Industry news

The dimly lit factory exudes a strong pungent odour, and the floor of the potholes also has a large amount of sewage. Looking at the old factory that has been working for more than 20 years, Mr Liu’s look is bleak. “It’s going to close.”

Wenzhou electroplating industry is on the turning point to choose either move into the electroplating park or shut down to phase out, choose either one.

As one of the heavily polluting industries, Wenzhou changed the past loose restrictions to adopt strick control by cutting off water and electricity, cleaning up raw materials and dismantling equipment for electroplating enterprises that did not enter the park on time. 

The new requirement are 'killing' electroplating industries' profit. 

Wenzhou Xinsheng Electroplating Factory. Boss Lin Liangnan has been in business for nearly 20 years. "If there is no electroplating, the lamps, jewellery accessories, and even glasses you used can be ugly, or basically they wouldn't exist." He told reporters, "We used to joke that this line is ' Golden rice bowl '."

Into the electroplating factory workshop, the reporter was in front of a "golden". Wherever you see, there are bright lighting accessories, automobile and motorcycle accessories. As a beautician of light industrial products, electroplating is an industry that makes the world shine.

In 2005, Wenzhou's electroplating industry employed more than 40,000 people, with an output value of nearly 5 billion yuan, and contracted the surface treatment of nearly 100 billion output value of light industrial products. According to statistics, in 2005, Wenzhou City had 744 electroplating enterprises. In addition, there were more than 800 illegal electroplating enterprises in the city.

Among the various types of factories, the most polluted rivers and groundwaters are caused by electroplating plants. The electroplating plant discharges sour water which can't be seen from the colour, even the river can be crystal clear, but the toxicity is very strong. The heavy metal used in electroplating, including heavy metals such as chromium, nickel and copper, the poisonous water can make people nervous or even cancer. The most toxic chemical in the electroplating process is cyanide, and a few milligrams can kill people.

As the second largest river in Zhejiang, affected by electroplating and other industries, the chrome metal content of the Lancang River in the past few years was seriously exceeded, and the water quality once reached the inferior V category. “Would you like to know what the river was like 10 years ago?” Some residents in the neighbourhood told me, “It’s the smell of industrial waste, it’s amazing! The quality of the water is absolutely unqualified. You can smell the nose slightly when you are close to the river. Stink."

Since the end of September 2011, Zhejiang has carried out a rectification without retreat around the electroplating industry. As a rectification demonstration area, Wenzhou handed over the answer sheet: Through centralized rectification, agglomeration development, and unified management, the total output value of the electroplating industry in Wenzhou City increased by 22%, while the total discharge of heavy metal pollutants was reduced by more than 30%.

The environmentally-friendly "iron hammer" has destroyed the "golden rice bowl." As of the end of October this year, Wenzhou City has shut down and eliminated 159 electroplating enterprises, reducing the number of enterprises by 30%, and reducing the number of electroplating enterprises from more than 1,000 in the heyday to 372.

Entering the park is the only way to survive under the restrictions.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, at the water intake point of Wenzhou Lancang Bridge, Xie Huguo, an engineer at Wenzhou Environmental Monitoring Center, slowly placed the rope of the water container into the Lijiang River. "The water we take from the Lancang River should be tested for pH, dissolved oxygen, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, etc. Generally, the pH is between 6 and 7, and the water quality is good. The more dissolved oxygen, the better the water quality.” The content of ammonia nitrogen can show the pollution degree of people's domestic sewage to the river, while the total phosphorus is the pollutant in the water.

The water intake point of this day is located in the middle reaches of the Minjiang River. On both sides of the middle reaches, Wenzhou electroplating base is distributed. Therefore, this test can basically reflect the quality of the water in the middle reaches. It can also see the degree of pollution of the water discharge by the electroplating enterprises in recent years.

"The water quality is good." The reporter acknowledged the conclusion from Xie Yuguo's mouth. According to the announcement of the environmental situation in Zhejiang Province in 2012, the water quality of the Minjiang River system ranks first in the province, and 100% of the surface water meets the functional requirements of the waters. The water quality in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River reaches Class II.

The river became clear, and a large part of the credit came from the rectification of the electroplating factory in Wenzhou City. Wenzhou has started construction of 12 electroplating parks. For enterprises that cannot enter the park on time, the government voted rejection and all electroplating enterprises have been shut down.

In the interview, the relevant person in charge of the Wenzhou Electroplating Industry Association said, “No industry like Wenzhou Electroplating has so strongly restriction to pushed electroplating companines into the park or there is no chance to operate.” The data obtained by the reporter showed that except for the 32 original companies The integrated 372 companies will all enter the park.

The old version of the European Union's nickel release standard EN1811:1998+A1:2008 was replaced by the new standard EN1811:2011.

1. Comparison of the old and new standards The standards of the newer versions are mainly different from the old ones:

• The scope is extended to all items that are in long-term contact with the human body, as well as parts that extend to pierce the human body;
  

• The preparation of the test solvent is tested and changed;
  

• The correction factor of 0.1 is deprecated, introducing the concept of inaccurate testing, that is, it is impossible to determine whether it is qualified or not within an indeterminate range;
  

• Added a new standard Appendix C;
  

• The new standard EN1811:2011 excludes sunglasses and eyeglass frames, while the nickel release test for sunglasses and eyeglass frames uses EN16128:2011.
  

2. EU regulations on nickel release is also mentioned in the Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation to restrict the amount of nickel that can be long-time contacted to the skin. 

• In the process of wound healing caused by puncture, ear studs or other similar items inserted into the ear hole or other parts of the human body should have a nickel release of less than 0.2 μg/cm 2 /week; products that are in direct contact with the skin for a long period of time, such as rings, bracelets, etc. The amount of nickel released should be less than 0.5 μg/cm 2 /week.
  

3. The industry is concerned that the correction factor of 0.1 has been abandoned, introducing the concept of inaccurate testing, so in the actual test:

• When the release amount of nickel in the article which is in direct contact with the skin for a long period of time is not more than 0.28 μg/cm 2 /week (including 0.28 μg/cm 2 /week), it is judged to be acceptable; and when it is 0.28 μg/cm 2 /week <content <0.88 μg/cm 2 / Week is judged as the result is unknown (ie can not be judged as qualified or unqualified); nickel release is greater than or equal to 0.88μg / cm2 / week is judged as unqualified; inserted by the puncture wound healing process or other human bodies. When the amount of nickel released in the ear studs or the like is not more than 0.11 μg/cm 2 /week (including 0.11 μg/cm 2 /week), it is judged as qualified; and when 0.11 μg/cm 2 /week <content <0.35 μg/ It was judged that the result was unknown at cm2/week (that is, it was judged to be unqualified or unacceptable); when the amount of nickel released was 0.35 μg/cm 2 /week or more, it was judged as unacceptable.
  

4. Relevant knowledge Nickel is a common metal, often present in the form of a coating or alloy in jewellery. Nickel released from these products may cause skin irritation and even dermatitis during prolonged contact with the skin. Chronic inhalation of nickel can cause heart, brain, liver and other degeneration.