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.
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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
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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.
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How is a BAT assessment carried out and who can help?
Part 4:
Examples of BAT technology applied to the chemical sector
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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
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Part 6:
OpportunitiesAnychangeinthemarketplaceisasmuchanopportunityforsomeasitisachallengeforothers.ThethresholdsandlimitswithintheCWWBREFarereadilyavailableanddraftversionsoftheWGCBREFwillbeavailableinthenearfuture.Businessdecisionstomoveproductionfromonesitetoanothertousesparecapacitywithinsitesorrationalisethemanufacturingprocessshouldnowtaketheseregulationsintoaccount.
Furthermore, Chemical Industries Association andtheEuropeanequivalent,CEFIC,areworkingwiththeEUonspecificperformancemetricsforcertainmanufacturingprocesses.Producerswhoareabletogetaheadofthecompetitiononthesemetricswillnodoubthavebetterleveragewithregulatorsandmayalsoincreasemarketshare withconsumers.
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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
@Alpheus_UK Alpheus Environmental
YoucanalsocontactFrankWaymanatAlpheus: [email protected]
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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.