Review of the Organic Waste Treatment Industry in 2024 and Outlook for Its Development in 2025
In order to promptly reflect the development trends of the ecological and environmental protection industry over the past year and predict the development direction for the coming year, I have organized the various branches to compile the "2024 Industry Review and 2025 Development Outlook", which can be used as a reference for environmental protection enterprises and institutions, experts and managers. This article is titled "Review of the Organic Waste Gas Treatment Industry in 2024 and Outlook for 2025". The authors are Wang Xiqin, Li Jingfen, Lu Tanzhi, and Hao Zhengping from the Waste Gas Purification Professional Committee of the China Environmental Protection Industry Association.
2024 Industry Review
01# Main Policies and Standards#
(1) Macro Policies
In 2024, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of Beautiful China", proposing to actively and steadily promote carbon peak and carbon neutrality, carry out multi-field and multi-level collaborative innovation pilot projects for pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction, gradually shift energy consumption dual control to carbon emission total control and intensity control, strengthen the construction of basic capabilities and institutional systems for carbon emission dual control. It proposed to implement the Methane Emission Control Action Plan and study and formulate other non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emission control action plans; strengthen the comprehensive treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), implement source substitution projects; high-quality promote the ultra-low emission renovation of key industries such as steel, cement, and coking, and coal-fired boilers; focus on solving pollution problems such as malodorous emissions and catering cooking fumes. By 2027, the average concentration of fine particulate matter across the country will drop to below 28 micrograms per cubic meter, and all prefecture-level and above cities will strive to meet the standards; by 2035, the concentration of fine particulate matter across the country will drop to below 25 micrograms per cubic meter.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with relevant departments, issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Implementation of Ultra-Low Emission in the Coke Industry" (Huan Daqi [2024] No. 5), and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's Office issued the "Technical Guidelines for Assessment and Monitoring of Ultra-Low Emission in Coke Enterprises" (Huan Bu Daqi Letter [2024] No. 209). The coke industry has become another industry that will implement ultra-low emission after the power generation and steel industries. Focusing on the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and VOCs, adhering to precise pollution control, scientific pollution control, and law-based pollution control, improving the atmospheric pollution treatment level of the coke industry throughout the process and all links, promoting structural optimization and continuous improvement of air quality, and providing strong support for in-depth implementation of pollution prevention and control.
To promote the renewal of facilities and equipment in the field of ecological environment and technological progress, focusing on the fields of air pollution prevention and control and noise and vibration control, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment organized the compilation of the "National Pollution Prevention Technology Guidance Catalogue" (hereinafter referred to as the Catalogue) in 2024. In September, the draft of the restricted and eliminated categories of the Catalogue was released for public consultation, and in December, the draft of the encouraged categories of the Catalogue was released for public consultation. The restricted and eliminated categories of VOCs treatment technologies include washing absorption purification technology, combustion/condensation/adsorption-desorption VOCs treatment technology without a control system or a control system that fails to automatically adjust and control key parameters of the facility, and the VOCs treatment eliminated categories (exemption for malodorous odor control) include photocatalysis and its combined purification technology, low-temperature plasma degradation and its combined purification technology, photolysis (photooxidation) and its combined purification technology, etc. The restricted and eliminated categories of VOCs treatment technologies are of great significance for promoting in-depth treatment of the VOCs treatment industry. The encouraged categories of VOCs and malodorous gas treatment technology selected in 2024 include low-temperature absorption-pore size distribution material adsorption oil purification technology, condensation-adsorption-catalytic oil vapor recovery purification technology, functional group grafting modified fiber purification of malodorous gas technology, and biological malodorous gas treatment technology, etc. The "Coalbed Methane (Coal Mine Gas) Emission Standards" (revised, GB 21522—2024) has been released, which improves the requirements for extraction, emission control, monitoring, and implementation and supervision; the "Pollution Control Standards for Landfilling of Domestic Wastes" (revised, GB 16889—2024) has been issued, stipulating the emission requirements for methane and odors.
