CLEANING UP: An employee at No. 1 Wastewater Treatment Station, owned by Sinosteel Jilin Ferroralloys Co. Ltd., checks water treatment equipment. Wastewater treatment technology has developed rapidly in China

Chinese chemical company EST Chemical, based in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, has made a breakthrough in purifying polluted water following seven years of painstaking research.

The company's new equipment, now being commercially produced, is capable of desalinizing and purifying wastewater, and 75 percent to 85 percent of the treated water can be reused. No new pollutants are generated in the treatment process, which uses ElectroSorb Technology (EST).

The device works using electricity. Once charged, its electrodes begin absorbing ions from contaminants in the water, leaving it clear of pollutants.

EST technology is an internationally recognized effective water treatment technology. Many countries have devoted significant resources to its research and development, but failed to make breakthroughs. Its development did not make it pass the creation of lab models, and there was no large-scale industry testing.

Changzhou EST Chemical Co. Ltd.'s EST equipment has been highly commended. It can be used both in industrial wastewater recovery and also for drinking water desalinization, defluorination, and arsenic and hardness removal. The technology can be widely used to improve the quality of drinking water and to desalinize seawater, and is now being mass-produced for commercial purposes.

China is one of the global leaders in wastewater treatment technology, and EST is only one of the many technologies that China owns, said Chen Shangqin, Vice President of China Association of Environment Protection Industry.

Growing industry

Another technology, quantitative eutrophication control, is considered more effective in tackling blue-green algae pollution, which has been a problem in China in recent years.

Blue-green algae outbreaks are common in rivers and lakes. Various weapons including chemicals, microbial and algae eaters have been used to eliminate blue-green algae, but all have been unsuccessful. Workers have been deployed to "harvest" algae in some cases in an effort to defeat it.

Quantitative eutrophication control technology, developed in April by Shanghai Sun A Environment Water Engineering Co. Ltd., is the newest technology for controlling blue-green algae breakouts, said Chen. It is effective in assessing, controlling and removing algae, rebuilding water food and biological chains, and rebalancing the ecosystem.

"Tests performed in Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, and Dianchi Lake in Yunnan Province demonstrate that the technology is very efficient in removing the blue-green algae," said Liu Guangzhao, Director General of the Shanghai-based company, at a high-level symposium on China water pollution prevention and control technologies, held in Suzhou on April 10.

Liu explained that his company has built mathematical models based on more than 20,000 lakes around the world. The models cover many details about the lakes, including the life cycle of benthos, the amount of nutrients consumed and the chemical composition of water inflow.

Membrane bioreactor wastewater deep treatment and recovery technology is another cutting-edge water pollution treatment technology. It was developed by Tianjin Tsinghua Daring Environmental Engineering Co. Ltd. after a decade of research. The technology removes pollutants from water, bringing it up to national drinking water standards, at a lower cost than traditional treatment methods.

This new technology has been listed as a national "21st-century sustainable development practical new technology." It has also passed assessment by relevant government departments and is now in commercial production.

The Chinese Government has encouraged and supported wastewater treatment technology. The departments in charge of science and technology and departments responsible for environmental protection have been coordinating with universities and research institutes to develop new environment protection technologies.

On May 17, 2007, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the environment protection authorities passed a plan for the implementation of important water pollution prevention and control technologies. Under the plan, research will be carried out on the nature of pollution in China's river basins, and on pollution monitoring and early warning, as well as on water quality target management. A river basin comprehensive management system will be set up, which will focus on source pollution control. Wastewater pollution control and drinking water technology systems will also be established. Technical pilot projects will be implemented.

In May 2008, the National Development and Reform Commission released an updated list entitled Environment Protection Equipment (Products) Supported by the Nation, which includes a significant amount of water pollution control equipment.