Today, people generally pay attention to air pollution and water pollution. Solid waste is gradually moving from the “edge†of environmental protection to the center. Industrial solid waste, which is a “big family†of solid waste, is particularly attracting attention.
However, in the face of countless historical accumulations and the addition of nearly 900 million tons of industrial solid waste that is added each year, one cannot help asking: where exactly should industrial solid waste go? Recently, the reporter discovered with the “China Environmental Protection Century Line†interview in Shandong, Shanxi, and Beijing that “some bright spots†have appeared in some places, and people have seen the dawn of solid waste prevention and control.
In the past, headaches have become a "sweet spot".
Industrial solid waste refers to solid waste generated in industrial, transportation and other production activities. They say that they are "wastes." In fact, they are not simply garbage. Many of them also contain a lot of resources that can be exploited and used. They are the "wealth" of misplaced positions.
A typical coal-fired power plant has an ash yard dedicated to storing the main industrial waste produced, fly ash. The reporter saw at the Huangdao Power Plant in the Qingdao Economic Development Zone that the waste site became a “treasure canâ€: 3 cylindrical ash silos of 1,600 cubic meters “stand shoulder to shoulder,†sealed and stored in 2/3 of the plant. Fly ash has no longer existed in the past where black powder is everywhere, not only beautify the landscape, but also eliminate environmental pollution. According to director Li Jiying, fly ash is not only a burden but also a “cash tree†that can bring money to the bank.
The plant's “fly ash backfill abandoned salt fields†project uses more than 500 million cubic meters of fly ash to add 3,000 mu of land, and the land use value is increased by more than 100 million yuan. New types of building and decorative materials, such as colored tile, produced from fly ash as the main raw material, can generate an output value of nearly 100 million yuan a year.
The comprehensive development and utilization of fly ash also enabled another company, Taiyuan No. 2 Power Plant, to taste a “sweet spot.†In response to market demand, this plant used fly ash to produce aerated blocks and colored road bricks. The demand for products was in short supply and not only consumed. Half of the fly ash can also achieve an output value of more than 40 million yuan a year.
How could these companies have become a popular "sweet potato" after the headaches of the past? "Depending on the adjustment of product structure through science and technology," the heads of the two companies invariably expressed "the secret."
The hands of science and technology "turn waste into treasure"
Taiyuan Taihua Group's sulfuric acid plant uses pyrite roasting method to produce sulfuric acid. The resulting pyrite slag can be used as a resource and is widely used in cement production, civil construction and road building, iron making and other industries. However, the old state-owned enterprises put into operation in 1958, due to heavy history and social burdens, were in a serious loss situation and were unable to comprehensively handle pyrite slag. For a long time, the pyrite slag produced can only be piled on both sides of the road outside the factory, up to 6 to 7 meters.
At the request of the local environmental protection department, the plant had to invite farmers to remove the slag. Later, local farmers and companies realized the effect of pyrite slag, and they actively came to pull slag. Not only was the slag produced that year unable to meet the demand, but the slag piled up over the years was also cleared. However, Taiyuan Taihua Group's sulfuric acid plant has not benefited from these useful industrial raw materials.
In contrast, Beijing Cement Factory relied on scientific and technological forces to increase investment, and within three years it also “eats†tons of industrial waste discharged by other companies. Whether it is waste ink, arsenic-containing sludge, industrial cleaning solution or waste acid, Beijing Cement Factory can use the cement production line to treat these industrial wastes harmlessly. Shen Xingen, general manager of Beijing Cement Plant Co., Ltd., said that as a place for the centralized disposal of hazardous wastes in Beijing, the cement plant has signed entrusted incineration contracts with nearly 200 companies so far. It has been operating for more than three years as Beijing Matsushita, Lucent, and Beijing. Dozens of large-scale domestic and foreign companies, such as banknote counters, dispose of more than 10,000 tons of 25 types of hazardous waste.
“The previous monitoring results showed that the incineration rate of organic waste was more than 99.9%, and the content of toxic and hazardous substances in the flue gas was far below the national standard,†said Song Jianfeng, director of the Beijing Municipal Solid Waste Management Center. Synchronous testing showed that the major components of cement produced by the Beijing Cement Plant did not change before and after disposal of waste, and the quality of cement products was not affected.
Comprehensive utilization of solid waste, the need for survival and development of the company
With the development of society, the concepts of circular economy and cleaner production have gradually been accepted by more and more companies.
In the chlor-alkali branch of Taiyuan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., which mainly produces polyvinyl chloride, a large amount of calcium carbide residue accounts for nearly 3 acres of land in the plant. A sewage fee of RMB 5.6 million per year made this company “overwhelmedâ€.
Executive Deputy General Manager Zhao Juntian said: “We have realized that not dealing with these accumulated calcium carbide slags will seriously threaten our own survival and development.†Therefore, they made great efforts to jointly invest 60 million yuan in a company and plan to build a Set cement clinker production line, fundamentally solve the company's development and the need for environmental governance. It is expected that after the project is put into operation in 2003, it will not only solve the problem of calcium carbide slag accumulation, but also achieve an annual production value of 70 million yuan.
Li Jiying of Huangdao Power Plant calculated this account for the reporter: In addition to the revenue from fly ash, the power plant also launched an off-gas heat supply project, and the heat generated by the residents of the development zone alone can earn about 5 million yuan a year. After the sewage treatment plant is completed, it will not only achieve zero discharge of sewage, but also save about 500,000 yuan in sewage discharge fee every year. It can also produce 2,000 tons of fresh water per day, and it can earn about 1.2 million yuan a year.
“Now, we can earn 45 million yuan from the environmental protection industry every year, and basically equal to the environmental protection investment. It is estimated that it will be profitable in two to three years.†Li Jiying said with pride. Relying on scientific and technological forces, increasing investment and raising the level of comprehensive utilization of industrial waste, prevention and control of industrial solid waste is not without its way out.