Industry Size Estimates Vary

Frequently cited as a source for industry size, WBJ put the solid waste industry at $55.7 billion in 2009, projected to be in the low-$60 billion area in 2011/2012. Other estimates are as high as $70 billion. Based on the Waste Age 100 list, 67% of the industry’s revenues are generated by the top 100 firms, while the publicly traded companies account for 85% of the revenues of the Waste Age 100. By segment, the trend toward consolidation and privatization is clear. Again, according to WBJ, in 2001, small private companies and municipalities accounted for 23% and 30%, respectively, of industry revenues, with the publicly traded companies accounting for the remaining 47%. In 2010, the private company and municipal shares had shrunk to 18% and 23%, respectively, while the publicly traded companies’ share of revenues had risen to 59%. Further underscoring the consolidation in the industry, the very large companies, with revenues over $1 billion, comprise 52% of the total market versus 48% in 2001. In an interesting sidebar, based on US Department of Labor Statistics and the Waste Age 100, although the top 100 firms account for 67% of the revenue, they employ only 47% of the workforce. Besides being more efficient, another factor is that the larger companies, particularly the publicly traded companies, utilize more contract workers, in order to increase their ability to flex down variable costs.

Waste Generation Projections Vary Even More

The primary sources for municipal solid waste generation figures are the US EPA and Biocycle, but there is a wide discrepancy in the actual numbers reported, though the trend lines are similar between the two sources. The widely cited US EPA report on municipal solid waste (MSW) generation put 2009 total MSW generation at 243 million tons, down from a peak of 255 million tons in 2007. Biocycle’s MSW generation figure is closer to 400 million tons. The sources use two very different methodologies. Although the absolute difference is significant and frustrating, many industry participants are more concerned with trends and forward projections. Unfortunately, there appears to be no consensus on that either. In the presentation, Dr. Staley noted that waste generation projections vary widely, depending on whether projections are based on the average MSW growth over the last ten years (‘00—‘09) or five years (’05-’09). It should be noted that these are not EREF forecasts, but projections based on historical growth rates. Based on the ten-year average, waste generation would be flattish between now and 2030, hovering near 250 million tons. Based on the five-year average, waste generation would decline much more markedly by 2030, falling to roughly 200 million tons, a 20% decline from current levels. It must be noted, however, that obviously the latter extrapolation is heavily influenced by the sharp decline from 2007 to 2009 in the midst of the Great Recession. A much more optimistic forecast comes out of the Freedonia Group. MSW is forecast to reach 295 million tons by 2020, versus 254 million tons in 2010, with a slight uptick in pounds per person per day, from 4.5 in 2010 to 4.75 in 2020. According to EPA data, per capita generation drifted down from 4.72 pounds per person per day in 2000 to 4.63 in 2007, before slipping to 4.34 in 2009. According to the Freedonia Group, even landfill disposal is expected to rise,
from 136 million tons in 2010 to 151 million tons in 2020, though recycling tonnages will rise faster, from 65 million tons in 2010 to 83.5 million in 2020. According to US EPA data, from 2000 to 2007, landfill tonnages were flattish, bouncing around 140 million tons annually, before falling to 132 million tons in 2009. On a dollar basis, the Freedonia Group is forecasting annual waste collection growth of 4.1% from 2010 to 2015, waste treatment and disposal growth of 3% in the same timeframe, and much higher material recovery annual growth of 7.3%. Freedonia’s annual percentage growth projection for gross domestic product from 2010 to 2015 is 4.7%.

Future Focus on Plastics and Organics

As both corporations and government entities eye (and put into place) increased recycling goals and sustainability/zero waste initiatives, organics and plastics are increasingly under focus, as potentially the greatest source of further recovery potential. Looking at solid waste composition, organics comprise roughly 70% of the total, and packaging 25%, based on EPA and state studies. For packaging wastes, 52% is recycled, and 48% either landfilled or sent to waste-to-energy plants. The majority of packaging that is recovered is comprised of paper, while over 80% of plastics are going to landfills. Within organics, the bulk is comprised of paper, yard and food waste, at 42%, 20% and 21% respectively. But, while paper and yard waste recovery are both around 60%, according to the EPA, food waste recovery is only 2.5%. Hence the proliferation of emerging, alternative technologies for plastics and organics recovery/energy generation being developed, and certainly seen at WasteExpo. That said, a number of hurdles remain to greater recovery of these wastes. Although composting is a straightforward use of food waste, the “yuck factor” remains high, particularly on the residential side. And, while investments in waste to energy/fuels/chemicals are growing and hold great promise, at this point they remain “next generation.”

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Qi Faren, former chief designer of China’s Shenzhou spacecraft, said the technologies related to extravehicular activity, docking, logistics and recycling are essential for the establishment of a manned space station.

Chinese astronauts previously engaged in extravehicular activity during the September 2008 Shenzhou-7 mission, and a docking maneuver was accomplished by the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft and Tiangong-1 space lab module in November 2011.

