| “China’s
highly polluting pulp and paper mills could be given a clean new
lease on life, thanks to British Technology”
Local environmental organisation,
BioRegional Development Group has developed new clean technology
to pulp local agricultural waste into paper. The ‘MiniMill’
uses non-polluting, energy-efficient technology, to bring the dual
environmental benefits of reducing pollution and saving the worlds
wood resources.
The technology is suitable for
developed and developing countries. The first opportunity to pilot
the technology is in China where the environmental benefits are
very much needed. In 1998 China began to close thousands of highly
polluting pulp and paper mills which raised many secondary problems
for the country.
Since the closures tens of thousands
of mill workers have faced job losses at a time when demand for
paper is seeing massive growth. Farmers who supplied wheat and rice
straw and other crop wastes to the mills for pulp have seen a drop
in income. Air pollution has shot up in some areas as farmers returned
to the traditional practice of burning crop waste in the fields.
Thanks to BioRegional the MiniMill
offers cleaner solutions to a number of problems apparent in China’s
paper industry. Chief among these is its ability to use ‘black
liquor’ waste, the toxic by-product of pulp manufacturing
as a fuel, so in effect the mill can run partially on its own waste.
Black liquor and other pollutants from the industry have impacted
notoriously on rivers such as the Huai in Jiangsu Province causing
problems for human health, fish populations and rare wildlife such
as the Chinese River Dolphin.
Sue Riddlestone Deputy Director
of BioRegional said:
"We have been to China and
met the people who have lost their jobs as the mills were closed
down and seen the straw that used to be used to make paper now being
burned in the fields. Straw can provide an alternative to wood pulp
and would help to reduce pressure on the world's forests, so we
are delighted to receive this award and will be working hard with
our partners in China to make this technology a success"
We are searching for the final
pledges of investment needed to build a pilot MiniMill. Once the
first MiniMill is up and running this innovative environmental technology
can be taken up worldwide, including in the UK.
BioRegional would like to thank the Department of Trade and Industry,
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), The J.J Charitable Trust and
The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for their generous support for this
project.
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