Accumulated at over 60 billion tons! How can industrial solid waste break free from the awkward situation of “just being buried”?

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Accumulated at over 60 billion tons! How can industrial solid waste break free from the awkward situation of “just being buried”? Author/Source: Modern Coal Chemical Industry Date: 2020-07-01 Clicks: 5 If the large slag dump is filled with ash and slag, covered with a layer of green plastic dust cover, and trucks keep coming to dump more ash and slag there, it is expected that the dump will be full in two years. This is what a reporter from the Economic Reference News saw at the chemical subsidiary of Zhongtian Hechuang Energy Co., Ltd. located in Wushen Banner, Inner Mongolia (hereinafter referred to as “Zhongtian Hechuang Chemical Subsidiary”). In this largest existing coal chemical integration project in the country, only 10% of the ash and slag can be utilized, while the rest must be landfilled on site. This is not an isolated case. Along with the rapid development of industries such as coal, electricity, and chemicals in our country, there is an annual generation of over 3.3 billion tons of industrial solid waste, with a cumulative stockpile of more than 60 billion tons – a figure that continues to rise rapidly. In contrast, comprehensive utilization is rather inadequate, and large-scale landfilling imposes significant pressure on resources and the environment. During the interviews, reporters learned that due to various factors such as poor connectivity in the upstream and downstream industrial chains, weak capabilities in technology research and development, lack of economies of scale, and an imperfect set of relevant standards, the issue of the circular economy being \"uneconomical\" remains a major obstacle to the comprehensive utilization of solid waste, one that needs to be addressed urgently. Over 3.3 billion tons per year – serious risks associated with industrial solid waste. **According to the statistical yearbook released by the Bureau of Statistics, in 2016 China generated 3.092 billion tons of general industrial solid waste, and this figure rose to 3.316 billion tons by 2017.** The recently released \"Report on the Second National Pollution Source Census\" shows that in 2017, China generated 3.868 billion tons of general industrial solid waste, with the five provinces and regions of Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shandong, and Liaoning accounting for 42.4% of the total amount generated across the country. Ningxia ranks sixth in the country in terms of coal reserves, with the Ningdong area accounting for 85% of these reserves; together with Yulin and Ordos, it forms China’s energy and chemical industry \"golden triangle\". Since its construction in 2003, the three key industries of coal, coal-fired power, and coal chemical processing have continued to grow. Along with coal, industrial solid waste, which is produced in large quantities and at a rapid pace, has also seen development. “Before 2017, the pressure wasn’t that great; the situation has become more severe in recent years. Once the 4 million-ton coal-to-oil project is fully operational, it will generate 7 million tons of gasification slag each year. ”An official from the Ningdong Base Management Committee said that this type of solid waste is difficult to utilize; it is currently piled up in landfills in large quantities. Due to its high water content, it behaves like a mudslide when transported to these landfills, and wind can easily cause dust to be generated. The 4 million-ton coal-to-oil project of Guoneng Group Ningxia Coal Industry Company is the largest of its kind in the world, and it represents a strategic project for ensuring energy security. It has been operating steadily since it came online at the Ningdong facility at the end of 2017. At the Ningdong base, there are many similar “world-class” projects. With the rapid development of coal chemical industry, the pressure related to solid waste treatment and environmental protection has increased significantly. According to statistics, the total amount of solid waste generated at the Ningdong facility in 2019 was 19.46 million tons, an increase of 2.21 million tons compared to 2018. This waste mainly includes fly ash, coal gangue, boiler slag, gasification slag, desulfurization gypsum, and sludge. The increase in solid waste in Ningxia is mainly in Ningdong, and the challenges also lie in Ningdong. Data shows that from 2011 to 2018, the number of entities in the region that generated general industrial solid waste and were included in environmental statistics increased from 150 to 465, while the amount of such waste generated rose from 33.44 million tons to 57.91 million tons. It is understood that the annual generation of solid waste in Ningdong could reach 25 million tons in the future. This year, the Ningdong Base plans to implement 136 projects. The coal-to-olefins projects proposed by two enterprises, with a combined capacity of 1.2 million tons, have already been approved. In the coming period, once these projects become fully operational, they will generate even more solid waste. Shanxi is facing the same situation. Shuozhou is a resource-based city driven by the coal and power industry, with