Risk analysis and environment protection, PRA® (pollution reduction analysis) as an instrument of application of IPPC

Integrated pollution prevention and control—the Finnish approach

Integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC)

Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC)

The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive and its implications for the environment and industrial activities in Europe

The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive has been for the first time published in 1996 (Council Directive 96/61/EC). It was amended in 2008 and now it has been replaced by the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) n.75/2010. The IPPC Directive represents one of the main important policy tool of European Union to manage the emissions of industrial activities and to achieve a higher level of protection of environment as a whole. The Directive asks to the Competent Authorities to issue an unique permit for the industrial installations where are included limits, monitoring frequencies and operational requirements referred to all environmental aspects (water emissions, air emissions, soil, etc.) In literature we can find several studies about policies assessment. In this framework we can observe that not so many authors have studied the IPPC Directive. In addition the papers related to the assessment of the IPPC Directive are referred mainly to discuss about the effectiveness of the Directive in the implementation of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and the improvement of environmental performance of the companies in the scope of the Directive. Besides the few papers or technical reports focused on the implementation of the IPPC Directive from a legislative and administrative perspective have never studied in depth the contents of the issued permits. The objective of our paper is to bridge this gap presenting the results of an empirical research carried out by the authors in the framework of an European project named MED IPPC NET. The authors investigated 62 IPPC permits of landfill sector issued in seven European Regions: Andalusia and Valencia (Spain), Tuscany, Piedmont and Sicily (Italy), West Macedonia (Greece) and Slovenia. The research aimed to identify the differences in the Emissions Limit Values, monitoring frequencies, operational requirements imposed to installations of the same sector but with permits issued in different Competent Authorities. The results demonstrate relevant disparities not always justifiable by the flexibility given by the Directive to the Member States and Competent Authorities to implement the Directive.

The principles introduced by the Directive Concerning Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) (currently known as the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU)) are innovative and have raised interests in the framework of the literature debate on environmental regulation. Many articles describe and analyze the application of the Directive in European countries, but only a few articles focus on how the interest for the Directive’s principles, including the integrated approach, have reached countries outside the European Union. This paper aims to contribute to this topic, describing the experience of the authors in carrying out an EU-funded project on transferring the IPPC approach and Best Available Techniques (BAT) concepts to three Arab countries, i.e., Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The paper presents the experience referring to two sectors falling within the scope of the IPPC Directive: the textile and dairy sector. The objectives, methodologies, activities and experiences are described and can be used and valorized to integrate the IPPC approach and BAT concepts in the current environmental legislation of the three countries.

In the present study, several water recovery and end-of-pipe wastewater treatment alternatives were evaluated towards the evaluation of Best Available Techniques (BATs) for the management of wastewaters from a denim textile mill in accordance with the European Union's Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. For this purpose, an assessment that translates the key environmental aspects into a quantitative measure of environmental performance and also financial analysis was performed for each of the alternatives. The alternatives considered for water recovery from dyeing wastewaters were nanofiltration (NF) with coagulation and/or microfiltration (MF) pre-treatment, ozonation or peroxone and Fenton oxidation. On the other hand, for the end-of-pipe treatment of the mill's mixed wastewater, ozonation, Fenton oxidation, membrane bioreactor (MBR) and activated sludge (AS) process followed by membrane filtration technologies were evaluated. The results have indicated that membrane filtration process with the least environmental impacts is the BAT for water recovery. On the other side, MBR technology has appeared as the BAT for the end-of-pipe treatment of the mill's mixed wastewater. A technical and financial comparison of these two BAT alternatives revealed that water recovery via membrane filtration from dyeing wastewaters is selected as the BAT for the water and wastewater management in the mill.

