Part 1: The Industrial Emissions Directive and BREF 1, 2 • What is the Industrial Emissions Directive? • What is a BREF?

Part 2: What producers will be affected in the 3, 4 chemical sector and how? •BusinessesaffectedbyIEDandEmissionlevels •Industryexamples

Part 3: What the chemical industry should do in response to publication of the BREFs 5

Part 4: How is a BAT assessment carried out and 6, 7 who can help?

Part 5: Examples of BAT technology applied to the 8 chemical sector •Generallyapplicablemethodstoimprovewaterefficiency •Generallyapplicablemethodstoreducewaste •Generallyapplicablemethodstoimproveenergyefficiency

Part 6: Brexit, Derogations and Opportunities 9,10 •Whatwillcompliancelooklikeinthefuture? •HowwillBrexitaffecttheIED? •Derogations •Opportunities

Part 7: Can we help? 11

•Additionalinformation •Abouttheauthor •Wherecanyoufindoutmore?

HowwilltheEUIndustrialEmissionsDirectiveImpact the Chemical Sector?

Dr Frank Wayman, InnovationandTechnicalManager(Scotland),Alpheus

Contents

What is the Industrial Emissions Directive?

The Industrial Emissions Directive and BREF

AdirectiveisalegalactoftheEuropeanUnion,whichisdesignedtoenablememberstatestoachieveastatedoutcomewithoutdictatinghowthatoutcomeisachieved.Directivesaredistinctfromregulations,whicharelegalactsthatbecomeimmediatelyenforceableaslawinallmemberstatessimultaneously.

The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) commitsEuropeanUnionmemberstatestolimitingtheimpactofemissionsfromindustrialproductionontheenvironment.PassedintheEuropeanParliamentandCouncilin

November2010andimplementedinJanuary2011,Directive2010/75/EUusesa“polluterpays”principletoassignthecostsofanynecessaryimprovementstotheoperatoroftheplant.Thismeansthatifyou’reaproducerofwastethenyouhavetopayforittobecleanedup.

TheintentionoftheDirectiveistoloweremissionsbasedontheadoptionofwhatiscalledBestAvailableTechniques,asdefinedinAnnexIIIoftheDirectiveandcommonlyknownasBAT.Itisaconceptthatshouldevaluateandselecttheprocessingmethods

withthebestoveralloutcomeforindustrialemissions.Forexample,thecleaningoffactorypipework,willrequiretheuseofwater,energyandchemicals,butitalsohastobeeffective.ABATcleaningmethodwillprovideeffectivecleaningwithminimaluseofrawmaterialsandenergy,thereforeminimisingtheenvironmentalimpact.

TheIEDisalreadyenactedintoUKlawandallUKpoliticalpartieshavepledgedtomaintaincurrentEuropeanstandardofenvironmentallegislationsotheIEDisrelevantregardless ofBREXIT.

What is a BREF?“BREF”isanabbreviationfor‘BestAvailableTechniques’ReferenceDocument.ThereareaseriesofthesedocumentscreatedtoregulateindustrialprocesseswithinthescopeoftheIED(Article13).ThepurposeoftheBREFhandbooksaretogiveregulatorsthesameknowledgeandunderstandingofwhatisconsideredtobeacceptableworkingpracticeacrossthewholeoftheEU.Inparticular,itdescribeswhatBATmethodologyisindifferentaspectsoftheindustry,andthatiswhyit’susefulforbenchmarking.The BREF document also sets emissions limits fordischargestotheenvironment.Producers

operatingwithinthesingleEuropeanmarketwillallhavetobearthecostofmeetingthesetargets,butshouldnotbeaffectedcommercially,asallproducerswillhavetomeetthesamelimitsatthesametime.Asofearly2019,severalBREFsrelevanttothechemicalindustryarepublished(see“BREFTypes”table),butfortheremainderofchemicalinstallations,BREFswillnotbewritteninthecurrentreviewcycle.Inordertoensurethatthemostimportantcontrolsareimplemented,theWGCBREF(WasteGasTreatmentBREF)willactasatriggerforanyassociatedactivitiesfortheseinstallations,suchascombustionoreffluenttreatment. 1

