Recently, the Youth League Committee of CITIC Group issued the Decision on Commending the Second "CITIC Youth May Fourth Medal (Collective)" and the 2022-2023 "Two Red and Two Excellent" and "Job Number Team Members" of CITIC Group, commending a group of advanced collectives and individuals. Li Te, the director of the KBM oilfield produced water treatment and reuse project of CITIC Environmental Technology in Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the KBM project), has been awarded the title of "Young Skilled Worker of CITIC Group".
In April 2021, Li Te, full of vitality, represented the youth backbone of CITIC Environmental Technology and flew to Kazakhstan as the first batch to support the construction of the KBM project. For those born after 1995, this is a brand new journey that transcends culture and environment.
During his four years in Harbin, Li Te devoted his blood and sincerity to the construction of the KBM project, and made progress and growth through challenges. From a frontline operator to a factory manager, he fulfilled his promise during the war with practical actions, "I hope to use my best years to do something responsible and meaningful, not to disappoint my youth and myself
Youth takes on responsibilities without fear of challenges
In June 2017, during President Xi Jinping's visit to Kazakhstan, CITIC Environmental Technology signed an agreement with Kazakhstan's Karazhanbas Oil Company to construct the KBM project, which is also the first water treatment project in Kazakhstan to fully adopt foreign technology and foreign investment.
The KBM project is located in the extremely water scarce Gobi Desert of Mangystao Oblast in western Kazakhstan, with strong sandstorms and few vegetation. The highest temperature in summer can reach 50 degrees Celsius, and the environment is very harsh.
▲The picture shows the CITIC Environmental Technology Kazakhstan KBM Oilfield produced water treatment and reuse project.
At the beginning of 2021, the KBM project is about to install and debug equipment, and at the request of the government of Kazakhstan, personnel must be arranged as soon as possible. At that time, the COVID-19 was raging all over the world, and the international political pattern was complex and changeable. However, all kinds of uncertain factors did not scare off CITIC environmental technicians, and Li Te was one of them.
Li Te was working as an operator in the recycled water treatment department of Gaoyang Company at that time, and had accumulated years of experience in industrial wastewater treatment. He understood the process, was familiar with the equipment, and was proficient in operation and commissioning. After multiple rounds of selection, he stood out from applicants from over a hundred water plants in China's environmental technology industry and, along with one other colleague, formed the first batch of personnel to be sent to Kazakhstan to support the construction of the KBM project.
Carrying the heavy responsibility of traveling to a strange country thousands of miles away, Li Te admitted that the things he couldn't bear to part with the most were his wife and two-year-old child at the time. Fortunately, the gentle wife was very considerate and understanding of her husband, and she gave Li Te the greatest support.
▲Li Te and his colleagues are working hard on the front line of the Harbin project.
After arriving in Harbin, Li Te adjusted his work plan accurately in response to the constantly changing epidemic situation and complex on-site conditions, took preventive measures in advance, and made efforts to communicate with the local team to solve various difficult problems in project progress and on-site operations, fully ensuring the safety of employees and the smooth operation of the project.
During this period, sudden political events in Kazakhstan made project construction even more difficult, and everyone had concerns and panic about the safety and stability of the surrounding environment. But Li Te never thought of backing down and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the debugging and operation of the project, encouraging his colleagues on the project and overcoming difficulties together.
"From childhood to adulthood, I never thought that I could be connected with national development. If I can really contribute to the the Belt and Road Initiative this time, it will be worth my life," said Lite.
Youth Power Striving for Progress
The hardships of working on cross-border projects are unimaginable due to climate discomfort, language barriers, different customs, and dietary habits.
The KBM project, as the world's largest oilfield produced water treatment and reuse project, treats oilfield wastewater. The wastewater contains a large amount of waste oil, which is extremely difficult to treat and presents a new challenge for both the company and Li Te personally.
Li Te used to specialize in the reuse of industrial wastewater. After working on the KBM project, he faced increasing difficulty in process handling, shortage of on-site equipment and materials, and poor language communication. He often communicated with Harbin technical personnel using translation software while gesturing on project drawings. Sometimes, even minor issues required half a day of communication.
▲Li Te and his colleagues from Kazakhstan have worked closely together。
But it was through this seemingly simple communication method that we managed to overcome one technical difficulty after another, and achieved water supply as scheduled at the agreed time. The project was successfully debugged and put into operation.
After more than a thousand days and nights of fighting, many people shed tears of excitement after our personnel took the lead in drinking the first sip of purified water.
With the continuous progress of engineering construction and commissioning operations, Li Te has also grown into a more resilient and persistent CITIC youth through the trials of the project.
Youthful background, brave and resolute, steadfast in action
During the trial operation of the project, the water plant encountered a series of problems, among which the most significant one was the excessive iron ion in the influent.
A large amount of iron ions enter the reverse osmosis water supply tank and clog the membrane system, causing serious damage to the equipment and affecting the normal operation of the water supply tank, resulting in a sharp decline in production capacity. Cleaning the reverse osmosis water supply tank is urgent.
But the tank has a capacity of 400 cubic meters, and the cleaning workload is very large. Moreover, the tank contains toxic gases, and the internal temperature is as high as 45 degrees Celsius. Wearing protective clothing and gas masks while working inside the tank is like being in a large steamer, which is stuffy, hot, and at risk of poisoning. After understanding the difficulty and danger of the job, the local professional cleaning company shook its head repeatedly and refused to take on this task no matter how much money was given.
At the critical moment, Li Te and his Chinese colleagues stepped forward and shouldered this arduous task.
At that time, it was the height of summer, and the high temperatures in the Gobi Desert in July were unbearable. The sunlight was like a steel needle piercing through the skin. Li Te was soaked through in just a few minutes after entering the can, as if he had just been taken out of boiling water, and his clothes were also covered in toxic iron mud.
▲Li Te has grown into a cornerstone of the KBM project。
But it was with the courage and perseverance of "opening the way in the mountains and building bridges in the water" that Li Te and his colleagues finally cleared the iron crystals inside the tank.
In order to eliminate the hidden danger of excessive iron ions in the inflow and ensure the long-term stable operation of the project, Li Te and his team members have developed a temporary plan for oxidation and iron removal through full process analysis, and continuously coordinated with Hafang Company to optimize production measures, gradually controlling the situation of excessive iron in the inflow. By organizing the dissection of contaminated ultrafiltration membrane components and analyzing in detail the causes and degree of contamination, Li Te and his team developed a series of effective cleaning plans, gradually improving the production capacity of the water plant.
With the efforts of Li Te and his team, the daily water supply of the water plant has steadily increased from only a quarter of its design capacity to a peak of 17000 tons, easing KBM's dependence on the Volga River water and allowing more river water to be used for people's livelihoods. This has brought good news to local residents and played a crucial role in the development of the local economy and society.
Sweat is shed in the factory workshop, youth burns in the desert, and the clear and clean treated water of the KBM project reflects the struggle of young people in CITIC Environmental Technology.
As a young representative on the ecological and environmental protection front in the new era, Lite will use his rich knowledge and experience in water treatment and his professionalism of "I am a young man, I am ahead" to shoulder the heavy burden and take the lead in the "urgent, difficult and dangerous" task, and contribute his youth wisdom and strength to support the construction and development of countries along the "the Belt and Road" and promote CITIC Environment to build a world-class environmental protection industry group in an all-round way!