This year’s planned launches for the Shenzhou-9 and -10 spacecraft will also feature rendezvous and docking operations with the orbiting Tiangong-1, with the Shenzhou-9 scheduled for launch between June and August, a spokesman for China’s manned space program said earlier.

While testing its docking technology, China will have to develop a cargo ship to transport supplies and lab facilities, said Qi, also a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. The top political advisory body is scheduled to start its annual session on Saturday.

China will not be able to establish a manned space station until water and oxygen recycling systems are ready for use, Qi said.

“China has announced that its scientists will work with international counterparts in building the space station,” Qi said.

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Waste to Energy Challenges in China

by Michael Nelles and Thomas Dorn

In 2007, China became the world’s largest CO2 emissary, putting the USA in second place with 1.59 billion tonnes of CO2 or 16% of global emissions. This was largely a result of a more affluent population, predominantly located in first and second tier cities, copying a newly attainable Western lifestyle. China’s emissions meanwhile, which currently stand at around 18%, are set to grow to around 20% of the world total by 2025. Only fair, you might say, given that China also accounts for 20% of the global population.

In an effort to stabilise growth, the Chinese government has set ‘harmony’ as the top most priority in social and economic development. Apart from developing an independent Chinese R&D industry and promoting sustainable manufacturing, the reduction of resource utilisation, an increase in recycling, and the efficient operation of waste management will be key to driving stable, harmonious, long-term economic growth. Efficient resource utilisation, energy saving technologies, and alternative forms of energy generation, environmental protection, recycling and waste management are all areas where international research and knowledge sharing can make significant contributions.

MSW generation, composition and disposal
Economic and social progress leading to new consumption highs have also brought growth and increasing diversity of waste. The total volume of municipal waste collected in 1981 amounted to 26.1 million tonnes. By 2002, more than 20 years later, that figure had quadrupled to 110 million tonnes. This represents annual growth of 8.2%, compared to an annual population growth of around 4.4%. In 2002 the statistical parameters of the waste collection database were changed, so historical comparisons cannot be accurately made, however they show a 4.6% growth in municipal waste from 2003 (148 million tonnes) to 2005 (155 million tonnes) and a decrease in real terms by 2007 (148 million tonnes), showing that the propagation of “3Rs” has made a noticeable entry.

From 2003 to 2006 the number of waste treatment and disposal facilities also shrank by 27% to 419 facilities. Total capacity however, rose by 17.5% to 258,000 tonnes a day, indicating that more modern and efficient disposal units were put into operation, according to the China Statistical Yearbook 2010. Research in that field showed that the current statistics only cover the large municipalities, whereas the rural back country is not accounted for. The United Nations and the World Bank estimate that rural waste generation is 0.8 kg to 1 kg per person per day, adding some 360 kg to each head of the rural population. Considering that 52% of China’s population lives in the countryside, this adds another 65 million tonnes per year. Thus the total waste volume that should be dealt with in a sanitary way is more than 225 million tonnes per year.

Waste composition studies have shown that the organic fraction of municipal solid waste is above 60% after the sorting of recyclables. Implications are that serious environmental burdens caused by landfill gas and leachate emissions.

Relevant government authorities have acknowledged that environmental protection and modern waste management systems hold key roles in sustainable and responsible development. To drive this, China is actively pursuing an exchange of experience and know-how with the developed world. Against this background China has made great efforts to establish waste incineration plants (WIPs) in recent years. Within the framework of a study including Chinese WIPs, 30 plants were shortlisted for visits. Telephone calls and direct contact to operators during the annual convention of the WIP Association in Shenzhen showed that many of the plants do not allow visitors. As a result, only 15 of the 77 plants currently in operation (19.5%) could be visited (Table 1). Many of the plants that do not allow visitors and thus could not be viewed belong to operators who have reference plants which they proudly display. Operators are quite selective about whom to show which plant, because most of the plants are run with a much higher coal co-firing content than officially admitted.

Waste incineration plants for MSW in China

China currently has approximately 100 WIPs in operation, using three main technologies. Most large cities use the stoker grate technology, which was imported at the end of the 1980s. As a response to implementation problems China adapted fluidized bed furnaces to implement waste co-firing. Stoker grate holds approximately a 60% market share and fluidized bed furnaces holds approximately 33%, with rotary kiln technology accounting for the final 7%.

Where implemented, rotary kilns tend to have a capacity under 100 tonnes per day and are used in hazardous waste applications (e.g. Hangzhou DADI). Stoker grate WIPs typically have a daily capacity of 1000 to 1500 tonnes, each line having a maximum throughput of 500 tonnes per day. Fluidized bed furnaces have a smaller capacity ranging from 100 to 500 tonnes per day. Interestingly the larger stoker grate plants do not generate more electric power. Indeed, early plants faced a series of operational troubles, which in turn led to a series of adaptations. Discussions with plant operators gave valuable insight into operational methodology as well as problems and solutions. For example, most of the plants were designed for a calorific value of 5 to 7 MJ/kg. In actual practice a value of < 5 MJ/kg is achieved due to the high water and organic content.

