As air pollution and carbon emissions move westward, the CAS report recommends increasing spending on treatment facilities-Carbon cleaning Technology (Wuxi) Co., LTD

As air pollution and carbon emissions move westward, the CAS report recommends increasing spending on treatment facilities

DATE：2022-03-08

The trend of air pollution and carbon emission migrating to northwest China is becoming more and more obvious. A number of institutions, including the State Key Laboratory of Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have suggested increasing the installation of terminal treatment facilities for air pollutants in industries above designated size in northwest China and increasing financial input in the operation of treatment facilities.

In the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, experts from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, the Institute of Urban Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Earth System Science Data Center said that air pollutants have strong homology with greenhouse gases and are closely related to fossil fuel burning. In recent years, the adjustment of industrial structure and the improvement of terminal treatment technology have driven the succession of key species of air pollution and the change of the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of greenhouse gases in China.

Using observations from 74 key cities released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the researchers analyzed the interannual spatial distribution trends of six major pollutants -- coarse particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) from 2013 to 2020.

The study found that the annual declines in nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter concentrations in the northwest were 0.5 and 3.9 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, significantly lower than the 1.7 and 5.3 micrograms per cubic meter in the east and 1.4 and 4.1 micrograms per cubic meter in the southwest.

In addition, ozone concentration, another important secondary pollutant, showed a significant increase trend in northwest China, with an annual increase rate of 6.1 μ g/m3, significantly higher than 2.9 μ g/m3 in eastern China and 0.9 μ g/m3 in southwest China. This result indicates that the secondary pollution level in northwest China is worsening. The carbon emission in northwest China is significantly higher than that in other regions of China, indicating that this region has become an important source of carbon emission in China.

File photo by Zhang Ke

Experts say carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide mainly come from fossil fuel burning. The large increase in CARBON dioxide concentrations in the Northwest indicates increased use of fossil fuels in the region, while the low decrease in nitrogen dioxide concentrations suggests that there may be insufficient investment and operation of terminal treatment facilities in the region.

Compared with 2013, coal use in eastern and southwestern China decreased to 2.61 billion tons and 340 million tons in 2019 from 2.71 billion tons and 430 million tons, respectively, the data showed. At the same time, coal use in northwest China increased 40.7 percent from 1.18 billion tons to 1.66 billion tons. Xinjiang, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi saw the most significant increases in coal use, up 66.9 percent, 60.8 percent, 40.4 percent, 40.1 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively. The increasing use of coal in the Northwest is shaping the region's greenhouse gas trend.

In addition, the output of pig iron, crude steel, steel, coke, sulfuric acid, caustic soda, soda and chemical fertilizer in northwest China also increased significantly, by 22.4%, 31.7%, 23.1%, 12.5%, 24.2%, 42.3%, 43.4% and 25.2% respectively.

It is found that the serious lag of the installation of industrial waste gas treatment facilities in northwest China and the lack of subsequent investment in treatment costs are another important reason for the migration of air pollution to northwest China. Compared with 2013, the number of waste gas terminal treatment facilities in eastern China increased by 109.5% in 2019, while those in southwest and northwest China increased by 75.0% and 64.3% respectively.

Experts suggested that northwest China be encouraged to develop clean energy in light of local conditions, optimize the energy supply and demand structure, and accelerate local consumption of wind and photovoltaic power generation. At the same time, the installation of air pollutant terminal treatment facilities in industries above designated size (especially electric power and non-electric industry) in northwest China should be increased, the capital input in the operation of treatment facilities should be increased, and the supervision of terminal treatment facilities should be strengthened.

Some environmental experts told China Business News on February 15 that the western region should dilute the special policies to attract investment. We will encourage industries to relocate by fostering a sound government, legal and business environment, and make up for weak links in the industrial chain in accordance with industrial linkages and resource endowments. For projects to be undertaken, factors such as energy consumption, water consumption and total discharge of "three wastes" (waste water, exhaust gas and solid waste) should be evaluated.

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