Circular Economy: Research on Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in Chemical Enterprises

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The circular economy is a new development model that enables harmonious coexistence and sustainable development among society, the economy, and the natural environment. As an emerging theory, the circular economy is in a stage of gradual development and improvement. Taking chemical enterprises as the research subject and guided by the theories and concepts of circular economy, this paper focuses on exploring how to develop a circular economy at the level of chemical enterprises, that is, the issue of energy conservation and emission reduction. It focuses on the connection between the operations of chemical enterprises and the circular economy, emphasizing that as major sources of environmental hazards and resource consumption among enterprises in China, such companies should make the development of a circular economy an important part of their strategic plans. In developing a circular economy and building a conservation-oriented society, chemical enterprises can make significant contributions. It summarizes the experiences and lessons learned by large chemical enterprises in building a resource-conserving society, for reference by relevant enterprises and personnel. 　　 Circular economy, chemical enterprises, energy conservation and emission reduction 　I. Introduction 　In recent years, with the development of production and social progress, there has been strong advocacy for a circular economy; experts and scholars are making urgent calls for it, the media is actively promoting it, and the public is eagerly seeking its development as well as the establishment of a society that practices conservation. This is an inevitable outcome and requirement resulting from the advancement of the times and society, and it represents a very important and urgent task for countries around the world in the coming period, especially for China’s economic and social development ； At the same time, it is also an eternal and important issue in corporate development strategies. This task is described as extremely important and urgent because the world is currently facing excessive resource utilization and severe shortages of resources; the Earth can no longer meet humanity’s resource demands. According to the United Nations’ 2002 report “Earth’s Living Legacy,” humanity’s current exploitative use of Earth’s resources has already exceeded 20% of the planet’s carrying capacity, and this figure continues to rise each year. Global forests are shrinking at a rate of 14 million hectares per year, while land desertification is increasing at a rate of 6 million hectares per year. The reserves of non-renewable mineral resources such as oil, coal, and metals are declining rapidly. According to the International Oil Organization, the currently known oil reserves, at the current rate of extraction, will not be sufficient for human use for 40 years ； According to the International Coal Organization, the proven coal reserves available to humanity, at the current rate of extraction, will last for only a little over 200 years, which has triggered widespread concern among all of humanity regarding oil and coal resources. It is already very difficult to use its resources to sustain the current population, let alone with the continuous growth of the world’s population and material production; Earth’s resources are already under immense strain. Our country has a large population and extremely scarce natural resources; in particular, resources that are crucial for the economy and people’s livelihoods, such as oil, are in serious short supply, with production levels far falling short of consumption needs. Since 1993, our country has changed from an oil exporter to an importer ； In 2003, it became the world’s second-largest crude oil consumer, right after the United States ； In 2004, imports exceeded 100 million tons. Not only are natural resources severely scarce, but our country’s economic development model is also relatively backward compared to advanced foreign levels and even the world average, with a very low rate of resource utilization. Looking at the two key strategic resources in industry, China’s water consumption per 10,000 yuan of industrial output is 103 cubic meters, which is nearly 20 times that of developed countries ； Amidst a shortage of oil resources, China’s effective utilization rate of oil is only 10%, with 90% of oil resources being lost or wasted during extraction, processing, conversion, storage, transportation, and end-use. The extreme scarcity of natural resources and the relatively backward mode of economic development serve as strong driving forces for our country to develop a circular economy and build a conservation-oriented society. 　　II. Introduction to the Circular Economy The circular economy is short for an economy characterized by a closed-loop flow of materials. It is characterized by a hierarchical structure of material energy and closed-loop recycling, and it uses ecological principles to guide economic activities in society; therefore, it is essentially an ecological economy. A circular economy makes use of natural resources and environmental capacity in accordance with ecological laws, thereby achieving an ecological transformation of economic activities. It is an inevitable choice and an important guarantee for implementing the sustainable development strategy. 　　The traditional economy is a single-stage (linear) process of “resource consumption – product production – waste emission,” characterized by high input, high consumption, and high emissions, in order to achieve economic growth by continuously increasing the burden on the ecological environment. In this economic model, people exploit the materials and resources on Earth with increasing intensity, and during the processes of production, processing, and consumption, large amounts of pollution and waste are released into the environment; in other words, economic quantitative growth is achieved by continuously turning resources into waste. It has led to the depletion of natural resources and caused catastrophic environmental pollution. As a new model for economic development, the circular economy emphasizes low input of natural resources, high efficiency in their use, and low or even zero emissions of waste. It can effectively address the two major obstacles to sustainable development: resource scarcity and environmental pollution. 　　Developing a circular economy entails making rational use of natural resources and environmental capacity, fully considering the natural world’s purification and carrying capacities, and emulating the circular pathways and food chain networks in natural ecosystems. Economic activities are organized into a closed-loop process of \"resources – products – consumption – recycled resources\". The circular economy advocates an economic development model based on the continuous recycling of materials, ensuring that the entire economic system, as well as production and consumption processes, generate little or no waste. The circular economy emphasizes the creation of an “industrial food chain” for the recycling, harmless treatment, and regeneration of waste, in order to achieve sustainable use of resources and promote the sustainable development of society and the economy; it is characterized by a pattern of “low input → high utilization → low emissions”. To ensure that all resources are utilized in the most efficient and rational manner within this ongoing economic cycle, while minimizing the negative impact of human economic activities on the natural environment. Resource conservation and environmental protection are the main characteristics of a circular economy. As a development model, the circular economy emphasizes using as few natural resources as possible at the beginning of production activities, consuming as few natural resources as possible during those activities, and emitting as few waste products as possible at the end of them ； And it requires that its waste be continuously reused in a repetitive, cyclical manner. 　　