HONG KONG WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

Report on
Technical Visit to Waste Management Facilities in Shanghai, China
(15 to 19 February 2004)

Editor: Ir Lam Cheuk Fung Chairman, HKWMA (2003/04)

Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1.1 1.2 1.3 2. Background Itinerary Delegate profiles

Meetings with Government Officials and Design Institute 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau Pudong Environmental Protection Bureau Shanghai Institute for Design and Research in Environmental Engineering Shanghai Hazardous Waste Management Centre & Shanghai Solid Waste Disposal Centre

3.

Visit to Waste Management Facilities 3.1 3.2 3.3. 3.4 3.5 3.6 Jiangqiao MSW Incineration Facility Nanhui MSW Landfill Pudong Biochemical Treatment Facility Shanghai Xingyue Environmental Protection Services Co. Ltd. Shanghai Xingang Waste Recycle Station Yuqiao Refuse Incinerator

Conclusion Acknowledgement Appendices

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
The Hong Kong Waste Management Association (HKWMA) and the Environmental Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) jointly organized this delegation to visit the waste management facilities in Shanghai from 15 to 19 February 2004. The objectives of the delegation were to get first-hand information on the waste management policy and the development of waste management facilities in Shanghai; and establish network with the counterparts in the waste management profession. The delegation consisted of 14 representatives from different organizations, including government departments, waste management contractors, waste management facilities operators, university and subvented organization, consulting firms and construction companies. The delegates had had fruitful exchanges with government officials of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, Pudong Environmental Protection Bureau and Shanghai City Appearance & Environmental Sanitation Administration Bureau; and professionals of Shanghai Institute of Design & Research in Environmental Engineering on waste management policies and practices. Through frank discussion, the delegates were able to get greater insight into the experience of the Mainland counterparts in operating municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous landfills and incineration facilities. Moreover, the delegation visited a number of waste management facilities in Shanghai. These include the Jiangqiao MSW Incineration Facility, Nanhui MSW Landfill, Pudong Biochemical Treatment Facility, Shanghai Xingang Waste Recycle Station, Shanghai Xingyue Environmental Protection Services Co. and Pudong Incineration Facility. During the visits, the delegates could have better understanding on the planning, design and operation of the facilities. It was realized that the Shanghai City Government has given great attention on environmental improvement by putting in place modernized waste treatment facilities. Focus is also given on public-private partnership in financing and running those facilities. On the social front, it was found that Shanghai has had rapid development over the past few years. Urban revitalization plan is being implemented in full speed. The central business district has been modernized with numerous new office buildings and enterprises including the third tallest commercial building in the world. These together with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower form the landmark of Pudong. The Shanghai City Development Exhibition Centre shows the model of the city planning blueprint. This centre and other tourist spots provided very good entertainment to visitors. The delegates were deeply impressed by the significant progress of Shanghai development.

1.2

Itinerary
Time 1:30 pm 3:20 pm 5:45 pm 9:30 ~ 11:30 am Item Assembly at the Hong Kong International Airport Departure from Hong Kong to Shanghai (MU580) Arrival at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Meeting with Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau (SEPB) () Meeting with Pudong Environmental Protection Bureau (PEPB), Environmental Sanitation Department ( Dinner with SEPB, PEPB and the Shanghai City Appearance & Environmental Sanitation Administration Bureau Visit to Jiangqiao MSW Incineration Facility () Visit to Lao Gang MSW Landfill Site () Visit to Pudong Biochemical Treatment Faculty () Dinner Shanghai Xingyue Environmental Protection Services Co. Ltd () Shanghai Institute for Design & Research in Environmental Engineering () Dinner Shanghai Solid Waste Landfill/Shanghai EPB () Shanghai Xingang Waste Recycle Station () Yuqiao Refuse Incinerator () Departure from Shanghai to Hong Kong (MU591) Arrive at the Hong Kong International Airport

The delegation last for five days from 15 to 19 February 2004 with the following itinerary.
Date 2 15 (Sunday)

2 16 (Monday)

2:30 ~ 5: 00 pm

6:30 pm 9:30pm

2 17 (Tuesday)

9:00 ~ 11:00 am

2:30 ~ 3:00 pm

3:30 ~ 5:00 pm

6:30 ~ 8:00 pm 2 18 (Wednesday) 9:30 ~ 11:30 am

2:00 ~ 4:30 pm

6:30 ~ 8:00pm 2 19 (Thursday) 9:00 ~ 10:00 am

10:30 ~ 12:00 pm

2:00 ~ 3:30 pm

6:15 pm 8:20 pm

1.3

Delegate Profiles

Total 14 delegates from different organizations joined this delegation. Their brief backgrounds are summarized below.

