Safety and environmental protection type wire and cable

The cable industry, if counted from the first copper line in 1744, has had a history of more than 250 years. Now, it has begun extensive research and search for the best solutions for the production of cables to be responsible for our earth and future generations. . This is the fundamental reason why most industries and industrial companies now consider adopting new materials, new technologies, and new equipment to make their products more harmonious with the environment.

At present, China's enterprises produce a large number of wire and cable products that are traditional products. For many years, the cables and wires used in the domestic market are mainly made of polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene. The wire and cable produced by using the traditional PVC and polyethylene processes are prone to fire when they are short-circuited, have a high density of smoke during combustion, and can generate a large amount of harmful halogen gas, which directly endangers the user's physical and mental health and property safety.

1. Characteristics and application prospects of environmentally friendly wire and cable

With the continuous progress of human society, people's awareness of environmental protection has gradually increased. Ecological environment, environmental protection products, “green” food, and “green” projects have become one of the focuses of people’s attention. In the wire and cable industry, there have also been mentions such as clean cables, "green" cables, and environmentally friendly cables.

1.1 Features of Environmentally Friendly Wire and Cable

Environmentally-friendly wire and cable should have the following characteristics in terms of the cable itself:

(1) The raw materials and auxiliary materials for the manufacture of wire and cable should be such that they do not pollute the surrounding environment.

(2) Wire and cable materials do not contain halogens such as chlorine, bromine, and fluorine. In emergency situations (such as electrical accidents, fires), harmful gases and corrosive gases should not be generated.

(3) Small amount of smoke when burning, with good flame retardancy.

(4) It does not contain lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals that can cause harmful effects on the environment, does not contain environmental hormones, and does not contaminate the soil.

(5) The wires and cables can be recycled and recycled after being discarded. When the goods are buried or burned, they will not cause any harm to the environment.

For manufacturers, the noise, dust and emissions generated in the various processes for the production of wire and cable should meet the requirements of the relevant environmental protection regulations and related standards, and should not cause harm to human health and the surrounding environment during the production process. Conventional wire and cable materials such as PVC are quite serious sources of pollution. In manufacture, use, and disposal, a large amount of dioxin, halogen acid, lead, and other harmful substances are generated; when PVC material is burned, a large amount of smoke occurs and harmful HCL gas is generated; and most of PVC materials Containing Pb (lead), Cd (cadmium), etc. (used as cable stabilizers) in a variety of harmful heavy metals, will cause certain harm to human health; after burning or burying, it will cause pollution to soil and water sources. Other experts believe that environmental protection requirements can be classified into different levels. Any measures to reduce pollution are positive environmental behaviors. Therefore, environmental protection cables can be classified into different grades, just as they are based on their flame retardant properties and fire resistance characteristics. It is divided into three different levels: A, B, and C.

1.2 Development Prospects of Environmentally-Friendly Wire and Cable

In the future, the export of non-environmental cables will also be subject to great restrictions. Many countries and regions have set up “green” barriers, require exporting companies to have ISO14000 environmental management system certification, and obtain relevant countries (or companies) granted by The "Environmental Mark" can only be exported to these countries and regions after it is determined that its products are environmentally friendly products. In 1998, the Beijing Power Supply Bureau issued an article stipulating that PVC cables should be disabled in the systems under its jurisdiction. In 2001, relevant departments promulgated relevant standards for low-smoke halogen-free materials for optical fiber cables. In the same year, the Ministry of Public Security promulgated the classification of fire-retardant and fire-resistant cables and related requirements. In 2002, the Beijing Municipal Government promised the International Olympic Committee that the Olympic Village will use environmentally friendly construction materials. It also decided that starting from the end of 2002, the use of non-environmentally friendly cable products such as PVC would be prohibited in large public event venues in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. The Beijing Olympic Village in 2008 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 have all announced relevant policies and regulations for the use of environmentally friendly cable products.

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the State Environmental Protection Administration have jointly established the "National Environmental Management Standardization Committee" (CSBTS/TC207) and have already completed the certification of ISO14000 environmental management system for a group of enterprises. With the success of Beijing's Olympic bid in 2008, the Chinese government has proposed the goal of a “green” Olympics. The Beijing Municipal Government promised the International Olympic Committee that the 2008 Olympic Village in Beijing will use environmentally friendly materials, and non-environmental cables and wires will not enter the Olympic Games. Olympic construction project. More and more environmentally friendly wires and cables will be increasingly used in important occasions such as locomotives, ships, subways, and large entertainment venues. In addition, some items that are in close contact with us, such as children's electric toys, home appliances (refrigerators), etc., should also use environmentally friendly wire and cable. We believe that the development and utilization of environmentally friendly cables has a very broad prospect for development.

