Shanghai Chemical Industry Park: pioneering safe and reliable hazardous waste disposal services to lead the circular economy revolution

SCIP is one of China’s seven premier petrochemical bases and the first national-level chemical industry park in China. Currently, it’s home to global chemical giants such as INVISTA, BASF, Covestro, Evonik, Huntsman, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals, as well as major Chinese chemical firms like Sinopec and Huayi Group. The large, diverse cluster of chemical companies produce highly-concentrated wastewater and large amounts of industrial waste from their manufacturing processes. Such byproducts include many types of hazardous waste that can easily react in complex processes, requiring a specialised and integrated model to treat hazardous waste to ensure the safety and environmental integrity of the park and its surrounding areas.

Operating an integrated model is highly demanding, as operators must cater to the differentiated needs of companies while meeting the objectives of park management. For these reasons, SCIP chose SUEZ as its long-term partner while planning the park in 2002. We brought a full suite of technical solutions, stable and reliable operational and managerial expertise, and a sustainable environmental management philosophy together with a relentless focus on innovation and R&D.

Based on our shared values, closely aligned business philosophy, and commitment to long-term development, SUEZ and SCIP have promoted the adoption of new technologies and new processes. We have also promoted the enablement of digital and intelligent solutions, ensuring that treatment technologies and management practices meet best-in-class standards and that we at SUEZ continue to create value for our customers, for the Park, and for society.

Our disposal solutions cover a wide range of hazardous waste and services spanning the areas of acceptance, packaging, collection, transportation, incineration and analysis. We make sure that 307 types of industrial waste in 25 categories listed in the National Catalog of Hazardous Wastes are disposed of properly. This approach ensures uninterrupted production for our industrial clients, providing them with the peace of mind that comes from knowing their waste management needs are in the hands of a trusted partner.

Our technologies also eliminate the need for Park-based industries to carry out complex pre-treatment and by combining different residues, we facilitate the various treatment processes. Residues are collected by a pipe network or hauled to the site by specialised vehicles. For specific operations like the removal of chemical catalysts or complex cleaning operations in industrial processes, specialised staff is made available to our clients for on-site services. We adjust to our clients’ fluctuating production and thanks to our multiple treatment lines, storage capabilities and redundancies, we can guarantee 365-day acceptance even during maintenance operations. Besides, industrial steam produced by our operations is returned to our clients to save on energy.

Our facility is also equipped with an energy recovery unit. The heat generated by incineration can be used to produce steam and supplied to industrial customers in the park. By replacing traditional fossil energy with steam, we help customers reduce their fossil fuel consumption, effectively reducing their carbon footprint and the emissions of harmful greenhouse gases.

For over 20 years, SUEZ has leveraged its innovative and resilient integrated solutions to help SCIP become a global model of ecological protection and the circular economy. Our integrated solutions in SCIP were recognised as China’s Model Case Studies of Third-Party Environmental Solutions in Industrial Parks. Today, SCIP has consistently ranked top among China’s 30 leading chemical parks for multiple consecutive years. The Park is also a chemical industry zone with the most concentrated footprint of multinational companies and the strongest capacity for resource recovery and recycling.

• By adopting advanced technical design and a mature process roadmap, we can manage the entire hazardous waste disposal journey to achieve 100% compliant, safe, timely, transparent, and traceable disposal.
• By providing on-site pre-treatment services on customer premises, we have reduced waste at the source.
• Through pipeline transportation, centralized disposal, and a smart logistics and warehousing system, we’ve reduced the discharge of pollutants.
• At the end of incineration, we use a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitrification system to reduce NO₂ emissions. Through the energy recovery system, we recycle energy from hazardous waste, saving 72,000 tons of standard coal every year.
• The various auxiliary facilities such as solar power generation and wastewater-sludge circulation work together to achieve waste and carbon reduction.
• The facilities have passed CNAS, ISO9001, ISO14001, and ISO17025 certifications.