NICE’s Zero-emission Water Treatment Technology Applied in Hulunbuir Power Plant

On May 4, the first zero-emission desulfurization wastewater treatment project for air-cooled generation units in ultra-frigid areas undertaken by the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy (NICE) under China Energy completed 168-hour trial operation in Guohua Hulunbuir Power Plant in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, proving the project a big success.

The room-temperature crystallization technology developed by NICE.

To overcome challenges in the treatment of desulfurization wastewater and high-salt wastewater, NICE developed a zero-emission crystallization and desalination technology to treat desulfurization wastewater with independent intellectual property right. The trial operation proved that the system’s wastewater treatment capacity is 20% higher than designed, with a water production rate of over 90%. The quality of recycled water is higher than the national standards for replenishing water for cooling water system. After treatment, the content of high-salt water is reduced to less than 10% compared to the original desulfurization wastewater. Besides, compared to conventional water treatment technology, the new technology can cut costs by 30%. It is estimated that the project will help Hulunbuir Power Plant recycle more than 40,000 tons of wastewater each year and save costs by 25 million yuan. That means the investment costs will be retrieved in half a year. The project can create remarkable economic and environmental benefits.

The successful operation of the project not only helps the power plant solve problems concerning wastewater treatment, but also provides a set of world-leading new technologies for desulfurization wastewater, coal chemical wastewater and highly mineralized wastewater treatment in coal-fired power plants of China Energy and beyond. It is of great significance in terms of technical innovation and application.