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Xionghui Wei, doctoral supervisor of Peking University: Opening a new era for air pollution control in the world
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| 2016-06-30 source: 163.com by Yangming Dong and Aixia He |
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| On this planet where we live, the concentration of dust (including PM100, PM10, PM2.5, PM1.5 and other small particles), sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and VOCs in the atmosphere are increasing due to industrial emissions, resulting in serious environmental pollution such as haze, acid rain and photochemical smog, which directly or indirectly damages human health, leading to rapid growing of respiratory diseases, cancer and genetic diseases, etc. At the same time, they also cause serious damage to the ecological environment and species disappearance. Serious air pollution has always been a worldwide problem in front of the world. |
| From April 13 to 17, 2016, at the 44th Geneva International Invention Exhibition held in Geneva, Switzerland, more than 1000 inventions of 790 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions participated in the exhibition and exchange. DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas, the invention achievement of Dr. Xionghui Wei, associate professor and doctoral supervisor of School of chemistry and molecular engineering, Peking University, won the special gold award of the jury of this Geneva International Invention Exhibition. |
| The Geneva International Invention Exhibition was jointly founded by the Swiss federal government, the Canton and municipal governments of Geneva and the World Intellectual Property Organization in 1973. It is one of the longest and largest invention exhibitions in the world. The award is a kind of affirmation and comfort to Xionghui Wei for his 30 years of perseverance and scientific research and innovation. |
| The shining came out of the difficulties and hardships |
| Today, when we look back on Xionghui Wei's life trajectory, we can't help but think of Mencius' famous saying: One must experience agony, exhaustion, starving, disorder to stimulate his mind, temper and body, increase his abilities that he did not have before he undertakes the great responsibility. |
| Xionghui Wei studied very hard in his youth, but his way to study was difficult and tortuous, and droped out of school several times. Because of the family reason, he failed to pass the political examination several times for the college entrance examination. With the deepening of reform and opening up, the requirements for family origin are not as strict as before. Fortunately, he was admitted to Jiangxi chemical industry school. Finally, like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, he jumped out of the sad countryside, bringing dawn and hope for the future. After graduation in 1986, he was assigned to Jiangxi Yongfeng Chemical fertilizer plant to engage in technical work. He became a real engineering technician. He worked diligently and was full of hope for the future. However, a few days after the postgraduate entrance examination in 1988, his mother suffered from cerebral hemorrhage and died of illness. She was only 49 years old. Because Xionghui Wei was the eldest son of the family, and there were five younger brothers and sisters below, the family fell into despair for a time. In addition to the mental shock, the economy also fell into an extremely difficult state. At this time, the labor union of the unit mobilized the workers to donate 1900 yuan for his family. In order to improve the family's economic situation, he had to give up postgraduate study. After the family situation was improved a little, he went to take the postgraduate entrance examination again in 1990. However, because the work unit at that time did not want Xionghui Wei to leave and set some resistance, which delayed the interview time. But after several twists and turns, and with the full help of many teachers, he was finally accepted by Inner Mongolia University of Technology (Inner Mongolia Institute of Technology at that time) as a postgraduate to study in the Department of chemical engineering. His life was promoted again. |
| He cherished such a learning opportunity very much. He was thirsty for scientific knowledge and assiduously studied. He combined theory with practice and invented the iron alkali desulfurization technology soon, and participated in the first practical scientific and technological invention Grand Prix of Chinese college students held in Beijing. Later, he invented a new method of semi water gas desulfurization and deoxidization, and won the third prize of the challenge cup of the third China University Students' academic and technological works competition. During this period, the achievements of his inventions have been valued by some enterprises, and they have tried to use these technologies to remove hydrogen sulfide from industrial feed gas and have achieved success. This is the first milestone in Xionghui Wei's research career. |
| But this is not the first time Xionghui Wei has been associated with environmental protection. |
| Yongfeng County, the hometown of Xionghui Wei, is a famous industrial county in Jiangxi Province. When he was still a senior high school student in Yongfeng middle school, a variety of factories, such as paper mills, fertilizer plants, cement factories, leather factories, hemp mills, pharmaceutical factories, etc., surrounded the county. The air was often filled with unpleasant smell such as burning smell, putrid smell and organic solvent smell. After graduating from Jiangxi chemical industry school, he was assigned to work in Jiangxi Yongfeng Chemical fertilizer plant. In this harsh working environment, he suffered from chronic ear, nose and throat inflammation, and has not yet recovered. This environment and situation deeply touched and pricked him! He began to think: when can China's economic development not be at the cost of the environment damage? Can these pollutants be recycled again? Since then, he began to explore, think and research on environmental pollution control technologies such as desulfurization. |
