Russia and China: The Ash and Slag Route
KEY CONCLUSIONS
Use of ash and slag is a topical area for Russia and China
“The People’s Republic of China is the leader in coal generation. Disposal
of ash and slag waste [secondary mineral resources used in making concrete for
all kinds of construction – Ed.] has been practiced since the mid-20th
century. We see that our Chinese colleagues have accumulated tremendous
experience in the regulations and fundamentals of operations in this sector of
secondary use of materials,” Pavel Barilo, Executive Director, Siberian Generating
Company.
“Like our Chinese partners, we have moved forward significantly in legal
regulation: we have passed a key law on secondary material resources and
developed a comprehensive plan for increasing economic turnover of ASW. […] If we
look at the mechanisms, such as financial support measures, China has made major
progress and we are studying this experience to see possible uses for it in the
Russian legislation,” Irina Zolotova, General Director, National Association of
Secondary Material Application.
Russia–China cooperation in handling ash and slag has great potential
“We are engaged in very fruitful work and collaboration with our Russian
colleagues and we intend to expand this experience. [...] Regarding our
collaboration with Russia, we need to prioritize consideration of border territories
for efficiently structuring a production chain and deliveries, and properly laying
out the logistics,” Wen Peng, General Manager, SRON Silo Engineering.
“Communication is key both in Russia–China collaboration and within BRICS
as a whole. Now we have [...] an operating basis for our Russian colleagues in Fujian
Province and we would be very happy to continue collaborating and communicating
for more in-depth interaction and exchange of experience in science and
technologies,” Mehri Aliev, Director, Russian-Chinese Research Center for
Digital Economy.
PROBLEMS
Insufficient ash and slag turnover volumes in Russia
“Recycled ash and slag in Russia totals about 20% of annual generation. Our
Chinese partners have achieved significant results: the share of recycled [ash
and slag] in China totals 70%. […] Use of ash and slag in Russia is based on
the mining and construction model. This is largely an area that uses ash and
slag in low-profit, low-tech areas. These include land reclamation, mining
excavations and construction,” Irina Zolotova, General Director, National
Association of Secondary Material Application.
“Today, the Siberian Generating Company is conducting a series of research
projects for developing use of ash and slag in construction. Russia has dozens of
power stations that require updating of their equipment for loading and storing
ash and slag. Currently, a market is emerging for combustion product disposal,”
Pavel Barilo, Executive Director, Siberian Generating Company.
Environmental legislation holds back businesses in working with ash and
slag
“The main problem here is consumers’ fear of the supervisory and environmental
bodies. Recyclers have no desire to handle an additional load such as working
with the Federal Supervisory Service for Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor), which is a kind
environmental prosecutor’s office. Consumers do not wish to face new environmental
risks of undergoing state environmental assessments so we need to focus on
actively certifying technologies and products that contain secondary raw
materials,” Pavel Barilo, Executive Director, Siberian Generating Company.
“We need to pass a law on ash and slag. […] We need to explain that it is
not garbage, it is a product,” Denis Terekhov, Deputy, Legislative Assembly of
Krasnoyarsk Krai.
SOLUTIONS
More active use of state-of-the-art technologies in processing ash and slag
“We need to provide new, highly competitive technologies. We can use
coal yet, at the same time, we should process all waste in a sensible manner.
It should be ‘green energy’. Coal energy can be green, too, and digitalization
is the key to this. We should achieve a technological breakthrough,” Yui Xiao, Director,
Research Centre for Digital Development at Sichuan Province, Sichuan Administration
Institute.
“At the moment, together with the Ministry of Energy, we have compiled a
best practice database, that is, we have laid down the technological
foundations for rolling out existing practices. To bring consumers and manufacturers
closer together, we have compiled and digitized everything that applies to use
of ash and slag in Russia; we have designed an interactive map, ash yard
digital passports. […] This is our proposal, together with our Chinese partners,
to consider the possibility of compiling a technologies database,” Irina
Zolotova, General Director, National Association of Secondary Material
Application.
Expanding use of ash and slag in various sectors
“The year 2022 saw adoption of key legislative amendments allowing for
use of ash and slag in several areas at once, including construction, road building
and agriculture. [...] This year saw adoption of a support system via public
contracts, i.e., involving ASW in construction first of all,” Andrey Maximov, Head
of the Department of Electric Power Development, Ministry of Energy of the
Russian Federation.
“In Sakhalin and in the Amur Region, we use [...] ash at enterprises
that manufacture aerated concrete; they [ash and slag – Ed.] are substituted
for sand. [...] Our area is developing concrete mix recipes making primary use
of ash instead of clinkers in cement,” Dmitry Belyaev, General Director, RusHydro
CS; Director of Strategic Transactions Department, RusHydro.
For more information, visit the Roscongress Foundation’s Information and
Analytical System at roscongress.org/en.
The Russian Energy Week International Forum is a key global platform for
discussing current trends in the development of the modern fuel and energy
sector. This event is traditionally held at the highest level, featuring the
participation of leaders from the largest companies in the energy industry. In
2022, more than 70 events, with the involvement of over 270 speakers, were held
as part of REW. The Forum attracted over 3,000 participants and media
representatives from Russia, as well as 83 foreign countries and territories.
The Forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the Ministry of Energy
of the Russian Federation, with the support of the Moscow City Government.
Official website of REW: rusenergyweek.com. For news about the event and the industry, please follow the official
REW page on VK.
