Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

The project is based on programme area 12C of China's Agenda 21 - Development and Application of industrial technology.

This project is related to programme area 12B of China's Agenda 21 concerning development of cleaner production methods, programme area 13B, improving energy efficiency and energy conservation, and programme area 14, management and sustainable development of land resources.

1. Background

It is common knowledge that China has a scarcity of cultivable land and as a result the country is experiencing a cotton shortage thus chemical fibers are augmenting the supply. Foremost among chemical fibers are viscose fibers which have similar properties to natural fibers. China produces 240,000 tons of viscose fibers annually which consumes approximately 250,000 tons of chemical fibre pulp. Cotton liner is the basic raw material for the production of chemical fibre pulp and amounts to approximately 87.5% of the total pulp utilized by the chemical fibre industry.

The proposed project involves clean production of cotton liner pulp. Data provided by major pulp mills in Shanghai, Nanjing and Xinxiang indicates that production of one ton of pulps results in an effective discharge containing 300-400kg of COD and 100kg of BOD. The primary source of the high contaminant discharge is poor production techniques and the large volume of untreated chemicals and organic waste which is discharged with the black liquor draining from the pulp processing. Shanghai has three major chemical fibre pulp mills which on daily basis discharge concentrated black liquor into Hangpu River equipment to the daily effluent drainage load of a mid-size city. Two of the three mills are inclose proximity to the water intake of a municipal water plant thus the effluent significantly contaminates the city's drinking water. This problem is duplicated in may other cities in China.

Shanghai Municipality has approved the transfer of the three pulp mill operations to remote rural area and their consolidation into the Shanghai General Chemical fibre Pulp Mill. This will result in only one waste stream which can be more effectively treated. Thus significantly reducing contaminant discharge and facilitating Chemical recovery. The consolidation of the mills will therefore promote cleaner production. The General Chemical Fibre Pulp Mill has completed land requisition, feasibility studies and preliminary design. A major portion of the investment for the new facility has been secured, and procurement of major imported equipment is under negotiation. Most domestic chemical pulp mills are under technical renovation. During the "Eighth Five Year Plan" and "Ninth Five Year Plan" all pulp mill renovation is required to follow a clean production and effective effluent treatment strategy. The proposed project will provide a very significant example for the technical upgrading of all China's pulp mills.

The present chemical fibre cotton liner production process and technology in China is obsolete. This results in inefficient production and ineffective extraction and recovery of black liquor. Although the black liquor concentrations are removed through mixing with process waste water, the organic pollution (COD) content continues to significantly exceed discharge standards. Effluent handling therefore in China's mills is economically not feasible due to the high cost of end of the pipe treatment.

Some advanced clean production equipment imported from overseas suppliers such as the Fourdrinier washing Machine is increasingly utilized in China. This extracts 90% of the process black liquor compared with the older plate type washing machines which only have an extraction rate of 60%. The more advanced washing equipment is effective for mid-process black liquor extraction and reduction. However, some other new processes, for example continuous beating equipment, remains to be imported.

Shanghai, the largest city and the financial and trade center of China, has a strong desire to control the effluent from the three pulp mills. The proposed project however lacks sufficient financing and requires capacity building and standards development capabilities for successful implementation.

2. Objectives

• Long-term objectives
  • To achieve clean production of chemical fibre pulp through substantial reduction and control of black liquor discharge to surface waters. To improve the pulp production process and enhance the development of viscose fibre production.

• Immediate objectives
  • To relocate the three existing chemical fibre pulp mills and to consolidate them in one new model clean production chemical pulp mill.

  • To import certain key equipment as listed below and improve the production process reduce contaminant discharge and implement chemical recovery and recycling strategies. The proposed Shanghai General Chemical Pulp Mill as an example facility will produce 30,000 tons of chemical pulp per year and will meet the following standards.
    • Discharge of COD to the Huang Pu River will decrease from 44 tons/day to 1.6 tons per day
    • Discharge of BODs to the Huang pu River will decrease from 25 tons/day to 0.7 tons per day

    The black liquor extraction rate will increase from 60.5% to 90%. The quality of treated effluent will meet the Shanghai local discharge standards thus making a great contribution to the improvement of the Huang Pu River water quality.

