China has issued new air emission standards for boilers undefined old and new.

For companies installing new boilers, the limits take effect on July 1, 2014. Existing boilers with capacities greater than 10 tons per hour must meet the stricter standards by October 1, 2015; smaller boilers by July 1, 2016.

Retrofitting and upgrading could cost more than US$50 billion, according to a report by Industrial Info Resources. Already, companies are moving to comply.

“As a result of the large emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from China’s thermal power plants, industrial and space heating boilers, which are primarily fired with coal, the country has been faced with the increasing challenge of poor air quality and environmental pollution, including the heavy smog which has hit vast areas in China recently,” Gang Li, chairman of NF Energy Saving in Beijing, said in a statement. “It has been mandated in China’s Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Program for the 12(th) 5 year Plan Period that energy efficiency enhancements and dust removal retrofits shall be conducted on coal-fired industrial boilers and emission intensive industries such as iron, steel and cement making.

Li said his company NF Energy Saving has signed a US$3.38 million contract in Beijing to retrofit coal-fired boilers owned by a Chinese aircraft manufacturing company.

NF Energy Saving will provide and install boiler denitration, dust removal and desulfurization systems two sets of equipment at the project for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions reduction and dust removal. Li anticipates there will many more such contracts in the future.

*NEWS SOURCE