ChemChina—the largest producer of chemical raw materials and chemical products in China—announced in the next three to five years it will devote itself to carrying out "Zero Emission" management and strictly inspect all new programs. In 2008, ChemChina invested 1 billion yuan to support 14 "Zero Emission" pilot projects and implemented accountability and a one-vote-down system in non-compliant enterprises.
The chemical industry, which is known for high energy consumption and heavy pollution, was pushed to the forefront of the energy-saving and emission-reduction storm as a result. ChemChina president Ren Jianxin said the company's next step is to carry out "Zero Emission" management and commit itself to changing people's impression that "the chemical industry equals pollution", through self-motivation and self-discipline, showing ChemChina's new concept of environmental protection and social values.
Crisis calls for action
The chemical industry is an important raw material industry in China, having close relations with all national economy departments. But it is a double-edged sword. While it brings benefits to mankind, it can cause a series of unexpected environmental accidents, such as water pollution in Songhua River.
How to avoid environmental pollution is a factor in a chemical enterprise's life or death. How to save energy and reduce emission is the task every chemical enterprise has to solve.
"The features of the chemical industry determine its diversification and excessive competition. Because of low rates of concentration and overcapacity, today China's over 20,000 chemical companies face great pressure to realize energy saving and emission reduction, which is the key to survive in the chemical industry, " said Ren Jianxin, President of ChemChina. ChemChina has decided to eliminate backward production capacity through structural adjustment, and reduce energy consumption to avoid pollution, he added.
Methods depend on actions. ChemChina has arranged to save energy and reduce emission with the "Zero Emission" target since the fourth quarter of 2007. At the 2007 ChemChina annual meeting, Ren Jianxin said in 2008 the focus should be on building the concept of "Zero Emission", setting the goal of comprehensive energy consumption output per 10,000 yuan to fall by 7% and waste water, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions to each see a 3% drop.
The "Zero Emission" strategy initially proposed by ChemChina will greatly impact the entire chemical industry. Ren Jianxin said the aim of the "Zero Emission" plan is to reduce pollutant discharges gradually to zero. To stay on top in the international competitions, ChemChina must pay attention to energy saving and emission reduction to achieve the goal of "bringing in and going out".
After 20 years of development, ChemChina boasts the capital and technology needed to implement "Zero Emission" management. In 2007, the total asset and sales revenue of ChemChina both exceeded 100 billion yuan. ChemChina now owns seven National Engineering Technology Centers, one National Key Enterprise Engineering Laboratory, four National Quality Supervision and Inspection Centers, 25 provincial and ministerial engineering technology centers, and five overseas R&D centers.
A green chemical industry through 'Zero Emission'
ChemChina began its "Zero Emission" plan with water utilities. Last October, comprehensive research of the overall state of water utilities and waste water discharge within enterprises was conducted at ChemChina's headquarters. The pilot project of reusing water and related technical plans were confirmed in the process.
ChemChina appointed ten enterprises to conduct the water reuse project and gave much support to fourteen projects involving "Zero Emission" and technological transformation. ChemChina invested 700 million yuan to support the projects.
At the beginning of the year, two major enterprises under ChemChina – Siping Haohua Chemical, Ltd and BlueStar Petrochemical Co, Ltd Tianjin Branch – initiated the project. Afterwards, other subordinate enterprises such as Lanxing Cleaning Co also started their own water reuse projects.
In China, scientists began developing techniques of refinery waste water reuse in the 1970s, but little breakthroughs were made. The Lanxing Cleaning Co invented the mobile double filtration pilot-plant, which boasts merits of no membrane fouling, low running cost and long period operation. They applied the membrane separation technique into the pilot-plant, and successfully realized the reuse of refinery waste water. The water reuse techniques also contributed to a water reuse rate of over 80%, which were adopted in boiler feedwater, circulating cooling water and plant landscape irrigation.
Huaxing Petrochemical Co, a subordinate enterprise under ChemChina, boasts annual sales revenue of over 500 million yuan. By technological transformation, Huaxing Co uses the off-gas emitted by its plant as fuel, which not only reduces pollution, but also saves energy.
For those chemical enterprises that are powerless and frustrated in the reduction of pollution and emission, ChemChina has proved something through their "Zero Emission" pilot project: the chemical industry was not born to consume mass energy and heavily pollute. There is no absolute waste but misused materials.
Achieve 'firm goals' with 'firm strategies'
On February 28, ChemChina issued "Work Guidelines of Energy-saving & Emission Reduction and 'Zero Emission' management" and "Notice of Leading Group Adjustment of Energy-saving & Emission Reduction" on March 7. These documents have one key focus—"Energy-saving & Emission Reduction".
To establish evaluation, motivation and accountability of "Zero Emission" management, specialized companies and pilot enterprises have supported the pilot projects. Every pilot enterprise should regard "Energy-saving & Emission Reduction" and "Zero Emission" as the most important tasks and strictly enforce the projects, adhering to the belief that "Pollution is the biggest enemy of Enterprises". ChemChina is determined to eliminate non-compliant old equipment that contributes to high energy consumption and heavy pollution.
In the future, ChemChina will push base production, encourage enterprises to join the industrial park and complete the industrial chain, and make full use of materials to develop recycling and realize clean production as part of "Energy-saving & Emission Reduction" and "Zero Emission" management.
"'Zero Emission' is ChemChina's management instruction and goal to push energy saving and emission reduction; we must achieve this 'firm goal' with a 'firm strategy'," Ren Jianxin, President of ChemChina, said.
"Go the last mile, and enjoy the victory," he added.
Among all 118 branch enterprises, 60 have created 98 percent of the total sales revenue and 97 percent of the total interest, Ren said, adding ChemChina will eliminate or transform those non-compliant enterprises in the next five years.
