(Yicai Global) Sept. 6 -- China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment is drawing up new emission standards for the coking chemical industry, which are likely to affect over 550 Chinese coking companies.

The new standards aim to strengthen control and management of air pollutant emissions and promote improvement of technologies and sustainable development of the coking chemical industry, a member of the team at the ministry compiling the standards told Yicai Global.

At the end of last year, China had 557 coking firms and a capacity of around 634 million tons of coke, with 544 tons in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Ammonia emissions from coke oven chimneys nationwide are about 22,000 to 35,000 tons a year. The new standards aim to cut the emissions by 25 percent and reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds by 30 to 50 percent, according to the ministry.

New investment in environment protection by a coking chemical firm with an annual capacity of 1 million tons, for example, will have to take up about 7 to 12 percent of its total investment after the new standards are implemented, and new annual operation costs for environment protection will make up around 0.5 percent to 1 percent of the total.

The coking chemical industry produces toxic and hazardous pollutants such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are harmful to the human body, the member of the compiling team said, noting that existing emission standards have relatively lax controls, such as for the collection and transport of waste gases. There will also be tougher requirements for treatment facilities and wastewater at coke oven chimneys.

The new standards are expected to play a positive role in reducing emissions of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and ammonia pollutants and will help improve the environment of Chinese coking companies and surrounding areas, the ministry said. It is currently seeking public opinions on the new standards.

Editor: Tom Litting