Part 1:

WGC BREF scope

The Industrial Emissions Directive and BREF

WGC BREF scope covers the following processes (unless covered by a large volume BREF)

Cement additives

Flame retardants

Cyclohexanone oxidation

Aniline

Melamine

Nitrogenous hydrocarbons

Nitro compounds Aromatic hydrocarbons containing fluorineOrganometallic compounds

Cellulose nitration

Viscose

Polyamide fibres

PVC

Polyester

Acrylic fibres

Cellulose acetate

Polymers and specificplastic materials

Acrylonitrile polymers

Polycarbonate

Synthetic rubbers

Surface-active agents

Nitrosyl sulphuric acid

Sodium hydrogen sulphate

SaltsNon-metals, metal oxides or other inorganic

compounds

Pigments

Aluminium fluoride

SulphurPlant protection products or biocidesPharmaceuticals

Explosives

ThedifferentstartdatesmeanthatChlor-alkaliand LargeVolumeOrganicChemicalinstallationswillhave tobecompliantwiththeBREFlimitsbytheendof 2021,butotherprocessesinthechemicalsectorare expectedtohaveuntilfouryearsafterthepublication oftheWGCBREForLVICBREFasappropriate.

2

Part 1:

BREF Types

CommentsBREF title Abbr’ Publication date

Common waste water and waste gas treatment/ management systems in the chemical sector

Generally, an “associated activity” so not triggered at date of publication for most sites

CWW June 2016

Common waste gas treatment in the chemical sector

Drafting startedWGC Expected 2021

Large combustion plants

Often an associated activity at chemical sites

LCP July 2017

Production of chlor-alkali

CWW / LCP compliance due Jun 2020 / July 2021 if appropriate

CAK Dec 2013

Production of Large Volume Organic Chemicals

CWW and LCP compliance due Dec 2021 if appropriate

LVOC Dec 2017

Large Volume Inorganic Chemicals (ammonia, acids, fertiliser, solids and others)

Likely to be 2022LVIC Requirement agreed in May 2018, no timetable yet

Waste incineration Often an associated activity at chemical sites

WI Aug 2006, final draft of next version completed Dec 2018

Waste treatment Often an associated activity at chemical sites

WT Aug 2018

BAT-AEL Targets

Daily average(direct discharge)Parameter BAT-AEL

Total organic carbon TOC 10-33 mg/lChemical oxygen demand COD 30-100 mg/lTotal suspended solids TSS 5-35 mg/lTotal Nitrogen TN 5-25 mg/lTotal phosphorus TP 0.5-3 mg/l

Businesses affected by IED and Emission levels

Businesses affected by IED and Emission levels

Compliance ThresholdType of Producer/Manufacturer

Production of chlor-alkali chemicals (chlorine, hydrogen, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide) by the electrolysis of brine

Any production level

Large volume production of the organic chemicals or hydrogen peroxide in continuous processes(LVOC)

Total production capacity of these chemicals exceeds 20,000 t/year

Production of Large Volume InorganicChemicals (LVIC) including ammonia,fertilisers, acids and solid inorganics

To be defined in the LVIC BREF, the final BREF in the current review cycle

Production of Specialty Inorganic Chemicals (SIC), Organic Fine Chemicals (OFC) and Polymers (POL)

To be defined in the WGC BREF

ThetablebelowshowsthenewBAT-AELtargetsforeffluentdischargesfordirectemitterstotheenvironment.Indirectdischarges(i.e.totheseweragenetwork)willhavetomeetanequivalentstandard,andbyfollowingthe“polluterpays”principle,willhavetoprovethattheirtreatmentdownstream(inamunicipalsewagetreatmentworks,

forexample)iseffectiveinreachingthelimitsgivenhere.Theselimitswillrepresentsomechallengingtargetsforemittersanditislikelythateveryproducerisgoingtoneedtotakemorecontrolovertheirprocessestoachieve thesetargets.

What producers will be affected in the Chemical sector BREFs and how?

Thethresholdsforcompliancedependonseveralfactorssuchastheproductbeingmadebytheinstallationandthequantities.Someexamplescanbefound inthetablebelow.

