Shanneng Yongfeng Coke-Steel Integration Project Phase I Wastewater Zero-Liquid-Discharge Plant, Linyi (5,400 m³/d; China's first coke-steel integrated ZLD)

The Phase I coke-steel integration project of Shanneng Yongfeng Fine Chemicals (Shandong) Co., Ltd. sits in the Lingang Economic Development Zone of Junan County, Linyi, Shandong. Jointly funded by Shandong Energy Group and Yongfeng Group, it represents RMB 3 billion of investment across 360,777 m2 and centres on two 65-oven 7.6-metre recuperative top-charging coke batteries producing 1.8 million tonnes of dry coke a year, with coal preparation, 2×170 t/h dry quenching and power generation, coke handling and gas purification. Its wastewater treatment station is the first in China to treat steelmaking and coking effluent together and reach zero liquid discharge. Scope Coking effluent carries more than 300 pollutants - phenols, cyanides, benzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - and is toxic and poorly biodegradable, while steelmaking wastewater differs sharply in volume and salinity. Treating them separately causes whole-plant water-salt imbalance, progressive salt accumulation and low recovery. This plant plans them as one system on a dual water-salt balance, treating 5,400 m3/d on average and returning all product water and condensate to production. Process Five stages. First, toxin-tolerant multi-stage AO coupled with carbon: a proprietary high-load bacterial agent plus pre-aeration detoxification and multi-stage AO, combined with a wide-range activated-carbon blend and air-water circulating fluidised bed, lifting nitrogen removal above 98% and holding effluent COD below 60 mg/L. Second, advanced oxidation to break down recalcitrant organics and colour. Third, membrane reuse - ultrafiltration plus reverse osmosis - producing industrial-grade water for the plant, backed by full-cycle membrane maintenance against composite fouling. Fourth, brine fractionation using high-density clarification with three-stage nanofiltration/reverse osmosis and freezing denitration. Fifth, evaporation and crystallisation governed by a dynamic water-quality-salt balance model, yielding industrial salt above 99% purity. Construction Site handover came on 19 April 2025, the last structure topped out on 31 July, and the full system was ready for thermal load on 15 November - eight months in all, a domestic speed record for a coking wastewater ZLD station of this scale. In January 2026 the owner confirmed on-time commissioning in a letter of appreciation to EPC contractor MCC Southern Urban Environment; environmental acceptance followed on 8 August 2026. Performance Water recovery reaches 100%, saving 1.971 million m3 of fresh water a year. Crystallised industrial salt exceeds 99.0% purity, better than Class I first-grade industrial salt. A smart water-management platform and a dual water-salt prediction model cut operating costs by 20-30% against conventional treatment. Note The RMB 3 billion figure covers the whole Phase I coke-steel project; the station's own investment and ground-breaking date are not disclosed and are left blank. Commissioning timing follows the owner's letter and the acceptance notice, without inferring an exact date. Sources: China Metallurgical News (China Iron and Steel News), 14 February 2026, http://www.csteelnews.cn/qypd/qydt/202602/t20260214_107641.html; Yankuang Energy, May 2026, https://ykny.shandong-energy.com/77891/78937/2026/05/43456814.html; Yongfeng Group environmental acceptance notice, https://www.china-yongfeng.com/show-1577.html Image: Aerial view of the Shanneng Yongfeng ZLD plant, showing covered biological tanks, membrane halls and the multi-storey evaporation-crystallisation building along the pipe rack (Source: China Metallurgical News, photo by MCC Southern Urban Environment)