Construction of the environmental governance concept in circular economy law and an integrated collaborative governance technology system

Thread Content

The Concept of Environmental Governance in the Law on Circular Economy and the Development of an Integrated Collaborative Governance Technology System (Part 1): Following more than three decades of rapid development, China has faced a series of ecological and environmental problems. China, which already suffers from a shortage of water resources, faces an extremely severe situation regarding water pollution ； The frequent occurrences of fog have led us into an era in which fresh air has become a luxury ； The successive incidents of excessive heavy metals in food have further exposed the problem of solid waste contaminating water and soil… As environmental issues such as global warming, the ozone layer depletion, soil erosion, land desertification, the reduction of forests and grasslands, and a decline in biodiversity become increasingly apparent around the world, they are having a serious impact on human survival and development. “\"Green\" signifies health; it represents a vibrant form of life, as well as a development model that emphasizes energy conservation and environmental protection. As the saying goes, \"Lush mountains and clear waters are equivalent to gold and silver.\" Gold and silver constitute the material foundation for the continuation of society, while lush mountains and clear waters are the necessary conditions for the existence of this foundation. Otherwise, \"no matter how much gold and silver there is, it will eventually turn into barren lands.\" Lush green landscapes represent the path to sustainable development, as well as the determination of this generation to build a \"Green China.\" Fundamentally, \"Green China\" is a form of economic development and a way of utilizing resources. To create such a country that places emphasis on environmental protection, it is necessary to develop a conceptual and technical framework that enables the recycling and reuse of various resources. This paper reviews the development history of the environmental governance concept in circular economy law and the formation process of its paradigms. On this basis, it explores the construction of a technical system for the integrated coordinated treatment of flue gas, wastewater, and solid waste in the context of FOSS. It discusses the main challenges we face in terms of the environmental governance concept of circular economy and the development of such an integrated coordinated treatment technology system for FOSS, and offers several recommendations to the industry and relevant regulatory authorities to address these issues. I. The development process and paradigm formation of the environmental governance concept in the Circular Economy Law
The “spaceship theory” proposed by American economist Buckminster Fuller in the 1960s is an early representation of circular economy theory. However, until the 1970s, the concept of a circular economy in the field of environmental management was more of an advanced idea held by pioneers, and people did not actively pursue development along this line. At that time, the concern of countries around the world remained how to manage pollutants after they were generated in order to reduce the harm they caused locally; in other words, it was the approach of focusing on a single indicator for environmental protection – namely, what happens after the generation of such pollutants, and what are the substances resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, for example? Went there, but didn’t pay attention). In the 1980s, it became apparent that waste needed to be treated in a resource-based manner, leading to advancements both in mindset and policy. By the 1990s, especially after the sustainable development strategy became a global trend, source prevention and whole-process governance replaced the management based solely on individual pollutant indicators as the true mainstream of environmental and development policies. Many piecemeal approaches that addressed problems in a fragmented manner began to be corrected, eventually evolving into a systematic circular economy strategy. 　　The background and development process of the circular economy determined that it was first applied in waste management, and subsequently saw rapid growth in the industrial sector. Enterprises apply the principles of the circular economy to cost management and the overall management of the product production process. In this context, concepts such as \"clean production,\" \"product life cycle theory,\" and \"ecological industry\" have emerged; these concepts represent the practical application of the ideas behind the circular economy. Under the influence of these ideas, many scholars and institutions abroad have successively proposed various theories for the development of a circular economy, such as: ① Industrial Symbiosis theory. They believe that companies can utilize waste from one another to reduce environmental burdens and waste disposal costs, thereby creating a circular industrial symbiosis system. ②Theory of Cleaner Production. They define clean production as follows: “Clean production refers to the continuous application of comprehensive preventive environmental strategies in the production process in order to reduce environmental damage.” For the production process, cleaner production involves saving raw materials and energy, eliminating toxic raw materials, and reducing the quantity and toxicity of all emissions and wastes before they leave the production process. For products, cleaner production strategies aim to reduce the impact of products on humans and the environment throughout their entire production cycle. ”③Theory of Industrial Ecology. Frosch and Robert (1992) argue that industrial ecology refers to an ecosystem and network in which entities consume the waste generated by other enterprises. In this network, by consuming waste, usable energy and valuable materials can be provided to the system. The core idea of industrial ecology theory is, on the premise of economic, cultural, and technological development, to actively promote the assessment and minimization of environmental loads, while emphasizing the interaction between industry and the environment. 　　