The area of this County is 1,427.59 square kilometers and the population was 546,934 at the end of November 2016. There are 1,683 registered factories and 699 of these were listed as air pollution control factories in 2016. The total VOCs emission was 3,600 metric tons. The County land and residents volatile organic substances load is 2521.7 kilograms/square kilometer, and 6.5 kilograms/person. The main sources of emission are from the manufacture of electronic components, chemicals and materials, plastics and rubber products, man-made fibers, cement production and power supply. The main industrial activity takes place in the Hsinchu Industrial Park and the Hsinchu Science Park. The Hsinchu Industrial Park has 606 factories (278 with emission control) and the Hsinchu Science Park has 162 factories (27 with emission control). Of these, 134 factories use high risk substances that can cause air pollution.
Under this project, 152 factory reviews had been completed by November 30, 2016. The industries can be divided into: semiconductor, optoelectronics, CD, other metal processing, surface painting, other electronic components, printing, tire manufacture and others. The measured factory emission was 3,600 tons/year in 2016. In addition, equipment components, storage tanks, and carrier facilities in public and private facilities within County jurisdiction were checked, and the petrochemical industry points checked included 6,420 items and components. Seven sources of leakage were detected at three factories (net test value greater than 1,000 ppm) and the resulting reduction was 0.56 tons/year. Activated carbon adsorption equipment performance was checked 30 times and five private/public sites completed improvements. The reduction was 0.12 tons/year. In 2016, gas ratio testing at 76 gas stations was carried out. Sample tests were made on 854 pump nozzles of a total of 1,493. Initially, 837 pump nozzles qualified and the initial test qualification rate was 98.01%. Seventeen pump nozzles were re-tested and the re-test qualification rate was 100% (a reduction of 5.23 metric tons/year).
More than 32 odor determination were conducted as a result of public request. Thirty NMHCs tests were made for volatile organic substance emission. In addition, 151 hours of monitoring was carried out using infrared gas imaging on some petrochemical processes that were difficult to test, including components, storage tanks, transportation and some gas stations. A total of 61,138 equipment component points were tested and 123 sources of leakage were found. Of these leak points, 41 were from components, 23 were from non-component types (storage tanks, loading areas, recycling facilities and related connection equipment), and 59 were from gas station equipment. Environmental Protection Administration equipment component emission quantity data from infrared gas imaging, done after the vendors had completed repairs, showed a reduction of 110.39 metric tons of emission per year.
In 2016 the overall VOCs reduction achieved under this project was 116.3 tons/year. Petrochemical industry and gas station leak reduction from infrared monitoring was 26.23 and 84.16 metric tons/year, respectively. VOC reduction at gas stations, measured by gas ratio detection, was 5.23 metric tons/year. FID implemented petrochemical industry and adsorption equipment reduction was 0.56 and 0.12 metric tons/year. Infrared gas imaging accounted for gas station and petrochemical industry reduction ratios of 72.36% and 22.55%, respectively (highest and second highest). We recommend the continued use of infrared gas imagers for leak detection at gas operators and high emissions operators sites within County jurisdiction.
This detection work was conducted according to the methods set down by the Environmental Analysis Laboratory. This year, SGS has been commissioned to implement water VOCs concentration detection, emission channel NMHCs detection, odor determination, and emission channel volatile organic substance qualitative/quantitative analysis work. Chi Mei Inspection Tech Co Ltd has been commissioned to implement emission channel NMHCs detection and odor test analysis. Pantech Industrial Innovation Corp has been commissioned to carry out infrared gas image leak monitoring and analysis at petrochemical process sites and gas stations.
The results obtained each month under this project will be posted on the project website before the 5th of the following month. This year, 10 LED displays will be set up at gas fueling stations where the gas use is high and public awareness of the “automatic stop is the best” habit is low. This will promote the “automatic stop when fueling” policy and reduce the escape of gas at gas stations.