2. It is imperative to develop environmentally friendly wire and cable

This year, environmental protection wire and cable will be put on the agenda. We often say more and do less. Environmental protection wire and cable is no longer just a piece of technical information, but it is actually a technical development that must be seriously implemented. The EU-developed ROHS Directive requires that from July 1, 2006, the use of harmful substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and polybrominated biphenyls be prohibited in newly-launched electronic and electrical equipment. Japan's major electrical companies also have corresponding requirements, requiring that from March 2006 onwards, various electrical appliances used in the wire and cable to pass the relevant environmental certification. China's wire and cable can not meet the requirements of foreign environmental protection, production of wire and cable flame retardants required to contain more PBDE and PBB, so the export received a serious obstacle.

(1) The cable industry does indeed pollute the surrounding environment, and we attach so much importance to environmental issues.

(2) Purchasers, especially the green procurement plans promoted by the government procurement department, can make manufacturers of environmental protection cables more profitable.

(3) We have increasingly strict special laws and regulations on environmental protection. If we do not prepare them for implementation, manufacturers will not be able to control at least some of the environmental-related expenses. The implementation of the EU's two new environmental protection directives will undoubtedly set up a technical barrier for China's manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment, but it will also promote the development of China's environmental protection electrical and electronic equipment and its accompanying green wire and cable. These two directives are: WEEE and RoHS. The main content of the WEEE Directive is: Since August 13, 2005, the producers of electrical and electronic equipment (including their importers and distributors) that circulate on the EU market must be legally based on the market share of their products. Proportion, assume the responsibility of paying for the expense of recycling the scrapped product. The main content of the RoHS Directive is: After July 1, 2006, electrical and electronic products placed on the EU market must not contain six kinds of harmful substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. It is understood that most of the manufacturers of electric wire and cable for electrical and electronic equipment in the Pearl River Delta, especially OEM companies, have begun to manufacture environmentally friendly wires in accordance with EU standards and Japanese standards.

3, low-smoke halogen-free flame retardant cable is not an environmentally friendly cable

Environmentally-friendly cables shall have low-smoke, halogen-free, flame-retardant, no dioxin-causing carcinogens and other corrosive and toxic gases, lead-free and cadmium-free heavy metals, no contaminated soil and water quality, waste wire materials that can be recycled, etc. Features.

The low-smoke halogen-free cables mentioned in the market are not environment-friendly cables because the technical requirements of low-smoke halogen-free cable materials only limit the halogen content, and it does not involve the control of the content of heavy metals, nor does it involve the availability of materials. Recycling problems.

Many countries have formulated environmental protection wire and cable standards, and China has not yet officially released the standard for low smoke and halogen free cables. The advertisements of environmentally friendly wire and cable products issued by cable manufacturers are basically low-smoke, halogen-free or low-smoke, low-halogen wire and cable. They are not environmentally friendly products at all.

4, environmental protection flame-retardant PVC in the field of wire and cable applications

The formula of environmental protection flame-retardant PVC cable material and its preparation process are innovative in the flame-retardant smoke-suppression system, thermal stability system and the environmental protection of formulation components of PVC cable materials. It is recommended to further increase market development efforts and develop series. product.

Today, public facilities and housing projects are developing rapidly. There are more and more high-rise buildings. The interior and exterior decoration of buildings and the electrification of living rooms have made the transmission of electrical wires and cables throughout the entire building, bringing great benefits to people’s work and life. Convenient, but there are also security risks.

The inherent advantages of soft PVC make it widely used in the wire and cable industry. However, with the rapid development of the power cable industry, the performance requirements for cable materials are also increasing day by day. Soft PVC is used as a wire and cable. The shortcomings are also exposed. As the chlorine content of PVC is as high as 56%, it will emit high concentrations of toxic fumes when it is burned, hindering sightlines, affecting escape and fire fighting, and even causing direct death. Moreover, when PVC is used for the preparation of soft products, due to the need to add a large amount of plasticizers, lose its flame retardant properties, and even become flammable materials, the amount of toxic and harmful gases is even more serious.

