Scientific and Technological innovation to lead the precise management of air pollution control

From the beginning of May, Beijing has a few days of serious ozone exceeded, becoming the primary air pollutants. How to deal with this new situation, new problems, in different stages of atmospheric environmental governance, how to promote scientific and technological innovation, this reporter conducted an interview with Academician He Kebin.
Dialogue: Chinese Academy of engineering, Tsinghua University, Dean of the school of environment He Kebin
Interviewer: newspaper reporter Li Ying Intern Bai Jie
Ozone exceeded the air pollution control what are the new problems?
In the reduction of PM2.5 and ozone two indicators with the national standard gap is the key.
China Environment News: in late May, Beijing has a few days of serious ozone exceeded, becoming the primary air pollutants, people's attention to ozone for a time or even more than PM2.5. How to understand the problem of ozone pollution?
He Kebin: ozone is the product of the chemical reaction of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under the action of light. We should have an objective understanding of the problem of excessive ozone. China's current ozone standards have been equivalent to the United States standards. While the United States PM2.5 standard is 12 mu g/m3, China's current PM2.5 standard is 35 g/m3, is the first file of a WHO standard. Therefore, the treatment of ozone and PM2.5 pollution is a long and arduous task.
In fact, many cities earlier in the discussion of the issue of governance VOCs, but also did begin to take some measures to control. But there is not a city with scientific research and technical reserves, such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which is relatively difficult to control VOCs. VOCs wide range of emission sources, including automotive, all kinds of industrial emissions, spray decoration process, etc.. A variety of VOCs chemical composition is also different. At the same time, VOCs does not like sulfur dioxide, a large point source distribution and emissions of high, as long as the control of the chimney mouth will be able to reduce the total discharge. VOCs point source is large and small, there are a number of industrial projects to produce non organization of the discharge point. So in the scientific measurement, the development of standards, technical measures, the implementation of control measures and other aspects, there are a series of problems, the difficulty is relatively large.
12th Five-Year period, nitrogen oxides were first included in the implementation of the total control of the binding targets, the total amount of nitrogen oxide emissions were controlled, and the turning point of the decline in 2012. In terms of nitrogen oxides, the emission sources are relatively concentrated, mainly in coal combustion and motor vehicle emissions.
At present, VOCs governance can not keep up with the pace of the control of nitrogen oxides, a serious lag. The two party will strengthen the chemical reaction process, cause the increase of ozone concentration. On the whole, the direction of governance in the future is to increase VOCs control efforts to make it in the treatment of haze and ozone treatment showed positive effect. Now, especially in the key cities, key areas, the need to carry out relevant research and management work as soon as possible.
China Environmental News: ozone become the primary pollutant, then, is not it means that the PM2.5 has been effectively controlled? How to treat the environmental quality of Beijing in recent years to improve the situation?
He Kebin: a lot of people think, Beijing is from 2013 in most parts of the north after an outbreak of severe haze began to control the air pollution. In fact, if not in the past 15 years, Beijing has been taking measures to actively control the problem of air pollution, the haze will come earlier than in 2013, more fierce. If there is no basis for such a work, we now have no condition to discuss the Beijing PM2.5 value of the decline and when the issue of standards. The United Nations Environment Program released the day before the "Beijing air pollution control process: 1998~2013" assessment report. If the objective and careful analysis of the Beijing 15 years of air quality changes, it will be found that the main air pollutant concentrations have been showing a downward trend.
In investigating the air quality of Beijing, it should also take into account the social and economic development. From 1998 to 2013, Beijing GDP growth of 720%, motor vehicle ownership increased by 300%, the population increased by 77%, energy consumption increased by 70%. As the largest developing country in the capital, Beijing is facing an unprecedented pressure of air pollution. At the same time, Beijing is located in the north of China, its own and surrounding areas a lot of burning coal, especially to the winter heating period is more serious. In this case, the Beijing to achieve a decline of 4 kinds of pollutants, is very difficult, in the world is also very difficult to find a similar case. Therefore, the achievements of Beijing is very worthy of recognition. The United Nations Environment Programme former Executive Director Achim Steiner pointed out that as the capital of a country with the largest population in the world, air management experience accumulated under the background of rapid development in Beijing is definitely worth in other developing economies and emerging cities to share.
From the decline in the concentration of pollutants is concerned, we have been in progress. But to achieve the extent that we have to look forward to the extent of the gap, but also need to continue to work hard. In particular, PM2.5 and ozone these two indicators, we are off the air quality standards are still very gap between the requirements of the. We should maintain a relatively cautious and optimistic attitude, but to be full of confidence.
Specifically, Beijing, in addition to PM2.5 and ozone, several other indicators have reached or close to the national air quality standards. And later how to reduce the PM2.5 and the two indicators of ozone and the national air quality standards are the key requirements.
In PM2.5, the PM2.5 value of Beijing over the past 15 years showed a slow downward trend. In 1996 I came back from Harvard, in Beijing, the establishment of 3 observation stations, when the data about the average annual average of 110 g/m3 or so; by 2013 dropped to 90 g/m32015 years has dropped to 80 g/m3. But there is still a big gap between the current national standards.
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