New Environmental Protection Standard Compels
Nitrogenous Fertilizers Enterprises to Actualize Zero Emission   

The national environmental protection standard "The Standard for the Water Pollutant Emission in Ammonia Industry" announced by the Science, Technology and Standard Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and drafted by China Environmental Research Institute will soon be published. The new standard raises stringent requirements on the control of sewage in ammonia and nitrogenous fertilizer sectors.
   According to officials from China Nitrogenous Fertilizer Industry Association, the new standard is formulated on the basis of a group of enterprises with the highest level of environmental protection and sewage control in China. It is of course rather strict to the entire sector. Some indexes even reach the level of enterprises in advanced countries. It would be hard for quite a few medium and small nitrogenous fertilizer enterprises to reach the standard if they do not upgrade environmental protection equipment and waste water treatment technology. It means that some enterprises will be phased out of the picture.
   The new standard is applicable to the control and management of water pollution in ammonia, urea, ammonium nitrate and ammonium bicarbonate enterprises. It is defined in the new standard that in the period from January 1st, 2009 to June 30th, 2010 existing enterprises should implement following water pollutant emission limits: pH value must be between 6 and 9, suspension matters be not more than 60 mg/L, CODCr not more than 100 mg/L, ammonia nitrogen not more than 40 mg/L, total nitrogen not more than 50 mg/L, total phosphorus not more than 0.5 mg/L, cyanides not more than 0.5 mg/L, volatile phenol not more than 0.1 mg/L, sulfides not more than 0.5 mg/L, petroleum substances not more than 5 mg/L, benchmark water discharge per unit of product not more than 10 m3/t for large enterprises (single-unit ammonia capacity larger than 300 000 t/a) and not more than 30 m3/t for medium and small enterprises (single-unit ammonia capacity smaller than 300 000 t/a).
   From July 1st, 2010 existing enterprises and from July 1st, 2008 new enterprises should implement following more stringent water pollutant emission limits: pH value must be between 6 - 9, suspension matters not more than 50 mg/L, CODCr not more than 70 mg/L, ammonia nitrogen not more than 25 mg/L, total nitrogen not more than 30 mg/L, total phosphorus not more than 0.5 mg/L, cyanides not more than 0.2 mg/L, volatile phenol not more than 0.1 mg/L, sulfides not more than 0.5 mg/L, petroleum substances not more than 3 mg/L, benchmark water discharge per unit of product not more than 10 m3/t for all enterprises.
    Besides, in areas where the density of land development is already quite high and the environmental bearing capacity has started to be weakened, or the environmental volume is small, the ecological environment is fragile, serious environment pollution can easily happen and special protective measures need be taken, pollutant emission by enterprises should be more strictly controlled.
   Some enterprises have already identified other ways for development. According to the information the reporter has acquired, since Shijiazhuang Zhengyuan Chemical Fertilizer Co., Ltd. took the lead in August 2006 and achieved zero emission of production sewage more than 50 enterprises including Henan Xinlianxin Fertiliser Co., Ltd., Jiangxi Changjiu Biochemical Industry Co., Ltd., Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Huachang (Group) Co., Ltd., Sichuan Meifeng Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Lunan Chemical Fertilizer Plant of Yankuang Group and Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. have already achieved or are conducting zero emission of sewage in the nitrogenous fertilizer production. Compared with emission up to standard, zero emission has greater environmental and practical implications and therefore promises a bright prospect.