| When working in hometown, Xionghui Wei found many white waste plastic films are flying in the sky with the wind in spring every year. This is the plastic film used by farmers in breeding. It is called agricultural film. This kind of agricultural film is disposable, and it will be thrown away when it is used up, which pollutes the environment. Xionghui Wei pondered whether these waste agricultural films could be collected and used as raw materials to produce plastic products, which could bring economic benefits and solve environmental problems. So he managed to set up a small plastic processing workshop to collect waste plastic films. After being cleaned and melted, the collected waste films were processed into plastic particles for sale. Later, people followed suit. There were more and more workshops like this making the process unprofitable. So he gave up the small workshop and concentrated on preparing for the postgraduate examination. At that time, Xionghui Wei, a young man, would never have thought that this kind of industry university research integration by circular mode of scientific research, enterprise establishment, benefit acquisition and research investment would accompany him for all his life and eventually create a new concept and core technology for the world's air pollution control. |
| Long term research getting better and better |
| In 1994, Xionghui Wei was admitted to the Environmental Science Center of Peking University to study for a doctor's degree in environmental chemistry. During this period, his basic theoretical knowledge has made great progress, which has laid a more solid theoretical foundation for his further research on desulfurization technology. On the basis of long-term research, Xionghui Wei's series of research achievements have successively won the first and second prizes of the May Fourth Youth Science Award of Peking University, and the third prize of the Fifth China University Students' academic scientific and technological works competition of the challenge cup. |
| In 1995, Wei Xionghui made a breakthrough in relevant research. His invention of DDS desulfurization catalyst and DDS desulfurization technology for removing hydrogen sulfide from industrial feed gas were widely used in industrial production. Until now, many domestic ammonia synthesis enterprises have adopted this technology for industrial feed gas desulfurization. This is the second milestone in Xionghui Wei's research career. |
| After graduation in 1997, Xionghui Wei became a teacher in Peking University. From the Department of Technical Physics to the College of chemistry and molecular engineering, he has never stopped his research work on the theory and technology of dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification for flue gas, and even to the point of fanaticism. Without applying for any state funding for scientific research every year, he took out all his savings. When it was still not enough, he even borrowed money to raise funds for scientific research. |
| With the continuous development of chinese economy and society, the government, enterprises and the public pay more and more attention to environmental protection and energy utilization, which brings a new opportunity for Xionghui Wei's research. In order to speed up the research process, he has set up research teams and laboratories in Beijing and Jiangxi respectively. At the same time, he has established a number of high-tech companies with his own invention achievements, developed various new environmental protection products, new technologies and new equipment, continuously obtained funds and invested in new environmental protection scientific research projects. |
| After more than ten years of theoretical exploration and hard experimental research, by 2005, Xionghui Wei and his team had initially designed and synthesized new compounds and formulas of dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification agents. At the same time, the small scale test of dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas was started. After numerous failures, the experience was summarized and the test was continued. Finally, the preliminary process was gradually deduced and established from the tests, which laid a solid foundation for the pilot test. In the pilot test, they have designed and manufactured more than 20 sets of large and small pilot test devices, and improved, transformed and perfected them one by one. At the same time, they also carried out countless improvements on dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification agents. Finally, at the end of 2013, they achieved the successful pilot test of DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas. The success of pilot test indicates that the technology has significant application value and can be further industrialized. From the pilot test results, the technology can eliminate the pollution of dust, dioxins, PAHs, other organic matters, heavy metals, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere, reduce or even eliminate haze and acid rain. In addition, the waste removed from flue gas can be converted into pure sulfur dioxide and nitrate or concentrated nitric acid byproducts with high added value, so as to realize the real transformation of waste into treasure. |
| In October 2014, DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas won the second prize of excellent exhibits award in the University exhibition area of the 16th China International Industrial Exposition. The success of the pilot test is the third milestone in Xionghui Wei's research career. |
| After the success of pilot test, the demonstration, design and manufacture of industrial test device were carried out. And then the device was installed on No.4 sintering machine of Baogang group. After debugging and operation, the actual industrial operation of the technology was successful in 2015, which indicates that the technology can enter the stage of large-scale industrialization promotion and application. This is another new turning point and milestone in Xionghui Wei's research career. |
| Recycling technology, leading in the world |
| In November 2015, the construction plan of the first industrial demonstration project of DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas jointly funded by Baotou municipal government and Baogang Group was officially launched, and it is expected to be officially put into use in the thermal power plant of Baogang Group in October this year. |
