China
Technological Innovation for an Emerging Ramie Eco-industrial Cluster in China
SHI Han Department of Environmental Science & Engineering Tsinghua University, China Yale Center for Industrial Ecology, USA [email protected] The research project in China is being conducted in full cooperation with Wuhan University of Science and Engineering. SHI Han
1
Country Profile - China 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Population: 1,319.98 million Area: 9,598,100 km2 Jurisdiction: 31 provinces GDP per capita (PPP): $5,370 GDP growth rate: 11.4% GDP composition: Agriculture 11.7%, industry 49.2%, service 39.1% Labor force: agriculture 42.6%, industry 25.2%, services 32.2%
9 Major Environmental Concerns: – Water: serious surface water pollution, COD discharges (13.81 million tons) decreased by 3.2% in 2007. – Soil erosion: 37.08% of territory subject to soil erosion – Energy: coal accounts for 69.4% of energy consumption in 2006 – Air quality: serious air pollution in some cities; acid rain remains severe and SO2 emissions (24.681 million tons) dropped by 4.7% in 2007. – Natural environment: forest coverage continued to recover in 2007, 15% of the national territory were designated as nature reserves. SHI Han
2
Industrial Development in China Growth of industrial values added (100 m yuan) 100 million yuan
China’s major sources of FDI: Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands Ranking: Textile and Timber Processing, Wood, Bamboo, Rattan, Palm & Straw Products ranked to 8th and 28th among all industries in China. SHI Han
3
What is Ramie? 9 Ramie is a flowering plant and one of the key bast fibers for the textile industry. Ramie is indigenous to China (commonly known as China grass) and significant in the world textile industry. The main export markets for China ramie products are Japan and Europe. 9 China accounts for about 90 % of ramie cultivation and processing worldwide. It is estimated that ramie cultivation and processing generated RMB 5 billion yuan in 2003 in China, accounting for onetwelfth of economic revenues from all cash crops unique to China. SHI Han
4
World Average Production of Natural Fibers (1998-2000) No.
Fiber
Production (Million tons)
1
Cotton
19.32
2
Jute
3.52
3
Wool
1.52
4
Flax
0.6
5
Sisal
0.386
6
Kapok
0.195
7
Ramie
0.17
8
Abaca
0.095
9
Silk
0.1135
10
Hemp
0.08
Total natural fibers
26.0
Source: Franck, Robert R. (Editor). Bast and Other Plant Fibres. Cambridge, 2005 SHI Han
5
Traditional Ramie Value Chain
SHI Han
6
Problem No 1: Ramie Plantation & Harvesting 9 Smallholder plantation – Small scale, low profitability, and difficulty in adopting new technologies and varieties – Varying genetic varieties result in inconsistent harvesting seasons and fiber features – Small quantities of ramie cores and leaves result in little byproduct reuse 9 Manual de-cortication – High labor requirements – High labor costs 9 Vendor purchase in small quantities – Inconsistent quality of raw ramie fibers SHI Han
7
Traditional Ramie Value Chain: Harvesting & De-cortication
SHI Han
8
Traditional Ramie Value Chain: Raw Ramie Fiber and Byproducts
SHI Han
9
Problem No 2: Preliminary Processing of Ramie Fiber 9 High energy consumption of ramie de-gumming 9 High water consumption of ramie de-gumming 9 Heavy pollution caused by degumming effluent 9 High-temperature cooking by alkali downgrades the quality of ramie fiber
SHI Han 10
