Handan to cut iron, steel capacities by Aug 2018 to control air pollution

SHANGHAI, May 10 (SMM) – To control air pollution and improve air quality, Handan city plans to slash 1.51 million mt of iron capacity and 300,000 mt of steel capacity by the end of August 2018, according to a plan released by the municipal authority this week.

Handan failed to meet its air improvement target during the 2017-2018 winter. It lowered the average PM2.5 concentration by 15.7% year on year and achieved 79% of its goal. This contrasted sharply with Beijing, which lowered its PM2.5 concentration by 44.2% and far exceeded its goal by 177%.

PM2.5 refers to fine, suspended particles with diametres of less than 2.5 micrometres, which is about 3% the diametre of a strand of human hair. Because they are small and light, they tend to stay in the air longer than larger particles and this increases the likelihood of humans and animals inhaling it. 

Apart from capacity cuts, Handan also plans to intensify its effort to relocate Hansteel. Hansteel’s coke plant in east Handan will begin its relocation later this year and will aim to complete relocation by the end of June 2019.

A total of 18 steel mills and 24 coke plants in Handan will face comprehensive remediation and regulation. This includes technology upgrades such as selective catalytic reduction, integration of desulphurisation and denitrification of active coke in sintering machines as well as the control of volatile organic compounds emissions at coke ovens.

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