Chen Jining checks the VOCs control system in SINOPEC Beijing Yanshan Company. Source: MEP
Today, Minister Chen Jining headed an inspection team to SINOPEC Beijing Yanshan Company (hereinafter referred to as Yanshan), COFCO Wugudaochang Food Company, and other companies, as part of their field inspection to check how the Fangshan District has been implementing the heavy air pollution response measures.
The team took a ride and went straight to Yanshan as soon as they arrived at Fangshan, without giving prior notices and unannounced. They launched field inspection on the company’s butadiene rubber workshop. At the polybutadiene rubber workshop, Chen inquired about how the production facilities and the VOCs control system work, “what is the working mechanism of the tail gas treatment device? How often are the materials renewed? And how does the desorption of the waste materials work?”
It is learned that there are three sets of water washing rubber removal+ACF absorption systems to process the generated VOCs. However, most of the absorbed substances can evaporate and cause secondary pollution, since this process is deficient. One set of VOCs control system has been upgraded, however, the inspectors smelt obvious odor nearby. Two sets have not been upgraded and the pollution problems have not been solved.
Afterwards, Chen and his team walked to the work safety command center of Yanshan and asked for the company’s spill and leakage detection and maintenance data. However, the data were still unavailable after 20 min., because the responsible person was not familiar with the system, a sign that indicated they did not use the system or make analysis often and the daily management was extensive.
Chen pointed it out that Yanshan should raise its environmental awareness, especially on the pressing problem with VOCs control, they should strengthen the delicacy management. With respect to the problem that the information system at the command center was unable to retrieve data, Chen required the company to work out rectification measures, improve the management level, and strive to reduce pollution at the source.
Then, Chen and his team checked whether the Wugudaochang took pollution reduction measures as response to heavy air pollution and inspected the thermal engineering project of Beijing No. 2 Construction Engineering Company near Liutao Road. The inspectors found the thermal engineering project did not halt operations as required under the Code Orange early warning of heavy air pollution and was still busy with the earthwork. The team leader at the site claimed they did not receive any notice to halt the construction. Moreover, there was a thick layer of dust on the roads near the construction site, which indicated the flying dust had not been controlled effectively. “It is imperative to work harder at the response to heavy air pollution, implement the measures specified on the list, make sure a certain percentage of companies to take pollution reduction measures, and enhance delicacy management and control the flying dust at the construction sites and on the roads,” said Chen to the heads of relevant departments of the Beijing municipal government.
Furthermore, the inspectors spotted moorburn in several places near the section of G4 Expressway in Shilou Town of Fangshan District. The Ministry has informed the local government of the revealed problems as soon as possible, and urged the government to make rectifications immediately and report back the results before a certain deadline.