Problem No 3: Limited Use of Ramie Fiber & Residues 9 Ramie fiber: Ramie fiber is principally used by the textile industry, and can be further developed for use as absorption materials, cigarette filters, etc. 9 Ramie leaves: Ramie leaves contain rich protein nutrition and are good alternative animal feeds. Furthermore, ramie leaves can also be used to extract intermediaries for cosmetics, but are mostly returned to ramie plantation fields. 9 Ramie cores: Ramie cores can be used as raw materials for paper-making and plywood as well as mushroom growth media. However, ramie cores are mostly discarded in the ramie fields except that a very few quantities have been used to produce match sticks. SHI Han 11
Ramie residues
SHI Han 12
Study Area: Xianning City Hubei Province
China
Xianning City SHI Han 13
Profiles of China, Wuhan & Xianning China
Hubei Province
Xianning City
Area (km2)
9,598,100
185,900
9,861
Population (million)
1,321.29
60.70
2.86
% of Rural population
55.1%
56.2%
71.6%
GDP (billion Yuan)
24661.9
915
28.68
% of agriculture
11.7%
15.5%
23.9%
% of industry
49.2%
44.7%
41.8%
% of services
39.1%
39.7%
34.3%
Per capita GDP (PPP $)
$5,370
$4,337
$3,293
Labor force (million)
769.9
35.84
1.325
Rural labor force (%)
61.88%
63.11%
>65%
SHI Han 14
Change in Land Use in Xianning City (1996-2005) 100% 90%
7.02
7.01
7.01
7.1
7.12
7.12
7.1
7.12
7.09
7.11
12.73
12.7
12.65
12.69
12.64
12.6
12.55
12.48
12.45
12.44
3.51 6.86
3.54 6.87
3.58 6.87
3.62 6.92
3.64 6.91
3.66 6.92
3.7 6.91
3.71 6.86
3.75 6.87
3.78 6.87
42.8
42.79
42.78
42.77
42.74
42.76
43.52
44.18
44.27
44.3
3.09
3.09
3.09
3.08
3.07
3.06
3.07
3.06
3.05
3.03
21.47
21.47
21.48
21.27
21.28
21.25
20.51
19.95
19.87
19.82
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Cultivated land
Orchard
Forest land
Grassland
Other agricultural use
Settlement/industrial
Transportation
Water body
Unused land
Other land
SHI Han 15
Main Agricultural Products in Xianning City (2005-2007) Year Crop Grain
2005 (t)
2006 (t)
2007 (t)
1,015,300
1,037,000
1,141,500
84,500
87,400
84,400
1,656
1,863
2,500
Ramie fiber
23,400
27,957
27,800
Tea
16,400
17,000
17,300
1,878,700
1,914,900
1,993,300
30,300
33,100
41,800
Edible oil Cotton
Vegetable Fruit
SHI Han 16
Main Exports of Xianning in 2007 Export goods
Export values (million US$)
Growth rate in 2007 (%)
Machinery & electronics products
26.29
33.6%
Textile products & garments
16.54
106.2%
Medical materials
4.67
38.2%
Textile yarns and fabric
15.99
16.9%
Leather gloves
2.71
-42.7%
Total exports
79.9
33.6%
SHI Han 17
An Emerging Ramie EIC
MWWTP Sludge
Ramie leaves
Treated effluent
Ramie plantation
Spent Ramie mushroom cores growth media
Edible mushroom farms
SHI Han 18
Sewage treatment station
fertilizer station
Animal manures
Pig/poultry farms
Organic
Ramie fertilizer
Municipal wastewater treatment plant
Ramie barks
Degumming sewage
Biological degumming facilities
Hubei Ramie Eco-industrial Park
Refined ramie fiber
Rapeseed meal cake
Rapeseed oil mills
Textile mills
Technological innovation: mechanical harvesting
SHI Han 19
Technological innovation: byproduct utilization
SHI Han 20
Technological innovation: mechanical de-cortication
SHI Han 21
Technological innovation: mechanical de-cortication
SHI Han 22
Raw ramie fibers
SHI Han 23
Ramie byproduct: ramie leaves
SHI Han 24
Ramie byproduct: ramie cores
SHI Han 25
Potential Positive Environmental Impacts 9 Soil conservation: In erosion-prone hilly regions in central China, ramie plantation can serve as a cost-effective alternative to combat soil erosion. 9 Application of municipal sewage sludge as fertilizer: Municipal wastewater sludge can be mixed with rapeseed meal cake to produce organic fertilizer for ramie cultivation. 9 Carbon sequestration: The dry weight of harvested ramie stem ranges from 3.4 to 4.5 t/ha/year 9 Substitution of chemical and cotton fibers: The yield of degummed ramie fiber accounts for 1200 kg/ha/year.