the value added from this sector accounting for over 80% of the city’s total industrial value added. The coal power industry has grown rapidly, making significant contributions to the local economic and social development; at the same time, it has generated large amounts of industrial solid waste such as coal gangue, fly ash, and desulfurization gypsum. Data from the Shuozhou Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology show that in 2019, the amount of industrial solid waste generated in the region was over 41 million tons. As coal mines, coal processing plants, and power plants under construction come online one after another, the amount of industrial solid waste generated each year will increase by several million tons. Combined with the waste that has accumulated over the years, this places a huge strain on local resources and the environment. According to the \"2019 Annual Report on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste in Major Cities across the Country\" released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in 2018, the generation of general industrial solid waste in 200 major cities amounted to 1.55 billion tons, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.32%. The total amount of general industrial solid waste generated by the top 10 cities was 460 million tons, accounting for 29.7% of the total waste generated by all cities that provided such data. Among them, Ordos City in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had the highest output, reaching 75.166 million tons. “Industrial solid waste is generated in large quantities and accumulates in huge amounts, with an annual generation of over 3.3 billion tons and a cumulative accumulation of more than 60 billion tons. ”**The responsible official from the relevant department explained. Qu Ruijing, vice president of the Industrial Solid Waste Application Technology Committee of the China Green Building Materials Industry Development Alliance, also said that the actual amount of industrial solid waste generated in China is higher than the figures recorded in statistics; it accounts for over 80% of the total solid waste generated. This waste includes tailings, fly ash, smelting residues, slag, desulfurization gypsum, phosphogypsum, red mud, and sludge. Such a large volume of production, coupled with a historical cumulative stock of over 60 billion tons and an area covering more than 2 million hectares, not only wastes resources and occupies land but also harms the ecological environment and human health, posing serious environmental and safety risks. Comprehensive utilization – a somewhat insufficient solution. Faced with such a large and continuously increasing volume of industrial solid waste, comprehensive utilization becomes one of the solutions; it involves extracting value from solid waste or converting it into usable resources, energy, and other raw materials through methods such as recycling, processing, and recycling. **A responsible official from the relevant department said in an interview with a reporter from the Economic Reference News that significant progress has been made in the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste, but the level of such utilization still needs to be further improved. The Notice of the State Council on Issuing the 13th Five-Year Plan for Ecological and Environmental Protection states that by 2020, the comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste across the country is to be raised to 73%. In recent years, a series of policies aimed at supporting the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste have been introduced, from the central government to local authorities, with various initiatives being undertaken according to local conditions. Data from the 2018 Statistical Yearbook show that in 2017, the comprehensive utilization rate of general industrial solid waste in China was 54.6%, a decrease of nearly 4.9% compared to 2016. According to the 2019 Annual Report on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste in Major Cities across the Country, in 2018, the comprehensive utilization of general industrial solid waste in 200 major cities accounted for 41.7% of the total amount of such waste that was utilized or disposed of; disposal and storage accounted for 18.9% and 39.3% respectively. In the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste, Zhongtian Hechuang Chemical Branch has carried out considerable exploration. It is understood that the company began full-scale operation in 2017; it is capable of processing over 8 million tons of coal per year, generating more than 2.6 million tons of coal ash and slag. During its construction, it was planned that 90% of this ash and slag would be utilized as building materials and for other purposes. Previously, a brick factory was introduced, with the hope that it would use ash and slag to produce building bricks, while the company would provide the factory with a certain amount of payment for waste treatment. Unexpectedly, the brick factory stopped production just two months after it opened. A staff member from the company said helplessly that coal chemical plants are large in scale and are usually built near coal mines; they are located far away from big cities, and the bricks produced from the