German Media: How Advanced Is China's Waste Incineration Technology?
Besides the sharp increase in the number of factories, the growth in capacity and technological progress in China’s waste incineration industry are undoubtedly significant factors. But has China truly achieved revolutionary breakthroughs in this field—reaching the level claimed by some bloggers of “no need to sort waste” or “leaving other countries far behind”? To answer these questions, we consulted German experts who have long been involved in China’s waste management, circular economy, and renewable energy projects.
Michael Nelles, Professor of Waste and Resource Management at Rostock University and Scientific Director at the German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ), told DW: “China’s waste incineration technology has indeed developed very well—it is now comparable to modern incineration plants in Germany.”
However, the expert—who has frequently traveled to China since 2002 and holds guest professorships at four Chinese universities—also emphasized that China has not yet developed revolutionary technologies in this field. Technologies such as intelligent sorting, flue gas purification, and waste-to-energy incineration are already widely used in Europe and other countries.
Professor Nelles also noted close collaboration between German and Chinese companies in this sector. He specifically mentioned the 2016 acquisition of EEW, a leading German waste-to-energy company, by Beijing Capital Holdings, a major Chinese state-owned enterprise, pointing out: “This acquisition accelerated development in China, allowing Chinese enterprises that gained operational experience to run related facilities exceptionally well.”
Bernard Kemper, then CEO of German waste energy company EEW, also told DW at the time: “The German brand name signifies the highest environmental standards. That was precisely the main reason Chinese investors chose to acquire German waste treatment companies.”
Sorting Waste Remains Essential
While acknowledging China’s technological advances, Professor Nelles cautioned that China is currently burning large quantities of mixed waste—meaning waste that has not been sorted beforehand—which leads to a serious problem: high levels of food waste, which contains substantial moisture. This causes food waste to stick to other materials, making effective pre-sorting before incineration nearly impossible. In fact, only proper source separation can solve this issue.
This German expert, honored with China’s State Friendship Award for his contributions to environmental research and education in China, admitted: “Waste incineration is an essential component of any sustainable waste management strategy. Equally important, however, is maximizing material recovery before incineration.” He added: “The better the source sorting, the higher the quality of subsequent recycling. If waste is thrown together initially, even though extensive processing is possible afterward, dry-wet separation remains a fundamental prerequisite. Even the most advanced AI-assisted systems can only sort what already exists.”
Source: DW
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863493370622983/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.