The Ministry of Environment plans to propose stricter regulations on heavy metals and dioxins related to solid recovered fuel (SRF) by the end of the year, it said on Friday after releasing a report on the results of its nationwide inspection of 48 manufacturers and 18 users of SRFs.
SRFs are made from nonhazardous waste from businesses that can be burned as fuel, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said, adding that quality SRFs can only be produced through purification and homogenization.
The ministry would propose new SRF regulations by the end of the year to establish a third-party certification system, install closed-circuit television systems to monitor the areas where materials are collected and impose stricter standards on the emission of harmful substances such as dioxins, Resource Circulation Administration Director-General Lai Ying-ying (賴瑩瑩) said.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Under the stricter regulations, companies in the industry would have to make more effort and invest more to improve their products and processes, Peng said, adding that “this is not to increase the companies’ costs, but to increase Taiwan’s assets.”
SRF production volume has increased from 50,000 tonnes in 2019 to 290,000 tonnes last year, and most manufacturers were small and medium-sized businesses, Lai said, citing the report.
Although one manufacturer did not install an essential device for purification and homogenization of SRF, all manufacturers’ SRF products met quality standards, she said, adding that SRF combustion efficiency could be improved.
Eighteen manufacturers did not report where their products were sold, although it was required by law, and one manufacturer has never reported the destinations of its products, she said.
While 29 manufacturers sold SRF products directly to users in accordance with regulations, 11 did not and eight had yet to sell their products, she added.
Most SRF users were factories of large companies in the paper, cement and power supply industries, which mainly used coal, Lai said.
Although SRF-users’ sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxide emissions met regulations, 25 percent of the users fell short of the emission standards for dioxins, she said.
Overall, 52 to 70 percent of SRF manufacturers met standards and 30 to 48 percent needed improvements, while more than 90 percent of SRF users met standards and 6 percent should improve, she said.
Meanwhile, 14 SRF producers said they would leave the market after the inspection, while two manufacturers said they would stop production as SRF was not their main product, Lai said.
Two users said they would use other fuels instead of SRFs, she said.
Ten manufacturers said they would transition from the market as their waste had simple properties and as they had matured their waste reuse technology, she said.
About 6.5 million tonnes of waste is sent to incinerators every year, 1.8 million tonnes of which is business waste, Deputy Minister of Environment Shen Chih-hsiu (沈志修) said.
If business waste could be recycled using SRF production technology, incinerator capacity could be freed for burning noncommercial waste, which would reduce “waste mountains” in Taiwan, he said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS