Bag filters provide cleaner air at plants
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E-mail Xinhua, June 9, 2013
Ma Liang was trawling the Internet looking for a bag filter that could be used at the steel plant he works at.
Amid public calls for cleaner air, the Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group Co Ltd in northern China's Shanxi province, which burns coal and coke for energy, is stepping up efforts to reduce particulate discharge.
"I am looking for a filter made of thinner fiber that can reduce particulate emission by half," said Ma, who is head of the pollution control division of the firm.
The company is not alone.
Coal-burning factories, like steel plants, thermal power companies and central heating providers are looking to use bag filters to reduce dust, at a time when air quality has become a big complaint among Chinese citizens.
The bag filters, which come in different sizes and can used in apartments or big factories, allows air to go through it and is cleaned as the filter catches dust.
When carrying out market research, Ma found bag filters, made of a new kind of material, which sell roughly the same as the old ones. "The material also allows better air permeability, so we do not have to change fans," Ma said.
"So the overall cost will not increase," he said, adding that price is an important factor when it comes to environmental protection as the Chinese steel industry is generally suffering from over-supply and weak demand.
Air quality is a big challenge in China. Heavy smog affected 800 million people at the beginning of the year. In summer, humid weather makes dust and smoke in the air difficult to disperse.
Automobile exhausts, industrial emissions, coal-fired heating, as well as dust from construction sites are to blame for the country's smog, according to a number of experts, including Wang Yuesi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Drivers have been discouraged in using automobiles but it is difficult as many do not want to sacrifice convenience and the air quality will not be improved if just a few Chinese people do so.
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