7. Emission limits, monitoring and appropriate measures
These are the emissions limits and appropriate measures for monitoring emissions to air and water at regulated facilities with an environmental permit to mechanically treat metal waste in shredders.
We may set emission limits and monitoring requirements in your permit, based on your emissions inventory and environmental risk assessment.
1. Where you are required to monitor emissions to comply with the requirements of your environmental permit you must follow our monitoring your emissions guidance.
2. You must create and maintain an inventory (emissions inventory) of point source emissions to air and water (including emissions to sewer) for your facility.
1. Your facility’s emissions inventory must include information about the relevant characteristics of point source emissions to air, such as the:
- average values and variability of flow and temperature
- average concentration and load values of relevant substances and their variability
- flammability, lower and higher explosive limits and reactivity
- presence of other substances that may affect the waste gas treatment system or plant safety – for example, oxygen, nitrogen, water vapour, dust
2. Monitoring locations must meet MCERTS standards. Monitoring must use MCERTS qualified accredited methods and be done by MCERTs certified staff. You can find further guidance in the Environment Agency’s M1 – Guidance on sampling requirements for monitoring stack emissions.
1. You must apply the following emission limits and monitoring requirements for point source emissions to air.
2. You must comply with any other emission limits or monitoring requirements set in your environmental permit. There may be situations where we set lower emission limits for the following substances listed.
Dust emissions
3. You must make sure dust monitoring is done every 6 months using method BS EN 13284-1.
The emission limits are as follows. When using:
- fabric filters – 5mg/m3
- other abatement techniques – a higher emission limit of 10mg/m3 may be appropriate
4. You must report results as the average value of 3 consecutive measurements of at least 30 minutes each. The 3 consecutive measurements must be representative of the dust and particulate emissions from the operations at the site.
Other point source emissions to air
5. You must apply the following emission limits and monitoring requirements for point source emissions to air where they are relevant, based on your facility’s emissions inventory and environmental risk assessment.
6. You must also comply with any other emission limits or monitoring requirements set in your environmental permit.
BFRs
You should:
- do annual monitoring
- report results as the average value of 3 consecutive representative measurements of at least 30 minutes each
Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls
Where these are identified in your inventory of point source emissions to air you should:
- do annual monitoring following standard EN1948-4
- report results from one sampling period of at least 6-8 hours
Metals and metalloids except mercury
Where these are identified in your inventory of point source emissions to air you should:
- do annual monitoring following standard EN14385
- report results as the average value of 3 consecutive representative measurements of at least 30 minutes each
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furan(s)
Where these are identified in your inventory of point source emissions to air you should:
- do annual monitoring following standard EN1948-1 Parts1, 2 and 3
- report results from one sampling period of at least 6-8 hours
Total VOCs
You should:
- do 6-monthly monitoring following standard BS EN 12619
- report results as the average value of 3 consecutive representative measurements of at least 30 minutes each
1. Your facility’s emissions inventory must include information about the relevant characteristics of point source emissions to water or sewer, such as:
- average values and variability of flow, pH, temperature, and conductivity
- average concentration and load values of relevant substances and their variability – for example, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen species, phosphorus, metals, priority substances or micro pollutants
- data on bio-eliminability – for example, biological oxygen demand (BOD), BOD to COD ratio, Zahn-Wellens test, biological inhibition potential, for example, inhibition of activated sludge
2. For relevant emissions to water or sewer identified by the emissions inventory, you must monitor key process parameters (for example, waste water flow, pH, temperature, conductivity, or BOD) at key locations. For example, these could be at one of the following, the:
- inlet or outlet (or both) of the pre-treatment
- inlet to the final treatment
- point where the emission leaves the facility boundary
3. You must comply with any other emission limits or monitoring requirements set in your environmental permit. We may set lower emission limits for the parameters that follow.
4. In addition to any other parameters specified by your permit, you must monitor the following emissions to water:
Hydrocarbon Oil Index (HOI)
You must comply with the following:
- monthly monitoring following EN ISO-9377-2
- the emission limit for HOI is 10mg/l whether direct or indirect (to water body or to sewer)
- if you discharge directly to a water body, you must monitor TOC or COD – TOC is the preferred monitoring parameter
TOC
You must comply with the following:
- monthly monitoring following EN1484
- an emission limit of 60mg/l
COD
You must comply with the following;
- monthly monitoring
- an emission limit of 180mg/l
Total suspended solids (TSS)
If you discharge directly to a water body:
- you must monitor TSS monthly in accordance with EN 872
- the emission limit is 60mg/l
5. If your waste water emissions inventory identified the following parameters are relevant, then you must monitor for them. You should monitor them monthly. There are various standards available for these parameters (for example, EN ISO 11885, EN ISO 17294-2, EN ISO 15586).
These emission limits apply whether the discharge is to a water body or to the sewer:
- arsenic (As) – emission limit 0.05mg/l
- cadmium (Cd) – emission limit 0.05mg/l
- chromium (Cr) – emission limit 0.15mg/l
- copper (Cu) – emission limit 0.5mg/l
- nickel (Ni) – emission limit 0.5mg/l
- lead (Pb) – emission limit 0.3mg/l
- zinc (Zn) – emission limit 2mg/l
- mercury (Hg) – emission limit is 5ug/l (SORT microgram) and the relevant standards are EN ISO 17852, EN ISO 12846)
Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulphonic acid
You should monitor 6-monthly. There is no EN standard available for the monitoring and no emission limit has been set.