Chemical company turns industrial waste into profit

By Yan Wanqin.

A chemical company in Yichang has turned industrial waste into a lucrative green business. Yichang Julong Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. uses waste acid and slag from neighboring companies in the chemical park to produce water treatment agents.

A small player in the Yaojiagang Chemical Industrial Park, Julong holds more than 30 invention patents and has become an indispensable waste processing partner for its larger neighbors.
 

Julong was once on the brink of bankruptcy as its traditional business model became outdated. Upstream suppliers were shutting down, raw material costs were volatile, and stricter environmental regulations pushed the company into 18 consecutive months of losses.

Its turnaround began with a relocation. The factory was originally located within one kilometer of the Yangtze River. In 2019, it became the first chemical enterprise in Yichang City to relocate into a designated industrial park as part of the Yangtze River protection campaign.

"We didn't just relocate our old production lines. We reinvented ourselves during the move," said Hu Zhaohui, the company's chairman.

Hu spotted an opportunity in the chemical park, which hosts dozens of plants that generate massive amounts of waste acid, aluminum ash, and iron-containing slag. These materials are classified as hazardous, yet they contain the exact components Julong needed for its flocculants — chemicals widely used to purify industrial wastewater, municipal sewage, and drinking water.

Instead of purchasing expensive commercial raw materials, Julong invested millions of yuan in purification equipment. The technology refines the park's waste streams and converts them into high-quality aluminum-based and iron-based flocculants.

The company also phased out low-value primary chemical processing operations and installed membrane filtration and evaporative crystallization systems. After these upgrades, Julong now turns waste acid and salt into high-purity industrial products, which are sold to clients in the fine chemicals and new-energy materials sectors.

The company also developed flexible processes to handle different types of waste, ensuring consistent quality and safety.

Julong can now safely process 800,000 tons of waste acid annually. The central government has awarded the firm special funding for third-party pollution control projects. Over the past three years, the company has teamed up with several universities, including South China University of Technology and China Three Gorges University, on joint research and development projects.

Today, Julong generates about 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) in annual output value, with more than 90 percent of its revenue coming from green and innovation-driven technologies.

Zhang Mingwen contributed to this story.