The Air Quality NES

1
The Air Quality NES

• An Industry Perspective

2
Experience with the NES to date

• Several proposals for incinerators
• Sewage sludge
• Biosecurity destruction of animal carcasses
• Existing plant (old)
• Choosing sites for coal-fired industry
• Dealing with applications for timber mills

3
Incinerators - What is hazardous waste

• NES-
• characteristics in Annex III, OR
• belongs to categories in Annex I but does not
  have characteristics in Annex III
• BASEL, Article 1(a) -
• any category in Annex I, unless they do not
  possess any of the characteristics in Annex III.
  

4
What is hazardous waste?

• Are the following wastes hazardous?
• Sewage sludge yes (NES) no (Basel)
• Dead stock yes (NES) no (Basel)
• Untreated wood waste yes (NES) no (Basel)
• Treated wood waste yes (NES) no (Basel)
• Was this intended. No?

5
What is a high temperature incinerator?

• designed and operated principally for burning
  hazardous waste at a temperature greater than 850
  C as measured
• Is a woodwaste boiler designed principally to
  make steam or to burn woodwaste?
• Where to measure?
• Okay to operate below 850?

6
Which combustion chamber?
7
Represent temperature in incinerator?
8
Okay to operate Below 850 C?

• Dioxins
• Result from incomplete destruction of dioxins
  contained in waste
• In-furnace formation - from intermediate
  combustion products
• De novo synthesis - generally 200-450C, possibly
  1000-450 C
• EU Directive on Incineration of waste - operate
  above 850 C or 1100 C, depending on waste
• Operating below 850C may produce more discharges
  than the same incinerator operating above 850C

9
Resource Consents for PM10

• Discharge PM10 into an airshed?
• Likely to cause PM10 concentration to be above
  straight line path?
• Likely cause the airshed to breach the standard
  for PM10?

10
Discharge into airshed? - How far away?
11
Discharge into airshed?
12
Breach Straight Line Path or NES?
13
Overall Impressions

• Amendment to definition of hazardous waste may
  help
• Questions will remain for some incinerators
• Uncertainty for any significant PM10 source
  located in or near urban areas
• Council or Ministry definitions of airshed and
  straight line path may not reduce this
  uncertainty
• Potential for significant differences in
  interpretation