Theseproducerswillthereforebesubjecttotargetsonemissionlevels(BAT-AELs)obtainedundernormaloperatingconditionsusingabestavailabletechniqueoracombinationofbestavailabletechniques.

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Part 2:

Table source: CWW BREF Section 4.3.4

Effluenttypicallycontainsdetergents,pigments,ammonia,plantextracts,oilsandfragrances.Thesiteindirectlydischargestoariverthoughasewagetreatmentworksrunbyamunicipalwatercompany.Afterremovaloffats,oilsandgrease(FOG),theCODistypically5000mg/l,whichhasriseninrecentyearsduetoimprovementsinwaterrecyclingonsite.TheCWWBREFdoesnotplaceELV’sonsomeparametersthatwillbefamiliartothosesiteswithtradeeffluentagreements(TEA’s),suchasFOG.However,themunicipalwatercompanyisentitledtoplacethese additional constraints on businessusersinordertomaintainthelevelofcompliancefortheSTWandprotecttheirreceivingnetwork.AssumingtheinstallationiscompliantwithitsTEA,itwillstillhavetoprovethatthemunicipalSTWtreatsCODandtotalnitrogento the levels set out in the CWW BREF.Thewatercompanyshouldbeabletoprovidedetailsoftypicalremovalratestotheoperator.

IftheabatementefficiencyforCODoftheSTWis90%orless,thisisanissueforthesitebecausethatwouldgiveanequivalentdischargeconcentrationhigherthantheELV.Therearetwopossibleresolutions.Thefirstistoinstallapre-treatmentplanttoremovesomeCODpriortodischargetothemunicipalsystem,improvingtheoverallremovalrate.AreputablecompanyfamiliarwiththeCWWBREFshouldbechosenforthistoensurethatanyeffluenttreatmentprocessmeetsBATrequirements.ThealternativeistobuildacaseforaderogationbaseduponBAT7oftheCWWBREF(section4.3.1),showingthatthenon-compliancewiththeELVisdirectlyduetowaterrecyclingmeasuresandnotduetoinadequatetreatmenttechniquesorpoorproductionefficiency.InvestmentinsupportfromaneffluenttreatmentconsultantfamiliarwiththeBREFsandtheprinciplesunderlyingthemwillproveessentialwhendiscussingthiswiththeregulator.

Example 2: Production of hair care and toiletry products

4

Industry examples of sector-specific chemical businesses which will be affected by IED:

Part 2:

Example 1: Fine chemical production

Afacilityproducingpharmaceuticalprecursorshasacomplicatedeffluentcontainingammonia,dichloromethane,zincandCODintheformofsolventsandunwantedreactionproducts.Theeffluentalsocontainslead,nickelandchromiumattracelevels,butthesearenotrelatedtotheproductsmade.Thesitedischargesdirectlytothesea.

Thisfacilityhastoresolveissueswithseveralparametersthathavelowemissionlimitvalues(ELV’s).Wherepossible,wastestreamsshouldbesegregatedandexpensivetreatmenttechniquessuchastheuseofactivatedcarbonshouldbedirectedtospecifictargets,suchasthedichloromethane,whichisanAOXandhasanELVof1mg/l.Ammoniawillcontributetowardseitherinorganicnitrogenortotalnitrogen,buttheELVmaynotapplyatallifthereisnobiologicaltreatmentofeffluentandthismaybeaconsiderationiftheCODisnotparticularlybiodegradable.Zincwillneedtobereducedto300µg/lorless;howeverthisELVwassetwithoutanyknowledgeofwhetherthereferencesitesusedzincandtheremovalbenefitofthisshouldbebalancedagainstthecostoftreatment.

Otherheavymetalsshouldbeconsideredonacasebycasebasis;leadisnotcoveredbythecurrentCWWBREFbutisrequestedforinclusioninthenextreview.Wheremetalsarepresentineffluentbecauseofthenatureofthewatersupply,theoperatorhasnoresponsibilitytotreatthem.

