SEPA Announces Violation of Chifeng Zhangjin Furfural Plant

On March 12th, 2007 a principal of the State Environmental
Protection Administration (SEPA) made public the pollution
problem of Chifeng Zhangjin Furfural Plant. After spot
investigation made by SEPA, there are many lawbreaking
activities in the plant, including discharge against the law,
construction before the approval, and cheating.
   Located in Nailin county, Kalaqin, south of Chifeng city,
Inner Mongolia, Zhangjin Furfural Plant was settled down in
Kalaqin in 2005. In September 2005, construction of the plant
was started under the approval of Kalaqin Development and Reform
Bureau. The missing environmental evaluation report was not
conducted in June 2006 until all the production facilities
including pollution treatment facilities were basically
installed. Furthermore, this project did not strictly practice
the environmental evaluation requirement, which suggests the
healthy protection distance should be more than 400 meters
because the plant's production gives rise to odor gases. But
actually, it is only around 300 meters in the plant so that great
impacts have been brought on the neighboring region around the
plant.
   The investigation also shows that waste gas was discharged
disorderly without effective control. The swage treatment
scheme did not put forward requirements including temperature
control according to the local condition. The waste water
discharged into Laoha River takes on kelly color with the COD
content exceeding the standards. Waste residue stored in the
open air has some pollution danger, too. There are also some
man-made mistakes resulting in the accident.
   The principal of SEPA points out Chifeng Municipal
Environmental Protection Administration Bureau should also be
responsible for the issue because of its incompetent
administration. He emphasizes that China has no standard or
relevant industrial policy on the healthy protection distance
and the odor gas emission in the furfural industry today so that
many furfural plants are built under a blind situation. In future,
relevant standards and laws should be published as soon as
possible to promote the sound development of furfural production.
In addition, local offices of environmental protection
administration should practically execute their duties.