Research showed that even today, due to the high content of wet organic fractions, the average lower heating value of Chinese MSW ranges from 3 to 5 MJ/kg, as opposed to the 6 to 7 MJ/kg typically required to obtain a smooth combustion process. MSW bunkers are therefore crucial to pre-dry waste. Within five to seven days, up to 20% of water content is lost to leakage, which puts an enormous strain on the water treatment facility, where installed.

Other developments to combat the challenges presented by the high water content of the MSW are an extension to the length of the stoker grates to allow for further drying and combustion time. Last but not least, insulation walls have been reinforced to keep losses at a minimum.

Despite these measures, most of the waste’s heating value is used to evaporate the MSW’s high water content, rather than superheating the turbine’s steam circles. Given that water reduction during firing accounts for 80% of weight and volume loss, it is not surprising that fluidized bed technology came into favour. By co-feeding MSW into the coal-fired combustion process, power generation units can claim ‘renewable energy status’ and receive the subsidised energy price of 0.55 RMB/kWh (8.6 U.S. cents/kWh), as opposed to the standard 0.33 RMB/kWh (5.1 U.S. cents/kWh) paid to wholly coal-fired power stations. District heating is unknown, as heating is not common in southern China (south of the Yangtze River) and tariff and supply regulations are missing.

the 1200 tpa capacity Baoan incinerator in Shenzen

Bottom ash and slag residues from incineration are used as road and construction materials. Typically slag is first sifted for any remaining metals and then sold on to construction companies. Fly ash from the exhaust gas stream is considered to be hazardous waste, which the Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency guidelines require to be stabilised (through cement) and disposed of in secure landfill sites.

waste to energy facility in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen handles 800 tpa

Conclusions
The study outcome showed that while still at an early stage, China is making great efforts to establish incineration plants for MSW treatment. There are however a few technical and organisational problems to resolve. Among them the urgently needed improvement to the flue gas cleaning systems, and the disposal of the solid waste incineration residues. The main problem is that most WIPs combust waste with a high organic and water content, which is ecologically and energetically unrewarding. Two possible solutions are to either implement the separate collection of the biodegradable waste for utilisation in biogas and/or compost plants, or to treat the mixed wet residual waste by pre-drying and mechanical conditioning in mechanical biological treatment plants, which allows an optimised thermal utilisation.

Case study: Incineration of organic waste in China – challenges for growth
The University of Rostock investigated the status of waste incineration in China and the main results of 2009 and 2010 are represented here. Though waste incineration does not yet play a major role in China’s disposal strategy, currently 16% of MSW is combusted while more than 80% still goes into landfills. The limitation of land resources, water table contamination, fire and explosion hazards as well as residential unrest due to foul odours has led to a growing number of WIPs.

The combustion of MSW through incineration plants offers several advantages over landfilling: volume is drastically reduced to 10% to 30% of initial values; the material is rendered inert; and, provided high-calorific material is burnt, resulting energy can be recovered and transformed into heat and electricity. The major drawbacks are the high investment costs for the incineration plant; the need for trained manpower and the need to treat flue gas, bunker leakage water and ash, as these contain highly toxic elements.

About the authers:
Prof Michael Nelles is the associate professor, department of waste management, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. Co-author Thomas Dorn is from the faculty of agricultural and environmental sciences at the university.

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Electronic waste, also named e-waste, there are no clear technical standards to determine, but in general terms,  electronic products has abandoned or can’t use of electronic belong to electronic waste. For example: the discard of the TV set, old computer out of use, old refrigerators, microwave oven, abandoned cell phones, etc. When the number of electronic waste is more and more, the harm of it showed up. With the increasingly harsh European environmental protection laws, China is rapidly becoming the main destination of electronic waste and 80% of the world electronic waste is destined for Asia, and China is accepted this 80% of 90%. Electronic waste not only quantity and serious harm. If not handled properly and cause serious harm to the environment.

New war on e-waste

America’s discarded laptops and smartphones continue to wreak environmental havoc in developing countries. Could an export ban make a difference? Bai Bingbing reports.

Visit the website of Chicago-based Intercon Solutions and you may think you’ve stumbled upon a paragon of the recycling industry. The company claims to process electronic waste domestically, adhere to strict ethical and environmental codes of conduct and emphasise transparency and accountability.

Recent findings, however, tell a different tale. In July, this electronic waste recycling centre was denied e-Steward certification, a designation awarded to companies in the sector that demonstrate ethical, environmental and social responsibility, after evidence revealed the company had been shipping electronic waste overseas – a practice that is linked to heavy-metal pollution in developing countries and often violates the import laws of target nations.

