A Summary of China Local Regulations on VOCs Emission

This article will summarize China’s provincial or local standards regulating VOCs emissions in key cities/provinces.

Beijing

Since 2010, Beijing has released a series of local standards on VOCs emission or air pollutants in a number of industries to assist the implementation of Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution and Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China. Here is a list of Beijing local standards for the regulation of VOCs:

1. VOCs Emission Standard for Printing Industry (implemented in 2015)

This standard specifies the requirements on VOCs emission during production activities.

2. Limit standards of volatile organic compounds of architectural coatings and adhesives ( implemented in 2017 )

The standard sets out to lower VOCs emission in the coating and adhesives applied to buildings.

3. Technical Specification for Monitoring of Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted From Stationary Source( implemented in 2018 )

This standard gives a technical guidance to monitor VOCs emission in stationary sources. 

Beijing also has some standards regulating air pollutants emission, including:

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Casting and Forging Industry (implemented in 2013)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Cement Industry (implemented in 2014)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Wooden Furniture Manufacturing (published in 2015)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Oil Refining and Petrochemical Industry (implemented in 2015)

Shandong Province

Shandong province has the following standards, involving building materials industry, coal-fired power plant industry, boilers, and industrial furnace.

• Emission Standard of Atmospheric Particles for Stationary Sources (implemented in 2012)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Building Materials Industry (implemented in 2013)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for The Coal-Fired Power Plant (implemented in 2013)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for The Industrial Furnace (implemented in 2013)

• Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Boilers (implemented in 2013)

The following standard has divided Shandong into three regions- the core control area, key control area, and general area. Each area has its own emission requirements:

Emission standard of air pollutants for different regions in Shandong (implemented in 2013)

Shanghai

Shanghai has standards regulating the emission of air pollutants in a number of industries, including furniture industry, printing industry, automobile manufacture (coatings), lead batteries,  coating/ink/ other similar products. These standards regulate the emission limit for some air pollutants and test methods.

Hebei Province

Hebei has the following standards managing the emission of air pollutants, including standards for iron and steel industry, flat glass industry, cement industry, coal-fired industry and penicillin pharmaceutical industry:

• Emission standard of air pollutants for iron and steel industry (implemented in 2015)

• Emission standard of air pollutants for flat glass industry (implemented in 2015)

• Emission standard of air pollutants for cement industry (implemented in 2015)

• Emission standard of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) and odor pollutants for penicillin pharmaceutical industry (implemented in 2015)

• Emission standard of air pollutants for coal-fired power plant  (implemented in 2015)

Also, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei jointly released the following standard, regulating on VOCs emission of architectural coatings and adhesives: 

Limit standards of volatile organic compounds of architectural coatings and adhesives (implemented in 2017)

Jiangsu Province

Jiangsu has 1 standard on VOCs management - Emission standard of volatile organic compounds for surface coating of automobile manufacturing industry (implemented in 2016). The standard outlines its regulation scope, emission limit on VOCs, manufacturing techniques, supervision requirements on VOCs, etc.

Zhejiang Province

Zhejiang has three standard related to VOCs regulations, for bio-pharmaceutical industry, dyeing& finishing of the textile industry, and shoe-making industry respectively.   

• The discharge standard of pollutants for bio-pharmaceutical industry (implemented in 2014)

• Emission standard of air pollutants for dyeing and finishing of the textile industry (implemented in 2015)

• Emission standard of air pollutants for shoe-making industry (implemented in 2017)