The amount of water resources per capita in China is far below the world average level, and the spatial and temporal distribution is extremely unbalanced, so water conservation must be given priority. Not long ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the list of pilot projects for industrial wastewater recycling in 2022, with 29 enterprises and 3 parks on the list. Selecting a group of enterprises with significant wastewater recycling effects and advanced water efficiency indicators as typical cases of water efficiency benchmarking can help promote more enterprises to improve water efficiency and achieve a new leap in water conservation and pollution reduction.

As the world's largest industrial country, China faces the arduous task of treating industrial wastewater. Data shows that in 2021, industrial water consumption accounted for 17.7% of the total national water consumption, and wastewater discharge accounted for about 1/4 of the national sewage discharge. At the same time, water scarcity has become a rigid constraint on China's economic and social development, with a normal annual water shortage exceeding 50 billion cubic meters. On one hand, there is a sustained high demand for industrial water, while on the other hand, there is a basic national situation of a large population and limited water resources. Accelerating the recycling of industrial wastewater and turning it into treasure has become the key to promoting green industrial development and alleviating the contradiction between water supply and demand.

China has a complete range of industrial categories and numerous enterprises, but the scale, facilities, and technological reserves vary greatly. The nature of industrial wastewater discharged by different enterprises such as petrochemicals, steel, food, textile printing and dyeing, and papermaking varies greatly, making it difficult to solve the problem with a single technical solution or model. It is necessary to promote the recycling of industrial wastewater in a classified and coordinated manner. Not only industrial wastewater needs to be treated, but also industrial production materials, intermediate products, and pollutants that are lost with water during the production process. In practice, different industries have formed their own focused models. In the textile industry, through technological breakthroughs, not only can wastewater discharge be reduced, but organic pollutants can also be degraded; In the chemical industry, relying on intelligent supervision, real-time monitoring of wastewater discharge can be achieved, effectively and accurately controlling pollution; In the steel industry, the reuse of treated urban sewage in the production process has improved the reuse rate of water resources... After years of efforts, China has made positive progress in the recycling of industrial wastewater. The reuse rate of industrial water above designated size has increased from 89% in 2015 to 92.9% in 2021. In 2020, the water consumption per 10000 yuan of industrial added value decreased by 39.6% compared to 2015.

It should be noted that achieving stable economic growth requires maintaining a certain level of industrial growth rate, and China's industrial water consumption will continue to increase for a period of time. At present, the reuse rate of industrial water above designated size is relatively high, but there is still room for improvement. In major water consuming industries such as textiles and food, the reuse rates of industrial water in 2020 were only 73% and 60%, respectively. To further improve the level of industrial wastewater recycling, it is necessary to overcome the difficult "hard bones". On the one hand, we need to continue to focus on the main water use industries, consolidate the technological foundation, make breakthroughs in key core technologies, and accelerate the development of universal technologies and standards to form more replicable and promotable experiences. On the other hand, it is necessary to continuously reduce the cost of industrial wastewater recycling, and provide preferential tax policies, financial support, and other aspects to stimulate the enthusiasm of more enterprises.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed that "promoting green and low-carbon economic and social development is a key link to achieving high-quality development." Accelerating the recycling of industrial wastewater is an essential part of promoting the comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society. Currently, relevant departments have issued an implementation plan for industrial wastewater recycling, proposing a clear timetable and roadmap. Focusing on key water use industries, playing a demonstrative and driving role, implementing classified policies, and promoting continuous improvement, further enhancing the reuse rate of industrial water, reducing wastewater discharge, will accelerate the formation of a new pattern of efficient recycling of industrial wastewater, and make green a distinctive background for high-quality development.

The above source is People's Daily

Beijet is a leading enterprise in the field of industrial wastewater resource utilization. Since its establishment, it has undertaken hundreds of comprehensive water treatment solutions such as industrial wastewater resource utilization and reuse, and typical benchmark projects are abundant. This is not only due to the consistent adherence to the field of industrial wastewater resource utilization, but also the result of the emphasis on research and development and technological innovation. At present, the recovery rate of municipal sewage and some industrial wastewater can reach over 99%, and precious metals, inorganic salts, etc. in the wastewater can be recycled and reused as resources. Beijet recycles 2 billion tons of wastewater annually and over 700000 tons of industrial grade salt from wastewater, making outstanding contributions to the development of industrial wastewater resource utilization and environmental protection in China.