LANXESS was selected into the list of Water-saving Enterprises in Zhejiang Province

The Ningbo plant of Lanxess, a special chemical company, was recently selected into the list of "Water-saving Enterprises in Zhejiang Province". The selection and assessment dimensions of the list are strict. During the selection process, enterprises must fully meet 10 basic requirements, and then pass a comprehensive assessment of 22 technical and basic management indicators.

"We are very proud to be selected as a water-saving enterprise in Zhejiang Province. The Lanxess Ningbo plant has achieved low emissions and low water intake quotas per ton of products, setting a benchmark for sustainable development in the industry. Sustainable development has always been a priority for LANXESS. The realization of this commitment is inseparable from long-term and unremitting efforts. We will also continue to deepen the construction of a water-saving society and promote the realization of sustainable development goals." Dr. Xu Cheng, head of the Asia Pacific region of LANXESS Inorganic Pigments Business Department, said .

Industry-leading sustainability metrics

LANXESS has implemented the "Ningbo Process" based on patented technology in its Ningbo factory, which can ensure about 98.5% removal rate of nitrogen oxides in waste gas, and about 99.5% removal rate of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen in wastewater.

In terms of water intake, the water intake per unit product of the LANXESS Ningbo plant is less than 10 cubic meters per ton, which is far lower than the industrial pigment manufacturing industry (C2643) specified in the "Zhejiang Water Consumption (Intake) Quotas (2019) [1]" The general value is 60 cubic meters/ton, and the advanced value is 20 cubic meters/ton.

More than that, LANXESS continues to increase investment in the field of daily water conservation. In November 2022, LANXESS Ningbo plant invested special funds to further optimize and upgrade the process route of the reclaimed water reuse system. By using ceramic ultrafiltration membranes instead of traditional organic ultrafiltration membranes, the wastewater recovery efficiency of the factory has increased by 10%-15% compared with before, reaching 70%-75%, which greatly improves the utilization rate of water resources.

Thanks to the innovative "Ningbo Process", the LANXESS Ningbo plant is also able to recycle and process all by-products. In the production process, the optimization of the production process greatly reduces the laughing gas and nitrogen oxides in the production process. In addition, the residual tail gas will be processed by a special waste gas treatment device, and the residue will be processed by a dilute nitric acid recycling device and reused as raw materials for production. Relying on this highly energy-efficient process, the Ningbo factory was also successfully selected into the 2021 "No Waste Factory" construction list announced by Ningbo City in May 2022.

Green transformation of the value chain

In August last year, LANXESS set a scope 3 emission target in terms of climate protection: the group plans to make its upstream and downstream supply chains climate neutral by 2050. This includes indirect emissions, especially from purchased raw materials, but also emissions from logistics and final products. For direct emissions from production (Scope 1) and emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2), LANXESS already set a goal in 2019 to be climate neutral by 2040.

To achieve these goals, the Group has launched a "Net Zero Value Chain Plan" based on sustainable raw materials, "green" logistics and climate-neutral products. Today, the effectiveness of this plan has already begun to appear. In the Ningbo factory, LANXESS purchases waste iron sheets from the upstream hardware industry for processing scraps, recycles them, and produces iron oxide pigments by reacting with nitric acid and ferrous sulfate.

LANXESS Ningbo Plant is a plant of LANXESS Inorganic Pigments Business Unit, which is one of the world's leading manufacturers of inorganic pigments with a strong global production network. In 2018, LANXESS Ningbo Factory won the "National Green Factory" certification issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. LANXESS is the first iron oxide manufacturer in China awarded the "National Green Factory".

[1] Sources: http://www.jsgg.com.cn/Files/PictureDocument/20200426150645702683574505.pdf