The circular economy has three important characteristics and advantages: First, it can significantly improve the efficiency of resource and energy utilization, minimize waste emissions, and protect the ecological environment. The traditional industrial economy is an economy with a one-way material flow consisting of “resource consumption – products – waste and pollution emissions”. In such an economy, people extract natural resources and energy at an increasingly intense rate, and during production, processing, and consumption, large amounts of pollution and waste are released into the environment; the use of resources is often extensive and one-time in nature. The circular economy advocates an economic model based on the recycling of materials. Following principles such as reducing resource input, extending the lifespan of products, and converting waste into reusable resources, it organizes economic activities into a cyclic process of \"resource consumption – product – reusable resource – recycled product\". This approach ensures that the entire economic system generates little to no waste throughout the production to consumption cycle, thereby minimizing waste disposal at the end of its life cycle. 　　Second, a circular economy can achieve a win-win situation for the economy, society, and the environment. The traditional industrial economy achieves economic growth by continuously turning resources into waste, ignoring the organic connections and symbiotic relationships among various industries within the economic structure. It also overlooks the laws governing the transfer, migration, and circulation of matter, energy, and information between the socioeconomic system and the natural ecosystem. This leads to a linear economic development model characterized by high extraction, high consumption, high emissions, and low efficiency, resulting in shortages and depletion of many natural resources, severe environmental pollution, and significant damage to the economy, society, and human health. The circular economy is guided by the principle of harmonizing the relationship between humans and nature, mimics the operation patterns and laws of natural ecosystems to achieve sustainable use of resources, and transforms societal production from quantitative material growth to qualitative service growth. At the same time, the circular economy also extends the production chain, promotes the development of environmental protection industries and other new types of industries, creates more job opportunities, and drives continuous progress and development in society. 　　Third, the circular economy integrates production and consumption into the framework of sustainable development at various levels. The development model of traditional industrial economies separates material production from consumption, creating a vicious cycle of mass production, mass consumption, and mass waste. At present, advanced circular economy practices have organically linked production (including resource consumption) and consumption (including waste emissions), the two most important aspects, at three levels: first, clean production and resource recycling within enterprises ； The second is the ecological industrial network among symbiotic enterprises or industries ； Third is the waste recycling and reuse system at the regional and societal levels. 　　III. Research on Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in Chemical Enterprises 1. The urgency of energy conservation and emission reduction in chemical enterprises. With the development of the chemical industry, human economic activities have had an increasingly greater impact on resources and the environment. The problems associated with industrial waste have become more and more prominent. By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the world was facing issues such as the gradual depletion of non-renewable resources, environmental pollution, ecological damage, and a rapid increase in population. 　　The resource and environmental situation faced by China’s chemical enterprises is currently extremely severe. The external dependence on oil has reached 40%, while that on natural rubber exceeds 70%. There is a shortage of key chemical mineral resources, especially potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, and boron, which poses a threat to the sustainable development of chemical enterprises. Therefore, developing a circular economy has become an inevitable choice for the entire industry to maintain sustainable development and seek new avenues for growth. 　　2. Ways for chemical enterprises to save energy and reduce emissions. Large chemical enterprises require large amounts of oil, coal, and chemical raw materials in their production processes, and they generate substantial amounts of wastewater, waste residues, and exhaust gases. Only by vigorously developing a circular economy can they gain an advantage in competition in both domestic and international markets. The ways in which chemical enterprises can develop a circular economy to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction include increasing investment in technology and funds for pollution control, as well as implementing comprehensive control over pollution throughout the entire process ； Adopt advanced and clean manufacturing processes for project establishment to eliminate pollution at the source ； Implement technological integration and innovation to create a green ecological industrial chain ； Widely raise employees’ awareness of the circular economy and start with themselves ； Increase investment in technological upgrades to achieve large-scale operations ； Establish a small-scale recycling loop for waste materials within the enterprise to reduce resource waste ； Develop projects for the recycling of waste materials, creating multi-level or large-scale cycles for waste utilization ； Increase the reuse rate of waste materials ； Implementing the ISO14000 standard and pursuing continuous cleaner production are among the approaches. 　　The circular economy requires the maximization of resource utilization, and energy conservation and consumption reduction are the most direct and fundamental ways to achieve this. In addition to ensuring safety, environmental protection, and quality control as well as avoiding inefficient use of resources, chemical companies should also focus on various aspects such as production load, cycle time, and process parameters, in order to ensure that their production operates in a cost-effective manner ； For example, it is necessary to focus not only on reducing energy consumption such as oil, coal, and electricity use, but also on reducing material consumption such as water, steam, ammonia, and salt use, in order to achieve the lowest possible levels of both energy and material consumption and thus meet the fundamental requirements of a circular economy.