Industry Challenges - From a Blue Ocean of Technology to a Red Ocean of Price Competition

Over a decade ago, wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems in domestic coal-fired power plants faced dual challenges of efficiency bottlenecks and heavy operation and maintenance burdens. To meet increasingly stringent environmental emission standards, many plants were forced to increase limestone slurry dosage and raise the operating load of circulation pumps to enhance desulfurization efficiency. While these measures helped reduce emissions, they also drove up operating costs, accelerated equipment wear, and compromised system stability.

Against this backdrop, FGD performance enhancers emerged in the domestic market. Verified by relevant standards, such enhancers were shown to improve desulfurization efficiency by 2~3%, reduce SO₂ concentrations at the outlet by 30~50%, enhance system adaptability to variations in coal sulfur content by 20~50%, and lower in-plant power consumption by 0.1~0.2%. Around 2010, as environmental policies tightened further, desulfurization enhancers became almost a “standard configuration” for newly built FGD systems. Their value lay not only in ensuring regulatory compliance but also in generating significant economic benefits for power enterprises through energy savings and cost reduction.

In recent years, however, this once technology-driven industry has increasingly fallen into vicious price competition. Many companies have abandoned technological development in favor of “cost-cutting and price wars” as their primary market strategy. Low-price bidding has become the mainstream, with average product prices plummeting from tens of thousands of yuan per ton to just a few thousand. In order to control costs, some manufacturers have reduced the dosage of core active ingredients or even substituted inferior raw materials, leading to a serious decline in product performance.

Our Commitment - Breaking the Deadlock of Market Saturation Through Technological Strength

Amid the wave of industry-wide “involution,” Polymer has remained steadfast in the belief that true competitiveness stems from reliable product quality and continuous technological innovation.Take our POLYTE® series of desulfurization enhancersas an example: the multi-component organic weak acids effectively reduce gas–liquid mass transfer resistance; buffering agents help stabilize slurry pH; surfactants and dispersants work synergistically to prevent scaling and promote limestone dissolution; and specialized catalysts enhance the utilization efficiency of oxidation air.

We have consistently maintained the concentration of core active ingredients at the upper limit of industry standards, while also building a dedicated technical service team. By taking into account the structural differences of desulfurization towers across power plants—such as spray layer configuration, demister type, and slurry tank volume—we deliver tailored fluid dynamics simulations and optimized dosing strategies. In doing so, we directly address customer pain points such aslow desulfurization efficiency andchemical wastage, ensuring that every dose of enhancer delivers its intended performance.

Creating Value - Achieving Both Environmental Protection and Economic Benefits for Customers

Application practices at aone-million-kilowatt coal-fired power plant in Northern China have demonstrated that the use of high-quality desulfurization enhancers, combined with scientifically designed dosing strategies, can ensure regulatory compliance while simultaneously stabilizing operations with one 1,600 kW slurry circulation pump taken offline. This optimization alone yields annual electricity savings of more than3 million RMB, in addition to reducing limestone consumption. The case provides compelling evidence that premium enhancers can generate substantial, tangible value for end users.

Conversely, inferior enhancers can undermine the chemical stability of desulfurization slurry and degrade the quality of gypsum by-products. Research indicates that in plants using substandard additives, the average moisture content of gypsum increases by 4~6%, while the purity of calcium sulfate dihydrate decreases by 5~10%. In some cases, excessive chloride levels render gypsum unsuitable for resource utilization, forcing plants to manage it as hazardous waste -a practice that not only negates potential by-product value but also drives up environmental compliance costs.

A Call for Technological Return - Driving High-Quality Development Across the Industry Together

Under current nationalenvironmental policies and standards—such as the Environmental Tariff and Supervision Measures for Coal-Fired Power Units—thermal power plants are required to ensure the stable operation of desulfurization facilities and achieve low-emission performance. For desulfurization enhancers, priority should be given to products that are compliant, stable in performance, and aligned with regulatory specifications. At the same time, the adoption of environmentally friendly products that have been validated in practice and proven to deliver superior performance is strongly encouraged. Power plants must also establish robust procurement and traceability systems for raw materials, with proper documentation and reporting, thereby laying a solid institutional foundation for the healthy development of the industry.

AtPOLYMER, we call for -and remain committed to -working hand in hand with stakeholders across the industry to shift the focus from price competition back to technological innovation. We will continue to concentrate on R&D, developing products tailored to the core needs of efficiency improvement, cost reduction, and pollution mitigation, with solutions designed for specific scenarios such ashigh-sulfur coaland ultra-low emissions. At the same time, we advocate for stronger industry self-regulation and the establishment of unified product quality certification and traceability systems.

Ultimately, our shared competitor is not each other -it issulfur dioxide in the flue gas. And our collective goal is not only regulatory compliance, but also the protection of clear waters and green mountains for the future.