Delegate 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Mr C.F. LAM Mr John FAN Mr C.Y. FONG Mr Matthew KO Mr Albert KOENIG Ms Winnie LEUNG Mr Michael LUI Mr Anthony MA Mr PAO Lap-kwan Mr Bill PRESCOTT Mr James TAM Mr Eddie TSE Mr Steven WONG Mr Wilson YEH

Organization Environmental Protection Department Swire SITA ATAL Engineering Ltd. Maunsell Environmental Management Co. Ltd. University of Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department Environmental Protection Department Hong Kong Productivity Council Highways Department CGS Macau Lda. Swire SITA Gammon Skanska Ltd. Environmental Protection Department Wai Kee China Construction Co. Ltd.

MEETINGS WITH GOVERNMENT

OFFICIALS AND DESIGN INSTITUTE
The delegates met with the government officials and professionals of a design institute. The details of discussion are summarized below.

2.1

Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau ()

Date: 16 February 2004 Representative: Mr Wu Cheng Jian, Chief Senior Engineer

The work of Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau (SEPB) covers four main areas, namely air pollution abatement, noise pollution control, solid waste management (including industrial and municipal solid waste in Shanghai and Putong) and management of industrial zones (some 180 industrial estates). The current expenditure on environmental protection in Shanghai was approximately 3% of GDP of RMB $600 billion (i.e. RMB $18 billion). The main areas of expenditure include construction of waste management facilities (78%) and operation of industrial waste facilities (14%). On hazardous waste management in Shanghai, there were some 3,500 companies in total which produced wastes and 1,200 of them had no waste treatment facilities. Approximately 100,000 ton per year of the waste required off-site treatment and disposal services. Currently there are some 65 companies providing one-stop services for waste collection, treatment and disposal. The remaining enterprises either reuse their waste on-site or are licensed to treat their own wastes. There are some 60 companies licensed to import wastes including hazardous waste and recyclables. Total 10 companies are licensed to treat restaurant and food wastes. Some of them are capable to treat waste oil. Currently no systematic processes are available for treating medical wastes. In 2003, State Council required each major city to put in place a medical waste treatment facility. As a result, Shanghai City would have an integrated treatment facility with 26,000 t/y capacity by 2004 to serve some 400 hospitals and clinics. This was planned to be delivered through a BOT contract, with an operation period of 25 years. One of the treatment options being considered is

incineration. As regards electronic wastes, due to the rapid replacement of white goods (e.g. T.V., fridges, computers and mobile phones), the Shanghai government recognizes the need to study the policy in this areas. This is in line with the recent policy of EU which demands the manufacturers to internalize the costs of waste processing and to eliminate harmful constituents in their products. On the way forward, the Shanghai government is determined to clean up the city to welcome the World Expo to be held in 2010. A couple of new tasks will be carried out in the years ahead including a comprehensive survey on waste arisings in Shanghai with emphasis on the quantity and characteristics of industrial, clinical and municipal wastes. Last but not least, the Shanghai government is studying the use of information management system for tracking the movement of wastes and for acquiring instant data of waste collection and treatment. Computerized systems, coupled with GIS and GPS technologies, are being studied for, among other purposes, scheduling surveillance of waste sites.

The delegation presented Shanghai EPB with a souvenir

Group photo with representatives of Shanghai EPB

2.2

Pudong Environmental Protection Bureau Environmental Sanitation Department ()

Date: 16 February 2004 Representatives: Mr Zhang Pei Jun, Professor/Senior Engineering Director, City Sanitation Management Department Mr Jin Zhong Wei, Department Vice-Director Mr Zhuang Shaoqin, Director General, Water Conservancy of Putong New Area Mr Sun Jian Hua, Vice-Director

There were 6 government departments under the PEPB responsible for protecting the environment in Pudong. They were the Environmental Protection Department, City Sanitation Management Department, Greenification Department, Urban Affairs Department, Water Authority and the Inspection Team. Mr. Zhang described that the objective of the Pudong Environmental Protection Bureau (PEPB) was to keep a small government under which the departments are responsible for specific tasks, in order to avoid overlapping of duties. Mr. Zhangs department, the City Sanitation Management Department for instance, was responsible for the management of domestic solid waste in Pudong. According to Mr Zhang, the priority of solid waste management was given on waste recycling and re-use. In this regard, the government adopted an approach which aims to enhance waste segregation at source, and reduce waste separation at collector/ treatment site. The former had made significant contribution to recycling, while the latter was not yet stable. A daily garbage collection and sorting system would be fully implemented in downtown areas, and a more basic system would be implemented in the suburbs. Hazardous waste components from domestic waste (such as household appliances, batteries and tires) would be recycled or treated comprehensively with no harmful emissions. By 2005, Shanghai will achieve safe treatment of urban waste. In the outer circle regions (including the central towns of counties), waste collection, reduction and resource utilization systems will be built. All the rural areas with proper capabilities in Shanghai shall establish basic garbage collection and processing mechanisms. Shanghai will improve the recycling and resource recovery of plastic products and package containers, and handle "white pollution" (foamed polystyrene); the city will also standardize residue waste processing. Three major methods of household waste disposal (in descending preference) were introduced: composting, incineration, landfills.

