Guangdong Issues Alliance Standard on Water Intake Quotas for the Papermaking Industry

[ppzhan abstract] Papermaking pollution has long been a major enemy of China's environmental protection industry. Recently, Dongguan, Guangdong held a press conference on the "Alliance Standard for Water Intake Quotas in the Papermaking Industry" to promote the sustainable development of the papermaking industry.

On the 10th, Zhongtang Town in Dongguan, Guangdong held a press conference on the "Alliance Standard for Water Intake Quotas in the Papermaking Industry". Leaders of the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Water Affairs Bureau and the Zhongtang Town government, as well as key municipal enterprises in energy conservation and consumption reduction and the Zhongtang papermaking industry, attended the event that day. The alliance standard addresses hot topics such as "how many tonnes of water are actually used to make 1 tonne of paper" and "how much water may be used to comply with national standards". The reporter learned at the meeting that Zhongtang Town is making every effort to promote energy-saving, environmentally friendly and circular development and strictly requires papermaking water standards, and that water use in the town's papermaking industry is lower than the national standard.

Promoting the Sustainable Development of the Papermaking Industry

The papermaking industry has always given the impression of consuming large amounts of water and causing particularly serious pollution. In the past, backward technology and equipment led papermaking enterprises to use large amounts of water and discharge large amounts of wastewater, causing environmental pollution of land, air and other elements to a considerable extent. Ten years ago, the highest water consumption for making 1 tonne of paper in Zhongtang could reach 80 to 90 tonnes. Papermaking enterprises in Zhongtang Town realized that only by promoting energy conservation and environmental protection could sustainable development be achieved.

Yuan Dongping, Secretary of the Zhongtang Town Party Committee, introduced that the town has 33 papermaking enterprises in total, and the largest paper products plant has reached an annual output of 700,000 tonnes. In 2009, the town's machine-made paper output reached 5.14 million tonnes. More than 1,000 businesses and individuals are engaged in the trade of waste paper and other papermaking raw materials, forming an integrated service system covering raw material supply - production - sales.

"After years of development, the paper products enterprises in Zhongtang Town have formed an industrial chain dominated by cartons and bags, supported by downstream processing industries such as corrugated board, cartons and paper bags, as well as service industries such as waste paper recycling trade, logistics and hotels. At present, the key work in Zhongtang is to further promote the technological upgrading of the papermaking industry and pursue sustainable development," Yuan Dongping said.

Recycling Papermaking Water Can Improve the Environment

"The water intake standard set by the national papermaking industry is 25 tonnes, and the standard given by the provincial environmental protection bureau is 17.5 tonnes. That is to say, to make 1 tonne of paper, the national water standard is 25 tonnes and the provincial standard is 17.5 tonnes. Zhongtang has set an alliance quota standard for papermaking water that is lower than the national and provincial standards," said an expert from the Zhongtang Papermaking Industry Association.

According to the introduction, in actual production this standard is controlled even lower, generally at 16.9 tonnes; strictly speaking, Zhongtang's standard is far lower than the standards set by the province and the state. Zhongtang relies on equipment renewal and technological transformation and implements 24-hour dedicated monitoring in production workshops to achieve its emission reduction targets.

"The recycling of papermaking water can greatly reduce the pollutant emissions of existing papermaking enterprises in the base and improve regional environmental quality. For the reuse rate of papermaking intermediate water, the national and provincial requirements are above 40%, while the reuse rate in Zhongtang Town has reached above 80%," the expert introduced.

Closing Paper Mills with an Annual Output Below 50,000 Tonnes

"Zhongtang Town will strive to build the papermaking industry into one with advantages in 'positioning, planning, concepts, management, business formats, brand and ecology', further enhancing the competitiveness and influence of Zhongtang's papermaking industry," Yuan Dongping said, adding that eliminating high-energy-consuming papermaking enterprises can not only reduce water discharge but also lower production costs. For papermaking enterprises that do not meet environmental protection and water use requirements, he asked them to create the conditions to meet the requirements. "For small paper mills with an annual output below 50,000 tonnes and serious pollution, we will close them all and carry out integration and upgrading, relying on technological progress to increase output and improving the depth of wastewater treatment and the reuse rate of intermediate water in papermaking production," Yuan Dongping stressed.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361845.html