The theory of the circular economy also emerged in China not too late. The term \"circular economy\" was first used by Liu Qingshan in 1994, who proposed the reuse of waste materials from the perspective of resource regeneration; its essence lies in the circular utilization of natural resources (see Liu Qingshan: \"Developing and Utilizing Recycled Resources to Alleviate Natural Resource Shortages\", \"Research on Recycled Resources\", Issue 10, 1994). Subsequently, in 1998, our country introduced the German concept of a circular economy and established the central role of the 3R principles. It is believed that developing a circular economy is guided by the principles of reduction, recycling, and reuse. In the same year, it was proposed that the circular economy represents the third stage in the relationship between environment and development. Theoretically, it explains three stages between economic development and ecological protection: the first stage is one in which the economy is developed at the expense of the environment; the second stage is one in which environmental measures are taken only as a remedy after economic development has taken place; the third stage is one in which both economic development and environmental protection are given equal importance, that is, the stage of developing a circular economy. To prevent pollution and protect the environment, at the end of the 20th century, China formulated strategic guidelines based on its national conditions, aiming for \"simultaneous planning, implementation, and development of economic construction, urban construction, and environmental protection\" as well as \"achieving a balance among economic, social, and environmental benefits.\" It adopted three key environmental policies: \"prevention first,\" \"those who cause pollution are responsible for its cleanup,\" and \"strengthening environmental management.\" These policies served as the basic principles for environmental protection legislation, law enforcement, and compliance. As a result, 4 environmental laws, 8 laws on resource management, over 20 administrative regulations related to environmental and resource management, and more than 260 environmental standards were established, thereby forming a preliminary framework for the legal system of environmental and resource protection. With the support of relevant laws, policies, and technologies, the development of China’s circular economy has progressed very rapidly, and various practical initiatives have achieved tangible results. In particular, in the field of industrial production, offices for clean production were established specifically to take into account the characteristics of China’s industrial sector, with the aim of guiding the establishment of clean production systems across the country. It is unfortunate, however, that both domestically and internationally, academic research on the circular economy focuses on economic indicators; most of the theories and practices overlook the study of the environmental aspect alone, that is, the research on how to create and establish independent recycling systems for environmental pollutants. It was precisely in this area that we set our research objectives at an early stage; starting in 2006, we have been conducting systematic applied research that combines theory with practice, and this was after China adopted the concept of circular economy as a form of sustainable development as a guiding principle for industrial and social progress in 2004. The concept of environmental governance in the law on circular economy has gone through three stages of development and paradigm shifts. It was at the conceptual level that the idea that substances such as sulfur, nitrate, and dust could be recycled first emerged, giving rise to the notion that pollutants could also be considered a resource ； Subsequently, after 2008, desulfurization gypsum gradually received attention at various levels as a raw material for producing gypsum board, leading to its widespread use across the country. The industry called for the development of \"green technologies for utilizing desulfurization by-products\" as well as the establishment of a corresponding \"green building materials industry.\" Due to limitations in the global market capacity and production costs associated with desulfurization gypsum products, we decided to explore alternative approaches by researching integrated magnesium-based technologies for desulfurization and denitrification, and by producing high-value crystalline powder cementitious materials, thereby entering a phase of creating new value through green and sustainable practices ； However, the integrated process of desulfurization, denitration, and dust removal for producing crystal powder, as a technology for comprehensive flue gas treatment, can offer customers as well as society, which is currently facing severe flue gas pollution, effective integrated solutions and implementation measures. Yet environmental pollution requires coordinated management; as a company with ambitious goals, we cannot stop at these current achievements. We have begun to consider how industrial wastewater, industrial solid waste, sludge, and construction waste can be incorporated into the category of crystal powder-based cementing materials. The new market demands and the complexity of coordinated environmental management objectively require us to continue researching more comprehensive and versatile technologies. Therefore, advancing new \"green circular environmental management technologies\" has been put on the agenda, and entering a \"new paradigm of green and circular innovation\" has become an inevitable choice in order to address increasingly complex and severe environmental pollution problems. 1. Stage of establishment of the concept of circular environmental management: In 2004, clean production was developing rapidly in China, with new terms such as variable-frequency power saving, waste heat recovery, building energy efficiency, geothermal energy development, and solar energy application emerging one after another. In 2005, we began by exploring the utilization of waste heat resources and started to focus on flue gas resources. By 2006, the first patent for the \"four-stage comprehensive treatment process for flue gas\" was developed. During that time, we conducted in-depth technical research on four aspects: the recovery of waste heat from flue gas, dust capture, sulfur dioxide recovery, and the utilization of sulfur resources. This led to the development of the \"four-stage comprehensive flue gas treatment technology.\" The idea that \"flue gas is a resource\" began to take shape at that time. In 2007, I still remember the two slogans used at that time: \"View sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust, etc., from a different perspective…\" and \"Environmental protection is not a burden; it’s an opportunity…\" This concept of sustainable environmental management began to take root within our company and spread across the market. This ideological trend focuses on ecological and environmental issues, as well as on the utilization of materials and resources. Starting from the need to maintain a balance in material resources and to prevent environmental pollution, its ultimate goal is to achieve harmonious coexistence and common development between humans and the environment, as well as between humans and resources. The concept of circular environmental management is based on the \"balance and reuse of materials and resources,\" and advocates the idea that \"pollutants are a type of resource.