The industry of environmental protection (EP) equipment in China is expected to maintain a steady growth of more than 20 percent in 2012, according to projections by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Securities Times reported Thursday.

In 2011, China's EP equipment industry fulfilled a total output value of 130.5 billion yuan and sold products worth 126.9 billion yuan, up 32 percent and 31 percent year-on-year respectively. A total of 68 enterprises were found in the red, accounting for 8.72 percent of the 779 surveyed manufacturers, said the report.

Despite the industry's booming business, its structure of high input and low output has not changed, according to analyses by the ministry.

After the releases of the 12th Five-year Plan on Environmental Protection and tighter regulations concerning pollutants discharge in 2012, manufacturers in China will produce more equipment used for monitoring air pollution and raise imports of high-tech devices, eco-friendly drugs and key parts to help deal with the emissions, said the MIIT.