CHONGQING, June 3 : A group of foreign journalists on Tuesday visited Chongqing to learn about city’s practical measures for urban waste management, sewage water treatment, emissions control and comprehensive environmental conservation. During a visit at Urban Non-Hazardous Waste Management Center, and Huangshaxi “Zero-Waste City” Education Base in Yuzhong district, they were briefed about the Center’s sewage water treatment processes. The Center located at Huangshaxi Riverside Road in Chongqing’s Yuzhong district was established as a key project under Chongqing’s 11th Five-Year Plan and designated as a 2009 Chongqing Municipal Government Residents’ Livelihood Project. The Center plays a vital role in processing fecal wastewater from the district that are not connected to the municipal sewer system, providing supplementary non-hazardous treatment for other central urban districts, thereby effectively protecting the water quality of both the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers.
Within the Center, the Huangshaxi Zero-Waste City Education Base has been developed as Chongqing’s first dedicated exhibition center focusing on zero waste. The foreign journalists also visited the “Changhang Chaotian Xinghe” Cruise Ships which host over 3.5 million tourists annually, serving as Chongqing’s iconic tourism attraction. These cruise ships are operated frequently at the confluence of the Yangtze and the Jialing Rivers. These ships have been in service for more than 6-10 years, having impacts on Chongqing’s central urban area’s air quality. The district pioneered an innovative pilot project for inland ship emission treatment nationwide by installing SCR or Selective Catalytic Reduction system on the Two Rivers Cruise. This reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by approximately 90%. “The project was selected as a model case for “Promoting High-Quality Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Beautiful Chongqing Construction in 2024. ”It is also the first pilot project for exhaust gas treatment of inland river operating ships in China, offering a positive demonstration effect for comprehensive emission reduction in existing inland shipping. At the Liangjiang New Area’s AT&S (Chongqing) Company Ltd., the media was briefed about practical cases of green and high-quality development of Chongqing. Established in 2011 and located in Yuzui Township, Jiangbei district, the company produces world-leading semiconductor packaging substrates and system-in-package printed circuit boards. Its products are used in computer microprocessors, mobile devices, wearables, and high-end IoT products.
AT&S is now the only manufacturer in China for new-generation high-end semiconductor substrates. For wastewater treatment, different wastewater types are identified and collected through dedicated pipelines. These are temporarily stored in designated tanks before being pumped in batches based on compatible properties to the same treatment system. In terms of waste gas treatment, the waste gases are also collected and treated according to their nature. In terms of waste management, in line with the principle of resourcefulness, harmlessness and minimization and as a pilot project of Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment’s “one item, one code”, the plant has formulated a color-coded classification of hazardous wastes, which are then handed over to qualified suppliers for treatment. The also visited Chongqing Sanfeng Yulin Waste-to-Energy Co., Ltd. which operates the fourth waste-to-energy plant in Chongqing’s central urban area. Designed with four 750-ton per day municipal solid waste incineration lines, the plant handles 3,000 tons of waste daily and generates about 600 million kWh of electricity annually which is enough for about 300,000 households. It also reduces approximately 451,800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The project has four main highlights. First, the use of medium-temperature sub-high-pressure waste heat boilers, resulting in high power generation efficiency—up to 650 kWh per ton of waste, surpassing similar facilities. Second, the project adopts ultra-low emission flue gas treatment technology, with key pollutant emission indicators achieving levels below 10% of the EU 2010 standard limits, while achieving zero waste water discharge across the entire facility. Third, the implementation of a smart factory system for intelligent management. Fourth, the Inconel overlay welding technology developed by Chongqing Sanfeng Yulin. The plant won the 2023 China National Quality Engineering “Luban Prize”, and was recognized as a national AAA-level waste incineration facility. Upon completion, the project has achieved 100% harmless disposal, resource utilization, and volume reduction of household waste in the central urban area of Chongqing.
