton Coal Gangue Comprehensive Utilization Project Breaks Ground in Datong

  Datong, Shanxi | April 28, 2025 — Construction has officially begun on China’s first 10-million-ton coal gangue comprehensive utilization project in Datong, Shanxi Province. The project is invested, developed, and operated by China Energy Construction Prefabricated Building Industry Development Co., Ltd.

  This landmark initiative is of great significance to China’s new national energy security and conservation strategies. By establishing an efficient resource recycling system, the project aims to transform coal gangue—an industrial solid waste—into scalable, high-value materials, thereby advancing circular economy development and supporting the national “zero-waste city” initiative.

  In Datong, vast coal reserves sit beside towering gangue hills, highlighting a longstanding challenge. Coal gangue, a by-product of coal mining, has long caused serious environmental issues such as spontaneous combustion, dust pollution, and water contamination. China currently has over 7 billion tons of coal gangue stockpiled, with another 500 million tons generated each year. Yet, the comprehensive utilization rate remains below 60%, making it a major ecological burden for resource-dependent regions.

  In response, China Energy Construction has launched the country’s first 10-million-ton demonstration project for coal gangue utilization. With its proprietary “1267” innovation model—featuring one-stage crushing and screening, two-stage AI-based optical sorting, six synergistic processing modules, and seven categories of high-value products—the project exemplifies how advanced technology can fully recover resources and truly turn waste into wealth. As the nation’s first integrated project combining green building material development and large-scale gangue disposal, it offers a replicable and scalable “Energy Construction Solution” for coal gangue management nationwide.

  The project’s competitive edge lies in six cutting-edge innovations, many of which are national or global firsts. These include the adaptation of belt-type roasting technology from the steel industry for the mass production of ceramsite, significantly improving efficiency; AI-powered optical sorting that enables millisecond-level precision far beyond manual sorting; and the world’s first “X-ray + electromagnetic wave” technology to effectively remove iron from kaolinite, enhancing product purity. Other breakthroughs include micron-level suspended-state calcination technology achieving 99.5% decarbonization, and integrated insulation-structure solutions for prefabricated buildings—bringing revolutionary advances to green construction. Collectively, these innovations not only enable solid waste recycling, but also drive the green, high-value transformation of multiple industries.

  Anchored in circular economy principles, the project’s seven end products span construction, chemical, and pharmaceutical applications, forming a closed-loop industrial chain from “industrial solid waste → advanced materials → green buildings.” High-strength ceramsite replaces natural sand and gravel in housing, bridges, and municipal infrastructure. Refined kaolin serves high-end applications such as ceramic glaze, coatings, and pharmaceuticals. Prefabricated components directly support low-carbon building. Additional byproducts—such as power from waste heat and subgrade filler—maximize resource efficiency.

  This integrated model aligns closely with China’s dual carbon strategy and offers a new path for cross-sector innovation among new energy, infrastructure, materials, and industrial upgrades. It sets a national benchmark for the transformation of resource-based regions toward green, sustainable development.

  “Turning coal gangue from an ecological burden into a source of green wealth—our goal goes beyond waste management. We aim to forge a new, sustainable development pathway,” said a project spokesperson. “In the future, every piece of coal gangue, empowered by technological innovation, will serve as a foundational block for green construction.”

  China Energy Construction Prefabricated Building Industry Development Co., Ltd. is now promoting the “Datong Model” across other coal gangue-intensive regions and exploring broader applications in construction, transportation, and beyond. As China accelerates its march toward carbon neutrality, coal gangue utilization is set to become a new growth engine for the green economy.