On August 26, China National Radio and Television Station China Voice broadcast a report on the transformation of hazardous waste sludge into organic fertilizer raw materials in Shijiazhuang City and the failure of hazardous waste sludge disposal checkpoints.

Previous report

A reporter recently investigated in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province and found that some illegal businesses, in pursuit of profits, actually mixed inferior raw materials into organic fertilizers, and even used hazardous waste sludge to make organic fertilizers, which seriously threatened the ecology and food security. How did the strictly controlled hazardous waste sludge become organic fertilizer raw materials?

The company involved did not hold relevant qualifications

Adding sludge to organic fertilizer raw materials

Recently, when the reporter visited Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City, he found that many organic fertilizer factories here were closed during the day, and even business negotiations were arranged to be held far away from the factory. Mr. Ma, the person in charge of Liangtian Fertilizer Co., Ltd., Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City, revealed to reporters that because the factory area did not meet environmental protection standards, they usually organized production at night.

△Liangtian Fertilizer Co., Ltd., Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City (Photo by Jiang Xiaochen)

Mr. Ma said that there are many organic fertilizer factories in Gaocheng, including powder and granule manufacturers, which are government bidding projects. Because of their low cost and low price, Beijing, Shandong and other surrounding areas come to purchase. "Why did I ask you to come to this office? Because there are so many unannounced environmental inspections now, and we also have our own difficulties. Don't worry about my production address. The workshop alone is five or six thousand square meters. We have tens of thousands of tons of inventory. I can also send 500 tons a day."

The mainstream organic fertilizers on the market mainly use animal manure and plant residues as raw materials. From a cost perspective, the market price of animal manure is usually higher than that of plant residues. However, the reporter found in the market that some organic fertilizers made from animal manure are sold at a lower price than most plant residue organic fertilizers.

Mr. Ma revealed that their cheapest powder organic fertilizer is made of sheep manure and earthworm manure. The organic matter mass fraction and total nutrient mass fraction meet the organic fertilizer standard of "Organic Fertilizer NY/T 525-2021" and are sold at 155 yuan/ton.

"It is guaranteed to be made from earthworm manure and sheep manure, with earthworm manure accounting for 40% and sheep manure accounting for 60%. Organic matter accounts for 45%, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium account for 4.5%, and the pH value is neutral. We have to adjust it, adding nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium where necessary, and organic matter where necessary. Anyway, what we make meets the 525 standard."

△ A factory of Shijiazhuang Gaocheng District Liangtian Fertilizer Co., Ltd. in Wuji County (Photo by Jiang Xiaochen)

After gaining Mr. Ma's trust, the reporter was led by him to a factory more than 10 kilometers away, where a pungent odor hit him.

According to Mr. Ma, this factory covers an area of thousands of square meters and is a place dedicated to the production of powdered organic fertilizer. The entire production process includes the fermentation, crushing and filling of raw materials.

Mr. Ma: This is all sheep manure.

Reporter: How much does sheep manure cost per ton now?

Mr. Ma: The sheep manure is transported to us for 140 to 150 yuan per ton.

The reporter questioned how to make organic fertilizer with a selling price of only 155 yuan per ton when the price of raw materials is close to 150 yuan per ton? Mr. Ma changed his previous statement of 100% animal manure and said that not too much animal manure would be mixed in production, and some "good soil" in organic fertilizer would meet the standards.

"The 525 standard is the most common and easiest type of fertilizer to make. To put it bluntly, you can reach the 525 standard by adding some good soil, humic acid, and furfural residue to blend and process it. The raw materials cannot cost more than 100 yuan, otherwise you will lose money."

The sludge Mr. Ma mentioned was piled up in a corner of the factory (Photo by Jiang Xiaochen)

In the factory building of the organic fertilizer factory, there are many kinds of raw materials, and one kind of black and gray soil block caught the attention of reporters. Mr. Ma said that this was sludge that was dried and formed into slag, but he avoided talking about its specific composition.

In fact, no matter what kind of sludge, it is not allowed to be used as a raw material for organic fertilizer. According to the newly revised "Organic Fertilizer" agricultural industry standard, fly ash, steel slag, sludge and other prohibited raw materials with safety hazards are prohibited from being used as raw materials for the production of organic fertilizers. In addition, the treatment and use of sludge requires a license issued by the relevant department and the environmental impact assessment procedures. However, the reporter found that the company involved did not hold the relevant qualifications and had never conducted an environmental impact assessment on the sludge dumping site.

Low-cost leather sludge contains excessive heavy metals

Middlemen evade supervision by "falsely issuing five-part forms"

Gaocheng District is adjacent to the country's largest cow leather production base, Wuji County, Shijiazhuang. An industry insider who is engaged in organic fertilizer production in Gaocheng revealed that the sludge produced during the leather making process contains organic components, which can increase the organic content of organic fertilizer as a raw material. Therefore, some organic fertilizer manufacturers, in pursuit of high profits, do not hesitate to use almost cost-free leather sludge as raw material.

The industry insider said that industrial and domestic sludge needs to be processed. Generally, leather factories will pay them to process the sludge, but because the heavy metal content exceeds the standard, they will not use it as a raw material.

