Beijing residents are expected to inhale 8,500 tons less of sulfur dioxide and 4,300 tons less of soot this winter, thanks to an effective endeavor in the Chinese capital to rebuild coal-burning boilers, the Beijing Morning Post reported Tuesday.
By the end of this month, 1,681 coal-burning boilers will have been renovated to use clean energy such as natural gas, oil and thermal heat, over fulfilling the original goal of 1,500 boilers set for the year, sources from the Beijing Municipal Environment Protection Bureau revealed.
The municipality consumes approximately 27 million tons of coal every year and coal-burning is regarded a major cause of air pollution in the Chinese capital since it produces black smoke, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.
Rebuilding coal-burning boilers to consume clean energy is a major part of Beijing's air quality control campaign. So far, more than 44,000 tea-boilers and big stoves have been retooled and some10, 000 boilers in the outskirts began to use clean energy, which jointly cut down the consumption of over 4 million tons of coal, reduce 32,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 20,000 tons of smoke and dust, the newspaper reports.
(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2002)
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