In order to implement the National Action Plan on Water Conservation and continuously improve industrial water efficiency, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the Ministry of Water Resources, The Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, launched the 2020 Water Efficiency Pace-setter Action.Recently, a total of 30 water-efficiency leading enterprises have been selected and determined in 10 industries, including steel, petroleum refining, modern coal chemical industry, ethylene, chlor-alkali, nitrogen fertilizer, paper making, textile dyeing and finishing, chemical fiber filament weaving, beer, etc.In order to give full play to the leading demonstration and typical driving role of water efficiency leaders, popularize water-saving experience technology, and promote water efficiency benchmarking of enterprises, we have sorted out the advanced experience of some leading enterprises in different industries for reference.
The iron and steel industry is one of the pillar industries of China’s national economy. China’s iron and steel output is more than half of the world’s total steel output, ranking the first in the world.From 2010 to 2019, the average annual growth rate of China’s steel output was about 5.1%, but the overall water consumption in the steel industry showed a downward trend. The water extracted per ton of steel in key enterprises decreased from 4.1 cubic meters to 2.7 cubic meters, realizing “increasing steel without increasing water”.
The leading water-efficiency enterprises in the steel industry in 2020 include Delong Iron & Steel Co., LTD., Tianjin Rongcheng United Iron & Steel Group Co., LTD., Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel Co., LTD., And Shougang Qian ‘an Iron & Steel Co., LTD.Enterprises leading the way in water efficiency should strengthen water-saving management, carry out renovation of water-saving technology and equipment, reduce water consumption and improve water efficiency.The main practices include:
First, we will strengthen water conservation management and institutional development.Establish a sound water access management system and assessment method, set up a water-saving management leading group, define responsibilities, implement the practice of saving rewards and excessive penalties, and strengthen the management of water-saving targets.For example, Delong Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. carries out the “five small innovations” activities of “minor innovations, minor inventions, minor modifications, small designs and small Suggestions” to enhance the enthusiasm of employees to participate in water saving.
Second, the implementation of water information and visual management.Establish water system data center and integrated management and control platform, strengthen process water consumption index and refined management of water balance of the whole plant, timely find problems and rectify them.For example, Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. established a digital water control center and information management system to manage and dispatch the water system and daily production management of the whole plant, so as to achieve “one chart of the water amount of the whole plant and one chart of production monitoring”, and comprehensively improve the level of water management.
Third, we will strengthen the development and utilization of unconventional water resources.Tianjin Rongcheng United Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. has been constantly optimizing the structure of water resources, increasing the proportion of outsourced municipal reclaimed water, municipal sewage and self-storage rainwater. In 2019, only 0.07 cubic meters of new water per unit product will be taken.Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel Co., LTD., taking full advantage of the geographical environment, has greatly reduced the use of surface fresh water through rainwater collection and utilization and low-temperature multi-effect distillation seawater desalination technology, and will draw 1.66 cubic meters of water per ton of steel products in 2019.
Fourth, the application of advanced water-saving technology.Water saving and pollution reduction can be achieved by using “three dry” processes such as coke oven drying, blast furnace dry dust removal and converter dry dust removal, as well as technological technologies such as cascade water, sealed circulation of cooling water, recovery of condensate water, comprehensive recycling of effluent, concentrated brine reverse osmosis reduction, coking and other highly polluting wastewater treatment and reuse.For example, Qian ‘an Iron and Steel Company of Shougang Corporation builds the largest comprehensive circulating water pump station in Asia, and sets up a complete quality water supply and drainage pipe network system, so as to realize the resource utilization and efficient water saving of sewage.