AnyfacilitylikethisshouldengagethedirectsupportofaneffluenttreatmentconsultantfamiliarwiththeBREFsandtheprinciplesunderlyingtheminordertounderstandwhatprioritiesshouldbeforthesiteandtheirregulator.

What the chemical industry should do in response to publication of the BREFs

SiteoperatorsshouldusethedraftBREFguidancedocumenttoassesswhethertheiroperationsareBATandwhethertheycanmeettheBAT-AELs.Operatorswhoareinanydoubtthattheycanraisethenecessaryfundstoachievecomplianceshouldstartsoonerratherthanlater;theUK’senvironmentalregulatorsgenerallyrespondbettertoearlywarningsofnon-complianceratherthanlast-minuteattemptstoavoidlegalaction.IftheyarenotBATorcannotmeettheBAT-AELswiththeircurrenttechniques,operatorswillneedtoeitherinvestinnewtechniquesorapplyforaderogation.

Operatorscanexpectregulatorstobemoreinterestedinthemanufacturingprocess,ratherthanjusttheoutput.Itisexpectedthatthiswillbeonaprocessbyprocessbasis,andthatalthoughsomespecialistprocesses

maynothavepublishedperformanceratings,therewillstillbesomepartsoftheoperationthatneedtobebenchmarked.Itisquitepossiblethataregulatorcouldrequestthattheefficiencyofaparticularstepiscomparedwithatheoreticalyieldratherthanrequestingcommerciallysensitivedatafromothersites.

ThegraphhereshowsthedatagatheringprocessusedbytheEuropeanIntegratedPollutionPreventionandControlBureau(whoareresponsibleforpublishingtheBREF)withdatacollectedfrom53sitesforzincconcentrationinthefinaleffluent.Sites47andaboveareconsiderednottobeoperatingasBAT.

ThedeterminationoftheBAT-AELwasmadeonthebasisoftwomethods;firstly,theavailabletechniquesforremovalofzincfromeffluentarebasedontechniquesusedbyBASFinGermanyandlistedinsection3.3.2.3.3.1oftheBREF.

Example of how BAT limits are derived and the impact on regulation of heavy metals treatment

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

Zn (µg/l) in effluent

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53

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Part 3:

Thissectionindicatesthatzinccanberemovedfromcertaineffluentswiththeadditionofeithersodiumsulphideorstrongalkalis.However,theapplicabilityofthesetechniquesislimited(aslistedinTable3.39oftheBREF),duetootheroperatingchallenges,suchasexcessivesludgeproductionandsafetyconcerns.TheBAT-AELwasthereforesetonastatisticalbasisto300µg/l,althoughtherewasdiscussionintheTechnicalWorkingGroupastowhetherthisshouldhavebeen400µg/l,particularlyastherewasnodatatoshowwhetheranyof

thesiteslistedwereusinganytreatmentprocesstoremovezincorwhattheirremovalefficiencywas.UKguidancehasbeenwrittenwiththisinmind;forlowlevelsofpollutantsthatoccurnaturally,operatorsareonlyexpectedtotreattheircontributiontothepollutantload.UKregulatorsshouldalsointerpretTable3.39whenconsideringwhetherasuitabletreatmenttechniqueisavailabletothesiteoperator,andhence aviableBAToption.

How is a BAT assessment carried out and who can help?

The Directive includes a description of how BAT processes are to be determined. These are:1. Theuseoflow-wastetechnology;

2.Theuseoflesshazardoussubstances;

3.Thefurtheringofrecoveryandrecyclingofsubstances generatedandusedintheprocessandofwaste, whereappropriate;

4.Comparableprocesses,facilitiesormethodsofoperationwhichhavebeentriedwithsuccessonanindustrialscale;

5.Technologicaladvancesandchangesinscientificknowledge andunderstanding;

6.Thenature,effectsandvolumeoftheemissionsconcerned

7.Thecommissioningdatesforneworexistinginstallations;

8. Thelengthoftimeneededtointroducethebest availabletechnique;

9.Theconsumptionandnatureofrawmaterials(includingwater)usedintheprocessandenergyefficiency;

10.Theneedtopreventorreducetoaminimumtheoverall impactoftheemissionsontheenvironmentandtheriskstoit;

