Dec. 4, 2025 - China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently issued Announcement No. 22 of 2025, approving Emission Standard for Air Pollutants from Refractory Materials Industry (GB 46790—2025) as a national mandatory standard. 

As the first dedicated air pollutant emission specification for the refractory materials industry, this standard will officially take effect for newly-built enterprises starting January 1, 2026, while existing enterprises will be granted a transition period until July 1, 2027. Upon expiration, it will fully replace general standards such as the Integrated Emission Standard for Air Pollutants, propelling the industry into a stage of refined pollution control.

Core of the Standard: Building a Full-Chain "Organized + Unorganized" Control System

As the first specialized standard tailored for the refractory materials industry, GB 46790—2025 covers the entire industrial chain from raw material mining, processing to firing, with three major breakthroughs in core control requirements:

Specify Emission Limits by Scenario: Uniformly set the emission limit for particulate matter at 20mg/m³ and the maximum limit for nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) at 300mg/m³. Meanwhile, it adds control indicators for characteristic pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and phenols, filling the gap in the control of characteristic pollutants in the industry.

Strengthen Control of Unorganized Emissions: Require closed storage and transportation of powdered materials throughout the entire process, and mandatory supporting of gas collection and dust removal facilities at dust-generating points; storage of materials like resins and asphalt must be sealed with covers, and kneading and molding processes shall be conducted in a closed manner; leak detection devices must be equipped for ammonia loading, unloading and transportation processes.

Refine Management of Special Operating Conditions: Clarify that kiln cold start-up shall not exceed 36 hours and hot start-up shall not exceed 8 hours, with emission concentrations determined based on actual measurement values; the efficiency of VOCs treatment facilities in key regions shall not be less than 80% (calculated from an emission rate of 2kg/h).

Implementation Plan: Phased Advancement and Strengthened Whole-Process Supervision

The standard adopts a differentiated strategy of "stricter requirements for new enterprises and transition period for existing ones" for implementation:

Starting January 1, 2026, newly-built refractory materials enterprises must meet the standard requirements before commissioning;

Existing enterprises shall complete technological transformation by July 1, 2027, and those failing to meet the standards by then will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

In terms of supervision, the standard requires enterprises to construct permanent sampling ports and testing platforms, establish environmental management records, and keep detailed records of information such as waste gas volume and treatment parameters for no less than 5 years. At the same time, enterprises must complete the modification of pollutant discharge permits synchronously to ensure that the permitted items are consistent with the requirements of the new standard. Notably, provincial-level governments may formulate local limits stricter than national standards based on local needs.

Industry Impact: Forcing Technological Upgrading and Accelerating Green Transformation

The implementation of the new standard will significantly drive industry transformation:

Accelerated Technological Transformation: Existing enterprises need to focus on upgrading waste gas collection systems and end-of-pipe treatment facilities, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with weak control over unorganized emissions will face greater pressure for transformation;

Optimized Industrial Structure: Backward production capacity with insufficient environmental protection investment will be phased out more quickly, and enterprises with clean production technologies are expected to seize the high-end market;

Upgraded Digital Management and Control: Enterprises need to establish a self-monitoring system, and the application of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data in emission monitoring will become more widespread.

It is expected that by 2028, the total pollutant emissions of the industry can be reduced by 20%, providing support for the green development of downstream industries such as steel and cement.