Environmental Protection Zone “Weekly Topic” 2010-11-3-1

This post was last edited by zfc318 on 2010-11-16 08:17. Reducing emissions is a good thing; I just hope that during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, things won’t be like during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, where high-polluting enterprises were shut down in the last few months of that period – such an approach is purely formalistic. It is still meaningful to do a good job in industrial structure adjustment and the promotion of new technologies. This is just my humble opinion, meant to stimulate further discussion.

In recent years, the rapid development of coal chemical industry has generated benefits, but it has also imposed significant environmental pressures. Coal chemical enterprises must carry out effective efforts to reduce energy consumption and emissions. The key aspects involve optimizing the way energy is used, improving the efficiency of energy utilization within the enterprise, reducing pollutant emissions, and developing a circular economy in order to ensure the healthy, clean, and sustainable development of these enterprises. 1. Establish and improve the energy conservation and emission reduction management system for the coal chemical industry. Improve the agencies and systems for energy conservation and emission reduction, set up an enterprise-level management system for these purposes, and strengthen guidance on energy conservation and emission reduction efforts. Formulate relevant energy conservation and emission reduction systems and plans, clarify the goals, tasks, and overall requirements for such efforts, and establish assessment and incentive mechanisms for them. 2. Rely on technological progress to save energy and reduce environmental pollution. First, there is the efficient allocation of utility systems. Energy efficiency is improved through the use of high-concentration circulating water technology, closed-loop condensate circulation technology, integrated optimization of water networks, as well as energy recovery and cascade utilization technologies. Second, adopt clean production technologies. Under economically viable conditions, minimize the project’s impact on the environment in order to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction. Such as clean coal gasification technology, large-scale air separation technology, high-efficiency purification technology, technologies for meeting emission standards for acidic gases, new methanol synthesis technologies and equipment, high-efficiency distillation technology, etc. Third is proper waste treatment technology. Proper treatment technologies for waste gas, waste water, and solid waste, while adhering to the principles of total quantity control and emission compliance. Fourth is the resource utilization of waste. Separation and recycling of synthetic flue gas, recovery of acidic gases, recovery of distillation waste liquids, reuse of coal ash, reuse of spent catalysts, production of synthetic ammonia and methanol from coking flue gas, etc.

