To build a water-saving society, industrial water conservation requires

　　Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments jointly issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Construction of a Water-Saving Society" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") to comprehensively promote the construction of a water-saving society. The "Plan" proposes that by 2025, the shortcomings of water-saving infrastructure and weak regulatory capabilities will be basically made up, the total water consumption will be controlled within 640 billion cubic meters, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP will be reduced by about 16.0% compared with 2020, and the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of industrial added value will be reduced by 16.0% compared with 2020. By 2035, the total water consumption in the country will be controlled within 700 billion cubic meters, and the conservation and intensive
　　use of water resources will reach the world's advanced level. In 2020, the General Secretary put forward the important requirements of "determining cities, land, people and production by water", focusing on key areas such as agriculture, rural areas, industry, towns, and unconventional water sources. As a major area, the "Plan" made clear requirements for industrial water conservation.
　　During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, water use efficiency has been significantly improved, with water use per 10,000 yuan of GDP falling by 28.0% and water use per 10,000 yuan of industrial added value falling by 39.6%. However, we must also be aware that China's water shortage situation remains severe, and there is still a certain gap between the level of intensive and economical use and the needs of ecological civilization construction and high-quality development. In terms of industrial water use, the industrial spatial layout of some regions does not match the water resource carrying capacity, such as the concentration of high-water-consuming industries on the west side of the 400 mm precipitation line, and the problem of blindly launching high-water-consuming projects in the Yellow River Basin. The level of water reuse in some industries is low, and the potential for resource utilization of industrial wastewater needs to be further explored.
　　In terms of industrial water conservation, the "Plan" requires that production should be determined by water, the constraints on the carrying capacity of water resources and water environment should be strengthened, the layout and scale of industrial development should be reasonably planned, and the industrial structure should be optimized and adjusted. Vigorously develop strategic emerging industries, encourage the development of new industries with high output and low water consumption, and cultivate and strengthen the momentum of green development. The provinces and regions along the Yellow River have issued a catalog of high-water-consuming production processes and products that are prohibited and restricted from development. Relevant energy and chemical bases in the Yellow River Basin strictly control regional industrial access, and the water efficiency of new energy and chemical projects must reach the international advanced level.
　　The "Plan" proposes to strengthen the research and development of major technologies, promote the application of advanced and applicable water-saving technologies and equipment, implement water-saving transformation of enterprises, promote the cascade and recycling of water use within enterprises, and improve the reuse rate. On November 2, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the "Catalogue of Industrial Water-Saving Processes, Technologies and Equipment Encouraged by the State (2021)", involving a total of 152 technologies in 14 major industries such as common general technologies and steel, petrochemicals, etc. These include categories such as circulating water treatment technology and high-salt wastewater treatment technology.
　　The "Plan" also clarifies two key projects for industrial water-saving and pollution reduction. The first is to implement industrial wastewater resource utilization projects, focusing on thermal power, steel, petrochemicals, nonferrous metals, papermaking, printing and dyeing, food and other industries, and create a number of industrial wastewater resource utilization demonstration enterprises. By 2025, 50 water efficiency leaders in thermal power, steel, petrochemicals, nonferrous metals, papermaking, printing and dyeing, food and other industries will be selected. Second, implement a pilot project for near-zero wastewater discharge. Select representative national high-tech industrial development zones, carry out comprehensive technology integration and demonstration, develop integrated low-cost, high-performance industrial wastewater treatment technologies and equipment, and create a demonstration model for the coordinated development of wastewater resource technology, engineering and services, management, and policies. Select national high-tech zones such as electronic information, textile printing and dyeing, and chemical materials in the Yangtze River Delta region to take the lead in demonstration.

Source: Polaris Water Treatment Network