    The Shanghai Chemical Fibre Pulp Mill is proposed as a demonstration project to illustrate advanced chemical fibre production processes and pollution reduction techniques. The experience gained from the technology transfer and upgrading will be adopted by other pulp facilities such as the Nanjing and Baoing Mills which are currency operating with obsolete equipment and by other mill nationwide which foresee that in the year 2000, 70% of the Chinese Chemical fibre pulp mills will reach current Shanghai production level.

3. Activities

• 3.1 In accordance with principles and policies stipulated in the programme areas of China's agenda 21, the proposed chemical fibre mill will improve management systems and establish complete administration structure for sustainable development, the facility shall meet all necessary standards and regulations for cleaner production of chemical pulps.

  The duration of this activity two years.

• 3.2 To develop the Shanghai Chemical Fibre Pulp Mill as a demonstration project for clean production of chemical pulps.

  The proposed pulp mill is to be organized by the production decisions of the existing No.5, No.6, No.7 pulp mills following relocation and consolidation. It is proposed to re-establish the Shanghai General Chemical Fibre Pulp Mill by late 1995 with and annual production capacity of 30,000 tons and with a total capital investment of 140,000,000 yuan RMB. The mill will be located in Feng Xian County - a suburban area of Shanghai.

  During the production process the wax, lignin and gum will be dissolved out from the cotton linker during heating in alkali. The resulting black liquor which contains large quantities of alkali and organic matter has high COD content lup to tens of thousands mg/l. The current pulp washing processes are very in effect therefore a large quantity of black liquor flows into the mid-process stage, and finally discharges into Huang Pu River.

  As part of the proposed project it is planned that fourdrinier washing machines will be installed to extract black liquor. Following recovery, the will be concentrated and burned. The heat value of black liquor and alkali recovered can be used fourth production process. Since the black liquor contamination from pulp production is virtually eliminated and alkali is recovered, the pulp mill can thus achieve cleaner production.

  In addition to importing a new washing machine technology, the existing batch type beating machine will be replaced wth continuous beating machine thus increasing energy efficiency and maximizing black liquor extraction rates. An advanced automatic bleaching process is also to be imported to upgrade the correct manual operation and to reduce the consumption of chemical raw materials. The proposed project will require an investment of 2,524,000 US dollars to import a total of 11 units of advance machinery of which 2,036,000 US dollars will be directly used to purchase the imported equipment, while 488,000 US dollars will be used to purchase domestic made machines. Table 1 presented bellow, lists proposed equipment to be purchased.

  The duration of this activity will be two years.

• 3.3 The production of cotton pulp at the proposed Shanghai Chemical Fibre Pulp Mill should amount to one seventh of the total national pulp output. All other existing pulp mills which have a similar production capacity could - Benefit from the Shanghai experience between 1996-2000.

  This project will be implemented by China General Textile Association and undertaken by related mill.

• 4.1 The total investment for the proposed Shanghai Chemical Fibre Pulp Mill is US $16.09 million. of which US $5.1 million is reserved for environment protection inputs including black liquor recovery effluent biological treatment and spent gas treatment). The proposed project requires an international loan of US $2.52 million, the investment for the black liquor recovery equipment.

• 4.2 Capacity Building, including training, supervising by foreign experts, establishment of standards and criteria will require 90,000 US dollars. The project will input approximately 50,000 US dollars from local financial sources and requires 40,000 US dollars from international sources as technical assistance or loans, international capacity building technical assistance grants may be tied to equipment purchase. See table 2 for details.

The proposed pulp mill will greatly promote clean production of chemical fibre pulp and sustainable development. The total discharge contaminant load from pulp production will be reduce by over 80%, and improve the Huang Pu River water quality. As mentioned above discharge the COD will be reduced from 44 tons per day to 1.6 tons per day. Due to significant water consumption most of large chemical pulp mills are located near to rivers and lakes, thus significantly impact water quality this demonstration project will provide a model for upgrading China's major pulp mills and as such will considerably improve water quality in the nation's major water bodies.