China's energy-saving lamp market status, hidden troubles and recycling system

Energy-saving lamps, a kind of energy-saving light source that government departments have invested heavily in thousands of households in recent years, but because of the lack of recycling system, the mercury component is becoming a terrible source of pollution for soil and water. Short-term energy savings may result in long-term pollution hazards, and energy-saving lamps are criticized by knowledgeable people. How to dispose of energy-saving lamps has become an urgent task.

The current situation of the explosive growth of energy-saving lamp market

Energy-saving lamps, followed by incandescent lamps, are another type of lighting fixture in the field of lamps and lanterns. Compared with ordinary incandescent lamps, its most outstanding advantages are energy-saving, economical, and environmentally friendly.

Taking the electricity bill that the people are most concerned about, a 10-watt energy-saving lamp consumes 240 degrees less electricity than a 50-watt incandescent lamp with the same effect for a period of 6,000 hours, and can save electricity costs by 120 yuan. From the viewpoint of environmental protection and low carbon, China currently uses 390 billion kWh of electricity per year. If all incandescent lamps are replaced with energy-saving lamps, electricity consumption can be saved by 60 billion kWh per year, equivalent to saving over 22 million tons of standard coal and reducing 6000 tons. Many tons of carbon dioxide and 590,000 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions.

In such a group of digital figures repeated by many industry experts and scholars, the seemingly inconspicuous small energy-saving lamps are unquestionable. In particular, when the current global initiatives of citizens do their best to implement environmental protection and low carbon, if people don’t change their energy-saving lamps at home, people seem to always feel that they “lose something”. This can not help but allow some companies with keen sense to discover new business opportunities. Spend investment on the development and sales of energy-saving lamps. For example, NVC Lighting, which has been in business for 12 years, officially entered the field of energy-saving lamps for manufacturing in 2008, but it has now become China's largest energy-saving lamp manufacturer by virtue of its conventional NVC speed. It spent RMB 1 billion in last year. Zhejiang's largest energy-saving lamp production base in China is expected to reach an annual output of 250 million, which will account for nearly 10% of China's energy-saving lamp production.

And NVC is also optimistic about the energy-saving lamps market, Philips, Op, Panasonic, Sunshine and other old lighting brands. It is reported that in 2008 and 2009 alone, Philips promoted more than 12.1 million energy-saving lamps, which does not include the hundreds of thousands of energy-saving lamps that it gave away to poor residents in Tibet, Shaanxi and Gansu. According to an annual report of Zhejiang Sunshine Lighting, which is the oldest qualification in the lighting industry, the company’s energy-saving lamps currently have a capacity of 250 million, and it is expected to reach 450 million by the end of 2011.

The doubling of confidence among lighting companies is due to the encouragement and support from relevant government and government agencies. In order to promote energy conservation and emission reduction, in 2008, the National Development and Reform Commission jointly with the Ministry of Finance and other agencies jointly launched a large-scale government subsidy to promote efficient lighting products and provide 50% and 30% subsidy to urban and rural residents and bulk users who use these products. Among them, Beijing citizens can purchase energy-saving lamps for only 1 yuan. In the past two years since the project was launched, it has promoted 210 million energy-saving lamps nationwide, saving 8.8 billion kwh of electricity and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 8.8 million tons annually. It plans to promote 150 million efficient lighting products this year.

“At present, the size of the global energy-saving lamp market is about 3 billion, of which 80% is produced in China. This shows that China's energy-saving lamp market has great prospects for development.” Dou Linping, deputy secretary-general of the China Lighting Association, said that replacing energy-saving lamps Incandescent lamps have become a common goal of the world. For example, Europe has already clarified that it will completely ban incandescent lamps by 2012. At present, China also plans to phase out incandescent lamps, and thus China's energy-saving lighting market will usher in explosive growth opportunities.

Improper handling of energy-saving lamps may cause "mercury contamination"

Because of energy conservation and environmental protection, the heyday of energy-saving lamps has come. However, a "secret" hidden behind a small white energy-saving lamp is not known to many people. Energy-saving lamps can reduce energy consumption and protect the environment. If energy-saving lamps cannot be dealt with in a timely manner, they may be effective. polluted environment.

"The nationwide promotion of so-called energy-saving lamps is in fact a huge misunderstanding of the Prime Minister's approval of the promotion of 'efficient lighting products', and this has led to serious problems of mercury pollution in the ecological environment." In March this year, he participated in the first domestic A high-pressure xenon lamp research and development, a considerable research in the field of lighting Tsinghua University, Professor of Physics, a media in the South, allegedly this letter had also reached the State Council six months ago, and raised high-level concern. In the article, the mercury he mentions is a deadly weapon that can damage the environment.

