On January 28, the Zibo Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau issued the "Public Notice on the Acceptance of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the 200,000 Tons/Year Iso-nonanol Project (Phase I Butene Separation Unit) of Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical Co., Ltd." The public comment period is from January 29 to February 11, 2026 (a total of 10 working days), during which public opinions are solicited. According to the notice, Qixiang Tengda plans to invest 1.799 billion yuan in the construction of a 200,000 tons/year iso-nonanol project at its new plant site. The overall construction scope includes a 350,000 tons/year butene unit, an 180,000 tons/year octene unit, a 200,000 tons/year iso-nonanol unit, an 88 million Nm³/year syngas unit, and a catalyst preparation, recovery, and evaluation unit. The project has already obtained the Shandong Provincial Construction Project Filing Certificate. The Phase I butene separation unit subject to this notice is a renovation and expansion project, with a total investment of 600 million yuan, of which 7.3 million yuan is allocated to environmental protection, accounting for 1.22% of the total investment. The project is located within the new plant site of Qixiang Tengda in the Qilu Chemical Industry Park, Zibo City, Shandong Province, at geographic coordinates 118°9'21.5"E, 36°45'18.0"N. The construction period is only one month, with an expected completion and commissioning date in April 2026. The construction mainly includes a 350,000 tons/year butene unit, a circulating water station, a unit substation and distribution room, a control room, and an initial rainwater collection pond. Supporting facilities such as water supply and drainage, tank farms, fire protection, exhaust gas treatment, and wastewater treatment will rely on the existing plant infrastructure. The core of this environmental impact assessment notice involves adjustments to the operational plan of the 350,000 tons/year butene unit. Previously, this unit had already been constructed, while the supporting 180,000 tons/year octene unit and 200,000 tons/year iso-nonanol unit, although having received environmental impact assessment approval in 2024, have not yet commenced construction. If production were to proceed according to the original environmental assessment plan, the output from the butene unit would have to be entirely sold externally. This would deviate from the original intention of supplying feedstock to the iso-nonanol unit and, due to the low added value of the products, would result in poor economic efficiency and resource wastage. Therefore, the project proposes to adjust the 350,000 tons/year butene unit to operate under two distinct operational modes, which will not run simultaneously and can be flexibly switched based on market conditions. Changes to the pollutant discharge permit will be completed prior to any switch. Mode 1 uses purchased ether-preceding C4 as feedstock, with simultaneous operation of the etherification unit and the butene separation unit. Mode 2 uses crude isobutene as feedstock, operating only the etherification unit. The adjustment aims to maximize the economic benefits of the butene unit and ensure the overall economic viability of the project. It is reported that Qixiang Tengda's 200,000 tons/year iso-nonanol series project is a major project in Shandong Province. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 20, 2025. The project employs France's Axens Dimersol technology for butene oligomerization and the Low-Pressure Oxo (LP OXO) technology jointly developed by the UK's Johnson Matthey and the US's Dow Chemical. Upon completion, the project will further enhance the company's C4 industrial chain layout and improve its capacity to supply high-end chemical products.