SHI Han 26
Potential Negative Environmental Impacts 9 Due to ramie’s high yield of biomass, there would be a rapid decline in soil fertility if the harvesting practice involves total removal of the biomass. Current ramie cultivation uses a significant amount of chemical fertilizers resulting in non-point pollution. 9 Ramie de-gumming is energy intensive. 9 Ramie de-gumming consumes significant amount of water (up to 500 m3 water per ton of raw ramie fiber). 9 De-gumming wastewater containing COD of 2500-10000 mg/l and SS of 200-600 mg/l causes severe water pollution.
SHI Han 27
Potential Socio-Economic Impacts 9 Local economic development – Significant expansion of ramie cultivation – More cost-saving livestock – Edible mushroom cultivation 9 Creation of job opportunities – Additional jobs for ramie plantation and processing – New jobs from new business activities in livestock, mushroom cultivation, and organic fertilizer 9 Development of social capitals – Partnerships between traditionally unrelated industries – Better cooperation between local communities, business, governments, and NGOs SHI Han 28
SWOP – Findings • Availability of ramie residues in quantities suitable for livestock feeds, mushroom media & biomass
• Create additional jobs in ramie plantation, livestock, and mushroom cultivation
• Existing local business activities in livestock, mushroom cultivation & organic fertilizing
• Improve ramie cluster profitability by reducing labor requirements & ensuring fiber quality
• Proximity to urban Wuhan opens avenues for new markets and new Strengths sources of technology
• Prevent & control pollution through biological de-gumming & mechanical Opportunities de-cortication
• Backward, polluting ramie processing technology & equipment • Lack of a successful business model of large scale ramie plantation & processing • Inadequate utilization of ramie fiber and ramie byproducts
• Decentralized and small & medium scale biomass-based power generation systems
Weaknesses
• Community participation in environmental management and local industry development • Eco-tourism activity based on ramie eco-cluster
Potentials
SHI Han 29
National Policies and Programs 9 Related China’s laws: Cleaner Production Promotion Law (2002) and Circular Economy Promotion Law (2008) 9 National Targets for Energy Conservation and Pollution Reduction (2006-2010): 1) 20 percent reduction in energy intensity and 2) 10 percent reduction in COD and SO2 emissions from 2006 to 2010. 9 National Eco-industrial Parks Demonstration Program 9 National Key Technologies R&D Program in Support of Cleaner Production and Circular Economy (2006-2010) 9 Strengthened Environmental Discharge Standards for Ramie De-gumming Wastewaters 9 National Program in Soil Conservation on Sloping Land SHI Han 30
Local Policies and Programs 9 Strategy for promoting the ramie industry in Xianning City 9 Promoting the development of a ramie eco-industrial park in Xianning City 9 Government campaign to shut down polluting smallscale ramie chemical de-gumming mills in Xianning 9 R&D support to develop the cleaner production technology by the Hubei provincial and Xianning city governments
SHI Han 31
Conclusions 9 The development of ramie EIC can promote local economic development, create new jobs, and generate positive environmental benefits, thus contributing to the sustainable development of urban fringe and rural areas. 9 The development of ramie EIC has the potential to generate employments in rural areas, and facilitate the upgrading of rural labor force. 9 To reform conventional agriculture practices, integrate traditionally separate industries for collective benefits, and create markets for resulting products are critical to ramie EIC but remain challenging. 9 Technological innovation is essential to improve ramie quality, increase the profitability, and reduce the negative environmental impacts of the ramie cluster. Appropriate technology is key to success. Local universities, industries, and governments have formed partnerships to develop the feasible technology systems. SHI Han 32