\" 　(1) We advocate the notion that pollutants and by-products of environmental treatment are part of resources rather than waste, and that human industrial and commercial activities ultimately depend on the interaction between the theories of the conservation of matter and resource balance. 　(2) The environmental governance concept of the circular economy law holds that improper use of energy is the root cause of pollution; to achieve a sustainable society, it is necessary to change the way energy is used, shifting from an extensive approach to a more refined one, and from a predatory pattern to a sustainable one. (3) The advancement of single pollution control technologies cannot meet humanity’s endless demands, nor can it solve all ecological and environmental pollution problems as environmentalists claim; it merely shifts the problems, at the cost of more pollution resulting from increased energy and material inputs. The concept of environmental governance in circular economy advocates for collaborative treatment technologies that transform harmful substances into useful ones. We firmly believe that pollutants are harmful to us only because we place them in the wrong places, not because they are inherently harmful. 　(4) The circular economy approach to environmental management advocates \"solving problems without the need for fundamental changes to the current state of industrial development and lifestyles.\" We believe that by using technical methods to make proper use of the waste and pollutants generated in industrial production and to harness the inherent value of these materials, it is possible to maintain sustainable patterns of human production and living. The fact that ecological degradation and environmental pollution in China remain severe is the most important reason behind the emergence of the \"circular economy law-based environmental governance concept.\" Achieving the establishment of a society that practices conservation and is environmentally friendly, with the least possible impact on economic development, is the core objective of the environmental governance concept underlying circular economy law. This involves using technical means, adhering to the laws of nature, respecting the principle of coexistence among all living things, and seeking a path for harmonious coexistence and development between humanity and nature – and this is also the core value of the environmental governance concept of circular economy law. 2. The practical phase in which the concept of green recycling creates new value: The four-stage flue gas treatment process is a product of the nascent stage of the environmental governance concept under the circular economy law; it serves as a testament to the evolution from concept to practice during the period from 2005 to 2011. Entering 2012, faced with a series of environmental pollution issues, various sectors of society and organizations began to realize the severity of the problem. Driven by the active efforts of some \"environmentalists,\" relevant agencies also recognized the urgency of addressing these pollution problems and started to take action. A series of environmental protection regulations and systems were established and implemented, such as the Ten Measures for Water Protection, the Ten Measures for Air Pollution Control, and the Environmental Protection Law, raising environmental protection to a **strategic level. However, the public, polluting enterprises, and other social organizations lack the necessary resources and capabilities; there are issues with resource allocation as well as inherent technical shortcomings: there is little in the way of independently developed technologies, so the adoption of imported technologies has become the main approach to environmental management. It is undeniable that most of the introduced technologies are good in themselves, but their application often fails to take into account China’s actual resources, ignoring the principle of balanced development of those resources. Given China’s natural resource situation, in which there is a shortage of sulfur but not of gypsum, the initiative to use desulfurization gypsum to produce gypsum boards as part of a circular economy approach has only resulted in pilot projects on a local scale. On one hand, there is an enormous amount of desulfurization gypsum available in China; on the other hand, the manufacturing process for gypsum boards from this material increases costs, giving them no competitive advantage over products made from natural gypsum. Therefore, at a time when the concept of sustainability is widely accepted in terms of environment, society, and market dynamics, our approach to environmental management based on circular economy principles is being embraced by more and more customers who have high standards and strict requirements regarding the environment. Against this backdrop, if we want to compete in the market, we must possess our own core competitive advantages. This core competitiveness lies in whether our technology can create more value for customers Can new value be created that is different from that of other competitors? The integrated magnesium-based desulfurization and denitration process, along with the production of by-products in the form of crystalline powder for use as building materials, was thus developed. In 2012, we produced magnesium sulfate using a magnesium-based desulfurization system, but it was not until 2014 that we found a way to integrate nitrates and sulfates organically, thereby solving the critical problem of material degradation associated with the use of crystal powder. Of course, before that we overcame a series of technical challenges, such as the tendency of the materials to crack and their low strength levels. We also faced the issue that integrating desulfurization and denitrification functions into a single system was not possible using existing technologies. Looking back, each of these challenges could have proved fatal to us, but through relentless experimentation and persistent efforts, we managed to overcome them one by one. The new value created by this crystal powder is hundreds of times greater than the original value of sulfur, nitrogen oxides, and dust in flue gas; not to mention the fact that we transformed what were originally pollutants into new substances with extremely high added value! This new value is the value of the environmental governance concept in our Green Circular Economy Law. Thus, through the implementation of projects such as Rongcheng Steel, Delong Steel, Fangda Special Steel, and Shifeng Thermal Power, we have successfully demonstrated to everyone the new value generated by the concept of green recyclability. This is a victory of one concept over another; it also illustrates the power that arises when an ideological concept is transformed into a tangible product. 