Incidents like this are all too common in the United States: in 2008, another company, Colorado-based Executive Recycling, was exposed on investigative television programme 60 minutes for shipping electronics overseas. Soon, however, businesses engaging in such practices may face serious legal consequences.

In June, US Congress introduced legislation to close legal loopholes that permit the uncontrolled export of electronic waste – or e-waste – to developing countries. The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act aims to change the status quo in which recycling companies profess to recycle responsibly but, in many cases, act in a manner contrary to ethics and environmental stewardship. As policymakers around the world grapple for ways to control the underside of global trade, the proposed legislation goes to the heart of one of the key challenges – namely, in a world where manufacturing and “de-manufacturing” go hand in hand, how to prevent developing countries like China from becoming the dumping ground of the rich world.

If it becomes law, the bill – which is due to be voted on by the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment this autumn, after which it will need approval from both houses of Congress – will prohibit the export of certain types of e-waste and promote research for the recycling of “rare earth” materials such as those found in smartphones and many renewable-energy technologies. This is significant because China, the world’s leading rare-earths producer, has recently scaled back its exports of these resources, a move that could push their prices up and negatively affect budding green and clean-tech companies that depend heavily on rare-earth imports.

The timing of this bill is appropriate. China, one of the largest recipients of e-waste, announced more stringent regulations in June that ban the dumping and treatment of solid waste from overseas and the transfer of hazardous solid waste via China. According to a 2005 US industry report, recyclers export 74% of used electronics for reuse, refurbishing and recycling and much of this ends up in China. While China banned the import of e-waste back in 2000, the business has gone underground, creating a lucrative industry that profits from the dismantling of electronics and reselling of reclaimable materials.

Lead, mercury, chromium, PCBs, dioxins and polybrominated diphenyl ethers are all components of the electronic-waste stream, and the dismantling of these electronics is known to pose tremendous risks to public health and the environment. “The heavy metals in e-waste are ‘immortal’, and never disappear after being dumped into rivers, air, and soil…causing endocrine disruption, and reproductive and neurological damage for many generations,” said Sarah Westervelt, e-waste project coordinator at the Basel Action Network, an environmental advocacy group.

Having electronics dismantled in places without the technology or resources to dispose of the materials safely is one of the biggest problems with exporting waste to the developing world. “Not only is it illegal for most developing countries to receive hazardous electronic waste from the US,” said Westervelt, “but the primitive dismantling and material recovery techniques in use are resulting in profound and permanent poisoning of human health and entire regions and water tables.”

That electronic waste continues to move through grey channels has been linked to the complicit role of many US electronics-recycling centres, notorious for accepting waste under the pretence of responsible recycling and then quietly shipping it to China, India, Africa and other parts of the world, without proper oversight. Currently, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) – found in computer screens and televisions, for example – are the only e-waste material specifically banned from export under US law, allowing for the unrestricted and legal export of most other electronics. “We’ve tracked over 200 containers, and about 80% of them are going to Hong Kong,” said Westervelt. A 2008 sting operation carried out by the US Government Accountability Office found 43 US companies to be willing accomplices in the export of broken CRTs.

“The standard business model puts profit first and the environment second and it is important for the recycling industry to follow a model that puts the environment first,” James Kao, founder and chief executive of San Francisco-based e-waste recycling company GreenCitizen, told chinadialogue. Kao’s operation emphasises the re-use potential of electronics and offers a tracking service for clients to ensure that the electronics do not leave the United States. “As more people begin to embrace a western lifestyle, demand for electronics will continue to grow and countries will have one of two options: to continue to dig and recover a limited supply of raw materials, or to use materials recovered through recycling.” Kao believes passage of a uniform ban on export will “make places like GreenCitizen a requirement rather than an option”.

Several major tech companies including Dell, Hewlett Packard (HP), Samsung, Apple and Best Buy have already given formal support to the bill. Steve Rockhold, HP’s global programme manager for product reuse and recycling, told chinadialogue: “HP does not allow the export of e-waste from developed countries to developing countries…and we encourage other companies to join the effort in promoting responsible recycling.”

The bill is designed to accomplish the same goal as if the United States ratified the Basel Convention, a treaty designed to control the international flow of hazardous waste, explains Ted Smith, coordinator of the International Campaign for Responsible Technology and former executive director of Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. All other industrial countries, including China, have ratified the Basel Convention but, in spite of international pressure, the US has not. “By making it illegal to ship e-waste abroad, the US will be joining the global community in its efforts to prevent the export of hazardous waste to the developing world.”

Supporters of the bill are also emphasising the ethical and economical benefits: “This is the most important step our federal government can take to solve the e-waste problem – to close the door on e-waste dumping on developing countries,” said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, an environmental advocacy group, who adds that the legislation will “bring recycling jobs back to the US”.

Critics of the bill suggest a ban will drive the process underground and hurt affordable technology and recycling in other parts of the world. “If used computer exports are outlawed, only outlaws will export used computers,” said Robin Ingenthron, former recycling programme director for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and president of the World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association (WR3A), a US nonprofit.