| The DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas invented by Dr. Xionghui Wei has completely subverted the traditional flue gas dust removal, desulfurization and denitrification technology with brand-new theory, new technology and new process. It has stood at the forefront of the world. It has obtained a number of national invention patents and applied for international patents (PCT), and has obtained the patent rights of United States, Japan, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, Canada, Brazil, India, Eurasia and other countries and regions. DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas can be widely used in purification treatment of flue gas such as dust removal, desulfurization and denitrification in thermal power, steel, glass, smelting, ceramics, cement, chemical industry, building materials and waste incineration industries. |
| Compared with the traditional technology, the dust removal, desulfurization and denitrification can not only be integrateed, but also be used alone in DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas. It adopts full solvent, full closed and full recycle operation. It does not need limestone or ammonia as desulfurizer, nor ammonia or urea as denitration agent to capture the harmful substances in flue gas, thus avoiding the secondary pollutions in the traditional technology, such as digging out one mountain and filling up two mountains, ammonia escape, soil and groundwater pollution. It is characterized by low operation cost and high efficiency of dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification. |
| In 2015, the industrial test in Baogang Group showed that the dust content in the flue gas treated by the technology could be reduced to less than 5mg/Nm3 and could not be detected in most cases; the sulfur dioxide content could be reduced to 30mg/Nm3 and could not be detected in most cases; the nitrogen oxide content could be reduced to 35mg/Nm3 in most cases. It is far lower than the current national standard. At the same time, HCl, HF, dioxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other organic compounds (including some VOCs) and heavy metals can also be effectively removed. It truly made the realizing of ultra-low emission or near zero emission, achieved the elimination of harmful substances in one process, provided the possibility to reduce or even eliminate haze and acid rain from the source of industrial pollution, while the operation cost is only about two-thirds of the comprehensive operation cost of other technologies. |
| More rarely, the technology can convert sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides removed from flue gas into pure liquid sulfur dioxide and nitrate or concentrated nitric acid, so as to realize the real transformation of waste into treasure. Enterprises can lift the restrictions on inferior fuels such as high sulfur raw coal, heavy oil, coal tar and petroleum coke in the past. The inferior fuels that could not be effectively utilized can now produce more renewable by-products for enterprises, which will help enterprises change their energy structure and further reduce their operating costs. The calculation shows that the enterprises introducing this technology can recover their investment in environmental protection within three to five years by recycling and selling renewable products, reducing fuel costs and operating costs. So it's possible to realize low-cost, zero cost environmental protection investment and even environmental protection profit-making mode of green cycle and low-carbon development the country has vigorously promoted and enterprises has generally hoped for a long time. It will greatly improve the enthusiasm and initiative of enterprises in waste gas treatment, and provide strong support for China's environmental protection. |
| Face up to failure and learn to insist |
| Scientific research, creation and innovation have never been smooth sailing. |
| During 30 years research of DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology for flue gas, Xionghui Wei often encountered various scientific research problems, and experienced tens of thousands of failures. The most serious failure almost broke his research process. |
| Before 2005, Xionghui Wei's major problem was that he needed to find a kind of chemical substance that could absorb sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, and then release it. After absorbing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by the existing materials, new chemicals will be produced. If we want to restore them, the process is very complex and almost impossible to achieve. The final result is that Xionghui Wei's experimental research in this area was interrupted. |
| Xionghui Wei, who met with difficulties, also had doubts and rethinks profoundly on his many years' research. For example, many scientific research institutions in the world are studying advanced core technologies for flue gas dust removal, desulfurization and denitrification. But it is difficult to achieve breakthroughs. Do I have the great ability to get new achievements? During that time, his long time research was interrupted, the scientific research team of hundreds people had to maintain, the hundreds of millions of research funds was invested, all these brought great pressure to Xionghui Wei. |
| However, scientific research is often the same as the trajectory of human life, there will always be some collisions and rewriting the trajectory of its own operation. Just when Xionghui Wei was in trouble, his another research direction, that was cancer and anti-cancer theory research and natural anti-cancer drug screening, gave him a new inspiration. |
