Guizhou Dalong Economic Development Zone: Pioneering a New Path for "Zero-Waste Industrial Parks"

A "Zero-Waste Industrial Park" refers to a new development model that integrates green, low-carbon, and circular economy principles into industrial park planning and operations. As a national model for such initiatives, the Dalong Economic Development Zone in Tongren City, Guizhou Province, has achieved significant results, with a comprehensive solid waste utilization rate exceeding 80%.

In October 2024, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) jointly issued a public announcement identifying nine exemplary "Zero-Waste Industrial Parks" across the country. Among them, Guizhou's Dalong Economic Development Zone was the only park from the province to be selected, recognized for its innovative approach that combines circular economy practices, diversified governance, and intelligent management systems.

What sets a "Zero-Waste Industrial Park" apart from a traditional industrial park? A visit to the park reveals the difference. Inside the production workshop of Guizhou Dalong Huicheng New Materials Co., Ltd., a well-integrated circular industrial chain is immediately apparent.

Chunks of manganese slag undergo a series of processes-including ball milling, leaching, and impurity removal-to extract valuable metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and zinc. These are then processed using advanced production technologies to manufacture high-purity manganese sulfate for batteries, as well as battery-grade manganese tetroxide, which are sold in both domestic and international markets. The remaining slag is transported to cement plants to be used as a raw material in cement production.

"Take our company as an example-producing one ton of battery-grade manganese sulfate generates approximately 0.8 to 1 ton of manganese slag," said Dong Xiongwen, Assistant to the Chairman of the company. "Although manganese slag is classified as industrial waste and improper disposal can lead to soil and water contamination, with proper classification and treatment, the iron, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and zinc it contains still hold significant value for recycling."

To explore new avenues for waste reutilization, in March 2021, Huicheng New Materials launched a self-designed production line to convert manganese slag into precursor materials for cathodes used in new energy vehicle (NEV) batteries. Four years on, the facility now processes around 200 tons of manganese slag per day, yielding approximately 20 tons of manganese metal and 1 ton of nickel-cobalt metals. The production process has also resulted in a 22% reduction in raw material costs and a 90% decrease in electricity consumption.

Similar circular practices are taking place throughout the Dalong Economic Development Zone. "Through processes such as sedimentation, adsorption, and impurity removal, we extract valuable metals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese from recycled lithium batteries, eliminating unrelated metals. These recovered materials can then be reintegrated into the front-end production processes of lithium batteries, effectively enabling closed-loop recycling," said Zhang Qi, Deputy General Manager of Guizhou Hongxing Electronic Materials Co., Ltd., located in the Dalong Economic Development Zone.

Hongxing Electronic has independently developed an inorganic recycling process that utilizes a reduction-leaching and impurity-removal technique. This innovation enables the simultaneous high-efficiency recovery of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium from used batteries. Additionally, the process features a fully closed-loop water recycling system, ensuring zero secondary pollution during production.

Currently, Hongxing Electronic has established an annual processing capacity of 15,000 tons of used lithium batteries and associated materials. The recovery rate for nickel, cobalt, and manganese exceeds 98%, while lithium recovery exceeds 95%. As of 2024, the company's cumulative revenue has surpassed RMB 2 billion. Hongxing has also been recognized with multiple honors, including the "Green Factory" designation by Guizhou Province and national-level green factory certification.

"A total of 56 companies within the park have completed registration and reporting, ensuring full coverage of all entities generating solid and hazardous waste," said Liang Yongzhi, Deputy Captain of the Comprehensive Administrative Enforcement Team for Ecological and Environmental Protection in the Dalong Economic Development Zone. He noted that the zone's solid waste information management system enables full tracking of all general solid waste, medical waste, and hazardous waste generated by these enterprises-ensuring that no waste goes unmonitored.

Since 2022, the Dalong Economic Development Zone has leveraged Guizhou Province's solid waste information management system, integrating technologies such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) to establish a smart management platform aimed at pollution and carbon reduction. This platform provides around-the-clock monitoring of all solid waste generated by enterprises within the park.

"For example, in the case of used lead-acid batteries, we connect directly to the provincial lead-acid battery transaction platform, enabling end-to-end supervision across key stages-including generation, collection, storage, transfer, utilization, and disposal," Liang explained. "This system helps relevant authorities quickly assess the current state of solid waste in the region and provides strong digital support for regulatory decision-making and early warning responses."

The Dalong Economic Development Zone is also advancing its "Zero-Waste Industrial Park" initiative through the promotion of cleaner production and strengthened industrial wastewater collection and treatment. Measures such as boiler decommissioning, transitioning from coal to gas or electricity, and centralized heating have significantly reduced air pollutant emissions at the source. At the same time, clean production practices are being actively implemented, with a 100% compliance rate in mandatory cleaner production audits-leading to marked improvements in energy efficiency and emissions reduction across the park.

From January to November 2024, the Dalong Economic Development Zone recorded a total industrial output value of RMB 22.209 billion from enterprises above the designated size, with the new functional materials sector contributing RMB 19.189 billion.

"Thanks to a series of targeted and effective measures, the Dalong Economic Development Zone has made notable progress in building a 'Zero-Waste Industrial Park'," said Huang Bo, Deputy Director of the Economic Development Bureau of the Dalong Economic Development Zone. "We've seen a substantial reduction in industrial waste emissions, a significant increase in resource recycling rates, and clear improvements in the ecological environment within the park."
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