The composting plant in Shanghai was able to convert some 10% of the raw weight of the domestic garbage into saleable compost for agricultural purpose. However, some 20% of the

waste (relatively inert) still requires landfilling. To ensure the financial viability of the privately owned composting plants in Shanghai, the government provided subsidy to the operators at a per-tonnage waste basis. Mr Zhang emphasized that the environmental industry had to be provided with an incentive to carry out their business and this should be a government-led effort. However, the long-term plan is to let the waste management business be regulated by the force of market competition. Composting is about double the cost of landfilling, but a few folds cheaper than incineration. On incineration, the Yuqiao MSW incinerator had been put into operation since 2002. The average disposal capacity was 1,000 tons per day. The plant already generated 100 million kilowatt-hours of energy since commission. The plant aims to achieve the European environmental emission standard. The moist characteristic of the garbage necessitates natural drying at the waste pit for a few days prior to combustion. For this reason, serious odour problem was observed on site. The Shanghai city would commission the other waste incinerators in Puxi Jiangqiao, Pudong Yuqiao and Minhang to improve the treatment rate of safely processed urban waste to 95% or above. The Shanghai city would open the Liming landfill as a backup to the Pudong landfills. Phase 3 expansion project for the Lao Gang landfill will be commissioned. A defined area of land will also be reserved for the Phase 4 of Lao Gang landfill. The new landfills would be equipped/ upgraded with modern technology such as cover and leachate treatment facility. Finally, Mr Zhang stressed that the problem of garbage piling in the city not only takes up large areas of land, severely damaged the ecological environment of urban and rural areas, polluted air and water; but also trigger disease outbreak which may threaten human health. The Pudong government has attached priority and urgency to its waste and environmental problems. The government had already started taking action with its many environmental projects by inviting overseas-local collaborations to devise the best solution to tackle its solid waste problem. The meeting ended with a frank and mutual exchange of views with regard to solid waste management methods adopted in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The delegation exchanged views with Pudong EPB

Group photo with representatives of Pudong EPB

10

2.3

Shanghai Institute for Design & Research in Environmental Engineering ()

Date: 18 February 2004 Representatives: Mr Zhang, Deputy Director Mr Wang, Deputy Chief Engineer

The Shanghai Institute for Design & Research in Environmental Engineering (SIDREE) () is located at No. 11, Lane 345, Shilong Road in the Shanghai city. The Deputy Director, Mr Zhang, the Deputy Chief Engineer, Mr Wang, and their staff warmly received the Delegation. According to Mr Zhang, SIDREE was an organization under the Shanghai City Appearance & Environmental Sanitation Administration Bureau set up in 1984. With around 80 employees, SIDREE undertook over 50 projects each year with annual revenue of RMB $10-12 million. About 70% of these projects were located in Shanghai while the remainings in other provinces. SIDREE undertakes about 70-80% of the environmental design projects in Shanghai. The design institute possesses Class I National Design Licence as well as Class I Engineering Licence. It has different departments specialized in the following areas: (i) Design and research in solid waste disposal with respect to landfills, refuse transfer stations, incinerators, industrial waste disposal facilities, waste sorting, associated water and air pollution control; (ii) City appearance, such as lighting and outdoor advertisement; (iii) Design of environmental equipment, such as refuse transport vehicles; (iv) Professional town planning; (v) Environmental monitoring, such as analysis of the garbage composition, pollution monitoring; (vi) Information gathering, such as internet and literature search, newsletter publication Mr Zhang outlined the major projects currently undertaken by SIDREE, including: (i) Master Plan for solid waste disposal for Shanghai (commissioned by the Shanghai Government and the World Bank) which was finalized in June 2004. (ii) Town planning for the major Administrative Districts and Development Districts in Shanghai (iii) Some town planning projects in Suzhou, Changzhou and Shenzhen (iv) Overall planning for Yangtze River Area (v) Engineering design for Nanhui MSW Landfill Phase IV (vi) Engineering design for the future Comprehensive Municipal Waste Treatment Plants and refuse transfer stations for Shanghai. The former facility combines waste sorting, composting, incineration and landfilling. (vii) Act as the Chinese partner of the incineration projects in Shanghai

11

(viii) (ix)

Water quality monitoring of the Huang Pu River Testing of the garbage composition for Shanghai

Subsequent to Mr. Zhangs presentation, Ir. C.F. Lam introduced the background of HKWMA and some of the waste management work carried out by the Environmental Protection Department of HKSAR. Afterward, the Delegation and peers from SIDREE exchanged some views on different disposal methods of municipal wastes. Both parties welcomed further communications and possible collaboration. After the mutual and yet fruitful discussion, Mr. Zhang represented SIDREE to receive a souvenir from Ir. Lam.

