China's coke industry is facing mounting challenges in managing coking coal input, product quality and environmental performance, industry expert said at the Coal Market Outlook 2026 & Sxcoal Annual Conference on December 25.

Wang Yan, the head of Coking Institute of Coal Chemical Branch of China Coal Technology & Research Institute, said raw coal management became a major bottleneck for coke enterprises.

"Feed coal is the starting point of cost control, quality assurance and green development for coking companies, but the industry is currently struggling with significant management challenges," Wang said.

He cited several key problems, including inaccurate cost control, lagging quality inspections, low transparency across the supply chain and an underdeveloped coal blending system.

Challenges are acute even in the preparation stage. Wang noted sampling is often insufficiently representative due to non-standardized sampling locations, methods and frequencies, while delayed testing prevents timely stockpile segregation.

In addition, unclear stockpile and inaccurate inventory checks led to discrepancies between blending plans and actual conditions, while coal oxidation during storage further alters quality.

Other issues include the lack of blending models of refined coal grades, distortions between dry-basis blending ratios and actual wet-basis usage, limited graded crushing, and persistent problems with sample representativeness, testing timeliness and accuracy.

Data fragmentation across departments, covering coal quality testing, inventories, blending operations and coke output, also makes it difficult to trace issues back to specific preparation stages.

Difficulties are even more pronounced during the blending process, including concerns over the accuracy of intelligent coking coal testing technologies, the technical complexity of blending operations and persistent cost control pressures.

Wang said these challenges could be addressed through a "full life-cycle digital and intelligent management" approach for coking coal. Such systems would enable smart procurement and supplier management, intelligent coal blending and cost optimization, life-cycle cost accounting, refined inbound and stockyard management, coke quality control and traceability, as well as real-time production monitoring and feedback.