China’s Chemical Industry Shocked by New Environmental Plan

China’s 13th Five-Year Plan for Environmental Protection (2016-2020), released by the State Council on December 5, calls for further improving the quality of environment by 2020, with some terms related to the chemical and petroleum industries.
Besides more stringent criteria on reducing emissions of characteristic pollutants like VOCs, the plan also makes explicit reference to cracking down on illegal transfer of hazardous chemical wastes. The National Development and Reform Commission has started to examine chemical enterprises along the Yangtze River Basin, and is to issue the Environmental Protection Plan for the Yangtze River Economic Zone, exerting a great pressure on chemical firms in the region, especially on those intending to construct new projects.
In the chapter of “improving disposal of hazardous wastes”, the plan calls for revising the nation’s hazardous waste list, conducting a national survey on hazardous wastes and combating illegal transfer or disposal of hazardous wastes. And in the “promoting emission reduction of key pollutants” chapter, the plan proposes to strengthen control on VOCs in the fields of petrochemicals, organic chemicals, surface coatings, etc., and highlights the emission reduction of VOCs – aromatic hydrocarbons, olefins, alkyne, aldehydes and ketones in particular.
For China’s petroleum and chemical enterprises, it is wise to adopt the concept of green development, and propel the Responsible Care initiative effectively. Furthermore, they should consider the impact on environment in every link, from R&D, production, storage, transportation to product applications.
New green development strategies the domestic petrochemical industry is to implement in 2017 will better address issues of waste water, waste gas, waste solid, energy conservation and safety management. China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation prepares to conduct a special research, so as to put forward detailed targets and relevant solutions.