The chemical companies can reduce wastewater discharge through technological improvements, management optimization, and policy support. Here are some specific measures:
Technological Improvements
- Adopt Advanced Wastewater Treatment Technologies:
- Low-Temperature Catalytic Wet Oxidation Technology: For example, the LDO technology by Hebei Ost Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., which can generate hydroxyl radicals under specific catalysts and temperature and pressure conditions to oxidize and decompose organic matter in wastewater, improving its biodegradability and reducing COD, without generating sludge or other secondary hazardous wastes.
- High-Salinity High-Organic Wastewater Bromine Extraction Technology: The technology by Zhejiang Hongdian Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd., which uses electrocatalytic oxidation to oxidize bromide ions in bromine-containing wastewater into bromine, followed by stripping, absorption, and other steps to obtain bromine products or bromide salts, while the treated wastewater is discharged up to standard.
- Dedicated Equipment for High-Salinity Industrial Wastewater Treatment (Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis): The bipolar membrane electrodialysis equipment by Shandong Tianwei Membrane Technology Co., Ltd., which can convert salt into acid and alkali under the action of an electric field to achieve the purpose of acid and alkali production. It is suitable for waste salt resource utilization and high-salinity industrial wastewater treatment, with advantages such as low energy consumption, high recovery rate, and good anti-pollution performance.
- Membrane Separation Technology: It can efficiently separate high-concentration organics, heavy metals, and other components from wastewater, improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment and is suitable for treating complex high-concentration materials, contributing to the recycling of water resources.
- Biological Treatment Technology: By introducing appropriate microbial communities to degrade organics in wastewater into more stable and environmentally friendly substances, it has the characteristics of low cost and renewability and is suitable for treating high-concentration organic wastewater.
- Optimize Production Processes: Improve production processes to reduce the generation of wastewater. For example, in the petrochemical companies, by stabilizing the feed to the crystallizer, the top vacuum, and temperature, the steam condensate from the top of the crystallizer can be continuously and stably fed into the crystallizer, avoiding or reducing the need for supplementary system steam condensate to the crystallizer, thereby reducing the amount of wastewater.
- Water Resources Recycling: Appropriately treat industrial wastewater to meet reuse standards, thereby reducing the demand for fresh water and decreasing wastewater discharge. A large amount of wastewater used for cooling and cleaning in the chemical production process can be reused as cooling water or cleaning water in the production process after treatment, achieving the recycling of water resources.
Management Optimization
- Strengthen Internal Enterprise Management: Establish a sound wastewater management mechanism to monitor and manage the generation, collection, treatment, and discharge of wastewater throughout the process, ensuring the normal operation of wastewater treatment facilities and improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment.
- Develop a Circular Economy Model: Actively promote the development of a circular economy within chemical parks and build a wastewater treatment symbiotic network among enterprises. Encourage enterprises within the park to mutually utilize the by-products or reclaimed water from wastewater treatment, forming close cooperation between upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, reducing the consumption of new resources, and lowering overall wastewater treatment costs.
Policy Support
- Strict Environmental Regulations: The government has higher requirements for wastewater discharge from chemical enterprises. Enterprises must take effective measures to ensure stable and up-to-standard wastewater discharge. Otherwise, they will face severe administrative penalties, forcing enterprises to pay great attention to wastewater treatment and increase environmental protection investment.
- Economic Incentive Measures: The government encourages chemical enterprises to adopt advanced wastewater treatment technologies and equipment through economic incentive measures such as financial subsidies and tax preferences. For example, enterprises that install and operate water-saving devices or recycling systems are given financial grants, and enterprises that use clean energy for wastewater treatment are granted tax exemptions.
- Special Governance Policies: The government has introduced a series of special governance policies focusing on key links such as the in-depth treatment of specific pollutants, pre-treatment of high-concentration organic wastewater, and source reduction of toxic and harmful substances, clarifying technical routes and governance goals.
- Inclusion in Carbon Emission Trading System: In some areas, wastewater treatment is included in the carbon emission trading system. Chemical enterprises can obtain additional economic benefits by reducing wastewater discharge and, consequently, reducing carbon emissions, further stimulating enterprises' enthusiasm for proactive emission reduction.
In summary, reducing wastewater discharge in the chemical companies requires the joint efforts of enterprises, governments, and society. Through comprehensive measures in technology, management, and policy, effective wastewater treatment and resource utilization can be achieved, promoting the sustainable development of the chemical companies.