SHI Han Department of Environmental Science & Engineering Tsinghua University, China Yale Center for Industrial Ecology, USA [email protected] The research project in China is being conducted in full cooperation with Wuhan University of Science and Engineering. SHI Han
1
Country Profile - China 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Population: 1,319.98 million Area: 9,598,100 km2 Jurisdiction: 31 provinces GDP per capita (PPP): $5,370 GDP growth rate: 11.4% GDP composition: Agriculture 11.7%, industry 49.2%, service 39.1% Labor force: agriculture 42.6%, industry 25.2%, services 32.2%
9 Major Environmental Concerns: – Water: serious surface water pollution, COD discharges (13.81 million tons) decreased by 3.2% in 2007. – Soil erosion: 37.08% of territory subject to soil erosion – Energy: coal accounts for 69.4% of energy consumption in 2006 – Air quality: serious air pollution in some cities; acid rain remains severe and SO2 emissions (24.681 million tons) dropped by 4.7% in 2007. – Natural environment: forest coverage continued to recover in 2007, 15% of the national territory were designated as nature reserves. SHI Han
2
Industrial Development in China Growth of industrial values added (100 m yuan) 100 million yuan
China’s major sources of FDI: Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands Ranking: Textile and Timber Processing, Wood, Bamboo, Rattan, Palm & Straw Products ranked to 8th and 28th among all industries in China. SHI Han
3
What is Ramie? 9 Ramie is a flowering plant and one of the key bast fibers for the textile industry. Ramie is indigenous to China (commonly known as China grass) and significant in the world textile industry. The main export markets for China ramie products are Japan and Europe. 9 China accounts for about 90 % of ramie cultivation and processing worldwide. It is estimated that ramie cultivation and processing generated RMB 5 billion yuan in 2003 in China, accounting for onetwelfth of economic revenues from all cash crops unique to China. SHI Han
4
World Average Production of Natural Fibers (1998-2000) No.
Fiber
Production (Million tons)
1
Cotton
19.32
2
Jute
3.52
3
Wool
1.52
4
Flax
0.6
5
Sisal
0.386
6
Kapok
0.195
7
Ramie
0.17
8
Abaca
0.095
9
Silk
0.1135
10
Hemp
0.08
Total natural fibers
26.0
Source: Franck, Robert R. (Editor). Bast and Other Plant Fibres. Cambridge, 2005 SHI Han
5
Traditional Ramie Value Chain
SHI Han
6
Problem No 1: Ramie Plantation & Harvesting 9 Smallholder plantation – Small scale, low profitability, and difficulty in adopting new technologies and varieties – Varying genetic varieties result in inconsistent harvesting seasons and fiber features – Small quantities of ramie cores and leaves result in little byproduct reuse 9 Manual de-cortication – High labor requirements – High labor costs 9 Vendor purchase in small quantities – Inconsistent quality of raw ramie fibers SHI Han
7
Traditional Ramie Value Chain: Harvesting & De-cortication
SHI Han
8
Traditional Ramie Value Chain: Raw Ramie Fiber and Byproducts
SHI Han
9
Problem No 2: Preliminary Processing of Ramie Fiber 9 High energy consumption of ramie de-gumming 9 High water consumption of ramie de-gumming 9 Heavy pollution caused by degumming effluent 9 High-temperature cooking by alkali downgrades the quality of ramie fiber
SHI Han 10
