Revitalizing Soil

THE decades of China’s eco- nomic boom come at heavy environmental costs that are threatening the country’s agriculture and food safety. Huge amounts of industrial waste， chemical fertilizer， urban waste and other contaminants have seeped into the soil. Over time， heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants have accumulated in the ground with serious consequences.

Today， China’s soil is among the most polluted in the world. Conservative estimates put the area of polluted farmland at 12.3 million hectares， more than one tenth of the country’s total. This includes 10 million hectares contaminated by heavy metals， 2.17 million by dirty irrigation water， and 130，000 by solid waste.

Soil pollution seriously threatens food safety and the sustainable development of agriculture. Every year 12 million tons of grain are tainted with heavy metals and deemed inedible， incurring a direct economic loss of more than RMB 20 billion （US $3.2 billion）. Soil pollution also reduces China’s total annual grain yield by 10 billion kilograms.

With its relatively small area of arable land， China already faces pressures meeting its grain needs， and soil contamination is an added threat to grain security. The problem is complicated by Chinese farmers’ conventional irrigation method of drawing water from rivers， many of which are polluted. This practice carries the potential to pollute the entirety of the country’s soil， which is the issue’s most dreaded scenario.

“Soil contamination in China， already more serious than that in other countries， will continue to worsen in the coming three decades，” warned Pan Genxing， a soil scientist and professor at Nanjing Agricultural University.

Pollution Survey

According to Li Fasheng， a research fellow with the Soil Pollution Control Department of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences， China’s soil has been tainted by a wide variety of pollutants， new and old， organic and inorganic.

It recently came to light that heavy metals from farmland such as lead and cadmium have entered human bodies through grain consumption， causing numerous ailments among local farmers in wastewater irrigated areas in Baiyin City of Northwest China’s Gansu Province， as well as in areas contaminated by mining in Baotou City of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hezhang County of Guizhou Province.

Such deterioration of soil quality has not only occurred in heavy-industrial areas， but also to various extents in economically developed eastern riverine and coastal areas such as the Pearl River Delta， the Yangtze River Delta and Bohai Rim.

The problem has raised wide concerns. From 2006 to 2010， the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Land and Resources conducted the first national survey on soil pollution at a cost of RMB 1 billion （US$160.2 million）. During the survey， 213，754 soil and agricultural product samples were gathered， 4.95 million pieces of valid survey data and 2.18 million measurements were collected， 210，000 photos were taken， and nearly 11，000 graphic images were produced. A survey database and a sample bank have been built and a general report and subject-specifi c reports based on the survey completed.

Pilot research projects have also been carried out to study sites contaminated by heavy metals， oils， PCBs， and chemicals， as well as farmland soil in areas irrigated with wastewater. Twelve pilot projects have been completed along with 18 study reports and seven draft techni-cal guidelines for rehabilitating contaminated soils.

In March 2012， the Ministry of Finance allocated RMB 827 million （US$132.5 million） to the Ministry of Agriculture for a five-year investigation of heavy metals in agricultural regions.

Although the above data have yet to be published， they have already been used as reference for policy making.

Remedies

On November 8， 2012， the notion of“beautiful China” was first put forward in the report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China（CPC）. The report emphasizes making greater efforts to promote ecological progress and protect ecosystems and the environment， and carrying out important ecological restoration projects.

An executive meeting of the State Council held one week before the opening of the 18th CPC National Congress also addressed soil pollution control.

On January 28， the General Office of the State Council issued a circular on Arrangements for Soil Environment Protection and Comprehensive Control （hereafter called “Arrangements”）， which has been hailed as a major step forward.

The Arrangements has made a breakthrough in specifying a time frame for assessing the country’s soil pollution and establishing a soil environment protection system， said Chen Nengchang， a research fellow with Guangdong Institute of Eco-environment and Soil Sciences.

The Arrangements spells out the goal to be reached by 2015， which is to set up a strict soil environment protection system for farmland and drinking water sources， so as to ensure that soil environment quality in at least 80 percent of the monitored points reaches acceptable standards， and establish a national soil environment quality monitoring network that periodically surveys soil environment quality in 60 percent of the country’s farmland and drinking water sources that each serves more than half a million people. The Arrangements also states that a national soil environment protection system is expected to be in place by 2020.

“The time frame will add a sense of urgency to the battle against soil pollution，” said Chen.

Main Battlefields

The Arrangements clarifies that the majority of soil pollution control and soil rehabilitation initiatives will be carried out in a number of priority areas， including the Yangtze River Delta， the Pearl River Delta， and peripheries of large and medium-sized cities in southwestern and south central China， as well as south central Liaoning Province， heavily polluted industrial and mining areas， drinking water sources and their vicinity， and waste dumping sites.

In the meantime， an accountability system has been established. The Ministry of Environmental Protection is required to sign， with local governments， agreements that spell out targets， responsibilities， tasks and deadlines for soil pollution control. The effectiveness of soil pollution control initiatives will be periodically evaluated， and the results reported to the State Council. Those failing to fulfill the tasks will be held responsible.

The Arrangements also lists the “dos”and “don’ts” of tackling soil pollution. For instance， it encourages the recycling and reuse of abandoned agricultural films， private investment in soil environment protection and control， the production and use of organic fertilizers， and public participation.

It bans the use of wastewater containing heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants and untested or untreated silt or dredged sludge in agricultural production. In areas piloting soil pollution control， construction of new facilities producing non-ferrous metals， leather ware， petroleum， coal， drugs， chemicals， and lead acid batteries has been banned.

The Arrangements further stipulates that polluted farmland should be managed by type， through measures like agronomic solutions， planting structure adjustment and soil pollution control and rehabilitation. Local governments should prohibit agricultural production on heavily polluted fields that are difficult to rehabilitate.

The Arrangements has specified the“polluters-repair-the-damage” principle and urges firms to protect the soil they use. Nonetheless， the main stumbling block for putting pressure on polluters’actions lies in the difficulty of ascertaining liability.

To overcome this obstacle， the Arrangements mandates soil pollution assessment and reporting for new industrial land. Environment experts believe this is an important measure that tackles soil pollution at source.

Previously， such assessment and reporting was not required for new industry land， so when soil was later found to be contaminated it was difficult to pin down those responsible. With compulsory assessment， it will be clear to company owners that if their firms are found to pollute the soil in the future， they will have to pay.

New Business Opportunities

Soil pollution control promises business opportunities and the Arrangements encourages the involvement of private investment.

China’s soil pollution control technology still lags behind that of developed countries. In China， ex-situ soil remediation technology such as excavation， ex-situ landfill， and ex-situ incineration in cement kilns are the most common approaches used. Developed countries， on the other hand， mainly use more efficient methods such as solidification and stabilization technology， thermal absorption， bio-remediation and chemical oxidation.

As the government becomes more adamant in controlling pollution， advanced soil pollution technology is expected to find market in China.

Industry insiders predict that the value of China’s soil pollution control market will exceed RMB 1 trillion. The various pilot projects that are currently under way around the country each have total investments that exceed RMB 100 million.

The huge business opportunity has attracted a large number of domestic companies armed with a variety of technology into the field. Yet few of these companies are experienced in the area. At this initial stage， public companies with plenty of capital and advanced technology have a competitive edge and are expected to outdo their private rivals.