Ingenthron argues that, if both supplier and buyer are held to high standards, responsible recycling and electronics export can go hand in hand. WR3A’s policy openly acknowledges that electronics are shipped overseas and the organisation provides photos and films of the conditions where recycling is carried out in several developing markets. Ingenthron believes the answer lies not in a ban, but in fair-trade policies. “A ban on exports of used computers will not help students, doctors or internet-cafe owners overseas… fair-trade policy is a better approach.”

Local governments have created initiatives in the absence of federal laws. In June, the US state of California collected around 450 million kilograms of e-waste through the state’s e-waste recycling programme. What happens to this waste after it is collected, however, is unclear. A report released in July by the White House Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship acknowledged “very little is known about the trade flows of used electronics, including amounts exported or imported” and called for greater oversight, partnerships with developing countries and ratification of the Basel Convention. Since the regulation of export falls outside the realm of state jurisdiction, it is for Congress to decide whether the US legislates a federal ban on e-waste export.

Whatever the solution, it is clear that a new strategy is needed to manage the United States’ electronic-waste stream. With available space dwindling, and consumers buying up gadgets in ever greater numbers, the disposal of electronic waste has become a vital issue for the environment, ethics and the economy.

Bai Bingbing is a Vermont Law School student and an intern at chinadialogue.

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Classification of recycled plastic granules

Recycled plastic particles are within this category of plastic granules, recycled plastic recycling is that the new material has been used or discarded plastic lever machine by Luo and produced plastic, then cut into granules by a plastic granulator granules. Turning to the application of recycled plastic granules, while the first recycled plastic granules briefly about the classification.

recycled plastic granules

Classification of recycled plastic granules
Recycled plastic granules mainly based on the use of different raw materials and processing characteristics of plastic particles out to distinguish between grades is generally divided into one, two, three materials.

A material, is not used for the landing of the scrap material, or material as the bottom corner, there is a material outlet, the first plastic material, etc., the quality is good, is not used in the processing of new materials in the process among the remaining small corner, or low quality raw materials. To these particles out of the wool processing, transparency is better, its quality can be compared with the new material, it is a material or grade material.
Two materials, is the raw material has been used once, but except for high grain, high use of imported grain in large majority, if industrial imports large film, is without wind and sun, so the quality very good, good transparency of process out of the particles, then it should according to the brightness and the particle surface is rough to judge.
Three materials, is the raw material has been used twice or more times, processing out of the particle, its flexibility, toughness and other aspects are not very good.
Grade plastic, close to raw materials, raw material prices 80-90%;

Level one: 70-80% of raw material prices; Level tow: 50-70% of the price of raw materials; level three:30-50% of raw material prices.
Sometimes from the quality point: drawing, blowing, spinning, one, two, injection moldingfilling and so on. Sometimes the same level of re-grading.

The application of recycled plastic granules

Life ubiquitous plastic waste, recycling and re-use can be made ​​of particles, applied to all aspects of life. However, different application areas, such as the regeneration of the convenience of bags of grain to make is not used for food packaging, processing and some out of PVC particles may itself contain toxins, so will its application be limited. Generally speaking, one, two materials can be used for blown film, drawing, etc., but generally only three materials used in injection molding.

More, the particles can be used to manufacture all kinds of recycled plastic bags, buckets, pots, toys, furniture, stationery and other equipment and all kinds of plastic products life. Apparel industry, used to make clothing, ties, buttons, zippers. Building materials used to manufacture various building components, construction tools, plastic doors and windows, mortar barrels. Agriculture, plastic sheeting can be used to control, inlet pipe, farm machinery, fertilizer bags, cement packaging bags. Machinery industry, renewable particles by a special formula, can be used to manufacture machine parts, various forms of bearings, gears, cams, different wheels, sealing rings, all kinds of leaves, a variety of pump impeller. Chemical industry, the reactor should be made available to, pipes, containers, pumps, valves, etc., to solve corrosion wear applications in chemical production sites. In addition, recycled particles is also a large number of applications in the electrical industry and the telecommunications industry.

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According to energy administration planning, by 2015, the use of biomass power generation scale will reach 13 million kilowatts, compared to the end of 2010 the national about 550 million kilowatts of biomass power generation capacity, years compound annual growth rate is about 18.77%. Forestry of biomass power generation will be dominant, scale will be 8 million kw, the garbage power generation and the biogas power came next. This planning vision gain attention from industry again, not only governments around the world will be included in the strategic development of biomass power generation, but also the overseas capital also want  to try. When compared to the biomass energy, in the period “Twelfth Five-Year” of new energy special planning, power-generation of solar energy also only has 10 million kw.

