Coal Chemical Production Workers

How to become a Coal to Liquids Operator

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 煤制油生产工

Also called: Indirect Liquefaction Synthesis Operator, Indirect Liquefaction Separation Operator, Direct Liquefaction Catalyst Maker, Hydrostabilisation Unit Operator, Direct Coal Liquefaction Operator, Carbon Dioxide Recovery Operator, Coal Tar Hydrotreating Operator

Produces fuel oil, paraffin wax and other hydrocarbons and derivatives from coal with reactors, distillation columns, absorbers, compressors and other equipment.

Main tasks

Reducing synthesis catalyst and supplying it online with reduction reactors, recycle compressors, heat exchangers, separators and other equipment
Making direct coal liquefaction catalyst by adding active ingredients and additives to coal powder carriers with mills, filter presses, reactors and other equipment
Producing light oil, heavy oil, heavy wax and other intermediates with synthesis reactors, compressors, steam heaters and heat removal systems
Filtering heavy wax into product wax with filters
Processing coal powder into liquefied oil and liquefied pitch with furnaces, reactors and atmospheric and vacuum columns
Refining and separating liquefied oil into dry gas, crude diesel, crude naphtha, hydrogen donor solvent and other intermediates with furnaces, reactors and atmospheric columns
Separating and purifying heavy and light alcohols with extraction and distillation columns
Removing carbon dioxide from part of the recycle gas with absorbers and other equipment
Inspecting and maintaining equipment and spotting and dealing promptly with problems and faults
Recording and filing production data

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Clean Coal Utilisation Technology (420505). Vocational major 420505 Clean Coal Utilisation Technology (煤炭清洁利用技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Clean and Efficient Coal Utilisation.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Coal Chemical Technology (470205). Vocational major 470205 Coal Chemical Technology (煤化工技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis; Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Clean and Efficient Coal Utilisation.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Comprehensive Coal Utilisation Technology (620505). Vocational major 620505 Comprehensive Coal Utilisation Technology (煤炭综合利用技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Clean and Efficient Coal Utilisation.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Petroleum Refining Technology (670202). Vocational major 670202 Petroleum Refining Technology (石油炼制技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Chemical Distillation Safety Control; Chemical Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) Analysis.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥85,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥58,100 to CN¥127,900. One in ten earn less than CN¥44,300 and one in ten more than CN¥174,700.
This is the figure for the mid group Petroleum Processing, Coking and Coal Chemical Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Petroleum Processing, Coking and Coal Chemical Workers holds 0.05% of everyone employed in China; 18.8% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
35% are under 35, 56.5% are 35 to 54 and 8.5% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 40 to 44.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Coal to Liquids Operator?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Clean Coal Utilisation Technology (420505); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Coal Chemical Technology (470205).

How much does a Coal to Liquids Operator earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥85,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Petroleum Processing, Coking and Coal Chemical Workers.

Will AI change the work of a Coal to Liquids Operator?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026