Based on the basic physical properties of the material, basic components, stabilizers, flame retardants, plasticizers, smoke suppressants, and other basic components suitable for environmentally friendly flame-retardant PVC cable materials can be determined. The application results show that the cabling process is smooth, the extruded cable surface is smooth and delicate, and the performance meets the user's requirements.

The Polymer Aids Division of Ferro Company, Ohio, USA developed the Therm-Chek RC376P and Therm-ChekRC377P calcium/zinc soap powder thermal stabilizers, which can replace the tribasic lead sulfate used in PVC universal cable sheathing materials. The lead-free, complex metal soap heat stabilizers are considered alternatives to traditional lead salt heat stabilizers, are environmentally friendly materials, and can significantly reduce the formula cost of the final compound.

Ferro's previous lead-free heat stabilizers were mainly used in high-grade PVC wire and cable products because of the relatively low price of lead salt heat stabilizers. According to Ferro, Therm-Chek RC376P and Therm-Chek RC377P are cost-competitive, lead-free, mixed-metal soap heat stabilizers that are environmentally friendly products in the construction industry and other wire and cable markets. Green alternative agent.

Tribasic lead sulfate has a density of 6.4 g/cm. , and the density of the two new products is less than 1/3. The low compounding density results in a lighter weight and lower cost per unit volume of final product.

5, the development of new materials is the key

In the production of wire and cable, since the raw material cost accounts for more than 80% of the production cost, materials such as copper, aluminum, steel core, rubber, plastics, and sheathing are the main raw material costs, which requires the wire and cable enterprises to Designing distinctive products, saving raw materials, and developing new environmentally-friendly materials, etc. Therefore, in the future, we must consider the following measures to create a circular economy for the wire and cable industry: First, we must eliminate the cold rolling mill and black copper rods. The production process of rolling 芰8 black copper rods by using a cold rolling mill is backward, and its black copper rods have high oxide content, low electrical conductivity, poor performance, low pull-to-weight ratio, serious consumables, energy consumption, and pollution. Eliminated. Second, actively promote the optimization of aluminum rare earth processing technology. The production of electrical aluminum rods by the continuous casting and rolling process has become quite popular in China, and the performance is also good. However, the equipment still remains at the level of development in the early 1970s, and there is not much innovation in technology. To actively promote China's unique aluminum rare earth optimization processing technology. The aluminum-zirconium alloy is added to some of the key special equipment and technologies introduced, and the aluminum-fired coal-fired furnace is transformed into a molten aluminum fuel or natural gas furnace. All the coal-fired fumes and fumes emitted from the coal-fired fusion furnace are eliminated, and the flue gas is set. The filter device purifies the flue gas, improves the discharge quality, increases the yield, and reduces the cost. At the same time, the working temperature of the wire is increased from 70° C. to 150° C., and the current-carrying capacity is increased by 1.6 times. Third, actively introduce technology, independent innovation and development of excellent performance of wire and cable equipment. At present, the key production equipment for wire and cable leading products is compared with foreign advanced equipment. The gap in technology level is still very large, mainly reflected in low productivity, low degree of automation, high energy consumption, poor reliability, and can not meet the development of the industry. Needs, digestion and absorption are seriously delayed. The technical level, performance and reliability of special equipment for wire and cable have incalculable benefits for improving wire and cable product quality, production efficiency and material utilization. To actively introduce technology, independent innovation and development of excellent performance, high-level special equipment for wire and cable, in order to create a circular economy services wire and cable industry.

Finally, actively develop environmentally friendly wire and cable products and strengthen recycling of waste wire and cable products.

At present, the production of wire and cable products uses a large number of rubber, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and other polymer chemical materials. Produce a large number of toxic and harmful gases in the production of wire and cable products. Therefore, we must actively develop environmentally friendly wire and cable raw materials, production of environmentally friendly wire and cable products. After Japan Fujikura and other cable companies developed environmentally friendly wire and cable products, in order to monopolize the market, they actively promoted the government's enactment of environmentally friendly wire and cable product standards. In recent years, the sales share of environmentally friendly wire and cable products has expanded dramatically, and ordinary wire and cable and flame-retardant wires and cables have been unable to compete with them.

In the production process of wire and cable corners surplus material can be recycled directly. It is recommended to set up a professional "polyvinyl chloride" waste recycling plant that will be processed at specified points and used for other purposes to avoid secondary pollution.