In terms of local emission standards, Shanghai has newly revised 3 items: "Pollutant Emission Standards for Semiconductor Industry" (DB31/374-2024), "Agricultural Industry Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards" (DB31/872-2024), and "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for the Manufacturing Industry of Coatings, Inks and Similar Products" (DB31/881—2024); Anhui Province has newly released 9 items: "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for the Automotive Maintenance Industry" (DB34/4808-2024), "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for the Shoe Manufacturing Industry" (DB34/4809-2024), "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for the Wood Processing Industry" (DB34/4810-2024), "Integrated Emission Standards for Volatile Organic Compounds from Fixed Sources - Part 1: Coatings, Inks and Adhesives Industry; Part 2: Pesticide Manufacturing Industry; Part 3: Organic Chemicals Manufacturing Industry; Part 4: Printing Industry; Part 5: Electronic Industry; Part 6: Other Industries" (DB34/4812-2024), "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for Gas Stations" (DB12/1302—2024), "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for Rubber Products Industry" (DB12/1353-2024), "Shaanxi Province has newly released 1 item: "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for Garbage Incineration in Guanzhong Region" (DB61/1830-2024), "Sichuan Province has newly released 1 item: "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for Glass Industry" (DB51/ 3164-2024), "Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has newly revised 1 item: "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for Coal-based Activated Carbon Industry" (DB64/819-2024), "Guangdong Province has released six draft standards for local standards for review and public consultation: "Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Standards for Automobile Maintenance Industry", "Volatile Organic Compounds Emission Standards for Surface Coating (Automobile Manufacturing Industry)", "Volatile Organic Compounds Emission Standards for Furniture Manufacturing Industry (Revised Draft)", "Volatile Organic Compounds Emission Standards for Artificial Stone Manufacturing Industry", "Volatile Organic Compounds Emission Standards for Printing Industry", "Volatile Organic Compounds Emission Standards for Shoe Manufacturing Industry":
Other standards and regulations related to VOCs: Anhui Province has released "Technical Specifications for Drifting Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds" (DB34/T 4686—2024) and "Technical Specifications for Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds in Fixed Pollution Sources" (DB34/T 4757—2024"); Shanxi Province has released "Technical Specifications for Construction and Acceptance of Continuous Monitoring System for Non-Methane Total Hydrocarbons in Fixed Pollution Sources" (DB14/T 2965—2024) and "Operation and Maintenance Technical Specifications for Continuous Monitoring System for Non-Methane Total Hydrocarbons in Fixed Pollution Sources" (DB14/T 2966—2024"); Jiangsu Province has released "Safety Technical Requirements for Regenerative Combustion Furnace System" (DB 32/T 4700—2024"); etc.
02# Industry Development#
(1) Overall Industry Development
Based on the preliminary investigation of the business conditions of some leading enterprises in 2024, affected by the economic development situation, the internal adjustment and integration of the VOCs treatment industry have further intensified, and for the first time, there has been a situation of overall decline in output value and profits. The reasons are as follows: Firstly, traditional VOCs-emitting enterprises such as petrochemicals, chemicals, painting, packaging printing, and pharmaceuticals have generally experienced a decline in profits, and their demand for VOCs treatment has slowed down or been postponed; Secondly, the large-scale pollution sources in these industries have completed their treatment work in previous years, and the number of large-scale treatment projects has decreased; Thirdly, due to intense competition, the profit margins of treatment enterprises have become increasingly smaller.
However, driven by strong policy incentives, the organic waste gas treatment industry has maintained a relatively stable development trend overall. Industry leaders possess core technologies and actively develop innovative equipment, providing comprehensive system solutions, leading the industry development. Some small and medium-sized enterprises, based on their own technical advantages, have developed in a refined, specialized, and differentiated manner, delving into specific fields and continuously evolving towards specialized, innovative "little giants".
At present, China's VOCs treatment work has entered a stage of precise control and deep treatment of pollution sources. The focus is on source reduction, process strict control, and end treatment, strengthening comprehensive treatment of the entire process and all links of VOCs. With the continuous tightening of emission standards, for large pollution sources, the main focus is on upgrading and improving existing treatment facilities, such as adding zeolite wheel adsorption and concentration equipment to existing activated carbon/fiber adsorption recovery equipment to achieve deep treatment of pollution sources; for poorly designed and difficult-to-operate treatment facilities, process improvements are carried out, such as upgrading the process of RTO treatment facilities containing acid and alkali components, and improving the pre-treatment process; for small and micro pollution sources, the current focus is on the investigation and rectification of low-efficiency and ineffective VOCs treatment facilities, such as eliminating existing low-efficiency treatment facilities like low-temperature plasma/light catalysis/light oxidation, replacing them with efficient treatment equipment like zeolite wheel adsorption concentration, RTO, RCO, and activated carbon adsorption, and implementing green island treatment models like dispersed adsorption of activated carbon + centralized regeneration, solvent dispersion recovery + centralized disposal, and centralized spraying.
(2) Key Industry Problems
In terms of process technology, firstly, a large portion of pollution sources, especially small and micro pollution sources, previously mostly adopted low-efficiency or ineffective treatment facilities, and a large number of low-efficiency and ineffective treatment facilities need to be upgraded and renovated. Due to high treatment costs, small and micro pollution sources are difficult to adopt efficient treatment facilities like incineration for treatment, and there is a lack of low-cost and efficient treatment technologies for small and micro pollution sources; Secondly, the performance standards of key adsorption and catalytic materials are not yet complete, and the market is chaotic, causing great difficulties for the overall treatment work; Thirdly, some process technology choices and applications are unreasonable, resulting in some efficient treatment facilities operating inefficiently; Fourthly, insufficient attention is paid to process safety, causing frequent accidents in treatment facilities in recent years.
At the enterprise level, firstly, the proportion of private small and medium-sized enterprises is high. Due to small enterprise scale and relatively weak technological innovation capabilities, they lack industry competitiveness, and a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises without core treatment technologies have been eliminated in recent years; Secondly, there are more and more capital-intensive projects within the industry, with serious delays in project payments, seriously affecting the normal development and operation of enterprises; Thirdly, the lowest-price winning mechanism leads to vicious competition in the industry, with rising costs of raw materials, labor, etc., and a decrease in the overall profit margin of the industry.