It is understood that the average mercury content of an ordinary energy-saving lamp is about 0.5 milligrams, which is only enough to cover a ballpoint pen tip. However, if it is improperly disposed, it penetrates underground, and theoretically, 1 milligram of mercury can contaminate 360 ​​tons of water, and 0.5 milligrams of mercury. Mercury can contaminate about 180 tons of water and surrounding soil. Moreover, since the boiling point of mercury is low, it can evaporate at room temperature. After the waste energy-saving lamp is broken, the concentration of mercury in the ambient air can be exceeded by a factor of 100 times. Once the mercury that enters the human body exceeds the standard, it will destroy the human central nervous system, and the human body can inhale 2.5 grams of mercury vapor once to death. At present, waste-containing energy-saving lamps containing mercury have been listed in the National List of Hazardous Wastes.

This year, the National Development and Reform Commission promotes 150 million efficient lighting products through financial subsidy. If we follow the above calculations, then it means that the promotion of 150 million energy-saving lamps means that nearly 75 million milligrams of mercury will be transported throughout the country. Theoretically, this can be achieved. Pollution of 27 billion tons of water resources, while the global access to fresh water is only 300 billion tons. Is it true that industry experts or lighting manufacturers do not know the destructive effect of mercury in old energy-saving lamps on the environment? "We don't know, the key is that at present, the country does not have a set of definitive recycling systems for used energy-saving lamps. It only encourages enterprises to set up collection points on their own initiative and then handle them on their own. However, waste energy-saving lamps are hazardous wastes and cannot be degraded as much as some waste. From transportation to harmlessness, special technologies are needed, and the cost is too high.” Zhang Dabing, general manager of the Times Plaza Lighting Lamps in Wanlong, said that some energy-saving lamp merchants in the market have set up recovery points, but they are really here. Few consumers took, most of them throw away at random, the entire market received a dozen only a few months, so take a professional garbage treatment plant people are unwilling to accept.

"China's current recycling of waste energy-saving lamps is not perfect for three reasons: First, the recycling system is not perfect, the people do not know where to send; Second, people's awareness of energy-saving lamps recycling processing is not strong; Third, the recovery costs are relatively high. On September 20, the "China's first high-level forum for the construction of waste energy-saving lamp recycling systems," co-sponsored by the China Lighting Association and Beijing Lighting Association, was in the words of Ye Xin, director of the China Lighting Association.

At a waste collection point in Chaoyang District, the reporter took out a used energy-saving lamp and tried to dispose of it. After reading the results, the stall owner said, “This can't be repaired. You can't sell it and you can't throw it away!” He disclosed that such rubbish, like ordinary rubbish, is normally landfilled directly by the Environmental Sanitation Bureau without garbage sorting.

Managing the first energy-saving lamp recycling station in Beijing

On the one hand, China still lacks a complete and effective recycling system for waste energy-saving lamps. On the other hand, the market demand for energy-saving lamps continues to expand. Faced with this contradictory situation, some responsible lighting companies have to rely on their own strength to participate. In the establishment of a recycling system for used energy-saving lamps, we say no to "mercury pollution." Shilihe Lighting City is one of such companies.

On the eve of National Day, a professional energy-saving lamp recycling station initiated by the company was listed on the Shilihe Lighting City, which opened the prelude to the conscious recovery of energy-saving lamps. According to Tian Min, deputy general manager of Shilihe Lighting City, most consumers do not know the danger of using old energy-saving lamps. Therefore, Shilihe Lighting City, as a professional lighting store, has the obligation and responsibility to establish professional recycling. The mechanism to change the habit of consumers throwing. “After retrieving the old lights, we transport them to the Xiamen Tongshida Company for free processing. The company has specialized waste energy-saving lamp processing equipment. Currently, there are only two sets of such equipment, worth more than 10 million yuan.”

It is understood that the Shilihe Lighting City to encourage consumers to "turn in" waste energy-saving lamps, special introduction of the "old for new" incentive policy, the effect is very good, from September 20 to October 7 more than ten days, a total recovery Nearly 5,000 people, a retired veteran who had worked at Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, also wrote a special thanks letter. Tian Min said that the recycling of waste energy-saving lamps in Shilihe Lighting City will exist for a long time, making energy-saving lamps become truly energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

In this regard, Beijing Lighting Association Secretary-General Chang Yi suggested that the recycling of used energy-saving lamps can refer to the practice of European and American countries to subsidize enterprises and consumers respectively. In view of the fact that energy-saving lamps are fragile, they can avoid long-distance transportation. The city set a recycling point with some processing facilities. In addition, this year when the government tenders for the National High-Efficiency Lighting Products Subsidy Promotion Project, not only has the mercury content been clearly stipulated, but it has also specifically included the recycling rate of waste lamp tubes, whether there is recycling equipment, and whether the company has passed the clean production review. The request shows that the government has begun to pay attention to the mercury pollution of energy-saving lamps.