Best Available Techniques (BAT): New Standards

Best Available Techniques (BAT): New Standards aim to increase value or reduce costs.

ECOS works with our clients to increase value or reduce costs by implementing new Best Available Techniques (BAT) emissions and efficiency standards.  The new specifications are the result of a review of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document (BREF) for Waste Treatment.Best available Techniques

The BAT conclusions address key issues aimed at reducing costs or increasing value within the business:

  • Energy efficiency
  • Resource efficiency (water consumption, reuse and recovery of materials),
  • Prevention of accidents
  • Noise and odour
  • Management of residues

The new BAT conclusions also play an important role in achieving EU environmental and waste management policy goals for transition to a circular economy and is based on the ‘waste hierarchy’ which in turn sets the order of priority when shaping waste policy and managing waste at the operational level.

The BAT conclusions include BAT-associated emission levels (BAT-AELs) which have the potential, through their translation into emission limits, to drive a sizeable reduction in emissions from the waste treatment sector.

  • They include for the first time at EU level BAT-AELs for emissions to water and to air from mechanical treatments of waste (shredders) and from aerobic treatment of waste.
  • For emissions to air, the BAT conclusions address a number of techniques such as enclosure of equipment or treatments to reduce the concentrations of pollutants emitted to air. BAT-AELs are set for dust, total volatile organic compounds, ammonia, hydrogen chloride, mercury, chlorofluorocarbons and odour.
  • For emissions to water, the BAT conclusions focus on techniques to maximise water savings and optimise the use of water, including its recirculation and reuse, as well as segregation of waste water streams according to their pollutant content.

Existing waste treatment installations (i.e. first permitted before the publication of the BAT conclusions) have four years to comply with the new standards.  New installations (i.e. first permitted after the publication of the BAT conclusions) need to comply immediately with the new requirements.

The European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau (EIPPCB) is currently reviewing or drawing up BAT reference documents for the following sectors: food, drink and milk; waste incineration; surface treatment using organic solvents (including wood and wood products preservation with chemicals); ferrous metals processing; textiles; and common waste gas treatment in the chemical sector.

Industrial Emissions Directive

For more information on how to address you can implement Best Available Techniques (BAT) guidance to improve your business please contact us.

T:  +353 (0) 61 633644  E:  info@ecos.ie  W: www.ecos.ie