Problem No 3: Limited Use of Ramie Fiber & Residues 9 Ramie fiber: Ramie fiber is principally used by the textile industry, and can be further developed for use as absorption materials, cigarette filters, etc. 9 Ramie leaves: Ramie leaves contain rich protein nutrition and are good alternative animal feeds. Furthermore, ramie leaves can also be used to extract intermediaries for cosmetics, but are mostly returned to ramie plantation fields. 9 Ramie cores: Ramie cores can be used as raw materials for paper-making and plywood as well as mushroom growth media. However, ramie cores are mostly discarded in the ramie fields except that a very few quantities have been used to produce match sticks. SHI Han 11
Ramie residues
SHI Han 12
Study Area: Xianning City Hubei Province
China
Xianning City SHI Han 13
Profiles of China, Wuhan & Xianning China
Hubei Province
Xianning City
Area (km2)
9,598,100
185,900
9,861
Population (million)
1,321.29
60.70
2.86
% of Rural population
55.1%
56.2%
71.6%
GDP (billion Yuan)
24661.9
915
28.68
% of agriculture
11.7%
15.5%
23.9%
% of industry
49.2%
44.7%
41.8%
% of services
39.1%
39.7%
34.3%
Per capita GDP (PPP $)
$5,370
$4,337
$3,293
Labor force (million)
769.9
35.84
1.325
Rural labor force (%)
61.88%
63.11%
>65%
SHI Han 14
Change in Land Use in Xianning City (1996-2005) 100% 90%
7.02
7.01
7.01
7.1
7.12
7.12
7.1
7.12
7.09
7.11
12.73
12.7
12.65
12.69
12.64
12.6
12.55
12.48
12.45
12.44
3.51 6.86
3.54 6.87
3.58 6.87
3.62 6.92
3.64 6.91
3.66 6.92
3.7 6.91
3.71 6.86
3.75 6.87
3.78 6.87
42.8
42.79
42.78
42.77
42.74
42.76
43.52
44.18
44.27
44.3
3.09
3.09
3.09
3.08
3.07
3.06
3.07
3.06
3.05
3.03
21.47
21.47
21.48
21.27
21.28
21.25
20.51
19.95
19.87
19.82
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Cultivated land
Orchard
Forest land
Grassland
Other agricultural use
Settlement/industrial
Transportation
Water body
Unused land
Other land
SHI Han 15
Main Agricultural Products in Xianning City (2005-2007) Year Crop Grain
2005 (t)
2006 (t)
2007 (t)
1,015,300
1,037,000
1,141,500
84,500
87,400
84,400
1,656
1,863
2,500
Ramie fiber
23,400
27,957
27,800
Tea
16,400
17,000
17,300
1,878,700
1,914,900
1,993,300
30,300
33,100
41,800
Edible oil Cotton
Vegetable Fruit
SHI Han 16
Main Exports of Xianning in 2007 Export goods
Export values (million US$)
Growth rate in 2007 (%)
Machinery & electronics products
26.29
33.6%
Textile products & garments
16.54
106.2%
Medical materials
4.67
38.2%
Textile yarns and fabric
15.99
16.9%
Leather gloves
2.71
-42.7%
Total exports
79.9
33.6%
SHI Han 17
An Emerging Ramie EIC
MWWTP Sludge
Ramie leaves
Treated effluent
Ramie plantation
Spent Ramie mushroom cores growth media
Edible mushroom farms
SHI Han 18
Sewage treatment station
fertilizer station
Animal manures
Pig/poultry farms
Organic
Ramie fertilizer
Municipal wastewater treatment plant
Ramie barks
Degumming sewage
Biological degumming facilities
Hubei Ramie Eco-industrial Park
Refined ramie fiber
Rapeseed meal cake
Rapeseed oil mills
Textile mills
Technological innovation: mechanical harvesting
SHI Han 19
Technological innovation: byproduct utilization
SHI Han 20
Technological innovation: mechanical de-cortication
SHI Han 21
Technological innovation: mechanical de-cortication
SHI Han 22
Raw ramie fibers
SHI Han 23
Ramie byproduct: ramie leaves
SHI Han 24
Ramie byproduct: ramie cores
SHI Han 25
Potential Positive Environmental Impacts 9 Soil conservation: In erosion-prone hilly regions in central China, ramie plantation can serve as a cost-effective alternative to combat soil erosion. 9 Application of municipal sewage sludge as fertilizer: Municipal wastewater sludge can be mixed with rapeseed meal cake to produce organic fertilizer for ramie cultivation. 9 Carbon sequestration: The dry weight of harvested ramie stem ranges from 3.4 to 4.5 t/ha/year 9 Substitution of chemical and cotton fibers: The yield of degummed ramie fiber accounts for 1200 kg/ha/year.
