Hechi suspends polluting smelters

Eight smelting companies in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have suspended the use of out-dated blast furnaces for lead smelting, local media reported on July 27.

Lead smelting in blast furnaces is regarded as a backwards smelting technique that over consumes energy while jeopardizing the environment with excessive lead dust and smoke.

A team from the Ministry of Environmental Protection inspected Hechi’s industries last July and ordered them to phase out those blast furnaces by the end of 2017.

Those companies have begun adopting new techniques for lead smelting.

Born Rich Smelting Co. Ltd is planning to invest 500 million yuan ($74.26 million) on an advanced oxygen enriched smelting technique. They have finished the first phase, and the new furnace was put into operation on June 28. The whole project is estimated to complete by February 2018.

Compared with the old technique, the new one is more environmentally-friendly with a higher production efficiency. In the future, Hechi will continue the scheme and focus on the development of Dachi industrial park.