Recycling of spent catalysts
Thread Content
Our facility produces ethylene oxide using the ethylene oxidation method, in which ethylene and oxygen react in a fixed-bed tubular reactor using an alumina catalyst loaded with silver. Catalysts are generally replaced every 3 years. The question is, how should used catalysts be disposed of? This batch of catalysts weighs about 40 tons, with a silver content of less than 20%. It was purchased from SD Company for around ten million dollars; can it now only be treated as hazardous solid waste? For domestic disposal, qualifications are required, and cross-provincial transfer procedures are also involved; the Ministry of Environmental Protection does not approve it! Abroad, it’s generally possible to recycle and reuse it, and the price is also high! Do the experts have any good suggestions?
Those who understand this area, please actively participate in the discussion
Who said that cross-provincial transfers require approval from the Ministry of Environmental Protection? Cross-provincial transfers are handled by the provincial environmental protection departments. The common practice is for catalyst recycling companies to use the qualifications of enterprises specialized in handling hazardous waste in order to carry out such transfers; this approach results in high costs, but it still complies with regulations. Do you understand?
Waste catalysts are considered hazardous waste and must be processed by qualified entities! Such units are very rare! If the manufacturer can recycle it, let them do it! Recycling helps the company make money, but sending waste to specialized disposal facilities costs money! Generally speaking, in cases of inter-provincial transfers, the province from which the transfer takes place will certainly give its approval, but the relevant department in the province where the transfer is to take place may not necessarily agree. No one wants anything to go wrong!
Approval across provinces isn’t possible, so one has to go to the nearest option!
The transfer across provinces really wasn’t approved; they said the principle of staying nearby must be followed! When I went there, the price they offered was way too low!
I just found out that recycling isn’t easy to carry out. There are those in China who offer high prices, but since it involves crossing provinces, approval hasn’t been given; they say the principle of proximity should be followed. There are only one or two such companies, and the prices they offer are too low! But we got approval to distill the residue across provinces, even though others have offices here! Can’t figure it out
This is local protectionism; haha, it can only be said that that manufacturer didn’t do their job properly.
It’s not that the receiving province refuses approval; it’s the sending province that refuses permission. When we handled this matter before, the Environmental Protection Department also suggested several hazardous waste treatment companies within the province, but we went through a bidding process and the company from Henan Province won the bid. In any case, both the Environmental Protection Department and the local environmental protection authorities were not happy about this, but they didn’t say that cross-provincial transfer was prohibited. After all, hazardous waste treatment companies in various places are approved and inspected by the environmental protection departments of their respective provinces, as you understand. . . Benefits. . . . . . Transferring across provinces just takes longer and involves more paperwork; usually, one needs to start the process 2-3 months in advance. As the original poster mentioned, the environmental protection department does not allow such transfers, which is clearly a violation on their part. However, it’s difficult to go through with this process either – you can’t overcome stronger opponents. Unless you’re willing to sue them, hehehe
Can’t it be transferred out of the province either? There’s only one place in the entire park that handles this! As soon as he stopped, he wanted to put it in his own company
It’s all about profit – you need to consider what kind of hazardous waste is involved. The alumina catalyst mentioned by the poster belongs to the category of catalysts; it has a high value, is easy to transport, and poses no hazards. Waste catalysts and used engine oil are things we deal with as well, and there are hazardous waste treatment companies everywhere (in Shandong Province). I’m referring to those companies that have been approved and licensed by the environmental protection department; everyone wants to work with them, but the price is low. Do you know how they handle such waste? They resell it at a higher price. That’s why transferring it outside the province isn’t allowed. Do you understand now?