The delegation exchanged views with SIDREE

Group photo with representatives of Shanghai Institute for Design and Research in Environmental Engineering
12

2.4 Shanghai Hazardous Waste Management Center and Shanghai Solid Waste Disposal Center ( )
Date: 19 February 2004 Representatives: Mr Han Guo Zhi, Director of the Hazardous Waste Management Center

The two centers are located at Room 1206, 540 Cao Yang Road, Shanghai. They were transformed from the former Shanghai Huangpu Solid Waste Research Center in 1995; and are now enterprise units under the Shanghai Environmental Bureau. The Director of the Hazardous Waste Management Center, Mr Han Guo Zhi introduced the functions of the Center, which include: Checking and issuing operation licenses for hazardous waste treatment facilities; Management of transfer ticket (manifest) for hazardous waste; Management of waste import to Shanghai city; and Monitoring production and disposal of hazardous waste. Mr Han said that the development of hazardous waste treatment facilities in Shanghai has been in an infant stage. The municipal government has adopted a market driven approach that the majority of these treatment facilities are privately owned and operated. These facilities are required to compete with each other for hazardous waste from the some 1,200 registered hazardous waste producers under the current legitimate waste management system. The collection, transfer, storage, treatment and disposal of the hazardous waste are monitored through a five-copy trip ticket system. The government mainly plays the monitoring and regulatory roles. Due to keen competition, the current treatment cost of hazardous waste in Shanghai is relatively low. This hazardous waste control and disposal system has been set up rapidly and it effectively removes the most harmful industrial waste from entering the environment. While the hazardous waste management system basically served the primary objective already, Mr Han revealed that there were still many challenges ahead. In Shanghai area, there are over 70 enterprises providing similar hazardous waste treatment services. Among them, the majority is with small amount of capital and low technology and management performance. They are unable to inject large amount of capital to upgrade and improve their treatment facilities. Thus secondary pollution from these facilities is found. The main target for the government is to reform those sub-standard hazardous waste disposal industries through a move towards hightechnology and larger scale of economies. In the years ahead, the government intends to introduce local and overseas experienced waste management companies to set up hazardous

13

waste treatment facilities in Shanghai and encourage merging and acquisition of these smallscale facilities. One of the proposals is a 60 tonnes per day capacity incinerator, which will serve the proposed chemical industrial estate. The Centre will also strictly adhere to the Polluter Pays Principle to carry out the inspection activities. Heavy penalty will be imposed on those not meeting the license conditions. Mr Han then introduced the operation of the hazardous waste landfill site at Jiading, which is managed by the Center. The landfill site is set up to receive, treat and dispose of residues from two municipal waste incinerators (Jiangqiao and Yuqiao) and other treatment facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The landfill site is currently receiving 50 tonnes of fly ash per day from Jiangqiao MSW Incineration Plant. When Yuqiao MSW Incineration Plant begins operation in 2004, the quantity of fly ash is expected to rise significantly. The fly ash contained high concentration of heavy metal and other harmful organic substances, such as dioxins. The operator of the landfill site carries out stabilization and solidification processes to the incoming fly ash. After the pre-treatment processes, the compounds are disposed of at the landfill site. The landfill is equipped with geo-textile lining to collect leachate. The collected leachate will be processed in the pre-treatment processes therefore the landfill can basically achieve zero effluent discharge. The Center also collaborates with other organizations to monitor the nearby ground water conditions of the landfill to ensure the sound environmental control. The Center had about 30 staff members but their responsibilities are immense and complex. To effectively control the pollution problem and manage the hazardous waste treatment system, he realized that advanced technology could help. For instance, the Center only receives trip tickets for waste being handled a month ago or so because dispatch still relies on mail. Inspectors do not have adequate and correct information in hand to monitor the movement of hazardous waste. They appreciated that Hong Kong had already adopted a computerized system for the monitoring of chemical waste movement. One of their targets would be to set up similar system in Shanghai.

Group photo with representatives of Shanghai Hazardous Waste Management Centre and Shanghai Solid Waste Disposal Centre

14

VISITS TO WASTE MANAGEMENT

FACILITIES
The Delegates visited a variety of waste management facilities including municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, MSW incinerators, composting plant and recycling station. The details are summarized below.

