- How clean is the process?
- Burning and incineration in general is bad for the environment isn't it?
- What is emitted from the system?
- What impact will a Bioflame system have on my local environment?
- What is wrong with Landfill?
How clean is the process?
All thermal treatment unit systems (TTUs) for waste in the UK require a permit from the Environment Agency known as EP or Environmental Permit, The permit sets out an agreed strategy for dealing with any and all environmental effects that the TTU may have and imposes safe operating limits on the plant overall, taken from EC Waste Incineration Directive (WID). Below is a table demonstrating that the Bioflame system is one of the cleanest on the planet.
|
Element or Compound |
Chemical Symbol/Abbreviation |
WID 30 min Limit mg/m3 |
WID 24hr Limit mg/m3 |
Bioflame's Average Performance mg/m3 |
|
|
Oxygen |
O2 |
11% benchmark |
11% benchmark |
11% |
|
|
Particulate |
Dust |
30 |
10 |
0.2 |
|
|
Total Organic Componds |
TOCs |
20 |
10 |
0.4 |
|
|
Sulphurdioxide |
SO2 |
200 |
50 |
10 |
|
|
Nitrogen Oxides |
Nox |
400 |
200 |
150 |
|
|
Hydrogen Fluoride |
HF |
4 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Hydrogen Chloride |
HCL |
60 |
10 |
2 |
|
|
Carbon Monoxide |
CO |
150* |
50 |
6 |
|
|
Burner Exit Temp |
degrees C |
850 |
850 |
1000 |
|
|
Residence Time |
in seconds |
2 |
2 |
3.9 |
|
|
* 95% of all 10 min averages in any 24hr period |
|||||
Burning and incineration in general is bad for the environment isn't it?
It certainly has been in the past but our modern technology is now able to mitigate all of the harmful emissions of old. Our combustion system more than meets the Waste Incineration Directive and is classed as a Cleaner Production technology, it also conforms to Best Available Technology (BAT). That means we burn at over 850oC for more than two seconds. This ensures that complete thermal oxidisation of the flue gases takes place. Where necessary we also use sophisticated gas filters to take out any smoke particulates to a permitted level (less than 20 parts per million). In some extreme cases we can fit a further advanced filtration system that will capture any remaining contaminants.
The Royal Society was commissioned to produce an independent report into waste burning which was published in May 2004. It categorically states that in a controlled environment there are no health risks associated with this process.
What is emitted from the system?
The truth is - very little. Bioflame is principally engaged with waste that falls under the category of 'Biomass' or waste that is biodegradable. From a CO2 point of view these wastes are classed as carbon neutral - in other words the amount of CO2 emitted from the burning of such wastes is off-set by the amount of CO2 consumed by the living thing from which the waste is derived. We are not primarily burning plastics or other fossil fuel derived wastes but Biomass. All our systems need a level of operating permission depending on the size of the unit. If for some reason our emission levels rose outside of these strict operating parameters - the Environment Agency would waste no time in shutting us down. We can guarantee to our customers and anyone living near that the environmental impact of our small-scale plants is well within permitted levels.
Gaseous Emission
See the table above for specific gaseous emissions
Noise
All our plant is fitted with noise reduction and accoustic limitation equipment. There will be no perceivable noise levels on the boundary of any of our plant sites
Ash
Ash represents approximately 4% of the input fuel (waste wood). It is expelled from the TTU in a dry form and collected in dust tight bins. The ash material can then be used in the manufacture of blocks or within the road building industry. There will be no dust produced from ash handling on any of our sites.
For more information on Permissions see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/pollutants/stationary/ippc/index.htm
For further general information on the subject see glossary
What impact will a Bioflame system have on my local environment?
In most cases the system will be placed where either a waste producer or a waste transfer station is currently sending waste to landfill. A Bioflame system will remove the need for heavy lorries to trundle through your neighbourhood because the waste will be eliminated at source. This is an environmental benefit. The planning footprint is small and so the built environment will not really be affected. Our system fits into a typical sized agricultural shed. We do require a chimneystack but the visual impact of this is minimal. The only visible emission from the stack is a heat haze - whatever the ambient temperature. Where the client will allow, it is our aim to publish real time emission data on a web site so that local residents and anyone else who might be interested can monitor that we are as clean as we say we are 100% of the time.
What is wrong with Landfill?
What is right with it. Landfill is being phased out because it is not a sustainable way to dispose of waste. Landfills generate methane gas from an anaerobic reaction that takes place when organic matter rots in an oxygen free environment. Although this gas can be collected and used for energy generation is not utilised on every Landfill site and even where it is used it is not very efficient at preventing methane leakage. Methane is twenty times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. The government has designed a 'waste hierarchy' as a template for how we all need to change our ways. Please see the following link for a clear understanding of the topic