- 12 June 2006 -

IFAT China: a preview

After its successful premiere in 2004, the second IFAT China - taking place in Shanghai between 27-30 June - again presents practical solutions in the areas of water supply, sewage, refuse, recycling, air pollution control, environmental technology and environmentally compatible energy. Filtration + Separation takes a look at some of the themes connected to the show.


IFAT, the trade fair for environmental protection is designed as a meeting point for experts and decision-makers from industry and the manufacturing sector, municipal supply and waste disposal, trade and commerce, service providers, ministries, authorities and public and scientific institutions. Numerous trade visitors are expected, particularly from China , Hong Kong, Taiwa , Japan, Korea and Singapore.

Together with its Chinese partner CARCU, the organiser (Messe München International) has attempted to adapt the proven concept of the event in Munich - the leading international trade fair for water, sewage, refuse and recycling - to the Chinese market. Especially interesting is the accompanying programme, which is organised in cooperation with international partners. Lectures and workshops will take place on the subjects of water supply, waste water disposal, sewage treatment, measures against air pollution, alternative energy sources and waste disposal.

The USA , Great Britain and Switzerland will have their own country pavilions for the first time, and Germany will also be represented with an official pavilion with more than 60 exhibitors. This also applies to Italy.

A greater number of countries have already registered for the event than in 2004 - exhibitors from 17 countries, says Messe München. Consequently, the event will provide Asian participants with an even more international marketplace. It will provide companies from China , Taiwan , Korea and Japan the chance to find the right partners for their projects in the areas of water supply, sewage treatment, waste disposal, recycling, air pollution control, environmental technology and more environmentally compatible energy sources.

The future for China

The growth of IFAT China is indicative of the country's expansion. Over the last two decades, China has maintained rapid economic growth, and become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

The country’s GDP reached RMB18.23 trillion (approx. US$2.2257 trillion) in 2005. With the high speed development of industry and agriculture, the demand for tech-fibrous material has also experienced rapid growth.

In China currently, the percentage of tech-fibrous materials used in the total production of fibres is only 15%, but it is predicted that this share will grow to 23% by 2010; that means that the production of tech-fibrous materials will be increased to more than 3 million tonnes.

This should be a catalyst for the development of tech-fibrous materials. Nowadays, tech-fibrous materials are applied in different industrial sectors, and are becoming essential materials in such fields as electronic, chemical industrials, transportation, construction, civil engineering, communication, agriculture, hygienic, resources, and environmental protection. From 2006 to 2010, China is in the period of its eleventh five-year plan, and the transition period for China to join the WTO will also be ended, meaning that China will be better merged into a global economy.

During this period, China will invest in a series of large-scale infrastructure construction projects. Among them are the high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai – total investment RMB2,000 billion Yuan; and the maglev train line between Shanghai and Hangzhou – total investment is RMB350 billion Yuan. These have already been approved by China’s government, and the two huge projects will start in 2006.

Moreover, construction for Olympic 2008 and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo are well underway. This indicates that the domestic demand for tech-fibrous materials will expand significantly in the future. China is becoming a high-speed developing country, with the largest world market for the field of tech-fibrous materials.

IFAT profile - the water treatment industry in China

The water industry in the People's Republic of China is facing some enormous challenges. As a result, the business opportunities for companies that help solve those problems are just as large.

A look at the water-supply sector in China reveals a picture full of nuances. Because the distribution of resources varies greatly; there are shortages of water in the arid, semi-arid and mountainous regions of the north, and an abundant supply of water in the rainy south.

In fact, some 47 million residents in the northern portions of the country have less than 10-15 litres of drinking water available per day, and in these regions with shortages, supply interruptions are commonplace.

Because of this dire situation, the re-utilisation rate is high. The average is 40% for the entire country, and the emphasis is on heavily populated urban areas. Modern hotels in Beijing are already required to recycle any greywater generated to flush their toilets. For this reason, demand for efficient circulation systems is high.

75% of all drinking water obtained in China is taken from the ground water, generally using flat dipping wells that offer hardly any protection against pollution. The other 25% comes from surface water, generally from rivers. However, the quality of river water continues to deteriorate.

Besides fertilisers and pesticides that wash up from intensive farming, the causes of this decreasing water quality are wastewater from households (much of which remains untreated) and to an increasing extent, heavily polluted wastewater from rapidly growing industries. Therefore, the construction of municipal water treatment plants and the implementation of modern wastewater technologies in plants and factories have top priority for China. At the same time, the rural population needs sturdy drinking water treatment systems that can be adapted to the prerequisites at hand to improve the supply situation, particularly with regard to hygiene.

FAT profile - sewage treatment

Over 60% of all Chinese towns and cities have no sewage treatment plants; in rural regions, there is hardly any sewage treatment at all. The "Sewage" theme is the focal point of IFAT CHINA 2006.

Almost one third of the 250 exhibitors present in Shanghai will be showcasing environmentally-friendly services and products for the responsible use of the resource water - from modern conditioning and processing through to supply solutions.

There are generally good market opportunities for technologies used in the pretreatment of polluted water; for progressive, advanced methods and chemical application agents used in water conditioning; and sewage treatment and also for precise and reliable measuring technology and systems. In principle, the need for sewage treatment and recycling processes and plans will clearly increase as the political pressure on the polluting companies grows.

Particularly in the area of sewage treatment the need to catch up is great. Nine new projects are to be financed through the introduction of sewage charges. Particularly on the Chinese east coast extending down to Guangzhou , a large number of new sewage treatment plants are currently being planned or built. In the capital Beijing (sewage treatment rate 50%) the urban planners are striving for a rate of 90% by the time the Olympic Games are held in 2008; in Shanghai 80% is the target by 2010 and the World Exposition. Up to now only about 20% of the sewage produced has been sufficiently treated.

IFAT profile - China 's olympic games emissions' mission

To run a 'green olympic games' is China's planned target for the summer games, taking place during 2008 in Beijing. Environmentally-compatible solutions need to be found for dealing with emissions from traffic, industry and power plants.

Electricity is mainly generated by coal-fired power plants in China. Only 5% of coal-fired power plants were equipped with flue gas purification by the end of 2004. Many power plants must be upgraded to provide cleaner energy, in order to fulfil planned targets in environmental protection and quality of life.

Greenhouse gas emissions have increased considerably in China as a result of economic growth. Carbon dioxide emissions alone have increased by more than 47% since 1990 and amounted to half of the global increase. Today, China is in second place behind the USA with respect to energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

But the country-wide level of energy efficiency is only about 33% and consequently 10% below the level of Western industrial countries. The continued fast increase in energy needs and the increasing motorisation of the Chinese population (1,000 new cars every day just in Beijing ) are making it even more necessary to use environmentally-compatible technologies.

China 's government is meeting this challenge with substantial investments in environmental protection. The current five-year plan (2006 to 2010) has allotted approximately E130 billion for this, almost double when compared to the previous plan. A renewable energy law based on the German model took effect on 1 January, 2006. In addition to ensuring sufficient energy for economic growth and expansion of supply for private households, it should also contribute to reducing air pollution, the country's leaders hope.

Renewable energy sources should replace coal step-by-step with an energy share of 10% by 2010 and 15% by 2015. And China wants to reduce the current 83% share of coal to 50% by the middle of the century. Hydroelectric power should then provide 18% of electricity, gas, biomass, photovoltaics and wind energy each five percent, and nuclear power 12%.