The European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive 96/61/EC aims to introduce a European-wide system of integrated prevention and control of pollution in order to secure a high level of protection to the environment as a whole. It places obligations on the Member States (MS) to introduce controls that ensure operators comply with the Directive. In this framework, as a part of the implementation process leading to formal accession of Cyprus to the European Union, the National Technical University of Athens has examined all documents related to the Best Available Techniques (BATs) published by Institutes and Organisations, such as the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies in Spain, the Environmental Protection Agency in Ireland, the World Bank Group and the Ministry for the Environment, Planning and Public Works in Greece. A series of guidelines were developed for the application of BATs for 14 categories of the Cypriot industry that fall into the IPPC Directive. The concept of BATs plays a central role in the Directive because it provides a basis for setting Emission Limit Values (ELVs) as well as the principal benchmark for determining the obligations of industrial operators in respect of pollution prevention and control. This paper presents the guidelines for cement manufacture in Cyprus.

In order to reach an adequate level of environmental protection, the European Union has defined a set of common rules, in the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) directive, based on Best Available Techniques (BAT) for many pollutant installations. However, there is a problem: the IPPC does not suggest a way to meet BAT requirements for individual industrial units. Therefore, this paper presents the development of our environmental performance assessment methodology in order to transpose and facilitate the implementation of the IPPC directive locally. The approach offers a method to verify overall if an industrial installation conforms with BAT. This methodology is participatory and created with the advice of both industrial (from the metal finishing sector) and governmental (local, regional and national) representatives. This cognitive aid is designed to be updatable to deal with future regulatory and technical change. The participative approach plans to establish a decision support tool that is user friendly, effective and representative of the context involved. Finally, the case study is ongoing in the metal finishing sector.

IPPC, BAT, and voluntary agreements

Integrated environmental permit through Best Available Techniques: evaluation of the fish and seafood canning industry

This study compares three approaches in the monitoring of ammonia (NH3) emissions from intensive breeding of fattening pigs in relation to compliance with the standards arising from the requirements of Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) used in the Czech Republic. The first approach was based on the determination of NH3 emissions calculation by measurement using reduced sampling days focused on the final fattening phase. The second approach was based on the determination of NH3 emissions calculation by measurement respecting the Best Reference Document for Intensive Rearing of Poultry or Pig (BREF IRPP) and relevant best available techniques (BAT) conclusions under Directive 2010/75/EU. The third approach was based on estimation by using emission factors respecting BREF IRPP and Methodological Instruction of the Air Protection Department of the Czech Republic. The results show that the determined emission factors in the Czech Republic may not always reflect the actual production of NH3 emissions even when reduced by the applied BAT. Determination of NH3 emissions calculation by measurement respecting BREF IRPP represents the predominant phases of fattening (refinement) and microclimatic conditions; however, it is time and money-consuming.

Existing offshore oil and gas developments on the Norwegian Continental Self (NCS) have been considered as a major source of air pollution, mainly due to the usage of gas driven turbines. The authorities and oil companies have a strong commitment to research and development to find out reasonably practical measures to reduce the emissions. For instance, combined electric and gas power, underground storage of emission, use of CO2 to enhance oil recovery, power from shore etc. are some of the measures considered. It is vital to implement the Best Available Techniques (BAT) guidelines available in the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) (2008/1/EC) directive on the NCS for retaining and extending the license to operate within the oil and gas industry. The guidelines in relation to BAT deal with the determination of the best practices. One of the major challenges for an operator is to satisfy the guidelines while confirming fitness for purposes of different technology applications. This study starts by identifying the sources of air pollution in the Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry and discussing the best available techniques to mitigate emission to air. Moreover, integration of technique qualification into the BAT evaluation is discussed to overcome challenges faced while moving to the arctic climate. An illustrative case study of power supply from shore to offshore shows how to include technique qualification in the project development process in order to develop confidence in the new solution and to satisfy health, safety and environmental (HSE) and financial concerns.

Fuzzy Logic Model for the performance benchmarking of sugar plants by considering best available techniques

Determination of ‘Best Available Techniques’ for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control: A Life Cycle Approach