3. Stage of a new paradigm for green, circular innovation: Our approach to environmental management through recycling advocates solving problems without the need for fundamental changes to the current state of industrial development and lifestyles. It holds that by using technical methods to make orderly use of the waste and pollutants generated in industrial production and to harness the inherent value of these materials, human patterns of production and living can maintain sustainable integrity. The FOSS integrated treatment technology for flue gas, wastewater, and solid waste enables the conversion of harmful substances into beneficial ones through a unique set of processes. Utilizing simple chemical formulas, this technology transforms substances into new forms, changes their location, or alters their mode of use, thereby unleashing the inherent potential of each substance. This represents a novel paradigm in environmental management. This new paradigm challenges existing approaches to environmental governance by advocating for \"integrated and collaborative governance\" and \"creating new values to rebalance the relationships between materials and resources.\" This innovative new paradigm establishes a connection among the three most important pollutants generated by human activities; it transforms several substances that were previously incompatible into one unified whole, using the unique new material of \"crystalline powder\". It has not only had a significant impact on the environmental management industry but also completely transformed the construction industry, which traditionally relies on cement as its main material. This has led to rapid development in integrated building systems, thereby significantly improving buildings’ fire resistance, thermal insulation, and seismic resilience. (1) The impacts and challenges of the new paradigm on the industries of flue gas treatment, water treatment, and solid waste treatment. For smoke control, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management – sectors that have followed separate paths for a century – guided by our new concepts and technologies, these three approaches have finally put an end to their separation; they have come together as one unified system. For businesses, this ends the situation of dealing with problems as they arise, allowing for real savings in investments as well as reduced costs related to operation and maintenance ； For the people there, it also puts an end to the current situation in which they have to worry today about the impact of smoke pollution on their health, tomorrow about contamination of the water they drink, and the day after that about soil contamination caused by the accumulation of solid waste ； For **, it is finally possible to focus on people’s livelihoods and local economic development. Environmental issues are being addressed through integrated and coordinated management, and a new approach has emerged in which environmental protection not only requires investment but also brings better economic benefits. Is there any need to worry that businesses will be reluctant or unwilling to take action on environmental protection? For most environmental protection companies engaged in flue gas purification, wastewater treatment, and solid waste disposal, this represents a challenge. We are the ones who created this challenge, but we cannot decide what will happen as a result. This is an inevitable outcome of historical development; even without us, other companies will eventually develop and begin to apply it successfully. The only way to meet this challenge and ensure success in doing so is by keeping up. Whoever changes their mindset and concepts sooner, and who embraces these new trends and ideas earlier, will be the one to succeed in overcoming this challenge. (2) The impact and challenges of the new paradigm on the green building materials industry. Traditional cement production requires a large amount of resources and energy; approximately 450 kilograms of carbon dioxide are emitted for each ton of cement produced. One-third of the world’s carbon emissions come from China’s cement industry. And the promotion of this new paradigm will put an end to this situation. The production process of crystal powder consumes no ton of coal, generates no ton of wastewater, and produces no PM2.5 particles at all. The entire production process involves making use of the chemical and physical properties of various materials, adding a few chemicals simply, and then mixing them together after thorough stirring. It meets the standards of cement with a strength grade of 625, and its other properties are superior to those of 625 cement. It can be easily used to manufacture various building materials such as exterior wall panels, interior wall panels, integrated insulation and fire protection panels, inorganic insulation materials, and inorganic fire protection materials. It boasts advantages such as light weight, high strength, A1-level fire resistance, and inorganic insulation, making it capable of fully replacing conventional cement-based products. As a construction company, it helps to reduce construction time and cut costs related to construction as well as material procurement. For residents, it ensures a more comfortable living environment, promotes energy efficiency and environmental protection, and at the same time provides them with higher-quality earthquake and disaster resistance solutions, offering an additional layer of protection for their lives and property. This is a challenge for traditional building material manufacturers. Such a challenge will come sooner or later; if it isn’t initiated by the Chinese themselves, it might come from technologically advanced countries such as Germany, the United States, or Japan. We will welcome traditional builders to join our team with an open attitude, so that we can work together to promote this new building material technology for the benefit of society and the public. Since the ecological environment, as a public good, is essential for human production and living as well as a commodity, managing it constitutes dealing with \"public affairs\". In this sense, our crystal powder technology needs to be promoted by everyone in order to enable more effective treatment of flue gas, wastewater, and solid waste at the source; only then can there be a fundamental change in our environment, the mist can disappear, our rivers can become clearer, and the food we consume can be safer. (To be continued…)