Low-carbon living is a way to save energy and reduce emissions. It involves reducing the amount of energy used in daily activities, thereby cutting down carbon emissions, especially those of carbon dioxide. A low-carbon lifestyle, for us ordinary people, is an attitude rather than a skill; we should actively promote and practice it by paying attention to saving electricity, fuel, and resources, starting with small actions. 　　In China, the annual per capita CO2 emissions amount to 2.7 tons. However, a city dweller with a living space of only 40 square meters, who drives a 1.6L car to work and takes flights 12 times a year, will still have an annual carbon emission level of 2,611 tons. Energy conservation and emission reduction are essential. 　　If concepts such as protecting the environment, safeguarding animals, and conserving energy have already become guidelines for behavior, then a low-carbon lifestyle is an eco-friendly way of living that we urgently need to adopt. 　　Simply put, a low-carbon lifestyle means returning to a more natural way of interacting with nature. It involves making changes in daily habits through power conservation, energy savings, and recycling. This includes adopting some good living habits, such as those related to the refrigerator: The amount of food stored in the refrigerator should be around 80% of its total capacity; storing too much or too little food results in unnecessary energy consumption. 　　■There should be a gap of at least 10 millimeters between foods, as well as between foods and the refrigerator. 　　■Fill several plastic boxes with water, freeze it in the freezer, and then place it in the refrigerator; this helps to extend the time between shutdowns and reduce the time required to start up. 　　Air conditioner: The current drawn by the air conditioner is high at the moment it starts up; frequent switching on and off consumes a lot of electricity and can easily damage the compressor. 　　■Place the fan below the indoor unit of the air conditioner to use its airflow to enhance the cooling effect. 　　■Turn off the air conditioner after a few hours of use, and immediately turn on the fan. Using this method at night allows you to avoid running the air conditioner all night, saving nearly 50% on electricity costs. 　　■Set the air conditioner to dehumidification mode; this way, it keeps the environment cool even when the room temperature is slightly high, and it uses less electricity than in cooling mode. 　　Washing machine: During the same washing time, when operating on a low speed setting, the motor starts more frequently. In other words, using a high speed setting is actually more energy-efficient and helps to extend the lifespan of the washing machine. 　　■Based on a dehydration time of 1 minute at a speed of 1680 revolutions per minute (applicable only to turbine types), the dehydration rate can reach 55%. Generally, dehydration should not exceed 3 minutes. Extending the dehydration time any further is of little significance. 　　Microwave oven: ■ Add water to relatively dry foods and stir well. Before heating, cover them with polypropylene plastic wrap or wrap them up, or use heat-resistant glass containers with lids for heating. 　　■It is advisable to heat or cook no more than 0.5 kilograms of food at a time; it’s best to cut it into small pieces. When there is a larger amount of food, it should be heated in batches, with stirring in between. 　　■Use “high heat” as much as possible. 　　■To reduce the number of times the microwave oven needs to be turned on and off when thawing frozen food, it is possible to move the food from the freezer to the refrigerator in advance, allowing it to thaw slowly and making full use of the \"cold energy\" contained in the frozen food. 　　Computer 　■When the computer is not in use for short periods of time, enable its \"sleep\" mode, which can reduce power consumption to less than 50% ； Turn off unnecessary programs as well as peripheral devices such as speakers and printers ； Reduce the simultaneous use of hard drives, floppy disks, and optical discs ； Lower the brightness of the monitor appropriately. 　　■When using a laptop, special attention must be paid to fully discharging the battery ； Try to avoid using external devices ； Turn off devices and interfaces that are not in use ； Turn off the screen saver ； Choose the appropriate shutdown method: use \"Standby\" when immediate recovery is needed, select \"Sleep\" when using the battery, and choose \"Shutdown\" when not in use for an extended period of time” ； When the battery is in use, under Windows XP, the CPU automatically reduces its frequency through SpeedStep technology, which allows power consumption to be reduced by 40%. 　　Gas 　■ Cooking over high heat takes less time than over low heat, which helps reduce heat loss. However, the fire should not be allowed to get too strong, so as to avoid wasting gas. 　　■In the hot summer weather, it is advisable not to cover the pot before boiling water; this allows the water, which is at a lower temperature than the air, to exchange heat with the air. Once the water naturally reaches the air temperature, then the lid can be placed on to continue boiling the water, which helps save gas. 　　■Before cooking, wipe off the water droplets on the outside of the pot. Try to avoid using steaming for foods that can be cooked by other methods; for foods that are difficult to cook until tender, use a pressure cooker or a smokeless stainless steel pot, or heat them in a microwave oven – all of these methods help to save gas. 　　■Holding short meetings is also a way to save money, as it reduces the energy consumption for lighting, air conditioning, and sound reinforcement. Perfumes that are about to expire can be sprayed on dried flowers placed in pillows, in the water used for washing clothes, and on floors that have been mopped. ■ Unplug any electrical appliances as soon as they are no longer in use. ■ Try to use public transportation; if you drive to go shopping, make a shopping plan and try to purchase everything at once. Walk more, ride a bike, take light rail or subways, and drive less. 　　■Save energy while driving: avoid starting the car when it’s cold, reduce idling time, avoid sudden gear changes, choose the appropriate gear to prevent driving at high speeds in a low gear, change the engine oil regularly, do not open the windows while driving at high speeds, and maintain proper tire pressure. 　　■Use email and instant messaging tools such as MSN more often, and use fax machines and printers less. ■ Plant trees, lots and lots of trees