| When he was studying leukemia, he suddenly thought of that our blood absorbs oxygen in the lung, delivers it to various tissues of the human body for release, absorbs carbon dioxide in each tissue, and finally discharges it from the lung. In this process, the hemoglobin is the effective factor. So he began to imitate the structure of hemoglobin to synthesize the chemical substances needed. The experiment proved that the effect was good, and the problem was solved. Now, some desulfurization catalysts invented by Xionghui Wei also contain iron ions and macromolecular organic compounds, which is based on the imitation of hemoglobin structure. With the deepening of research and the accumulation of research experience, a feasible and convenient door has been opened for Xionghui Wei's scientific research team to design and synthesize high selective, non-toxic and stable dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification agents. It points out the direction for efficient, harmless and economic purification of waste gas or waste water, and brings brightness and hopeness. |
| In 2005, Xionghui Wei began to organize the detection of desulfurization agent's effect. They designed a lot of small laboratory test devices to simulate flue gas, and began to carry out small-scale desulfurization experiments. The experiments worked well, but he found a problem. During the test, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in flue gas gradually accumulated in the system solution, and oxidized into mixed acid, which was extremely corrosive, and the materials prepared for the test were quickly corroded. However, the emission temperature of flue gas is generally above 120℃, and the appropriate temperature of desulfurization agent is below 50℃. Therefore, it is necessary to find a kind of material that can resist both high temperature and flue gas condensate corrosion. Therefore, he turned to material research, which lasted for five years. Until 2010, after tens of thousands of tests and failures, Xionghui Wei finally found the material that met the requirements, and the test was able to continue. |
| Looking back on the past, Xionghui Wei believes that any creation and innovation depends on the breakthrough of basic theoretical research. To create and innovate, we must lay a solid foundation for research. But the basic research must be grounded, which means that researchers must personally participate in the actual production practice and experiment, that is to encourage researchers to directly or indirectly participate in the main battlefield of social and economic construction in various ways. In the practice of economic construction and social activities, we can get inspiration and impulse to explore the unknown world. |
| To engage in scientific research, one must have curiosity, inspiration, persistence and perseverance, and be good at analyzing and summarizing, then new discoveries may be made. If you are curious, scientific research is a very happy thing, and you will not feel boring. Therefore, Xionghui Wei is very happy every day in various scientific research experiments and thinking. Most of the time, he is so happy that he forgets time. Inspiration comes from actual production practice. If Xionghui Wei had not founded his own company and had not personally participated in actual production practice, he would not have so much inspiration, let alone so much funds, to reveal the unknown problems he dreamed of. Xionghui Wei said that the process of exploring in the scientific research field he loves is like a roller coaster: when disappointed, discouraged, and getting nothing, it is like falling into a trough, wondering whether his decision is correct? Even retreat and give up. At this time, you must calm down to review, think, summarize and analyze. When you feel that you have found the possibility of a problem, you will be passionate again and plan the next experiment. When the experiment is successful, there will be a kind of relieved excitement. The disappointment, enthusiasm and excitement are repeated in the process. |
| In short, scientific research has two major characteristics: First, it is to learn to face failure. No matter in which technologically advanced country, breakthroughs, progress and innovations in science and technology, especially basic research, must be made by one generation or even several generations. A breakthrough may be made after experiencing continuous efforts countless failures. This is the law of scientific research. Whether in scientific research institutions or enterprises, you must learn to accept scientific research failures and treat and face them correctly; Secondly, you must learn to persevere and act. Ninety are only half mileage in a hundred miles. No matter what kind of adversity they encounter, scientific researchers must maintain their original aspirations, be determined, and continue to carry out scientific research work in order to keep things clear. At the same time, with the development of world science and technology to this day, the general laws of nature and science and technology have been revealed and discovered, and most of the remaining are high-depth, cross-professional and high-input scientific problems. It is possible to deepen in the scientific research only with the help of high-end or brand-new experimental instruments and techniques, and the joint participation of researchers in different fields. In such era of big science, cooperation of teams that are good at scientific research is required. Such as the research process of DDS dedusting, desulfurization and denitrification technology flue gas, hundreds of millions of scientific research funds are spent. Thousands of researchers from various disciplines participated in this research. Therefore, to truly promote the rapid development of science and technology in our country, the country must also carry out thorough reforms in systems and mechanisms, and resolutely put an end to the former ivory tower-style universities and institutions, and must abandon the previous separated acts between scientific research and practice. The modes of making castles in the air, making a cart by oneself, follow suit research must be disposed. Supporting equitably and vigorously the basic research and applied research that really have a huge impact on the national economy and people’s livelihood, reducing the great pressures faced by researchers, encouraging researchers to personally participate in the economic tide of practical activities in all aspects of society, would truly realize popular innovation and entrepreneurship, realize the simultaneous development of Chinese science and technology! |
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