China releases first catalogue of outdated processes and equipment for hazardous chemical production to be banned or restricted 
On September 27, 2020, the Ministry of Emergency Management of China released the first Catalogue of Abolished Outdated Processes and Equipment for Safe Production of Hazardous Chemicals. The public notice period was 10 working days and comments were received until 5:00 p.m. on October 16 China time. The catalogue includes four old production processes and eight types of old equipment subject to restriction or prohibition. The important types of processes and equipment are as follows.
| Outdated safe production processes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process name | Restricted or prohibited | Scope of restriction | Alternatives | Legal basis |
| Chlorine liquefaction process using ammonia-chilled brine | Restricted | Necessary modifications to equipment should be completed within two years. | Environmentally friendly refrigerants | Article 35 of the Safe Production Act |
| Direct fire heating process for coating resin production | Prohibited | — | — | “Abolition” category in the Guidance List for Industrial Structure Adjustment (2019 edition) |
| Outdated equipment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment name | Restricted or prohibited | Scope of restriction | Alternatives | Legal basis |
| Open centrifuges | Restricted | Flammable and toxic component materials are prohibited. | Hermetic centrifuges | Article 35 of the Safe Production Act |
| Hoses for liquid hydrocarbons, liquid chlorine and liquid ammonia piping | Prohibited | Metal hoses used in wharves and hoses used for electronic-grade products are excluded from the prohibition. | Metal pressure piping or universal filling systems | Fire Prevention Code of Petrochemical Enterprise Design (GB 50160-2008; 2018 edition) |
The original text of the above catalogue can be viewed at this link (in Simplified Chinese):
http://www.chemicalsafety.org.cn/detail.php?oneid=38613