3.1

Jiangquiao MSW Incineration Facility ()

Date: 17 February 2004

The Plant is located in Jianxing village of Jianxiao in Jiading District, Shanghai. It is the second largest modern MSW Incinerator built in Shanghai. Completed in 2003, it is still undergoing commissioning work before handover to the long term operator, Onyx. The incinerator was designed for 3 streams each capable of handling 500 tpd but at present only 2 are built. It also has 2 steam turbines each rated at 15MW (but described as 12 MW sets in the brochure). Flue Gas clean-up is done by a semi-dry lime system followed by bag filters with facility for carbon addition, granulated coke rather than activated carbon. The plant is equipped with a 4 step, forward reciprocating mass burn grate designed and manufactured by Steinmuller of Germany. This type of grate has a shallower angle than a reverse reciprocating action, about 22C rather than 25-27C. This could cater for the waste with high moisture contents that is currently generated in Shanghai. The boilers are supplied by Babcock Borag Espana (BBE) and consist of 3 vertical and 1 horizontal channels. Steam pressure is designed at 44.5 bar. The turbines, semi-dry lime reactors, and bag filters all were Mainland products. Based on our observation, it seems that one turbine is inadequate for 2 streams and two seems oversized for 3 streams (at the apparent CV of the waste).Electricity selling price was said to be RMB $0.5/kWh. The total investment for the first phase was RMB $750 million. The Plant is owned partly by Shanghai City and partly by the Shanghai Zhenhuan Industry General Company. When commissioned it will be operated and maintained by Onyx Asia on a long-term contract, still to be

15

finalised but for at least 20 years. The plant will be manned by about 50 personnel including the maintenance crew.

The Plant obviously has some teething problems. There was a large quantity of steam being released and heavy condensation from the water cooling towers indicating considerable steam dumping. Only 1 turbine was running. The waste appeared very wet from the stacking angle in the refuse pit. One boiler required the running of the oil burners to maintain temperature. Gas temperatures at the top of the boiler, were only around 860C in number 1 and around 830C in number 2 (despite the oil burners). One inspection port was completely open which should cause pressure control problems in the boiler. Waste burn out was incomplete. The plant representative praised the German supplier (Steinmuller) but criticized the Boiler supplier (BBE). Selection seems to have been done mainly on cost basis. The waste is apparently wetter than expected and throughput is below design. Visually the plant is quite attractive. It is set on a large (28,000 sq m) plot of land with only approximately half the land occupied. The investment cost seems low for what is provided but this could be due to low building costs and the use of cheaper Mainland equipment. Overall, this will be a good facility once the above issues are resolved. However, it seems to be a good example of demonstrating the need to use well-proven and tested equipment from experienced suppliers on such a large and prestigious project.

A view of Jaingquiao MSW incineration facilities

Waste reception hall of Jaingquiao MSW incineration facilities

16

Refuse bunker Spray Dryer

A view of central control room Baghouse

Group photo with representatives of Jaingquiao MSW incineration facilities

17

3.2

Lao Gang MSW Landfill Site ()

Date: 17 February 2004

Shanghai Lao Gang MSW Landfill Site is situated in the east of Lao Gang Town of Nan Hui District. The site is about 60 km from Shanghai downtown. The present landfill site, which was commissioned in three-phase from 1985 through 1999, has an area of 4200 m x 800 m. It was designed to dispose 75% of the municipal wastes arising from Shanghai. The average landfilling depth is 4m. It will be completely filled in early 2005. The 4th phase of the landfill, which would have an area of 4200 m x 800 m, was under construction for commencing operation soon. Site operates from 8:00am to 4:00pm. There are about 400 persons working in the landfill site. There are scavengers on site using open conveyors to sort reusable or recyclable materials. The daily volume sorted is 600 tonnes. The design capacity of the landfill is 7,500 tonnes per day. The average daily waste currently received by the landfill is 6,000 tonnes per day, mainly by canal barges from Shanghai downtown; and another 500 tonne by truck from nearest areas. Grab cranes are used to off-load the incoming waste from barges and fill up site trucks with fixed framed chutes. The waste delivered by trucks is discharged directly at the tipping area. There is no liner system installed at the bottom of the landfill. It was explained in the site video presentation that there was a layer of 17 meters of clay to prevent seepage of leachate into underground water which is considered to have no specific beneficial use. At present, the leachate generation rate is about 2,000 cu.m. per day. Several huge aeration lagoons were being used to store up leachate during our visit. Landfill gas was passively vented and no active landfill gas collection system was observed.

18

Water transportation for refuse

Squats of scavengers

Layout plan of Lao Gang landfill site

A view of tipping face of landfill

Group photo at Lao Gang Waste Disposal Centre

19

3.3

Pudong Biochemical Treatment Facility ()

Date: 17 February 2004

The biochemical treatment process is developed by Meishang International Group for handling the municipal solid waste generated from Pudong area. The technological process involves fermentations and mechanical separations. The plant is equipped with auxiliary pollution control systems such as sewage treatment system, waste gas processing system as well as thermal energy converting system. The facility consists of a biological compost processing system and a mechanical separation system which are elaborated as follows. In order to effectively convert organic matter of the municipal solid waste into useful compost, fermentation is introduced in the biological compost processing system at two different stages. Composite microbes and oxygen are added at each stage of fermentation. These composite microbes are cultivated in the microbe fermenting system by means of screening, separation, purification and combination of the cultures from natural soil, high-temperature manures and rotten plants. They are designed for efficient auxiliary microbes to innocuousness of domestic waste, biological fermentation and degradation. The mechanical separation system is designed in accordance with the shapes, volumes, specific gravity, jumping height at collision velocity in the incoming refuses. It adopts a combination of screening technologies such as wind force, gravity, magnetic force and bounce. The separation is introduced at two different stages. After the primary separation, most of the recyclabes such as metals, batteries, lighters, woods/bamboos, textiles, paper, plastics, bricks, glasses and the like are screened out. Any remaining combustibles, residual fines and small glasses are recovered in the secondary separation. The screening efficiency may be up to 95% or more. The plant is fitted with an environmental control system. The sewage primarily generated from the primary fermentation is collected and diverted to the sewage treatment system for centralized biochemical process. Most of the treated water will be re-circulated back to the secondary fermentation system for humidity adjustment prior to discharge into public sewerage system. The fermented waste gas arising the fermentation process is collected and diverted to the waste gas processing system for centralized biochemical treatment up to the discharge standard. Natural combustibles such as bamboos & woods and the like collected from the separation systems are all transferred to thermal energy converting system (i.e. a circulatory boiler) for thermal combustion. Energy recovered will be used by other systems such as microbe fermenting system, fermentation and drying.

20

The inorganic non-recyclabes such as brick/stone are delivered to the landfill for ultimate disposal. Those containing harmful substances (e.g. batteries) are separated for safe disposal. The biological treatment plant is considered economically viable taking into account of the support from the government, commercial values of the recyclables sorted out and the operational advantages of the facility. With the support from Government, the plant was built on a site of relatively low land cost, leading to a reduction in capital cost. The Government also assured that a standard portion of Pudong municipal solid waste is delivered to the plant for treatment. Moreover, the compost-derived fertilizer is guaranteed to be sold at a price of RMB $300-400/tonne. The steady supply of waste material and demand of compost-derived fertilizer makes this biological treatment plant commercially viable. Most of the recyclabes such as metals, batteries, lighters, textiles, paper, plastics, glasses and the like are considered useful materials which have a high salvage value of about RMB $20,000/day. Although many unit operations are designed with automated features, the treatment plant still requires about 80 operatives for normal operation. Low labour cost definitely contributes to a reduced operating cost at RMB $70/tonne.

A view of mechanical sorting plant

A view of mechanical sorting plant

21

Types of recyclables

A view of waste water treatment facility

Samples of compost product

Packs of compost

22

3.4

Shanghai Xingyue Environmental Protection Services Co. Ltd ()

