Publications·July 30, 2024
In July 2024, supported by Energy Foundation China, the Shanxi Coshare Innovation Institute of Energy and Environment released the "Climate Communication Toolkit for Reduction of Pollution and Carbon Emissions in Key Industries and Enterprises of Shanxi."
The toolkit introduces the importance of reducing pollution and carbon emissions, the regional characteristics, and the current state of communication. It analyzes the characteristics and profiles of key industries in Shanxi Province and provides specific communication strategy suggestions. The toolkit showcases outstanding examples of pollution and carbon reduction communication and includes a series of practical communication tools.
Through issue breakdown, the release of the toolkit aims to enhance the narrative building capacity of communicators in Shanxi focusing on pollution and carbon reduction. It seeks to enable government education departments, media, social organizations, enterprises, and other stakeholders to more effectively formulate communication strategies, promote the concepts and practices of pollution and carbon reduction, and facilitate the transition of key industries in Shanxi Province from high pollution to green and low carbon. This effort aims to achieve synergistic enhancement of environmental protection and sustainable economic development.
This Chinese-language “communication toolkit” is designed to help enterprises in Shanxi’s key industries (notably coal power, coking, steel, cement and related heavy manufacturing) plan, execute, and—crucially—communicate integrated actions that cut conventional air pollutants and greenhouse gases together (“减污降碳协同增效”). It bundles sector-specific good practices, talking points, visual/communication assets, suggested metrics, and a stepwise internal–external engagement plan so firms can show credible progress to regulators, investors, employees, and the public. The premise is simple: in coal-/coke-/steel-/cement-intensive provinces, operational efficiency + ultra-low emissions (ULE) + low-carbon energy can deliver fast wins for PM₂.₅/NOₓ/SO₂/VOCs and CO₂ intensity—if supported by transparent monitoring (CEMS), robust MRV, and consistent messaging.
Who it’s for & how to use it
The primary audience is plant managers, EHS teams, sustainability officers, and corporate communications in priority sectors. The secondary audience includes municipal/provincial regulators, industry associations, lenders, and community stakeholders. The kit outlines: (1) why integrated action is necessary (health, compliance, competitiveness), (2) what to implement (sector playbooks), (3) how to prove it (data/MRV), and (4) how to talk about it (communication templates and cues). Each sector section follows a consistent arc: baseline → measures → expected co-benefits → indicators/KPIs → disclosure & engagement.
Core message: “co-control, co-benefits”
The toolkit’s unifying narrative is that pollution control and carbon mitigation share sources and solutions. Cutting fuel use per unit output, switching to lower-sulphur/low-ash fuels, installing or upgrading end-of-pipe controls, electrifying where feasible, increasing waste-heat recovery and waste-to-resource utilisation, and buying/producing green electricity all push in the same direction: lower PM₂.₅, SO₂, NOₓ, VOCs—and lower CO₂. The communications angle: translate technical steps into plain, verifiable claims—“per-ton steel emissions down X%; desulfurization capture rate ≥Y%; kiln heat consumption ↓Z%”—anchored by open, quality-assured data.
Sector playbooks (high-impact measures & proof points)
1) Coal power (“coal to clean & efficient”)
Ultra-low emission (ULE) retrofits (FGD + SCR/SNCR + high-efficiency particulate control), boiler optimization, intelligent soot-blowing, deep peak-shaving coordinated with the grid, heat-rate improvements (digital O&M, variable frequency drives, condenser upgrades).
Proof: Continuous CEMS publishing for SO₂/NOₓ/PM; unit heat-rate (kJ/kWh) trend; startup/shutdown emission control procedures; % electricity from green power procurement or on-site renewables.
Co-benefit line: “Every 1% heat-rate gain trims CO₂ and SO₂/NOₓ/PM together; fewer starts/stops also mean less VOCs/aldehydes in boundary conditions.”
2) Coking
Stamp-charging/large-chamber technologies, leak-tight oven doors, recovery of coke-oven gas, tar, ammoniacal liquor, and desulfurization/denitrification of COG; fugitive VOCs capture, by-product utilisation (e.g., BTX recovery).
Proof: Unorganized emission checks (LDAR), oven pressure balance logs, COG sulfur before/after, flare hours, fenceline VOCs.
Narrative: “From leak-fixing to by-product recovery, the same projects cut VOCs + odour + CO₂ per ton coke.”
3) Iron & steel
Sinter/desulfurization denitrification, coke dry quenching (CDQ), top-gas pressure recovery (TRT), scrap ratio increase/EAF share, pelletizing, TRT/CDQ/BOF gas recovery, hydrogen-ready trials.
