China’s Environmental Policies Enter a New Phase in 2026: The End of Single-Point Compliance and MirShine’s Process-Closed-Loop Approach to Comprehensive Environmental Management

In 2026, China’s environmental regulatory framework is entering a period of intensive evolution. Reforms aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of pollutant discharge permitting, updated performance-rating requirements for key industries, stricter environmental impact assessment and project access requirements, the implementation of the MSCI ESG 5.0 rating framework, tighter supervision of industrial by-product fertilizers, and the accelerated phase-out of inefficient existing treatment facilities are collectively reshaping the industrial environmental management landscape.

These developments point to the same conclusion: the era of single-point compliance is coming to an end. A new cycle of comprehensive environmental management—built around full-process compliance, low-carbon operation, resource recovery, and ESG compatibility—is taking shape.

From Emission Compliance to Full-Process Environmental Management

For industrial companies, environmental protection is no longer limited to whether emissions at the stack meet a specific regulatory limit.

Increasing attention is now being placed on the entire lifecycle of an environmental protection process, including pollutant removal efficiency, waste generation, resource utilization, carbon emissions, operational traceability, and long-term compliance risks.

This shift is particularly significant for industrial flue gas treatment.

Traditional environmental systems were often designed around a single objective: removing a specific pollutant at the lowest possible initial cost. However, an environmental facility that generates large quantities of solid waste, requires extensive disposal, or creates additional environmental risks may face increasing challenges under a more comprehensive regulatory framework.

The direction of policy development is becoming increasingly clear: environmental technologies that combine emission reduction with resource recovery and low-carbon operation are gaining greater strategic importance.

Higher Requirements for Industrial By-Product Ammonium Sulfate

Ammonia-based flue gas desulfurization provides an important example of this transition.

Unlike conventional limestone-based desulfurization, ammonia-based FGD can convert sulfur dioxide into ammonium sulfate, creating an opportunity to transform a pollutant into a useful resource.

However, the value of this approach depends heavily on product quality.

As regulatory and market requirements for industrial by-product fertilizers become stricter, simply producing ammonium sulfate is no longer sufficient. The quality, purity, traceability, and compliance of the recovered product are becoming increasingly important.

MirShine has developed its ammonia-based desulfurization technology around this requirement.

Through its seventh-generation cascade separation and purification technology, the process incorporates multiple washing, purification, and impurity-separation stages to improve the quality and stability of recovered ammonium sulfate.

The objective is not simply to remove SO₂, but to establish a more complete process chain in which pollutant removal, purification, and resource recovery are connected.

With appropriate process control, the technology is designed to produce ammonium sulfate meeting applicable quality requirements while supporting both domestic circulation and international market requirements.

This approach changes the role of an environmental protection system.

Instead of treating desulfurization solely as an operating cost, the recovered product can potentially become an additional value stream for the industrial facility.

From “End-of-Pipe Treatment” to a Closed-Loop Process

The concept of a process closed loop is becoming increasingly important in industrial environmental management.

A traditional end-of-pipe system focuses primarily on treating pollutants after they have been generated.

A closed-loop approach goes further by asking:

Where do pollutants come from?

How are they removed?

What by-products are generated?

Can these by-products be recovered?

How can waste generation be minimized?

Can the process reduce additional carbon emissions?

Can the entire system be monitored and traced throughout its operating lifecycle?

These questions are changing how industrial companies evaluate environmental technologies.

For suitable ammonia-based FGD projects, the process can potentially connect SO₂ removal, ammonia utilization, ammonium sulfate recovery, and resource utilization within one integrated process chain.

This is the direction in which MirShine has continued to develop its environmental technologies.

The company's objective is not simply to provide an individual desulfurization tower, but to develop an integrated process solution that connects emission reduction with resource utilization.

Three Key Environmental Challenges Facing Existing FGD Systems

As environmental supervision becomes more comprehensive, existing industrial facilities are facing a new round of technology evaluation.

Three types of environmental treatment systems may face increasing pressure to upgrade.

1. Desulfurization Systems Generating Large Quantities of Solid Waste

Traditional calcium-based desulfurization processes can generate significant quantities of solid by-products depending on process configuration and operating conditions.

Where by-products cannot be effectively utilized, storage and disposal may create additional environmental and operating costs.

For facilities with long-term disposal challenges, upgrading the existing process may become a practical option.

2. Low-End Ammonia-Based Systems With Excessive Ammonia Slip

Ammonia-based FGD offers advantages in resource recovery, but poor process control can create another environmental concern: ammonia slip.

Excessive ammonia consumption or insufficient process control can affect operating economics and environmental performance.

Therefore, modern ammonia-based FGD should focus not only on SO₂ removal efficiency but also on ammonia utilization, impurity separation, process control, and product quality.

3. Environmental Facilities Without Resource-Recovery Value

Environmental protection equipment is traditionally regarded as a necessary cost center.

However, when the treatment process can recover valuable materials, the economic model changes.

For industrial companies, a system capable of removing pollutants while recovering a useful product can provide a different long-term value proposition.

Calcium-to-Ammonia Conversion: An Opportunity for Existing Plants

For existing facilities equipped with calcium-based desulfurization systems, completely replacing the environmental infrastructure may require significant investment and extended shutdown periods.

A more practical approach for some plants may be calcium-to-ammonia FGD conversion, depending on the existing equipment and process conditions.

By making use of existing infrastructure such as absorber towers, civil structures, fans, and supporting equipment where technically feasible, the conversion can potentially reduce the scope of new construction.