The  space of biomass power generation is enormous, to calculate according to the scale of biomass power generation 13 million kw,there will be 500-700 biomass power plants increased by 2015 years, more than 100 material power plant will be build in one year. By 2010, there will be about 5.5 million kw installed biomass power generation.

biomass to electricity power

Direct-fired power of biomass power generation is priority in China, the raw materials are usually straw. Because the recent years in biomass energy power generation enterprise increased, situation of supply of the raw material falls behind the demand occurs frequently, and some big agricultural province appear even a special “straw agent” scalping of raw materials, fuel prices could even reach 400 yuan/ton. The cost of power generation rising at the same time, the power has no corresponding adjustment.

In the period of “Twelfth Five-Year”, how to ensure that the growth of biomass power generation to more than 160% in order to realize the goal programming? This depends on how the country to make use of the relevant set of policy. In April 2011 the ministry of finance and the state energy administration and department of agriculture departments jointly issued the three green energy to be interim measures for the administration of construction subsidy funds from actual operation. To see, subsidies is mainly aimed at the biomass energy. According to the 200 green energy to be target completed in 2015, biomass energy industry but have subsidies for 4.75 billion yuan.

The next 10 years, the total investment of the biomass power plant are expected to reach 180 billion yuan, of which, the core equipment boiler island for 54 billion yuan, steam turbine of 14.4 billion yuan, crusher, and other equipment up to 36 billion yuan.

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Practice has proved that it does not work of crushing  all materials in only one program in the field of solid waste, solid waste disposal customers really need is based on their individual application designed equipment and systems. Although there are still  innovation and improvement in the areas of solid waste crushing equipment, more common is the two shaft crusher, four shaft crusher, coarse crusher and single shaft crusher which dominated of axis crusher. All of these crusher need to select the appropriate power, drive, and the broken knife blade-type material base on the applications. To choose a really suitable, efficient and durable broken system, we need to understand the specific requirements of each project carefully, through the precise design and excellent technical skills and specific applications.

When select a crushing method, it should be determined base on the mechanical strength of solid waste, especially the hardness. In general, for the brittle hard waste such as waste rock, etc., which should be used extrusion, splitting, bending, impact and grinding and other methods; for soft and hard waste such as scrap steel, waste plastics, are usually using shearing and impacting crush; for the garbage contain large quantities of paper waste, wet and half wet crushing will be having a good result; for the bulky solid waste, are usually cutting or compression for molding first, and then use crusher for crushing.

Select the solid waste crusher, we should meet the following basic requirements:

1) Processing equipment must be designed to scale capacity and existing capacity into account, the normal processing capacity of the crusher is related  to the type of material, feed size, density, and the size requirements and other.

2) Selection of models and types of crushers should be base on the broken nature of the materials and size.

3) Should be set the environmental protection measures while using the crusher at the same time. For room temperature dry crusher, dust removal device should be used to prevent dust pollution of the atmosphere; to take adequate measures to eliminate vibration; take appropriate acoustic insulation to reduce noise.

4) Should take protective measures for the crusher and the process of crushing. When the material need to be broken contains flammable and explosive materials, they should take appropriate safety measures, such as the installation of water hydrants to be protective.

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From “Plastics News • China”

Guangzhou (November 15, 2011) With the strict implementation of the first import of a new solid waste regulations by Guangzhou Customs in the country, the amount of plastic waste imports decreased by 80% or more in the past two months . China plastic recycling industry worried about  that, once the government requires all the country’s customs compliance with  the new regulations strictly will lead to large-scale crisis in this industry.

scrap plastics imports

According to China Customs statistics shown this year, imports of plastic waste is about 52 tons in  Guangzhou Customs for the first and second quarter, but in the third quarter, imports plummeted to 24 million tons, drop 35%. October imports of 2.2 million tons, up to 82% on year decline.

Guangzhou Customs is an important gateway for importing foreign plastic waste into China. In the first 10 months of this year, Guangzhou Customs import of plastic waste volume of 130 million tons, accounting for 20% of total imports, the imports are the first of the customs in China.

Starting from August 1, Guangzhou Customs has been designated as the strict implementation of the new import regulations of solid waste pilot units, resulting in the recent scrap imports declined significantly.

The Chinese government released earlier this year, the new rules, aimed at strengthening the control of waste imports. This provides the starting point is that a large number of non-renewable waste is mixed with recycled along with the value of waste into China caused pollution to the environment, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection last week in Guangzhou, China at the 2011 plastic recycling and regeneration Conference and Exhibition Fair (China Replas) delivered a speech.

As a major importer of plastic scrap, China recycled plastic waste in the process, half rely on  import.  According to customs data shown that the amount of plastic waste imports from 246 million tons in 2002,to740 million tons in 2010, an average annual increase of 26%.

In the speech at the meeting, officials said the new regulations will have a significant impact on the field of plastics recycling, for the following reasons: a) new rules prohibit loan, lease or license for import of solid waste; b) prohibit resale of imported waste, and imports of waste import license must be on the business as a raw material to be used; c) the importer must be carried out by local customs clearance operations, rather than any national customs.

