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Public notice on the environmental impact assessment for Shaanxi’s 750,000-ton coal-to-olefins project Author/Source: Date: 2017-07-14 Clicks: 28 Recently, the second public consultation phase regarding the environmental impact assessment of China National Coal Group’s Yulin coal deep-processing project was launched. The total investment in this project is 18.401 billion yuan; it involves using coal as raw material to produce 1.8 million tons of methanol, which is then further processed to yield 600,000 tons of olefins. An additional 150,000 tons per year of liquid propylene will be purchased, with the end result being 300,000 tons per year of polyethylene and 450,000 tons per year of polypropylene. As by-products, liquefied petroleum gas, sulfur, crude gasoline, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate will be produced. It is reported that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China National Coal Group focused on developing coal chemical industrial bases in Mongolia, Shaanxi, Xinjiang and other regions, and promoted demonstration projects for the upgrading of coal-based new materials and new fertilizer products. By 2020, the installed capacity and production volume of coal chemical industries are expected to exceed 10 million tons, of which urea production will be 2.93 million tons, olefins production 2.51 million tons, methanol production 1.83 million tons, and coke production 3.62 million tons. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China Coal Energy Group Co., Ltd. will continue to expand its coal chemical operations; new projects include the second phase of the project in the Ordos Tuk Industrial Zone, which aims to produce 2 million tons of synthetic ammonia and 3.5 million tons of urea per year ； Yulin Coal Deep Processing Base: project to produce 100,000 tons of low-density polyethylene, 200,000 tons of high-density polyethylene, and 450,000 tons of polypropylene per year ； China Coal Pingshu’s annual 750,000-ton coal-to-olefins project. Second Public Notice on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the China Coal Group Yulin Coal Deep Processing Base Project I. Overview of the Construction Project (1) Project name: China Coal Group Yulin Coal Deep Processing Base Project (2) Location of construction: Southern Area of the Energy and Chemical Industry Zone in the Yuheng Industrial Zone, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province (3) Nature of the construction: New construction (4) Scale of construction: Using coal as raw material to produce 1.8 million tons of methanol, which will then be further processed to yield 600,000 tons of olefins; 150,000 tons per year of liquid propylene will be purchased externally. The end product will be 300,000 tons per year of polyethylene and 450,000 tons per year of polypropylene. Additionally, liquefied petroleum gas, sulfur, crude gasoline, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate will be produced as by-products. (5) Land area: The land area is approximately 120 hm2. (6) Investment: 18.401 billion RMB, of which 2.45 billion RMB was invested in environmental protection, accounting for 13.34% of the total investment amount. (7) Operating time: Annual operating hours are 7200 h. II. Main environmental protection measures to be taken: (1) Exhaust gases: The exhaust gases generated during the normal production process of this project mainly include dust from coal storage, transportation, and crushing, flue gas from thermal power plants, acidic gases from production units, volatile organic compounds produced during production and storage processes, as well as odors from wastewater treatment plants. Pollution control measures combine source reduction with end-stage treatment: bag filters are used for dust control, low-nitrogen burning of clean fuels is employed for flue gases from overheating furnaces, while for the flue gases from thermal power station boilers, processes such as calcium injection inside the furnace, semi-dry flue gas desulfurization outside the furnace, SCR denitrification for low-nitrogen burning, and electro-bag dust removal are used ； For acidic gases, the super Claus sulfur recovery method is used for combustion, and the flue gas is then sent to the desulfurization unit in the power station boiler. For waste gas containing volatile organic compounds, measures such as recovery through fuel gas pipelines, nitrogen sealing, washing, and oil vapor recovery are employed. To deal with odors, processes such as water washing, biological trickling filtration, vortex washing, and photocatalytic oxidation are used. All waste gas emission sources can achieve compliant emissions. (2) Wastewater: The production wastewater from this project is treated in two stages, based on the type of wastewater and its pollutant composition: pre-treatment in the plant area and treatment at the wastewater treatment plant. Pre-treatment in the plant area primarily involves physical and chemical treatment methods to treat gasification black water, wastewater generated by the polymerization unit, and acidic water. The wastewater treatment facility is composed of a wastewater treatment system (for pre-treatment and comprehensive treatment), a wastewater recycling system, and an evaporation crystallization system. The wastewater treatment system utilizes the \"pre-treatment activated sludge process (SBR) and aerated biological filter\" technology ； The wastewater recycling and treatment system employs a \"multi-stage pretreatment and multi-stage reverse osmosis\" process, while the evaporation crystallization system uses a \"pretreatment MVR evaporation crystallization\" process for treatment. All wastewater from this project is reused in the circulating water station and the desalinated water station after treatment; no wastewater is discharged outside the site. (3) Groundwater: The principles of source control, zonal prevention and control, and pollution monitoring are adopted. Appropriate measures are taken for processes, pipelines, equipment, and sewage storage and treatment structures to prevent and reduce the leakage of pollutants. Pollution control is implemented separately for key impermeable areas, general impermeable areas, and simple impermeable areas, and pollution monitoring wells as well as emergency response plans are established. (4) Noise: The main sources of noise in this project come from mechanical equipment. Measures such as using low-noise equipment, vibration reduction, sound insulation, optimizing the layout, and implementing landscaping will be taken to minimize the impact of the project’s construction on the sound environment, ensuring that the noise levels at the factory boundaries and in the surrounding area meet the relevant standards. (5) Solid waste: The solid waste generated by this project is divided into two categories – general solid waste and hazardous waste. The treatment and disposal measures follow the principles of reduction, resource utilization, and harmlessness. Depending on the nature and type of the solid waste, general solid waste is treated through comprehensive utilization or landfilling, while hazardous waste is handled through recycling by the manufacturers or through entrusted disposal methods. All solid