The technical specifications (Technical Specification) of electron beam (EB) industrial wastewater treatment technology were issued by CGN Dasheng Electron Accelerator Technology Co, a subsidiary of CGN Nuclear Technology Development Co (CGNNT), at the 15th China International Nuclear Industry Exhibition in Beijing on March 30.

As one of nine technical standard documents announced at the exhibition, the Technical Specification is the first of its kind in the world and will be implemented as of May 30.

The issuance is another significant step in China’s EB industrial wastewater treatment industry, and will help promote the large-scale application of the technology in the printing, dyeing and papermaking industries, according to CGNNT.

The new technology effectively combines radiation with conventional wastewater treatment technologies and thus can efficiently dispose of toxic and harmful effluent that contains hard-to-degrade chemicals. As the technology progresses, it will be used to dispose of medical wastes and pollutants, and dioxin in offgas from waste incineration.

According to statistics, China’s total amount of industrial wastewater discharge in 2015 was 19.95 billion tons, one fourth of which came from the printing & dyeing and papermaking industries.

Experts say that the EB industrial wastewater treatment technology excels over conventional treatment and can also realize high-standard discharge of wastewater or use of reclaimed water.

CGNNT joined hands with Tsinghua University to gain approval from the Chinese Nuclear Society to define technical standards for radiation printing & dyeing and papermaking wastewater treatment in May 2017 and finished the final draft at the end of last year.

The Technical Specification was jointly compiled by the China Institute of Atomic Energy, Shanghai University, Suzhou CNNC Huadong Radiation Co, the Chinese Nuclear Society and the Institute for Standardization of Nuclear Industry.

In the project, Dasheng undertook the major part of the research, including establishing the principles and methods of industrial wastewater treatment technology, including its equipment and processes, control of process and quality, and operation maintenance and management.

At present, Dasheng is working to expand commercial application of the technology and to offer solutions for several large and medium-sized polluters in China and elsewhere.