Proof: tPM、tSO₂、tNOₓ per ton steel, energy intensity (GJ/t), scrap ratio, ULE coverage %, visible plume elimination stats.
Narrative: “Energy circularity—recover, reuse, recycle—shrinks both smokestack pollutants and carbon intensity.”
4) Cement
Clinker factor reduction (blended cements), waste-derived fuels (RDF/biomass) with strict odour/VOCs control, high-efficiency baghouses, SNCR/SCR for kiln NOₓ, waste-heat power generation (WHR), low-carbon SCMs (slag, fly ash, calcined clay).
Proof: Clinker ratio, kWh/t cement, NOₓ/PM stack values vs ULE, WHR MWh generated.
Narrative: “Less clinker = lower CO₂; better combustion = lower NOₓ/PM.”
5) Cross-cutting controls
Dust & logistics: enclosed conveyors, negative-pressure transfer points, paving & sweeping, truck washing, real-time dust sensors for yards.
VOCs: LDAR, floating-roof tanks, carbon adsorption/oxidation, low-solvent products.
Ozone formation: target NOₓ + VOCs together; schedule maintenance in ozone season with mitigation plans.
MRV, data disclosure & credibility
The kit emphasises monitoring–reporting–verification (MRV) discipline: maintain high uptime and QA/QC for CEMS, publish unit-/line-level metrics in physical units (not just colour codes), differentiate organized vs. fugitive sources, and document uncertainties. Externally, firms should standardize dashboards that align with regulatory thresholds and WHO-style health messaging, while flagging sensor vs. reference measurements. This “fully open data” framing—units, coordinates, timeliness, APIs—matches best practice in the region and helps turn pilots into operations.
Finance, incentives & governance
Beyond compliance, the toolkit connects projects to cost savings (fuel, O&M), risk reduction (fewer odour/opacity incidents; stable compliance), and access to finance (green loans, transition finance, energy-performance contracts). It encourages enterprises to map incentives (electricity tariffs for WHR; tax credits for energy efficiency; provincial awards for ULE), and to structure multi-year CAPEX around “quick wins first, deep retrofits second”—with workforce upskilling as an enabler. Clear role splits—plant (execution), corporate (targets & reporting), association (peer learning), regulator (standards & audits)—keep implementation accountable.
Communication playbook: from shop-floor to social media
The communications sections provide frames, visuals and do/don’t lists to keep messages accurate, comparable, and audience-appropriate:
For workers: “Why this retrofit matters for safety and jobs,” with simple charts, before/after photos, and clear exposure protections during construction.
For communities: “What you’ll notice” (less odour, fewer visible plumes, quieter logistics), hotline/feedback info, and episode response plans for dust, ozone, or inversions.
For investors/regulators: headline KPIs, third-party verification, and time-bounded targets.
The style guide steers away from vague claims (“zero emissions”) toward verifiable, numeric statements supported by CEMS and energy/met data.
Suggested KPIs (make them public)
Air pollutants: stack SO₂/NOₓ/PM/VOCs (mg/Nm³) vs. ULE limits; share 99%-tile and downtime.
Carbon: tCO₂/t product (steel/cement/coke) or kgCO₂/kWh (power); fuel mix; % green electricity.
Process/efficiency: heat rate, clinker ratio, scrap ratio/EAF share, WHR MWh, TRT/CDQ hours.
Fugitive: LDAR repair rates, fenceline VOCs, yard PM sensors.
Disclosure: API availability, update frequency, audits completed, community engagement events.
Risk management & trade-offs
The kit flags implementation risks: IOD/retrofit outages, rebound effects (higher utilization erodes gains), pollutant trade-offs (e.g., denitrification by-products), and ozone season management (coordinate NOₓ+VOCs). It recommends pilot-then-scale, seasonal scheduling, and joint EHS–operations governance, using episode playbooks for dust storms, stagnant inversions, and ozone spikes—with clear public messaging and mitigation steps.
What success looks like (12–24 months)
All priority lines meet ULE with high CEMS uptime and public dashboards.
Energy intensity falls (power heat-rate; GJ/t steel/cement), CO₂ intensity drops, and VOCs fugitive incidents decline.
Stakeholders (workers, neighbours, investors) see credible, numeric evidence of progress; episode response becomes routine.
Peer learning spreads through industry associations, accelerating replication across Shanxi’s energy-heavy economy.
Keywords
Shanxi; coal power; coking; iron & steel; cement; ultra-low emission (ULE); CEMS; MRV; VOCs/NOₓ/SO₂/PM; energy efficiency; waste-heat recovery; green electricity; data disclosure; LDAR; co-control/co-benefits.