A representative of Guangzhou Customs said  at the meeting, because of the gray areas of the law before , lend, lease or sell plastic scrap import licenses and import of waste in the Guangzhou area resale “is not uncommon.” He said the new rules will effectively eliminate the solid waste of the “chaotic flow” and smuggling.

Introduction of new regulations make the plastics recycling industry feel the pressure, because once the government requires strict compliance with the new regulations  to all customs of the country, import of plastic waste may be a serious decline.

According to statistics, the total imports of plastic scrap fell 11% in China  in August this year, but in September rose 1 percent, in October grew by 11%. In the first 10 months of this year, China imported 7.39 million tons of plastic waste total, over the previous year increased by 5%.

China Plastics Processing Industry Association Recycling special committee chairman, Shenzhen High-Tech Co., Ltd. Grammy Lin Dongliang legal representative said: the new regulations on the import clearance impose restrictions to the company’s  operational flexibility, and the cost of imports also increased. He stressed that the plastics recycling industry are supportting on the government’s determination to strengthen the industry regulator and target, but many renewable companies are not fully prepared to meet this change.

Lin Dongliang said: “The impact of new regulations is sudden, let us sink into an unprecedented situation.” He added, due to the introduction of new regulations and the global economic downturn, coupled with rising labor costs day by day, now there are 30-40% of the plastics recycling business closed down  in Guangdong province.

Vice president of renewable special committee, the director of Heng Chen Zuhan International Trade Co., said the new regulations will soon be strictly enforced throughout the country.

He said: “Once the pilot demonstration in Guangzhou ended, the government will implement the new customs regulations in Guangdong Province and other places around the country.”

He added: “I think the plastic recycling industry will face a full shuffle, so we should all ill-prepared to meet the challenge.” He urged the enterprises to implement self-regenerative transformation, take the road of innovation management, and high-tech to invest.

Baoying Group President Yan Yongpu also worried about the future of the industry. He said: “In our meeting last year Replas the focus of discussion is how to deal with the coming storm, and now I have to say is even more destructive typhoons have landed.”

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With the accelerated process of urbanization, population growth, improve living standards and the chemical industry, China’s emissions of municipal solid wastes oared, waste generation, clear accumulation of the amount of traffic and are growing rapidly.

garbage classification

According to statistics, nearly 10 years, the average annual growth rate of urban garbage is 8% ~ 10%, increasing garbage has become a troubled economy and the major issues of environmental governance. Therefore, how to reduce waste emissions, turning waste into the garbage, to achieve waste resource recycling,  is an important management issue of waste disposal and the manage of modern city in China.

Municipal solid waste problem has become one of the world’s worst pollution. Hundreds of tons of garbage around the city, bringing the actual and potential pollution hazards, in some cities, urban development has been hampered by the process, limiting the local economic development. In short, a large number of municipal solid waste has not only brought an increasingly serious environmental problems, but also the collection, transportation and processing to society increasingly heavy financial burden.

Faced with such a serious situatio, it is necessary the introduction of an economic,
rational, systematic, practical and integrated management and disposal of body waste system to better address this problem. For a long time our garbage
collection manner is mixed transport, and accumulation of general landfill. Many plants have been built in the landfill,detoxification facilities are not available. Operation and management is very often imperfect to see, therefore, it is exacerbate problems of environmental pollutionnot if the garbage has not been classified before landfill. As we know, garbage has been accompanied by people’s daily life emerged. In the day of people’s material standard of living, tried to reduce the amount of waste generation is unrealistic in the long run growth. To this end, We thought the source of the garbage in the “clean” can be used to recover the waste, reducing waste of resources, that is Garbage Classification .

Garbage classification has the following problems in China:

1. Garbage classification was only in name-to succeed where people had failed.

2. Lack of awareness of garbage classification. First, leaders at all levels, lack of awareness, the implementation of the measures go far enough, did not form a social force.

3.Garbage classification has not enough publicity. Without a good social atmosphere, although the garbage classification to take the training, the establishment of information points, placed publicity panels, a blackboard, home publicity, issuing leaflets and other forms, but trash would appear classification of publicity is not enough, you need a whole social atmosphere, and the whole society to join in.

4. Insufficient coordination among various departments, not really aware of the importance of garbage classification. Government of the garbage district, building into a lot of manpower, material resources, but for various reasons could not really refuse classification implementation.

Main reasons：

1. People think garbage classification is too troublesome;

2. People are most lack of awareness of environmental protection;

3. Have no related laws in our countries;

4. There are  too much hazardous waste, people do not know how to classify;

5. Garbage bin classification is not perfect;

6. The promotion of related knowledge is not enough.

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In the plastic products produced every year in China, approximately 20%-30% belong to the plastic packing product and the plastic agriculture membrane which are have short use cycle, these plastic products are throw as garbage then become the municipal solid waste  enter to the garbage disposal system, another part is discarded at will. Statistics indicated that our country city life trash annual output present has amounted to 120,000,000 tons, the waste plastic occupies 16%; Also indicated according to Beijing’s investigation, Beijing production trash 16,000 tons. And the waste plastic accounts for 5% (approximately 800t/d), the total quantity of plastic trash every year is 290,000 tons approximately. From the angle of sources use’s, it is also the precious renewable resources, the waste plastic’s recycling  have the important society and the economic significance in saving the energy,  reducing waste material volume,  reducing the envinoment harm the waste plastic caused and suppressing the oil price.