11.Theneedtopreventaccidentsandtominimisethe consequencesfortheenvironment;

12.Informationpublishedbypublicinternationalorganisations.6

Part 4:

Specialists such as Alpheus have been working with other industry sectors on these issues and can assist with preparing necessary assessments and delivering solutions.InthecaseofBATassessments,itwillbenecessarytocarryoutasitesurveythatcangatherrepresentativedatafromallprocesses.Thiswillinvolvetheinstallationofdataloggingandsamplingequipmentthroughoutthesiteifthesearenotalreadyinplace.Thedatawillthenbeassessedalongsidedesigninformationandproductionrateswhereapplicable.

Usingourexperiencewitheffluent treatment wewillbeabletodeterminenotjustwhetheraprocessiscompliant,butwhetheritcanbebroughtintocompliance,andhowthatcan

beachievedinthemostcost-effectiveway.Basedonthisassessment,decisionswillnodoubthavetobemadeaboutthebestmethodofcompliancefortheorganisation.Thismaymeantherelocationofcertainprocessesbetweensitesandtheinstallationorupgradeoftreatmentequipment.

Someoftheseideasarenotjustenvironmentalmeasuresbutcouldoffertheopportunitytoreducecosts.Chemicalproducerswillhavetoseriouslylookattheseoptionsiftheywanttomaintaintheircompliancewithregulationswhile remainingcompetitive.

Oncedecisionsaremade,theseproposalswillneedtobeagreedwiththeenvironmentalregulator,whowillthenneedtowriteandsignanewoperatingpermit(thismusthappen

withinfouryearsofpublicationoftheWGCBREForearlierforthelargestinstallations).Forthechemicalindustry,publicationoftheWGCBREFisexpectedin2021.Realistically,allchemicalinstallationsshouldhaveanewpermittooperatefromtheirenvironmentalregulator,enforcingthenewregulationsbythemiddleof2025atthelatest.

Alpheushasyearsofexperienceonenvironmentalpermittingregulations.Notonlycanweadvise on the type of technology that will bring a site to compliance,butwecanalsosupportproducersinliaisingwiththeregulatorandcompletingallofthenecessarystepsrequiredtoapplyforanewpermitorvariationoftheexistingpermitconditions.

7

How is a BAT assessment carried out and who can help?

Part 4:

Examples of BAT technology applied to the chemical sector

8

Part 5:

Whenwelookspecificallyatthechemicalsector,thereareanumberofopportunitiesthatcanbeusedtoimprovetheirwaterandwasteemissionsaswellasenergyusagetoachieveBAT-AELs,assetoutinsection3.3.1oftheCWWBREF.Someexamplesare presentedbelow.

Generally applicable methods to improve water efficiency • processalteration,whichmightlead

toareductionofwaterrequired,e.g.substitutionofwatercoolingtoaircooling.

• directwastewaterrecycling,i.e.reuseofslightlycontaminatedwastewaterinotherprocessesnotinfluencedbythesecontaminants,whichresultsinareductionoffreshwaterandwastewaterwithoutchangingthecontaminantload

• pre-treatmentofwastewaterandsubsequentreuse(inthesameorinanotherprocess),whichresultsinthereductionoffreshwater,wastewaterandloadofcontaminants

• washingathighpressureandatalow flowrate

• implementingmultipleuseand recirculationoperations

• usingindirectcoolingofvapourphases

• usingwater-freevacuumgeneration• usingsolventsastheringmediumin

vacuumpumps• closed-cycleliquidringvacuumpumps• counter-currentproductwashing• usingCleaning-In-Place(CIP)systems

Generally applicable methods to reduce waste Wastewateroriginatingdirectlyfromproduction(e.g.reactionwater,distillates,washingwater,filtrates)needstobeconsideredseparatelyfromwastewateroriginatingfromequipmentcleaning(e.g.duringmaintenance,rinsingofblockagesorproductcaking,cleaningofmulti-purposeequipmentbecauseofcampaignorproductchange).Thereuseofwaterfromthissecondcategoryhas,inadditiontothereductionofwastewaterload,theadvantageofproductrecoveryandincreaseofproductyield,providedthewaterisrecirculatedintotheproductionprocessitself.Thisrequiresfacilitiesforcollection,bufferingorthestorageofwastewater,whichmightbealimitingfactor.

