The National Conference on the Green Development of the Petrochemical Industry has been recently held in Beijing to acknowledge model units and individuals in environmental protection in the Chinese petrochemical industry for the 12th Five-Year Plan period. Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd. and Lehigh Institute, two subsidiaries of ChemChina, were among the model units and Wang Kaichun, head of the Lehigh Environmental Protection Institute, won the honorary title of model worker. In addition, Lehigh Institute's two proprietary technologies: "the technology of using coupling efficient microbial agents to treat high-ammonia-nitrogen-content wastewater" and the "the technology of comprehensively treating and recycling industrial wastewater containing phenol and organic acid", were voted key supporting technologies for environmental protection and clean production in the petrochemical industry in 2016.
In recent years, ChemChina has been pursuing green development, reinforcing environmental management, increasing input into environmental protection, promoting green operation and fulfilling its social responsibilities for environmental protection.
Likewise, Aeolus Tyre has also been vigorously promoting green manufacturing, with remarkable achievements in technological transformation and upgrade. It's the first Chinese company to manufacture 100% green all-steel tires, which reduces the tire's rolling resistance and fuel consumption of automobiles and boosts the leapfrogging development of the company's green manufacturing. Its efficient, eco-friendly projects for the comprehensive utilization of heat energy and water resources have achieved "zero discharge" of sewage, saving more than three million tons of fresh water and water expenses of over seven million yuan per year, and treating 1.4 million tons of urban sewage per year.
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the company will continue to earnestly practice the concepts of "innovative, green, open and sharing development", follow the path of new-type industrialization, step up to adjust the product portfolio, further fine management, continue to make improvements and deliver responsible care, maximize the resource yield, minimize the environmental impact and recycle the waste, in an attempt to grow into an internationally prestigious enterprise respected for its energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.
The above two technologies owned by Lehigh Institute meet the strategic demand for environmental protection and the market demand for industrial wastewater treatment, are advanced theoretically and mature technologically and have been applied to wastewater treatment in coal chemical, petrochemical, dyestuff and pharmaceutical projects in China. In particular the technology of extracting and recycling wastewater containing phenol and organic acid has been adopted for engineering purposes by several enterprises, generating an output value of over RMB 20 million.
In recent years, Lehigh Environmental Protection Institute has successfully broken the technological monopoly of foreign countries and developed the technology for the massive cultivation of the microbial agent for nitrogen removal which has been successfully applied to the treatment of industrial wastewater on the frigid Qinghai Plateau. In the past three years, it has completed 25 research projects for environmental protection at the national, provincial and municipal levels, made breakthroughs in the R&D of eco-friendly microbial agents for treating waste water with high content of ammonia-nitrogen and salt, the technology of extracting and recycling wastewater containing phenol and organic acid and the technology of treating and recycling wastewater, and developed several key technologies.
So far it has applied for 66 patents for environmental protection, 28 of which are granted, and many of its research results and patented technologies have been promoted for engineering purposes. It will continue to leverage its strength in R&D and design, develop new technologies to address environmental issues facing the petrochemical industry, serve the sustainable development of the petrochemical industry and contribute to China's environmental protection.