Compound Wood - Woodiness fiber and Plastic

In China, waste plastic materials that can be produced are roughly listed below:

1. Makes the imitation wood

Thermosplastic waste plastics polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) and so on are used in the civil engineering and as the building material, for example uses in the synthetic lumber, entering the hole cap, the simulation lumber and used as the crops support. Canada and Japan emerge to use the waste plastic system imitate wood ware’s development. For example Canada cooperates with the German Technology Company to develop the imitates the wooden technology, which is available to make use of waste plastic bag, bottle and membrane trash and so on , after shred, mixed, processed, the direct production is plate which is higher than the plank intensity, can bear the windblown and sunburnt, and the corrosion destroyed by insects. This plate is suitable to make the open-air table stool, the hanger plate, the roof, the highway soundproofing board, the roadside column and the sewer well covers and so on; A company named Ai Yin project Limited company in Japan developed a super compound lumber successfully which is using half waste plastic and half wood sawdust, the performance is better than the former, also the use is broader.

2. Makes the bituminous carpet and the plastic oil

To make some reaction of the polyethylene plastic and the coal-tar oil in the reaction still, under the catalyst existence, naphthalene in the coal-tar oil which has lower accumulation are easy has crossing linking with the chaining polyvinyl-chloride molecular and forms the two-dimensional network structure, thus causing softening point of the coal tar pitch modified enhances. Its performance surpasses the general petroleum bituminous carpet and the tar bituminous carpet, especially bears the low temperature flexibility to be good, is suitable for the northern area construction use specially. Its concrete operations step is: Joins the asphalt in the enamel reaction still, by 150 r/rain~200r/rain, the electrically operated agitation, and elevates temperature responds for 3 hours, joins the padding again, the agitation piece obtains the modified coal tar pitch immediately.

3. Makes 0reducing agents using in the iron-melting's blast furnace

The shreded waste plastic may use as reducing agents using under the iron-melting’s blast furnace replace of the coke the powdered coal. The first household user is a factory named Bremen Iron factory and steel plant started from 1995 to try to spurt, has amounted to 90,000 tons/years under the company DSD Corporation’s support, its Iron and steel company also started to try to spurt. Because the demand expands, the export of the mixed waste plastic in Germany has reduced from 205,000 tons in 1995 to 40,000 tons in 1997 and in 1999 stops the export. In Japan, steel products system business already started with this method to carry on the experiment. For example studies the experience from Germany in blast furnace injection aspect in NKK Corporation, constructed Jinghong Iron waste plastic pelleting installment (40.93m3 area) which produced 30,000 ton in 1997, according to 200kg/t spurting successfully, the Japanese steel and iron alliance gave the full affirmation, in 2010 lunar new year’s seasons the enterprise stipulate a motion plan independently that the injection reache 1,000,000 tons at the entire profession in 2010, are approximately equal to the steel and iron energy consumption account of 2%.

4. Waste plastic reheating and regenerative cycle

The heat circulation is to use the heat energy produced for heating or the electricity generation when the waste plastic and other combustible waste burns in the incinerator. This can save the resources effectively when difficulty have according to the plastic type separate collection. The waste plastic burns directly is one kind of substitute as the fuel of the powdered coal, from spurts above the coal hole the opening to spurt the waste plastic grain directly, uses for to take in cement kiln’s one kind of heat source, reduced the supplementary material use. This kind of technology may apply in the mix plastic. Waste plastic’s burning down needs the special combustion train, at present has developed successful has the bed type combustion furnace, the float combustion furnace and the fluidized bed type combustion furnace. The big city has through burning down ability which generates electricity with other combustible waste combination’s plastic (quantity of heat which occurs with this way produces high pressure steam to actuate turbine). The small and medium-sized town and cities are unable to establish the burning down installment, because in it collects the waste quantity which in the area coverage collects to be too few. Not only the US, Japan and so on developed country has used the garbage power plant; In China, some big city like Shenzhen, Guangzhou so on have trash power plant already.

5. Direct oiling

The technology of plastic direct oiling suits our country national condition. This technology need not use the clean using this technical worn out plastic, no need to separate just carries on the oiling directly. Waste plastic raw material is sufficient, and increases progressively year by year, looked from two aspects of economic efficiency and the social efficiency, it is good for the environmental protection, the energy indeed. Statistics indicated that if the nation has 1/10 worn out plastic transformed into gasoline and diesel oil every year, the national gasoline and the diesel oil will increase more than 50 ten thousand tons.

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