Corrosion is a common issue faced by countries worldwide. According to relevant statistics, the annual loss due to corrosion accounts for approximately 3-5% of each country's GDP, far exceeding the total losses from natural disasters and various accidents. The corrosion problem has become one of the key factors affecting national economic and social sustainable development. Studies show that the total cost of corrosion in our country is about 3.34% of the annual GDP, totaling over 21 trillion yuan, which means each Chinese citizen bears a corrosion cost of over 1,555 yuan.
Dr. Hou Baorong, a scientist from the "Research on Corrosion Conditions and Control Strategies in Our Country" project and a professor at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, represented the project team in delivering a report. Professor Hou introduced that the project conducted investigations and research on corrosion conditions in infrastructure, transportation, energy, water environment, production manufacturing, and public utilities in China. Based on extensive and in-depth surveys, it gathered national corrosion cost data, revealed existing issues and the main factors restricting the development of corrosion control in China, and proposed strategic recommendations and countermeasures to address the problems in the field of corrosion control in our country. The project team hopes that through a series of survey data, it will stimulate greater societal attention to corrosion prevention technologies, build an economic model for corrosion control, establish a national database for corrosion losses and their control, and promote the rapid and scientific development of the anti-corrosion industry. Professor Hou informed that the research scope of the project covers 30 industries, including road and bridge construction, port wharfs, water conservancy projects, municipal pipeline networks, offshore platforms, aircraft, automobiles, chemical industry, metallurgy, and mining. Researchers employed methods such as distributing questionnaires, conducting on-site investigations, consulting with experts, telephone interviews, academic discussions, conference exchanges, literature reviews, and overseas inspections. Through the efforts of over 100 experts over a year, they gathered a large amount of reliable data, wrote over 30 industry survey reports, published over 20 monographs, and, in collaboration with the Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection, calculated the cost of corrosion in China through scientific calculations.
Corrosion is a destructive phenomenon that all substances in nature must face, characterized by its universality, concealment, gradualness, and suddenness. It causes immense losses to humanity, not only consuming resources and polluting the environment but also leading to numerous industrial accidents that threaten human health and safety. For instance, on November 22, 2013, an oil pipeline explosion occurred in Huangdao District, resulting in the deaths of 62 people and injuries to 136 others, with direct economic losses of 750 million yuan. The State Council's Major Accident Investigation Team reported that the direct cause of the accident was "corrosion thinning and pipeline rupture at the intersection of the oil pipeline and a drainage culvert," which triggered the explosion.
The 11/22 Qingdao Oil Pipeline Explosion Incident highlights the issue of billions of tons of materials undergoing corrosion and failure annually, which are not controlled and thus uncontrollably lost into the natural environment, resulting in immense resource waste and severe impacts on the natural ecosystem. These toxic corrosion by-products, when exponentially accumulated through the plants and animals humans consume, severely affect human health and disrupt ecological balance.
Compared to developed countries in Europe and America, China's corrosion investigation work is behind in terms of starting time and focuses on priority areas. There is an urgent need to conduct a national-level corrosion cost survey and research on corrosion prevention strategies, to enhance public awareness of the dangers of corrosion, and to raise people's consciousness about corrosion prevention. Academician Hou Baorong pointed out that corrosion is a safety issue, an economic issue, and an issue of ecological civilization. Corrosion protection is an important part of the development strategy, and the intensity of corrosion prevention and control reflects a country's level of civilization and prosperity. The project team will collaborate with over 20 academicians to submit a proposal to the State Council titled "Recommendation to Incorporate the Corrosion Protection Safety of China's Infrastructure and Major Equipment into the National Strategy," calling for the acceleration of improving China's corrosion protection technology and scientifically reducing corrosion losses.