SHI Han 26
Potential Negative Environmental Impacts 9 Due to ramie’s high yield of biomass, there would be a rapid decline in soil fertility if the harvesting practice involves total removal of the biomass. Current ramie cultivation uses a significant amount of chemical fertilizers resulting in non-point pollution. 9 Ramie de-gumming is energy intensive. 9 Ramie de-gumming consumes significant amount of water (up to 500 m3 water per ton of raw ramie fiber). 9 De-gumming wastewater containing COD of 2500-10000 mg/l and SS of 200-600 mg/l causes severe water pollution.
SHI Han 27
Potential Socio-Economic Impacts 9 Local economic development – Significant expansion of ramie cultivation – More cost-saving livestock – Edible mushroom cultivation 9 Creation of job opportunities – Additional jobs for ramie plantation and processing – New jobs from new business activities in livestock, mushroom cultivation, and organic fertilizer 9 Development of social capitals – Partnerships between traditionally unrelated industries – Better cooperation between local communities, business, governments, and NGOs SHI Han 28
SWOP – Findings • Availability of ramie residues in quantities suitable for livestock feeds, mushroom media & biomass
• Create additional jobs in ramie plantation, livestock, and mushroom cultivation
• Existing local business activities in livestock, mushroom cultivation & organic fertilizing
• Improve ramie cluster profitability by reducing labor requirements & ensuring fiber quality
• Proximity to urban Wuhan opens avenues for new markets and new Strengths sources of technology
• Prevent & control pollution through biological de-gumming & mechanical Opportunities de-cortication
• Backward, polluting ramie processing technology & equipment • Lack of a successful business model of large scale ramie plantation & processing • Inadequate utilization of ramie fiber and ramie byproducts
• Decentralized and small & medium scale biomass-based power generation systems
Weaknesses
• Community participation in environmental management and local industry development • Eco-tourism activity based on ramie eco-cluster
Potentials
SHI Han 29
National Policies and Programs 9 Related China’s laws: Cleaner Production Promotion Law (2002) and Circular Economy Promotion Law (2008) 9 National Targets for Energy Conservation and Pollution Reduction (2006-2010): 1) 20 percent reduction in energy intensity and 2) 10 percent reduction in COD and SO2 emissions from 2006 to 2010. 9 National Eco-industrial Parks Demonstration Program 9 National Key Technologies R&D Program in Support of Cleaner Production and Circular Economy (2006-2010) 9 Strengthened Environmental Discharge Standards for Ramie De-gumming Wastewaters 9 National Program in Soil Conservation on Sloping Land SHI Han 30
Local Policies and Programs 9 Strategy for promoting the ramie industry in Xianning City 9 Promoting the development of a ramie eco-industrial park in Xianning City 9 Government campaign to shut down polluting smallscale ramie chemical de-gumming mills in Xianning 9 R&D support to develop the cleaner production technology by the Hubei provincial and Xianning city governments
SHI Han 31
Conclusions 9 The development of ramie EIC can promote local economic development, create new jobs, and generate positive environmental benefits, thus contributing to the sustainable development of urban fringe and rural areas. 9 The development of ramie EIC has the potential to generate employments in rural areas, and facilitate the upgrading of rural labor force. 9 To reform conventional agriculture practices, integrate traditionally separate industries for collective benefits, and create markets for resulting products are critical to ramie EIC but remain challenging. 9 Technological innovation is essential to improve ramie quality, increase the profitability, and reduce the negative environmental impacts of the ramie cluster. Appropriate technology is key to success. Local universities, industries, and governments have formed partnerships to develop the feasible technology systems. SHI Han 32