03# Key Core Technologies Progress#
After more than a decade of development, the overall level of VOCs treatment technology in China has significantly improved, and some equipment has reached or approached international advanced levels. The design level of combined purification processes for complex conditions has continuously improved, and the purification process technology routes for key industries and typical pollution generation processes have gradually become clear. The overall level of core purification materials such as activated carbon/activated carbon fiber, oxidation catalysts, macroporous adsorption resins, and honeycomb zeolites has significantly improved. Breakthroughs and improvements have been made in equipment such as zeolite wheels, RTO/RCO, adsorption recovery devices, and biological purification devices. Under the background of coordinated pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction, industries with large solvent usage such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, lithium batteries, coating, and printing have placed greater emphasis on solvent recovery and utilization, and solvent recovery technologies have developed rapidly.
(1) Recovery technologies
Solvent recovery can achieve resource recycling and reduce carbon emissions. The solvent recovery process technology is currently the focus of VOCs treatment technology development. The activated carbon moving bed VOCs continuous adsorption + desorption + condensation recovery technology has been applied in rubber production, pharmaceuticals, PVC gloves production, etc. Resin adsorption technology is suitable for solvent recovery from high-concentration waste gas and is widely used in chemical, pharmaceutical, pesticide industries, especially for the recovery of chlorinated solvents. The activated carbon fiber adsorption recovery + zeolite wheel adsorption concentration two-stage purification technology is widely used in packaging printing, lithium battery separator production, etc. For different application scenarios, multi-level combined treatment technologies based on units such as condensation, adsorption, absorption, and membrane separation have been developed, and they have been widely applied in ultra-high concentration oil (solvent) recovery, achieving milligram-level emission requirements in the ultra-high concentration oil (solvent) recovery field. Multi-level combined treatment processes have realized the requirements of ultra-high concentration oil (solvent) recovery at the microgram level through the selection of technology combinations and reasonable process design.
(2) Incineration technologies
High-temperature incineration technologies (TO/RTO/VCU/DFTO/CEB, etc.) have high purification efficiency and are suitable for the treatment of complex pollutant-containing waste gas. Different types of incineration processes have been widely applied. In recent years, the development focus of incineration processes has been on efficient energy-saving design and thermal energy utilization technology. According to the emission characteristics of different industries, process design and thermal efficiency management have been carried out in a targeted manner, achieving efficient utilization of thermal energy, and being widely applied in VOCs treatment in chemical, pharmaceutical, spraying, coating, packaging printing, etc. Compared with high-temperature incineration technologies, catalytic combustion technology has energy-saving advantages. The development focus of catalytic combustion technology is on improving the performance of catalysts for different types of organic substances. Although the overall level of catalysts in China is still lagging behind that of foreign enterprises, the development speed has significantly accelerated in recent years. In addition to CH and CHO organic substances, catalytic purification technologies for organic substances containing Cl and N and other heteroatoms have also made certain progress.
(3) Odor removal technologies
Low-concentration and highly odorous VOCs waste gas is the difficulty and pain point in industry treatment. Traditional purification technologies mainly include adsorption, biological, absorption, and low-temperature plasma, etc. These technologies have their own applicability and limitations, and in most cases, multi-technology combination processes are needed to achieve deep purification. The key lies in the selection of technology combinations and reasonable process design. In the treatment of VOCs waste gas in some industries with low concentration and high odor, some new technologies have been developed and preliminarily applied, such as modified fiber odor removal technology with specific adsorption reaction capabilities, and constant-temperature electrochemical collaborative catalytic odor removal technology.
(4) Integrated/combined technologies
To achieve deep VOCs treatment requirements and reduce treatment costs, most industries' VOCs treatment requires the use of multi-technology coupling processes, such as adsorption concentration + catalytic combustion/high-temperature incineration process, condensation/membrane separation + adsorption solvent recovery process, absorption + adsorption solvent recovery process, activated carbon fiber + rotating wheel multi-stage adsorption solvent recovery, etc. For the treatment of VOCs in different production processes, with the continuous development of process research and engineering practice, the treatment technology routes for some key production processes have gradually become clear and have formed technical guidelines.
(5) "Green island" treatment technologies and models
In recent years, to solve the deep treatment of a large number of small and medium-sized VOCs pollution sources and malodorous odors in industries such as auto repair, fine chemicals, furniture, packaging printing, small spraying, and restaurants, different "green island" models are developing vigorously. The construction of the "green island" project for VOCs involves the coordinated planning and construction of centralized treatment centers for activated carbon, solvent recovery centers, and centralized coating centers. This is the key to achieving centralized and efficient treatment of VOCs and solving the VOCs pollution problems of a large number of small and medium-sized pollution sources. In areas with a high demand for adsorbents (cities, industrial parks, and industrial clusters), establish decentralized adsorption + centralized regeneration disposal centers, and simultaneously improve the management system for standardized purchase of adsorbents, unified collection, and centralized regeneration to achieve the recycling of adsorbent resources; in industrial parks and clusters with a large amount of organic solvent usage of the same type, establish decentralized solvent recovery + centralized purification/disposal centers.
