Winning the battle for a blue sky: VOCs control is the key.

Author: Tian Hongqi, Chen Xiaofang, Zhang Weixia

(This article was published in the 16th issue of "China Economic Weekly" in 2017)

Introduction

In recent years, the environmental problems caused by haze weather have increasingly become the focus of public attention. To address haze, it is necessary to identify the mechanism behind its formation. The research community in atmospheric governance unanimously believes that ozone and fine particulate matter PM2.5 are the main substances contributing to current haze weather, while volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from industries and daily life are important precursors of fine particulate matter PM2.5 and ozone. To address air pollution, it is essential to effectively control VOC emissions first. 

Starting from this issue, "China Economic Weekly" has specially set up the "Environment and Technology" column. Based on national policies and goals, it reports new developments, technologies, concepts and governance methods in the VOCs field from a global perspective. At the same time, it provides a communication platform for environmental protection technology enterprises engaged in VOCs monitoring and governance, as well as VOCs research institutions, to promote the advancement of VOCs governance in China to a new level.

Ye Daiqi, Director of the National Engineering Laboratory for Volatile Organic Compound Pollution Control Technology and Equipment

In recent years, haze weather has become more and more frequent in my country. Especially since the beginning of winter last year, long-lasting haze weather has invaded 11 provinces and cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan. Many cities such as Beijing have reached serious pollution levels.

Premier Li Keqiang pointed out in this year’s government work report that we must resolutely fight to defend the blue sky. How can we win this defense battle? Ye Daiqi, dean of the School of Environment and Energy at South China University of Technology and director of the National Engineering Laboratory for Volatile Organic Compound Pollution Control Technology and Equipment, believes that to solve the problem of haze control and fight for a blue sky, it is necessary to effectively control the source of pollution, and the control of VOCs is particularly critical.

VOCs are very harmful and the public’s awareness should be raised

Q: What is the current status of VOCs emissions in my country? How to strengthen governance?

Ye Daiqi: In 2016, among the 338 cities at or above the prefecture level across the country, 75.1% had air quality exceeding standards. With the strengthening of air pollution control in my country, particulate matter pollution has been initially alleviated, but ozone pollution has gradually become more prominent. The fundamental reason is that volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the precursors of ozone, have not been effectively controlled. As an important precursor of ozone and PM2.5, the emissions of VOCs are staggering. In 2015, the national anthropogenic VOCs emissions exceeded 30 million tons. The VOCs pollution situation is very serious, and pollution prevention and control is urgent.

The monitoring and management of VOCs has received great attention at the national level. The "Guiding Opinions on Promoting Joint Prevention and Control of Air Pollution to Improve Regional Air Quality" issued in 2010 listed VOCs as one of the key pollutants for joint prevention and control of air pollution for the first time. In 2016, VOCs binding indicators were included in the "13th Five-Year Plan" as expected emission indicators, and local governments have also introduced relevant measures. However, insufficient understanding of VOCs is still a common phenomenon, so it is necessary to vigorously publicize the dangers of VOCs and popularize VOCs knowledge.

Make up for the shortcomings in technology and equipment,

Increase research and development efforts

Q: Compared with developed countries, what are the deficiencies in my country’s technology and equipment in VOCs monitoring and management?

Ye Daiqi: my country lacks sophisticated technology for VOCs management, equipment and supporting materials are backward, and treatment efficiency varies depending on the industry or process. The existing problems mainly include the following four aspects:

First, the level of R&D and design of core materials, technologies and equipment is low, test and inspection methods are insufficient, and key common technologies are missing. Key materials for pollution control with good performance that are widely used in the market, such as activated carbon fiber, molecular sieves, and key catalyst materials, are heavily dependent on imports.

Second, basic supporting capabilities are insufficient. Basic materials, such as regenerators and various sealing materials used in regenerative combustion equipment, and supporting components including gas circuit systems and sensors for online monitoring, cannot meet the equipment requirements.

Third, technical assessment and standards are imperfect. Various industries lack scientific technical standard systems and authoritative technical evaluation systems in the selection of control technologies; they lack equipment manufacturing, project implementation, etc.