Date: 18 February 2004

The Xing Yue Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. was established in 1990. It is one of the 65 licensed hazardous waste service providers in Shanghai providing collection service, incineration and final disposal of industrial wastes arising from Shanghai. Xing Yue currently serves some 270 industrial establishments in Shanghai including prominent enterprises such as BASF and General Electric. Xing Yues incineration facilities are accommodated in a site of 18 ha in Minhang County. The major facilities include three incinerators with a total daily treatment capacity of 30 tonnes, 1,800 sq m of storage area for various waste streams; and a waste collection crew with 8 vessels. The company is licensed by the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau (SEPB) to provide treatment for non-hazardous trade wastes as well as various wastes enlisted in the national hazardous wastes schedule except clinical wastes, cyanides, polychlorinated biphenyls, waste explosive and incineration fly ash. Total capital investment of the plant was RMB $20 million which include RMB $180,000 land cost. The company now has a team of about 100 staff members among which 4 are professionals. Non-hazardous waste streams such as packaging materials, plastics, off-specification substances are treated at its second generation brick-type incinerator. Other organic and inorganic waste streams such as lube oils, paints, fuels and sludge are incinerated at 850 C in the klin incinerator which has a daily treatment capacity of 24 tonnes. Bottom ash was extracted from the secondary combustion chamber; and the flue gas was further heated (first compartment) and then quickly quenched (second compartment) in the secondary combustion chamber to remove the toxic constituents. Exhaust gas is then treated with lime and activated carbon; and the dust is collected by bag filter. Excess energy is recovered for plant use. The incineration ash is disposed of at hazardous waste landfill. The company claimed that they complies with the national flue gas emission standards in respect of dioxin suppression, dust removal and desulphurization. According to the company, the charge for hazardous waste is now about RMB $1,000 per tonnes which comprises a one-stop service of collection, transportation and treatment of the incoming wastes and ultimate disposal of treatment residues at designated landfills. In recent years, the annual average quantities of wastes treated by Xing Yue was about 9,000 tonnes per year. In response to questions about the company perspectives, Xing Yues Director, Mr Kang Zheng Hua said that they had been studying plans to expand the plant area to 30 ha; and to extend the scope of service to cover waste battery. With the increasing environmental standards scrutinized by the municipal government, Mr Kang envisaged that there would be some small waste service providers closing down in future while the others would upgrade their capability. To this end, Xing Yue would have to better equip itself to face new market-driven competitions.

23

A view of Xing Yue Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. Flue gas pollution control system

Combustion chamber Flue gas pollution control system

Rotary kiln Incineration system

24

3.5

Shanghai Xingang Waste Recycle Station ()

Date: 19 February 2004

The Xingang Waste Recycling Ltd., located at Longhua Donglu 395, is a recycling centre in the Xingang District founded by the Municipal Government in 2001. The centre employs people mostly in their 40s and 50s who are on furlough with a view to helping them to earn some additional income. The workers collect and transport recyclable materials from 197 established collection points in the District to the recycling centre by using a fleet of 54 tricycles. The collectors do not receive any salary but are paid for the recyclable materials delivered to the centre. The buying prices are openly displayed and vary according to the market demand. The buying price at May 2004 for the following waste materials are listed below: Common recyclables: Paperboard 0.80 RMB/kg Newsprint 1.00 RMB/kg Books/ Magazines 0.80 RMB/kg Plastic (coloured) 0.80 RMB/kg Cotton-padded quilt 0.70 RMB/kg Coloured glass bottles 0.10 RMB/kg Used household electric goods: TV-set Refrigerator Washing machine Air conditioner VCD Audio equipment Computer Electric fan 5 - 280 RMB 30 - 150 RMB 10 - 90 RMB 100 - 800 RMB 60 - 100 RMB 20 - 90 RMB 80 - 200 RMB 5 - 15 RMB Scrap iron Brass Copper Coke bottles Tin cans 1.10 RMB/kg 10 RMB/kg 12-15 RMB/kg 0.30 RMB/piece 0.12 RMB/piece

Inside the centre, the collected materials are further sorted, baled, and sold with no processing takes place. The money earned through the price difference in buying and selling the waste materials is sufficient to operate the centre. For example, newsprint is bought at 1,000 RMB/t and sold at 1,300 RMB/t, PET bottles are sold at 5,300 RMB/t. It was noted that much of the waste plastic is sold to Taiwanese owned firms for processing because of lack of own technology in China. The centre also collects household batteries through an incentive programme in which tooth paste, soap and towel are offered as gift for every lot of 50 pieces of waste battery. A total of 37 tonnes of waste batteries were collected in 2003.

25

According to Mr Chen Lishan and Mr. Huang Yongtao of Xingang, advance booking of door-todoor collection of recyclables can be arranged for individual enterprises and even domestic households.

Districts served by Xingang Waste Recycling Ltd.

Collection tricycle

26

Price list of recyclables

Price list for discarded home appliances

Battery waste collection poster

27

3.6

Yuqiao Refuse Incinerator ()

