1. Profile for Fujian's Activated Carbon Industry
Lying in the hill lands, Fujian province enjoys a subtropical climate with abundant sunshine and rainfall. 57.3% of its area is covered with forest up to 1.046 billion mu (approximately 7.08 million hectares). It provides plenty of volume of wood and the huge quantity of leftover of felling area and from wood procession is good raw material for active carbon production.
Fujian province is the original base of China's activated carbon industry. Its own carbon industry boomed in the 1970s. Now, there are over 30 activated carbon factories in different levels with total output of 60 thousand tons.
Situated in the southeast of China, Fujian province is one of the provinces which were first open to the outside world with very convenient ocean transport straightly to main harbor cities in the world. Moreover, it is quite developed in railway and highway network, air transportation and telecommunication system. Main port in Fuzhou city and Xiamen city are Mawei and Xiamen. Changle International Airport and Xiamen International Airport have welcomed thousands of guests from different countries. For tens of years, not only many foreign companies like Japan, South Korea, America and German etc., import 20 thousand tons of activated carbon from Fujian but also domestic industries like medical industry chemical industry which consume a great deal of activated carbon, purchase the products from Fujian. The annual consumption is up to 40 thousand tons. Due to its high quality and low price, Fujian's wooden powder activated carbon has gained high reputation and become a unique brand both at home and abroad. The activated carbon industry has been one of the key industries of forest and chemistry industries in Fujian province.
However, there are professional faults in Fujian's activated carbon. That is small in scale, simple in variety, lack in capital, price competition and so on. These faults have hindered its further growth. Although it is the biggest province for the trade of activated carbon, there are no enterprises capable of outputting more than 15000 tons of activated carbon as well as to meet all demands of product varieties. Therefore, it is important to set up key activated carbon enterprises in Fujian province to keep its leading role, which is expected to be a new economic raising point. The local governments have paid much attention to it. In the 1998 Fujian Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference, the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang Fujian Provincial Committee submitted the Proposition on Strengthening the Administration of the Activated Carbon Industry, Further Expanding the Market and Enhancing the Industry's Overall Competitiveness to related government departments for implementation. Therefore, on September 7, 1998, Fujian Provincial Forestry Department, in conjunction with other related scientific research departments, trade departments, industry regulatory departments and managers from activated carbon enterprises throughout the province, held the Provincial Work Conference on Activated Carbon in Shaowu, Fujian; all attendees unanimously agreed to the importance of "uniting for common development" in Fujian Province's activated carbon industry, consulted thoroughly with each other on the measures aimed at building backbone enterprises and embarking on intensive production, and voiced their affirmation of the brilliant prospects of the growth of the activated carbon industry in Fujian. Afterwards in December of the same year, leaders from Fujian Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference again worked together with leaders from the Provincial Forestry Department and representatives from scientific research departments, trade departments and activated carbon enterprises to study the plan of building an activated carbon group. However, due to the inadequate resources of the enterprises and the inability of any enterprise to act as a backbone enterprise, the plan was shelved. At the conference, all attendees unanimously agreed that industry administration should be performed and an activated carbon association must be formed as soon as possible; the association will be charged with coordinating within the industry to solve its internal paradox and enact relevant policies, creating a benign internal and external environment, and promoting domestic alliance and seeking foreign investment, in order to put Fujian Province's activated carbon industry on the track of intensive operations. In Oct. 2006, we, along with 5 other large activated carbon producers in Fujian Province, took the initiative to establish the Fujian Provincial Association of Activated Carbon, which has been approved and supported by Fujian Provencal Forestry Hall.