The objective is to transform the existing environmental facility rather than simply replace it.

For suitable projects, this approach may help address several issues simultaneously, including:

• Solid waste generation

• Ammonia utilization

• Carbon-related impacts

• Environmental compliance management

• Operating cost

• By-product utilization

The feasibility of such a conversion depends on the original system configuration, flue gas conditions, equipment condition, available space, emission requirements, and the target process.

Therefore, a detailed engineering assessment is essential before implementation.

Environmental Facilities Are Becoming Value-Creating Assets

The role of environmental protection equipment is changing.

In the past, an FGD or denitrification system was generally viewed as an unavoidable investment required to meet emission standards.

Today, companies are increasingly looking at environmental facilities from a broader perspective.

A well-designed system can potentially provide:

Emission reduction + resource recovery + lower waste generation + carbon management + operational traceability

This changes the economic and strategic position of environmental infrastructure.

A treatment facility that can consistently produce a valuable by-product, reduce waste disposal requirements, and support ESG reporting may no longer be viewed simply as a cost center.

Instead, it can become a productive component of the industrial process.

MirShine’s Approach: Making Compliance and Value Creation Work Together

For more than two decades, MirShine Environmental Group has focused on industrial environmental protection and flue gas treatment.

The company's technology portfolio covers ammonia-based desulfurization, limestone-gypsum desulfurization, SCR denitrification, SNCR, dust removal, VOC treatment, CCUS, and related environmental engineering solutions.

Among these technologies, ammonia-based FGD represents an important part of MirShine's resource-oriented approach to environmental protection.

The objective is straightforward:

Turn pollutant control into resource recovery wherever process conditions make it technically and economically feasible.

This means considering the entire process rather than optimizing only one piece of equipment.

From flue gas entering the system to the final recovered product, each stage needs to be connected.

Absorption, separation, purification, oxidation, product recovery, waste management, energy consumption, and process control all influence the final performance of the system.

Looking Ahead to the Next Stage of Industrial Environmental Management

The environmental market is entering a new phase.

For industrial companies, the question is gradually changing from:

“Can we meet today's emission limit?”

to:

“Can our environmental management system remain compliant, economical, resource-efficient, and adaptable over the next decade?”

This is a much broader question.

Technology selection therefore has implications far beyond the initial equipment investment.

It can affect operating costs, waste disposal, resource utilization, carbon management, ESG performance, and the long-term competitiveness of an industrial facility.

In this context, integrated environmental technologies with low waste generation, resource recovery, lower carbon impact, and traceable processes are likely to become increasingly important.

Conclusion

The environmental management landscape in 2026 is moving beyond single-pollutant control and toward integrated, lifecycle-oriented solutions.

For industrial companies, compliance is no longer simply about installing an emission-control device. It increasingly involves choosing a process that can remain technically reliable, economically viable, environmentally responsible, and adaptable to future requirements.

MirShine Environmental Group continues to develop environmental technologies around this principle.

From ammonia-based desulfurization and ammonium sulfate recovery to SCR denitrification and integrated flue gas treatment, the company's focus is on connecting pollution control, resource recovery, and long-term industrial value.

As environmental regulation continues to evolve, MirShine believes that the most effective environmental solutions will be those capable of turning compliance from a cost obligation into a sustainable source of value.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main trend in China's environmental management in 2026?

The trend is moving from single-point emission compliance toward more comprehensive environmental management that considers emissions, waste generation, resource recovery, carbon impact, and long-term compliance.

What is ammonia-based flue gas desulfurization?

Ammonia-based FGD uses ammonia to absorb sulfur dioxide from industrial flue gas. Under appropriate process conditions, the recovered sulfur can be converted into ammonium sulfate.

What is the advantage of ammonia-based FGD over conventional limestone FGD?

One important difference is the potential by-product. Limestone FGD commonly produces gypsum, while ammonia-based FGD can recover ammonium sulfate, which may have commercial value when appropriate product quality requirements are met.

What is MirShine's cascade separation and purification technology?

MirShine's seventh-generation technology uses multiple process stages for washing, purification, and impurity separation to improve the quality and stability of ammonium sulfate recovered from ammonia-based FGD.

Can existing limestone FGD systems be converted to ammonia-based FGD?

In some cases, existing FGD infrastructure can be partially reused for a calcium-to-ammonia conversion project. However, feasibility depends on the existing absorber, flue gas conditions, equipment condition, layout, emission requirements, and other engineering factors.

What are the potential benefits of converting calcium-based FGD to ammonia-based FGD?

Depending on the specific project, conversion may reduce solid waste generation, enable ammonium sulfate recovery, improve resource utilization, and reduce the need for completely new environmental infrastructure.

Why is ammonia slip an important issue?

Excessive ammonia slip can increase reagent consumption and create environmental and operational concerns. Proper ammonia distribution, process control, and system design are therefore important in ammonia-based FGD systems.

Can environmental protection equipment generate economic value?

Yes. When pollutants or by-products can be recovered into useful materials, an environmental system may create additional economic value instead of functioning solely as a cost center.

What industries can use MirShine's environmental technologies?

MirShine provides environmental solutions for industries including power generation, steel, metallurgy, petrochemicals, cement, chemical processing, waste treatment, and other industrial applications.

What does MirShine mean by “process closed loop”?

A process closed loop means considering the complete chain from pollutant generation and treatment to by-product recovery, waste reduction, resource utilization, and process monitoring rather than focusing only on final emission compliance.