Theapplicabilityofthetechniquelargelydependsonthespecificproductionprocessesandtheproductspecifications.Thereuseofprocesswater(make-up

water,motherliquors)isoftenpossiblewhenconstituentssuchassideproductsorsaltsdonotadverselyaffectthequalityofdownstreamproductions.

Generally applicable methods to improve energy efficiency Unlikesomeofthesector-specificBREFdocuments,energyefficiencyisnotincludedintheCWWBREFasaquantifiableBATstandard.ItisintendedthatthewritingprocessforthenextversionoftheBREF(probablyduein2024)willhavetoincludedatacollectiononenergyefficiencyinwastewatertreatmentplantsinthechemicalsector.However,thereareotherdrivingforcesthatneedtobeconsideredinrelationtoenergyefficiencyinthetreatmentofwaste,suchastheUKgovernment’sEnergySavingsOpportunityScheme(ESOS),butperhapsthebiggestoftheseforanyinstallationistheeconomiccostofenergy.Itisimportantthatthecostsofrunninganynewtreatmentprocessareconsideredwhenplanninganupgrade.Someprocessescantreatmorethanonepollutantatatimeortheoutputfromoneprocessstepcanhaveabeneficialimpactontheperformanceofthenextstage.Carefulselectionofaneffluenttreatmentconsultantwhounderstandsboththecomplianceneedsandthepotentialcommercialburdenisthereforeessential.

What will compliance look like in the future?TheintendedstrategyoftheIEDisthatemissionsfromindustrywillbecomeincreasinglyregulatedovertimeinordertoreducetheoveralllevelofpollution.

Thismeansthattherewillbeareviewofemissionlimitsandthethresholdsforcompliance.Medium-sizedsitesthatdonothavetocomplywiththisreviewofthe CWWandWGCmightfindthattheyareincludedinthescopeofthenextone(expectedin2027).Newequipmentandprocessesexpectedtobeinuseafterthistimeshouldbebenchmarked,toensurefuturecompliance.

How will Brexit affect the IED?Nothingis‘setinstone’,buttheIndustrialEmissionsDirectiveisalreadyenactedintoUKlawintheformofanupdatetothePPCregulations.Additionally,allUKpoliticalpartieshavepledgedtomaintainthecurrentEuropeanstandardsofenvironmentalregulation.Thispositionisreflectedintheno-dealscenariopaperpublishedbyDEFRAinSeptember2018,whichmeanstheseregulationsareexpectedtocontinueafterBrexit.FurthercommunicationsfrombothDEFRA and the HSE indicate that it is the government’sintentionthatregulationofthechemicalsectorwillbeassimilaraspossibletothecurrentarrangements,withidenticalstandardsmanagedbyUKbodiesequivalenttoexistingEUbodies.TheCWWBREFwaspublishedwhiletheUKwasstillamemberstatewithintheEUandsoistobetransferredintoUKlegislationintheeventofBrexit.TheWGCBREFwillbepublishedafterthisdate;asthingscurrentlystand,itisanticipatedthatDEFRAwillpublishanear-identicalguidelinetomirrorthelevelofenvironmentalcompliancebetweentheUKandEU.

Withintheindustrialsector,forexample,theplanisforclimatechangeemissionstoreduceitsCO2emissionstolessthan20%of1990levelsby2050.TheenergysavingelementsoftheIEDandBREFSarethereforebeingusedtoimplementtheKyotoProtocolandwilldirectlyaffectindustrialoperationsinthefoodanddrinkindustry.

TheUKhassigneduptotheKyotoProtocolandmanyotherinternationalagreementsthatdefineloweremissiongoals.TheIEDanditsBREFsaredesignedtohelpEUmemberstatesmeettheseinternationalobligations.IftheUKweretoceasecompliancewiththeIED,another,similarpieceoflegislationwouldhavetobeputinitsplace.

