Wastewater Pollution Abatement in China: A Comparative Study of Fifteen Industrial Sectors from 1998 to 2010
Affiliation(s)
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.
ABSTRACT
This study analyzes the management of wastewater pollutants in a number of Chinese industrial sectors from 1998 to 2010. We use decomposition analysis to calculate changes in wastewater pollutant emissions that result from cleaner production processes, end-of-pipe treatment, structural changes in industry, and changes in the scale of production. We focus on one indicator of water quality and three pollutants: chemical oxygen demand (COD), petroleum, cyanide, and volatile phenols. We find that until 2002, COD emissions were mainly reduced through end-of-pipe treatments. Cleaner production processes didn’t begin contributing to COD emissions reductions until the introduction of a 2003 law that enforced their implementation. Petroleum emissions were primarily lowered through cleaner production mechanisms, which have the added benefit of reducing the input cost of intermediate petroleum. Diverse and effective pollution abatement strategies for cyanide and volatile phenols are emerging among industries in China. It will be important for the government to consider differences between industries should they choose to regulate the emissions of specific chemical substances.
This study analyzes the management of wastewater pollutants in a number of Chinese industrial sectors from 1998 to 2010. We use decomposition analysis to calculate changes in wastewater pollutant emissions that result from cleaner production processes, end-of-pipe treatment, structural changes in industry, and changes in the scale of production. We focus on one indicator of water quality and three pollutants: chemical oxygen demand (COD), petroleum, cyanide, and volatile phenols. We find that until 2002, COD emissions were mainly reduced through end-of-pipe treatments. Cleaner production processes didn’t begin contributing to COD emissions reductions until the introduction of a 2003 law that enforced their implementation. Petroleum emissions were primarily lowered through cleaner production mechanisms, which have the added benefit of reducing the input cost of intermediate petroleum. Diverse and effective pollution abatement strategies for cyanide and volatile phenols are emerging among industries in China. It will be important for the government to consider differences between industries should they choose to regulate the emissions of specific chemical substances.
Cite this paper
H. Fujii, S. Managi and S. Kaneko, "Wastewater Pollution Abatement in China: A Comparative Study of Fifteen Industrial Sectors from 1998 to 2010," Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 4 No. 3, 2013, pp. 290-300. doi: 10.4236/jep.2013.43034.
H. Fujii, S. Managi and S. Kaneko, "Wastewater Pollution Abatement in China: A Comparative Study of Fifteen Industrial Sectors from 1998 to 2010," Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 4 No. 3, 2013, pp. 290-300. doi: 10.4236/jep.2013.43034.
References
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[1] X. J. Zhang, C. Chen, J. Q. Ding, A. Hou, Y. Li, Z. B. Niu, X. Y. Su, Y. J. Xu and E. A. Laws, “The 2007 Water Crisis in Wuxi, China: Analysis of the Origin,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 182, No. 13, 2010, pp. 130135. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.06.006 [2] M. Wang, M. Webber, B. Finlayson and J. Barnett, “Rural Industries and Water Pollution in China,” Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 86, No. 4, 2008, pp. 648659. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.12.019 [3] W. Shao, “Effectiveness of Water Protection Policy in China: A Case Study of Jiaxing,” Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 408, No. 4, 2010, pp. 690701. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.11.019 [4] K, Zhang and Z. Wen, “Review and Challenges of Policies of Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in China,” Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 88, No. 4, 2008, pp. 1249-1261. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.06.019 [5] M. Frondel, J. Horbach and K. Rennings, “End-of-Pipe or Cleaner Production? An Empirical Comparison of Environmental Innovation Decisions across OECD Countries,” Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 16, No. 8, 2007, pp. 571-584. doi:10.1002/bse.496 [6] United Nations Environment Program, “Environmental Agreements and Cleaner Production,” UNEP, 2006. [7] G. Kjaerheim, “Cleaner Production and Sustainability,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2005, pp. 329-339. doi:10.1016/S0959-6526(03)00119-7 [8] S. X. Zeng, X. H. Meng, H. T. Yin, C. M. Tam and L. Sun, “Impact of Cleaner Production on Business Performance,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 18, No. 10-11, 2010, pp. 975-983. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.02.019 [9] H. Wang, “Pollution Regulation and Abatement Efforts: Evidence from China,” Ecological Economics, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2002, pp. 85-94. doi:10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00016-2 [10] H. Wang and D. Wheeler, “Financial Incentives and Endogenous Enforcement in China’s Pollution Levy System,” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2005, pp. 174-196. doi:10.1016/j.jeem.2004.02.004 [11] C. Zhang, Z. Wen and J. Chen, “An Integrated Model for Technology Forecasting to Reduce Pollutant Emission in China’s Pulp Industry,” Resource, Conservation and Re cycling, Vol. 54, No. 1, 2009, pp. 62-72. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2009.06.008 [12] Y. Geng, W. Xinbei, Z. Qinghua and Z. Hengxin, “Regional Initiatives on Promoting Cleaner Production in China: A Case of Liaoning,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vo. 18, No. 15, 2010, pp. 1502-1508. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.06.028 [13] X. D. Diao, S. X. Zeng, C. M. Tam and V. W. Y. Tam, “EKC Analysis for Studying Economic Growth and Environmental Quality: A Case Study in China,” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 17, No. 5, 2009, pp. 541-548. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.09.007 [14] B. W. Ang and F. L. Liu, “A New Energy Decomposition Method: Perfect in Decomposition and Consistent in Aggregation,” Energy, Vol. 26, No. 6, 2001, pp. 537-548. doi:10.1016/S0360-5442(01)00022-6 [15] L. Charlita de Freitas and S. Kaneko, “Decomposition of CO2 Emissions Change from Energy Consumption in Brazil: Challenges and Policy Implications,” Energy Policy, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2011, pp. 1495-1504. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.12.023 [16] J. He, “What Is the Role of Openness for China’s Aggregate Industrial SO2 Emission? A Structural Analysis Based on the Divisia Decomposition Method,” Ecological Economics, Vol. 69, No. 4, 2010, pp. 868-886. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.10.012 [17] H, Fujii and S. Managi, “Decomposition of Toxic Chemical Substance Management in three US Manufacturing Sectors from 1991 to 2008,” Journal of Industrial Ecology, (in Print). doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00527.x [18] B. W. Ang, “Decomposition Analysis for Policymaking in Energy: Which Is the Preferred Method?” Energy Policy, Vol. 32, No. 9, 2004, pp. 1131-1139. doi:10.1016/S0301-4215(03)00076-4 [19] B. W. Ang and F. L. Liu, “Handling Zero Values in the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index Decomposition Approach,” Energy Policy, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2007, pp. 238 246. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2005.11.001