ash and slag have no buyers. Currently, one cement plant uses a small amount of slag as an additive; overall, the utilization rate is only around 10%, which is quite far from the required 75% level of comprehensive utilization. At present, there is no good solution, and the large amount of slag can only be landfilled on site. It is reported that the capacity of the waste dump for the first phase of Zhongtian Hechuang Chemical’s facility is 3.5 million cubic meters, and it was filled up just three years after operations began. The second-phase slag dump, completed in June last year, has a capacity of 3.06 million cubic meters; given the current annual volume of ash and slag generated, it will only last for about two years. In addition, the company generates about 10,000 tons of mixed salts each year as a result of wastewater treatment; there are no buyers available to take this waste, so it can only be stored in hazardous waste landfills. The company plans to install new environmental protection equipment to handle this waste in the future ； At the same time, 36,000 tons of sodium sulfate and 48,000 tons of sodium chloride are produced each year; in the first quarter of this year, selling them resulted in losses covering the cost of packaging and shipping. The situation has improved slightly since April; sodium sulfate is being auctioned online at 5 to 10 yuan per ton, but the cost of a single bag is 60 yuan, so it remains a loss-making business. The low comprehensive utilization rate of solid wastes such as ash and salts poses a common challenge for coal chemical enterprises in Inner Mongolia. The other two large coal chemical enterprises visited by the reporters generate more than 1 million tons of coal ash, slag, salts, and similar materials each year. Due to the limited amount used by industries such as brick manufacturing and cement production, these materials are currently mainly stored by being landfilled. Ningxia also faces considerable pressure in terms of the treatment of industrial solid waste. It is understood that in 2019, the comprehensive utilization rate of general industrial solid waste at the Ningdong facility was 31.7%. “It is estimated that this year, the amount of solid waste generated at the Ningdong facility will account for more than half of the total in Ningxia. Compared to the new amounts of waste being produced, comprehensive utilization seems insufficient; we are working hard to improve the level of comprehensive utilization of solid waste. ”Zhao Rui, deputy director of the Strategy Bureau of the Ningdong Base Management Committee, said. Driving about 10 kilometers southwest from the Ningdong Base Management Committee, the reporter arrived at Site 2 of the Ningdong Base’s comprehensive slag disposal site. Phase II construction of this site is underway, with a total capacity of 15.8 million cubic meters; it is designed to store solid wastes such as fly ash, boiler ash, and desulfurization gypsum, and is expected to come into use by September this year. At the fly ash storage area, the reporter saw that the entire newly built area was covered with white geotextiles, and anti-aging, environmentally friendly bags were arranged in stacks to help compact the surface and prevent wind erosion. “The \"two fabrics and one membrane\" waterproofing system, the rainwater diversion and collection system, as well as the systematic storage and disposal of solid waste… Due to strict compliance with environmental protection requirements, the cost of constructing waste disposal sites at the Ningdong facility is not low. Not only that, but as more construction projects are carried out at the Ningdong base, industrial land in the core area is becoming increasingly scarce. In recent years, with the continuous expansion of slag yards, the total area occupied by the four slag yards in the Ningdong Base has reached over 24,000 mu. Relevant companies say that waste dumps cannot be expanded indefinitely; to reduce the amount of waste stored there, it is necessary to focus on projects that involve the extensive consumption and utilization of solid waste, in order to promote large-scale disposal of such waste as soon as possible. How to overcome the problem of the \"uneconomic\" nature of the circular economy? Interviews conducted by reporters from the Economic Reference News revealed that projects for the comprehensive utilization of solid waste often feature high initial investment costs, slow short-term results, high risks, and low return on investment. They are also susceptible to factors such as geography, level of awareness, and transportation distances. The issue of the circular economy being \"uneconomic\" remains a major obstacle hindering the comprehensive utilization of solid waste. In the view of the responsible officials from the relevant departments mentioned above, the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste in China currently faces the following problems: first, the level of technical equipment is not high; technical barriers to the comprehensive utilization of complex and difficult-to-manage solid wastes such as steel slag and red mud have yet to be overcome, and there is a lack of products that can be produced on a large scale and with high added value. Secondly, there is uneven regional development: industrial solid waste generation is low in the eastern coastal areas, and due to their developed economies and high market demand, the overall utilization rate there is generally high ； In the central and western regions such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia, where industries like coal power generation and mining are concentrated, large amounts of industrial solid waste are generated. However, due to their limited level of economic development and insufficient market demand, the overall utilization rate of this waste remains low. Thirdly, products derived from the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste lack market competitiveness. Factors such as high production costs, narrow profit margins, an imperfect standard system, insufficient public awareness regarding solid waste, and a general lack of trust in comprehensively utilized products all hinder their market application. At present, the Ningdong facility recycles over 6 million tons of solid waste each year. Before 2017, the Ningdong Environmental Protection Industrial Park brought in 16 enterprises dedicated to the utilization of solid waste. Since the use of such waste was mainly for producing building materials, and due to the sluggish real estate market, as well as factors such as long transportation distances and a limited sales range, more than 60% of these enterprises faced difficulties in operating. “We process 85,000 tons of solid waste per year to produce heat-insulating and energy-saving wall materials. Our sales range is generally within 200 kilometers; beyond that, the transportation costs become too high to make it viable. ”Yin Xiangguo, general manager of Ningxia Muerma Building Materials Co., Ltd., said that over 90% of the company’s products are consumed within Ningxia, but the local market demand is low, resulting in a limited amount of waste materials that can be utilized. From its startup in 2012 to 2016, the company operated at a loss. In 2017, market sales improved, leading to better business performance. However, due to low sales volumes and low selling prices, its profit margin remained limited; essentially, the company just broke even with minimal profits. The reporter learned that in recent years, no new waste-utilization enterprises have been established at the Ningdong facility; among the 12 existing enterprises, only five continue to operate, resulting in limited utilization of solid waste. The problem of absorption isn’t limited to Ningxia alone. A manager of an Inner Mongolia-based company who wished to remain anonymous said that the low utilization rate of coal ash and slag is closely related to the profitability of industries such as brick manufacturing and cement production; since it is unprofitable or even results in losses, there is certainly no incentive to make use of it. “Here, fly ash is considered solid waste; however, in places like Shandong and Guangdong, it’s regarded as a resource. One ton of fly ash can be sold for around 130 to 170 yuan. ”Sun Guofu, the technical director of the Shuozhou Solid Waste Resource Comprehensive Utilization R&D Center, said that solid waste cannot be sold because the sources of such waste are far from the markets in the eastern coastal areas; coupled with large existing stockpiles, high amounts of new waste generated, limited market capacity, and low capacity for processing this waste. In addition, weak capabilities in technology research, development, and innovation, as well as a lack of competitive advantages in industrial scale, are also shortcomings in the current comprehensive utilization of solid waste. Yang Xuekui, head of the Solid Waste and Chemicals Division at the Department of Ecology and Environment of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, said that currently, the technologies for the comprehensive utilization of industrial solid waste are relatively traditional, with limited utilization avenues. Apart from industries requiring large quantities of such waste—such as cement and new types of building materials—there are few industries that offer high added value, operate on a large scale, and have good market prospects. Moreover, enterprises involved in the utilization of industrial solid waste are generally small and scattered, have low technical levels, poor capabilities for integrated resource utilization, and find it difficult to achieve economies of scale. The lack of relevant standards and policies further exacerbates the difficulties in utilization. For instance, regarding the salts produced through salt separation technology in the coal chemical industry, no product standards have been established at the ** level to date. As a result, enterprises are unable to obtain product certification certificates; both selling enterprises and downstream enterprises thus face the dilemma of operating without proper certifications. Experts and industry professionals interviewed said that the situation regarding the treatment of industrial solid waste is severe, and comprehensive utilization is the fundamental solution, as it directly affects the sustainable development of related upstream and downstream industries. Next, while companies seek solutions from various aspects, it is also necessary to strengthen support through relevant supporting policies.