△Leather sludge generated by a leather production enterprise in Wuji County (Photo by Jiang Xiaochen)

It is understood that leather sludge is mainly the sludge and residue generated in the wastewater treatment process after the use of chrome tanning agents for chrome tanning and retanning in the leather production process. Heavy metal chromium is toxic and has harmful effects on the ecological environment and human health.

An industry insider told reporters that if organic fertilizers containing heavy metals are applied to farmland, the soil temperature will rise, the temperature can reach 60℃, and burn the roots and seedlings. "If fertilizer is put into a vacant land, the area will be idle for several years and cannot be planted in the same year."

It is reported that chromium-containing leather sludge has been included in the "National List of Hazardous Wastes". In the process of collection, storage, transfer, utilization and disposal, relevant laws and regulations must be strictly followed and no unauthorized disposal is allowed.

However, when the reporter visited several leather factories in Wuji County, he found that many leather manufacturers had signed sludge disposal contracts with local sewage treatment plants and environmental protection companies that have "Hazardous Waste Business Licenses". After harmless treatment, the sludge can be disposed of by landfill and incineration for power generation.

A leather factory manager revealed that they have all signed environmental protection agreements, and the sludge will be taken away directly by the processing company. Another leather factory manager said, "You must have a full set of procedures, because this is hazardous waste, and you must be qualified to take it away."

In addition, the reporter also contacted a middleman, Mr. Lu, during the investigation. Many leather manufacturers' sludge was taken away by him. Mr. Lu revealed that leather sludge is considered hazardous waste in Wuji County. If there are no procedures, the manufacturer will not sell it. It can only be purchased through middlemen like him.

Mr. Lu said, "My friend's factory can collect it. I have a disposal unit, which is considered a middleman. I buy their sludge. A lot of it is taken to the northeast, and they are all long-term customers from other places. Another use is brick making, and they use it to make bricks." Mr. Lu told reporters that about 2 tons of sludge can be processed every day, and if there is demand, more can be provided.

△Sludge displayed by the merchant (provided by the interviewee)

When the reporter suggested going to the site to check the water content of the sludge, Mr. Lu seemed very cautious. He showed several photos of gray-black leather sludge stored in several huge woven bags. He said that these sludges come from major leather factories. After being stored here, they will not be harmlessly treated. After waiting for natural drying, they will be sent to all parts of the country.

Upon inquiry, Mr. Lu revealed that these sludges are stored in warehouses, cannot be exposed to the open air, and have odors. The whole process only needs to be dried, and no other processes are required. The water content of dry sludge is more than 20%, and the drying process takes a month. He said that as long as the price is negotiated, several trucks of leather sludge can be sent on the same day, but in order to avoid being investigated, it must be transported in the dark, and hazardous waste vehicles will not be used during transportation because there is no corresponding market.

△Trucks transporting sludge in Wuji County (Photo by Jiang Xiaochen)

It is understood that there are extremely strict supervision measures for hazardous waste from the factory to transportation. According to the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes", hazardous waste generating units must submit a transfer plan to the environmental protection administrative department for approval before transferring hazardous waste. After approval, they must apply for a five-part hazardous waste transfer form. This form involves five units, including the hazardous waste generating unit, receiving unit, transportation unit, generating unit and receiving unit's competent department. This form must be kept on file in the five units.

△ Five-part transfer form for hazardous waste (picture from the Internet)

Mr. Lu told reporters that the five-part transfer form for hazardous waste is indeed unavoidable, but they have ways to hide it. He said that by falsely issuing a five-part transfer form for hazardous waste, a considerable amount of sludge can escape supervision. For example, they may apply for a transfer permit of 100 tons, but actually transfer 1,000 tons.

"The factory issues a part of the five-part form, for example, 100 tons, and we can transport 1,000 tons of goods. For example, if we have a good relationship with you, we can also take it away for free." Mr. Lu revealed that these manufacturers can produce thousands of tons of sludge every day. Due to the existence of the industrial chain, the sludge produced is increasing every day, and there is no place to consume it.

Organic fertilizers containing heavy metals threaten human health

Improper sludge disposal problems occur repeatedly

As an important fertilizer for farmland, the quality of organic fertilizers is directly related to the growth of crops and the condition of the soil. Organic fertilizers containing heavy metals will cause soil pollution after application, and may also enter the human body through the food chain, causing long-term harm to human health.

After the report was broadcast, Shijiazhuang City set up a joint investigation team led by the city leaders and composed of ecological environment, public security, market supervision, agriculture and rural areas, administrative approval and other departments to rush to the scene to conduct in-depth investigation and verification of the companies involved and related situations. The relevant companies and responsible personnel will be severely investigated and dealt with in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The follow-up investigation and handling situation will be announced to the public in a timely manner. In the next step, Shijiazhuang City will learn from this incident and conduct a comprehensive investigation and rectification of the production and processing of organic fertilizers and the disposal of hazardous waste sludge in the city, fill in the work loopholes, and severely crack down on illegal and irregular behaviors.

At present, Wuji County has sealed off the companies involved, sampled and tested the raw materials involved and sealed them. The public security organs will question the relevant parties and verify the situation. If illegal and irregular behaviors are found, they will be severely punished according to law.