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1. Project Summary and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project seeks to improve the environment through recycling the resources and raising the level of secondary resource reclamation in the industrial processes. Measures will be taken to reclaim waste rubber and other waste resources in an orderly and standardised way. This will reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability in the rubber industry.

This project is based on programme area 19D of China's Agenda 21, and is related to programme areas 12C and 14A.

2. Background

By the end of this century, China is expected to produce 0.85-0.90 million tons of waste rubber annually, 2 million tons of waste plastics, 4 million tons of waste steel, 1 million ton of non-ferrous waste metals and 10 million tons of waste glass. In addition, there are hundred thousands of industrial slag containing non-ferrous and precious metals, waste liquid and slag from paper mills and oil factories. Secondary resources reclamation could result in substantial benefits for the Chinese economy and environment.

Research on reclaiming waste rubber has been conducted as key research projects of Chinaís Eighth Five-Year Plan. This project is under the administration of the Ministry of Internal Trade, which is also responsible for recycling parts of automobiles.

This project is expected to be placed on China's Ninth Five-Year Plan for the Development of Science and Technology. Waste rubber reclamation is in line with the overall industrial scope of our country. Reclamation will promote the development of chemical, mechanical industries and environmental protection.

It was during the Eighth Five-Year Plan when problems of reclamation of waste rubber and the quantities of waste tires from rapid development of the automobile industry emerged. The Ministry of Internal Trade organised experts to carry out a series of research dealing with waste tires. These have already been a series of achievements in scientific research in tire pulverising equipment, techniques for activating and modifying rubber powder, compounding and preparation of various catalytic, active agents and modifiers along with testing and improving the performances of products. The overall goal of this research was to identify out an economically feasible and creative way to handle the growing amount of waste tires. These techniques have already been put to use in major national projects. For the Ninth Five-Year plan, one of the priority projects for the Ministry of Internal Trade will be effective replication of this project. Efforts will be made to renew techniques for waste rubber reclamation, and elimination of long term environmental pollution. The enforcement body of the project will be national major technology institutes and universities which possess professional technological capabilities and advanced equipment.

3. Objectives

3.1 Long-term Objective

Consolidate and disseminate the techniques of waste tire reclamation; establish a factory with technologically advanced foreign enterprise. With newly acquired technology and advanced foreign facilities, we can further extend the industrial scope of exploiting new resources from waste materials such as waste tires and rubber. The ultimate goal is to make the technology and management for resources reclamation on par with world standards. This will contribute to global environmental protection.

3.2 Immediate Objectives

• Explore techniques for reclaiming different grades of rubber waste;
• Transform existing equipment in a rubber reclamation factory, cut down the consumption of energy, eliminate pollution. During the Ninth Five-Year, establish a demonstration enterprise which will produce 10 thousand tons of active and modified rubber powder each year and related high profit products;
• Establish a trading market information network and management system for waste rubber and waste material.

4. Outputs and Activities

4.1 Exploration and importation of new technology and equipment for waste tires reclamation

• Import high efficiency, low energy consumption waste tires pulverising equipment.
• Research the techniques of activating and modifying crude rubber powder, and solve the problem of how to compound and prepare active agents and modifiers;
• Explore the technology of comprehensive utilisation of waste tires and non-rubber.

Monitoring Indicators: waste tires and non-rubber comprehensive utilisation technology, activating and modifying rubber powder technology to achieve international standard.

Implementing Agencies: Guangzhou Resources Reclamation Institute, Shenyang Reclaimed Rubber Factory.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999

4.2 Establishment of industry of waste tires reclamation by adopting advanced techniques and transform existing technology of reclaiming rubber

• Import foreign equipment for rubber pulverisation, active agents and modifier compounds for the production of active and modified rubber powders. Establish two examples for producing 10 thousand tons of rubber powder per year in Guangzhou and Beijing. Establish five to ten demonstration industries for active and modified rubber powder;
• With existing advanced techniques, foreign equipment and funds, reform and renew Shenyang reclaimed rubber enterprise which produces 10 thousand tons of reclaimed rubber each year.

Monitoring Indicators: two examples of dealing with waste tires and comprehensive utilisation waste tires; Set up one enterprise of reclaiming waste rubber; Put five to ten kinds of products on the market.

Implementing Agencies: China National Resources Reclamation Corp., Shinnying reclaimed rubber factory.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 2000

4.3 Marketing waste materials in Wuhan

• Establish an information network for trading in waste materials marketplace;
• Establish a warehouse for trade and storage of waste materials.

Monitoring Indicators: waste materials (metal) marketplace and information network system.

Implementing Agencies: China National Resources Reclamation Corp., Wuhan Means of Production Corp.

Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999

5. Inputs

5.1 Chinese Inputs

Chinese resources will be used in developing national and departmental techniques, research and production of equipment and establishing projects with funds raised by local enterprises.

5.2 International Inputs

International resources will be used to invite foreign specialists to give guest lectures; training 30 senior technical personnel for the comprehensive utilisation of waste rubber and other waste materials; training 15 people with management experience in waste materials and 15 people with management experience in trading, importing technology including the purchase of instruments and equipment, etc..

5.3 Budget

Total funding for this project is US$ 21.20 million, including US$ 11.20 million from the Chinese and US$ 10 million from the international community.

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Table 1. Budget by Item (in million US dollars)

Table 2. Budget by Output (in million US dollars)

6. Benefits

This project will promote reclamation and comprehensive use of secondary resources, cut down the consumption of energy and lower environment pollution. The establishment of a prototype production line, which will be above the minimum economic scale, and renewing reclaimed rubber factory will produce direct economic benefit of 2.4 million Yuan per year. The standardisation of the market and management will promote the development of a trading system for reclaimed secondary resources. The prototype line will produce latent economic benefits of 100 million yuan. The production of reclaimed rubber will bring economic benefits of 800-900 million yuan for China. It will mitigate the serious deficiency in the supply of nature and synthetic rubber and strongly promote an increase in the volume of reclaimed rubber.

7. Risks

In recent years, the unreasonable tax policy and price of waste material obstructed the development of national resources reclamation and resulted in depression of the reclamation trade. The Ministry of Internal Trade and departments concerned will establish rules, regulations and laws for standard management and administration in the trade of reclaimed resource. Government agencies and enterprises will co-ordinate the efforts to solve the problems of lack of funding for reclamation activities.

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