To help meet new regulations governing wastewater treatment at Chinese coal-to-chemical plants, a facility in Yulin City will install GE’s advanced zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology, officials announced on Wednesday. 

GE’s ZLD evaporator and crystallizer system will eliminate liquid discharge of waste and enable water reuse at the Shaanxi Future Energy Chemical Co.  coal-to-chemical plant in Shaanxi Province, China. 

China is one of the world's largest producers of coal, and coal-fired power plants provide the majority of the country’s electricity. Coal also serves as a vital feedstock and is converted into a wide variety of chemical and petroleum products. 

Under China’s new regulations, including the Water Pollution Action Plan, the New Environmental Protection Law and China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, these plants must eliminate the liquid discharge of wastewater into theenvironment, and a ZLD system must be installed to obtain a permit for these plants.

The Hongdun facility is a coal-to-liquid project where Shaanxi Future Energy Chemical converts coal into a variety of oil products. GE’s wastewater treatment system includes a vapor recompression brine concentrator followed by a crystallizer, providing a proven and cost-effective ZLD solution. T

he equipment is expected to be delivered in mid-2016, with commissioning in March 2017. Once operational, the HongDun wastewater treatment facility will treat the wastewater feed at a rate of 40 m3/hr.

“This project is the sixth of this kind in China for GE in recent years and builds on our reputation as a premier ZLD solution provider worldwide," said Kevin Cassidy, global leader, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power. "It is indicative of China’s desire to use innovative methods, such as zero liquid discharge wastewater treatment technology, to expand the coal-to-chemical industry while minimizingenvironmental impact."