Brexit, Derogations and Opportunities

9

Part 6:

OpportunitiesAnychangeinthemarketplaceisasmuchanopportunityforsomeasitisachallengeforothers.ThethresholdsandlimitswithintheCWWBREFarereadilyavailableanddraftversionsoftheWGCBREFwillbeavailableinthenearfuture.Businessdecisionstomoveproductionfromonesitetoanothertousesparecapacitywithinsitesorrationalisethemanufacturingprocessshouldnowtaketheseregulationsintoaccount.

Furthermore, Chemical Industries Association andtheEuropeanequivalent,CEFIC,areworkingwiththeEUonspecificperformancemetricsforcertainmanufacturingprocesses.Producerswhoareabletogetaheadofthecompetitiononthesemetricswillnodoubthavebetterleveragewithregulatorsandmayalsoincreasemarketshare withconsumers.

10

Brexit, Derogations and OpportunitiesPart 6:

Example 1: Fine chemical productionItisimportanttopointoutthatexemption,or‘derogation’fromthelimitsisallowedundercertainconditions,suchasifthecostofcomplianceistoohighorthegeographicallocationortechnicalcharacteristicsoftheplantmakeittoodifficulttoachieve.Derogationscanbeappliedtoindividualsitesforcompliancewithpartsofthenewregulations.

Understandably,thereisalotofinterestinderogations,butoperatorsshouldbeawarethattheserequireconsiderablework.Theywillneedtodemonstratetotheregulatorthattherearegoodreasonswhytheycannotcomply.

OnesuchexamplethatAlpheushaveworkedonrecentlyisasitethathasaveryhighnitrogendischargebutdoesn’temitintoanitrogen-sensitivezone.Attemptingtoremovethenitrogen,usingalotofenergyandchemicals,wouldhavenobenefittothereceivingenvironmentwhilecostingmoneyandharmingtheglobalenvironment,andtheregulatorthereforeacceptsthederogationargument.Applicationsforaderogationneedtobemadeinthefirstyear.Thereasonforthisisthatthereisapossibilitythatthederogationcouldberejected,thereforethesitewillstillhavesufficienttimetocomplywithinthefour-yearcompliancetimescale.

Can we help?

Additional informationabout the authorDrFrankWaymanhasabackgroundinbiochemistryandchemicalengineering, withafermentation-basedPhD.Hehasworkedinthewatertreatmentsectorforthelast15yearsintheTechnical&EngineeringteamatAlpheus.HeisamemberoftheUKdelegationtotheCombinedWasteWaterandWasteGas(CWW)BREFTechnicalWorkingGroup,whichsetsoutmanyprinciplesfortheWGCBREF.

Where can you find out more?TheCWWBREFispublishedbytheEuropeanIPPCBureauinSeville.Youcandownloadthefirstdraftoftheforthcomingdocument fromtheirwebsite.

AlpheusOsprey House 1 Percy Road Huntingdon Cambs PE29 6SZ

01234 686100

enquiries@alpheus.co.uk

@Alpheus_UK Alpheus Environmental

YoucanalsocontactFrankWaymanatAlpheus: fwayman@alpheus.co.uk

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Part 7:

Alpheus is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anglian Water Group, and is part of one of Europe’s leading providers in water services.

Our team of process/environmental scientists and electrical/mechanical engineers are leading experts in their fields. Together, they have a wealth of experience in the design, operation and management of water and wastewater assets for the industrial and public sector. We focus on delivering high-value, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients looking at best technology available to each specific industry sector.

Based in Huntingdon (UK), we manage some of the largest private and public UK sites across a wide range of sectors such as: food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, leisure, power and educational and research campuses.

Through years of working with the chemical industry, our strength sits on our capability to understand the sector specific needs and using our experience and knowledge to deliver robust process designs that take into account current clients’ operations and how this will be affected by upcoming changes to environmental regulation. We are therefore expertly placed to advise on the technology available to deliver the best ‘fit’ effluent treatment solution for your business.

Dr Frank Wayman, Innovation and TechnicalManager(Scotland),Alpheus

Youcandownloadcopiesofthe legislationfromtheEuropeanand UKgovernmentwebsiteshere.