waste is disposed of in a proper manner. (6) Ecological environment: During construction, care should be taken to protect the surrounding vegetation, minimizing the impact of the project’s land use on the ecological environment ； Minimize interference and damage, carry out vegetation restoration on temporarily occupied land in a timely manner, and implement greening measures within the factory area to ensure that the ecological environment does not deteriorate. (7) Environmental risks: Ensure scientific management of hazardous substances throughout various production processes, strengthen equipment maintenance, and take proactive measures to guarantee standardized and safe management at all stages—including transportation, storage, transfer, use, and disposal—in order to prevent pollution incidents and unauthorized emissions ； Install cofferdams and accident ponds with sufficient capacity to ensure that wastewater generated during production, contaminated fire-fighting water, and contaminated rainwater are not discharged into the external environment ； Equipped with automatic detection and alarm systems for toxic and harmful substances ； After being temporarily stored in the accident tank, the accident wastewater is fed into the plant’s wastewater treatment facility in batches for treatment ； Take effective measures to prevent and reduce various types of pollution, and establish emergency response plans for accidents. III. Potential environmental impacts of the construction project 1. Environmental impacts during the construction period The environmental impacts during the construction phase mainly include the effects on the surrounding environment caused by dust, exhaust gases, wastewater, noise, and solid waste generated during construction, as well as the impact of the land occupied for construction on the ecological environment. The impact during the construction period is short-lived, and it will disappear once the construction is completed ； Meanwhile, during the construction period, the project owner intends to take measures such as using clean fuels and reducing temporary land use in order to minimize the environmental impact associated with construction. 2. Environmental impacts during operation (1) Atmospheric environmental impact: Only the contribution from this project is taken into consideration; the maximum hourly ground concentrations, maximum daily average ground concentrations, and annual average concentrations of various pollutants emitted under normal operating conditions at the grid points within the evaluation area and at the environmental protection targets all meet the relevant standard requirements ； After applying the background values, except for the Dinghe Wetland Nature Reserve in Category I where there were no measurements of inhalable particulate matter PM10 and fine particulate matter PM2.5, and except for the cases where the maximum daily average concentrations exceeded the limits due to high background values, all other pollutants met the relevant standard requirements within the predicted ranges as well as at the various environmental protection targets. (2) Impact on surface water environment: Under normal, abnormal, and accident conditions, the production and domestic wastewater generated by the project is collected and treated at a wastewater treatment plant before being reused; it is not discharged outside, thus having no impact on the surface water environment. The initial rainwater is collected and treated by the initial rainwater system before being reused; it is not discharged, thus having no impact on the surface water environment. (3) Impact on groundwater environment: With strict anti-seepage measures in place, the project has little impact on the groundwater environment under normal operating conditions ； Under accident conditions, it will have a certain impact on the groundwater environment within the plant area, with little effect on sensitive sites downstream ； After establishing comprehensive monitoring and emergency response plans, the construction entity can effectively detect and prevent such impacts, reducing their severity to an acceptable level. (4) Acoustic environmental impact: The main noise sources of the project are crushers, fans, compressors, various pumps, etc. During design, low-noise equipment should be preferred as much as possible, sound insulation and vibration reduction measures should be implemented, and landscaping should be planted around the factory boundaries in the project area. After the project is completed, the noise level at its factory boundary will meet the requirements of relevant standards. (5) Solid waste: The hazardous waste and general solid waste generated by the project are treated and disposed of in accordance with the principles of reduction, resource utilization, and harmlessness. After appropriate disposal measures are taken, these various types of solid waste will not have a significant impact on the surrounding environment. (6) Environmental impact: The project is constructed within an industrial park, on land designated for industrial use. The construction will lead to increased soil erosion, but its impact on the regional ecological environment is minimal. (7) Electromagnetic radiation: After the project is put into operation, the power-frequency electric field, power-frequency magnetic field, and radio interference generated by the main step-down station meet the corresponding standard requirements. (8) Environmental risks: The types of environmental risk incidents for this project are fires and explosions caused by the leakage of toxic and hazardous substances as well as flammable materials. During the operation of the project, provided that scientific and reasonable risk prevention measures as well as emergency response plans are implemented, the probability of risk incidents is low, and the impact on the environment remains within acceptable limits. IV. Key points of the environmental impact assessment conclusions outlined in the environmental impact report: The construction of this project is in line with the relevant industrial policies and regulations on the development of the coal chemical industry issued by the **Development and Reform Commission, as well as the requirements of the relevant environmental protection policies in ** and Shaanxi Province ； It complies with the national and local functional zoning plans as well as environmental protection plans; the composition of the project and the environmental protection measures meet the requirements set out in the park’s planning and environmental impact assessment. The production processes and pollution control measures for the construction project are of advanced technical standard; effective control measures have been implemented for all sources of pollution, ensuring that all types of pollutants are discharged within specified limits ； Overall, the process selection for this project is reasonable. On the premise of ensuring the proper operation of all the plant’s environmental protection facilities and implementing the various environmental protection, energy-saving, and waste-reduction measures as well as environmental risk prevention strategies proposed in this evaluation, the project construction is feasible from an environmental protection perspective.