Date: 19 February 2004

The Yuqiao Refuse Incinerator located at Pudong is one of the two large-scale refuse incinerators built as part of the Shanghais first Three-Year Action Plan on Environmental Protection and Re-Construction (2000 2002). The other large-scale refuse incinerator is situated at Puxi called Jiangqiao Refuse Incinerator () which is coverd in earlier text. The Yuqiao Refuse Incinerator began operation in September 2002 using mass burn technology to reduce solid waste volume while generating electricity. The incinerator can process some 1,000 tonnes municipal solid waste each day, generating up to 350,000 kWhr/day of electricity. A portion of the electricity is used to operate the plant and the remainder is sold to the Shanghai Electric () at a rate of RMB $0.5/kWh., which can partly offset the operating cost of the plant. The plant occupies an area of 80,000 sq. metres and the total capital investment is around RMB $670 million. It is equipped with 3 furnaces each of treatment capacity of 15.2 tonne/hr (made by a French company Alstom) together with 2 sets of 8,500 kW power generation steam turbines (locally made) for converting the recovered energy to electrical power. Air emissions which result from burning waste are controlled by several measures. It uses lime slurry to control sulphur oxides and acidic gases and multi-chamber fabric bag filter bag house for removal of particulate matter. Activated carbon is also injected to remove dioxin and heavy metals. When the flue gas is finally ready to exit the bag house, it is discharged through a 80 m high tri-flue stack where the emissions are monitored by a combination of continuous monitors and periodic stack sampling. Some 250 tonnes bottom ash is produced every day which can be reused in construction and roadbuilding material. For the fly ash, as they contain relatively high concentration of heavy metals, organic pollutants, chlorides and sulfides, they are stabilized and then disposed of at the Shanghai hazardous waste landfill. The Delegation visited the central control room of the facility and was explained how the plant was operated and monitored. At the time of the visit, all three furnaces were in operation. The plant engineer explained that the facility was run by some 42 operators working in four shifts. The operating conditions of the plant were monitored closely in the control room. The flue gas from the incinerator was cleansed by an efficient air pollution control system and the final emission from the stack could meet both the national emissions standards ( 2001) and the EU emission standards (1992 standards). The dioxin emission from the plant is below 0.1 ng/Nm3, which is much more stringent than the national emission standard on dioxin (1 ng/N m3). Overall speaking, the plant looked clean and tidy with no obvious odour problems or very noisy equipment. The plant appeared to be in a good running condition. In general, this visit provides a very good opportunity to observe first-handed operation of a modern incinerator in a major city in Mainland China where the demand for a sustainable, efficient and cost-effective waste

28

management system is very similar to Hong Kong and therefore their successful development and operation of a modern incinerator with energy recovery is particular relevant to Hong Kong.

A view of control panel

Refuse bunker

Combustion furnace

Delegation visited the incineration system

29

The flame of burning refuse

Bottom of combustion furnace

Electricity generator

30

CONCLUSION
(a) This delegation provided a very good opportunity for the delegates to meet with Mainland officials and practitioners of Shanghai to acquire up-to-date information on government policy and waste management facilities. (b) The diversified background of the delegates enabled fruitful exchanges on waste management policy and facilities operation from different perspectives including public policy, engineering planning and design, contracting and facilities operation. (c) The delegates were given the impression that Mainland waste management authorities are open-minded in terms of technicality of the facilities and projects visited. Through frank discussion, the delegates were able to get greater insight into the experience of the Mainland counterparts in operating municipal solid waste and hazardous landfills and incineration facilities. (d) On the incineration facilities, it was observed that foreign expertise was taped on both in the design and operation which help enhancing the technical, environmental and management standards the facilities. This technological exchange will be definitely beneficial to the advancement of planning and development of waste management facilities in Mainland. (e) It was realized that the other waste management facilities like landfills, biochemical treatment facility and recycling station were developed to cope with Mainland characteristics and local situations. Those facilities deserve some improvements in terms of waste disposal arrangement, infrastructure design and facility management. The management of those facilities paid a great attention on the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of those facilities and put a great effort on continuous improvement. (f) Lastly, the delegates were very impressed by the rapid development of Shanghai City. Urban revitalization together with various infrastructure development reinforces the commitment of Mainland in upgrading Shanghai into a world class city. (g) This delegation has no doubt enhanced the mutual understanding between waste management sector of Hong Kong and Mainland in a comprehensive manner covering technical, environmental, financial and social aspects of the projects visited. Important contacts have been established for future communication. More delegations of this kind would be useful in promoting sustainable waste management in Hong Kong.

31

Acknowledgement
The editor and authors wish to thank the Hong Kong Waste Management Association and the Environmental Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers for organizing this delegation to Shanghai. This trip will not materialize without the assistance of the receiving parties including Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, Pudong Environmental Protection Bureau and Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Administration Bureau, Shanghai Institute of Design and Research in Environmental Engineering, Jiangqiao MSW Incineration Facility, Nanhui MSW landfill, Pudong Biochemical Treatment Facility, Shanghai Xingang Waste Recycle Station, Shanghai Xingyue Environmental Protection Services Co. and Pudong Incineration Facility.

32

Appendices
(A) (B) (C) (D) Contact person of receiving parties. Shanghai Municipal Environmental Environmental Bulletin Shanghai Municipal Environmental Environmental Bulletin Protection Protection Bureau Bureau (2004), (2003), 2004 2003 Shanghai Shanghai

(Feb 2004), - (Deb 1999), : :

(E) (F) (G) (H)

(I) (J) (K)

33