Strictly implement the "Action Plan for the Treatment of New Pollutants" to accelerate the green development of the petrochemical and chemical industries

In May 2022, The General Office of the State Council issued the "Action Plan for the Treatment of New Pollutants" (referred to as the "Action Plan"), which proposed control objectives and action measures around new pollutants of widespread concern at home and abroad. The Action Plan proposes to adopt the overall work ideas of "screening, assessment and control" and "prohibition, reduction and treatment", carry out environmental risk screening and assessment, dynamically publish the list of new pollutants under key control, adopt environmental risk control measures such as prohibition, restriction and emission limitation, and implement source control, process control and comprehensive treatment of new pollutants.

The petrochemical and chemical industry is the pillar industry of the national economy and the basic raw material industry, which plays an irreplaceable role in promoting the development of the national economy and improving people's lives. At present, green chemical industry is becoming an important emerging field for the global energy chemical industry to achieve industrial revolution and competition. China is currently the world's largest chemical product production and use country, but also the most important supplier of chemical raw materials, in the production of more than 50,000 chemical substances in use. In recent years, China has gradually strengthened the management requirements for the production and use of chemical substances, especially the establishment of a relatively perfect new chemical substances environmental management registration system. With the upgrading of industrial structure, the improvement of technological level and the advancement of management capabilities, the petrochemical and chemical industry's awareness of the environmental and health risks of chemical substances is also constantly improving. However, on the whole, China has not carried out systematic investigation, environmental risk assessment and control of chemical substances in use, and the problem of new pollutants brought by toxic and harmful chemical substances into the environment has attracted increasing attention, and there is still a certain gap from the realization of green chemical industry.

The Action Plan puts forward new requirements for the petrochemical and chemical industry to accelerate the green replacement of toxic and harmful substances and reduce the emission of new pollutants. It is an important measure to improve the green manufacturing level of the petrochemical and chemical industry and increase the effective supply of green products. It is an effective measure to promote supply-side structural reform and promote the restructuring and transformation of the industry. It is an inevitable requirement for the petrochemical and chemical industry to realize the coordination of green and high-quality development and high-level ecological and environmental protection. It is the inescapable mission and responsibility of the petrochemical and chemical industry to actively plan the control of new pollutants, actively implement the measures of the Action Plan, and reduce the generation and emission of new pollutants. The whole industry will strictly implement the requirements of the Action Plan, actively fulfill social responsibilities, and continue to promote green and sustainable development.

First, accelerate the replacement of toxic and harmful chemicals and strengthen source control. Conscientiously implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, Minamata Convention on Mercury and other environmental conventions, control chemicals around the convention, and carry out research and development, demonstration and promotion of alternative technologies and alternative products. Actively cooperate with government departments to carry out the revision of the Guidance Catalogue of Industrial Structure Adjustment, the List of Priority Controlled Chemicals, the Alternative Catalogue of Toxic and Harmful Raw materials (products) encouraged by the State, and the Comprehensive List of Environmental Protection. Strictly implement the VOCs content limit standards for paints, adhesives and other products, and vigorously promote the replacement of raw and auxiliary materials with low (no) VOCs content. We will develop standards for the control of toxic and harmful chemicals, accelerate the formulation and revision of standards for environmentally friendly dyes, pesticides, chemical solvents, chemical auxiliaries, fertilizer auxiliaries, refrigerants and substitutes for toxic and harmful chemicals, and gradually limit and eliminate products with high toxicity, pollution and environmental risks.

The second is to promote green technology transformation and strengthen process control. We will accelerate the revision of the cleaner production evaluation index system in key industries, and carry out technological upgrading and audit of cleaner production. We will promote advanced technologies such as advanced catalysis, solvent substitution, directed conversion and microreactions. Continue to carry out scientific and technological research in key areas, promote the industrialization of key green process technologies, continue to release the "Green Petrochemical Process Catalog", and vigorously promote advanced and mature green process technologies and equipment. Accelerate digital transformation, and cultivate innovative enterprises that combine with intelligent manufacturing, intelligent testing, intelligent operation and other technologies.

Third, we will deepen comprehensive pollution control and reduce pollution emissions. Focusing on the treatment of key pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, high-difficulty wastewater, and hazardous waste, we will accelerate the prevention and control of pollution and reduce the discharge of pollutants. Promote the continuous, automated and closed transformation of production facilities, and eliminate the emission of organic waste gas. We will give priority to the in-depth treatment of wastewater containing salt, acid, high ammonia nitrogen, difficult to degrade, and heavy metals. Aimed at waste mother liquor, distillation residue and other hazardous waste, guide enterprises to actively use incineration, oxidation, high temperature cracking and other advanced technologies for proper disposal.

Fourth, improve the green manufacturing system and create green chemical industry. Continue to promote the construction of green manufacturing system in the petrochemical and chemical industry, carry out the identification of green factories, green products, green parks and green supply chains in the industry, launch a large number of green and low-carbon development benchmarks, and build a green manufacturing system for the entire industry chain. In view of the control of toxic and harmful substances, we will accelerate the development of standards in important areas such as the limit of harmful substances for key products, the utilization of waste resources, clean production, and green manufacturing, so as to achieve full coverage of professional fields and key products, and comprehensively lead green development. Increase research efforts in high-end synthetic materials, special chemicals and other fields, and strive to solve a number of "stuck neck" technical bottlenecks and short board problems affecting quality improvement. Continue to promote voluntary product certification and green product evaluation, and accelerate the development of petrochemical and chemical products to green and high-end.

Fifth, promote the disclosure of environmental information and fulfill social responsibilities. Actively cooperate with relevant government departments to investigate the production and use information of key chemicals, screen and assess environmental risks, and grasp the environmental risk information of industrial chemicals. Guide industry enterprises to establish and improve the new pollutant control system, call on enterprises to strictly implement the requirements of the national environmental information disclosure system, release environmental information disclosure reports, social responsibility reports and environmental, social and governance reports (ESG reports), and publicize the use of toxic and harmful raw materials in a way that is convenient for the public to know. And the names, concentrations and quantities of toxic and harmful chemicals emitted. We will effectively control, treat and dispose of toxic and harmful substances at their source, and encourage enterprises to fulfill their main responsibilities for the treatment of new pollutants.

 The petrochemical and chemical industry will strictly implement the requirements of the Action Plan, accelerate the green development of the industry, strictly control standards, and effectively do a good job in chemical environmental risk management and control and control of new pollutants.