Faced with severe energy and environmental challenges, China, guided by the comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable scientific development concept, has formulated a medium- and long-term energy science and technology development strategy and plan up to 2020. This energy and environmental development strategy has also pointed the way for the development of plastic granulator technology in China, making the exploration of new development paths for plastic granulator technology imperative. Compared with other operational links in industrial and agricultural production, energy conservation and pollution control in the plastic granulation process are particularly urgent.
Plastic granulation operations involve a wide range of sectors of the national economy. It is not only an indispensable basic production link for a large number of industrial and agricultural products, but also a major energy consumer in China, consuming approximately 12% of the country's total energy consumption. Furthermore, pollution caused by the plastic granulation process is often a significant source of environmental pollution in China. Therefore, the advancement of plastic granulator technology is closely related to the development of the entire national economy.
Firstly, the fields involved in plastic granulation operations are extremely broad, and the energy consumption of plastic granulators in China accounts for almost half as much as that of the UK, reaching 12%.
Secondly, the environmental pollution caused by plastic granulators is also quite serious. Among the most widely used conventional plastic granulating equipment, over three-quarters are hot-air plastic granulators. These types of granulators cause severe environmental pollution, making the transformation of coal-fired furnaces in plastic granulation systems a pressing issue. Improving energy efficiency in the plastic granulation process and controlling environmental pollution are mutually reinforcing. Reducing energy consumption by 100 million tons of standard coal equivalent could reduce CO2 and SO2 emissions by over 64 million tons in China, demonstrating significant environmental benefits.
Therefore, when exploring new development paths for plastic granulator technology, energy efficiency, environmental protection, and product quality must be comprehensively considered to achieve holistic, coordinated, and sustainable development. To implement a development strategy for high-efficiency and green plastic granulators, a resource-saving development path must be adopted, transforming single, extensive plastic granulators into combined, intelligent plastic granulators. This requires not only fundamental reforms to the plastic granulation process but also comprehensive, multi-level energy-saving technological upgrades, and vigorous development of plastic granulation technologies utilizing renewable energy and industrial waste heat. At the government level, it is necessary to establish and improve comprehensive evaluation criteria and industry standards for plastic granulation equipment, establish macro-control and market regulation mechanisms, and accelerate the upgrading of plastic granulation technology.
