Division 1.6 Resource efficiency
United Kingdom
BAT 10. In order to increase resource efficiency, BAT is to use one or a combination of the techniques given below.
| Technique | Description | Applicability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | Anaerobic digestion | Treatment of biodegradable residues by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, resulting in biogas and digestate. The biogas is used as a fuel, e.g. in a gas engine or in a boiler. The digestate may be used, e.g. as a soil improver. | May not be applicable due to the quantity and/or nature of the residues. |
| (b) | Use of residues | Residues are used, e.g. as animal feed. | May not be applicable due to legal requirements. |
| (c) | Separation of residues | Separation of residues, e.g. using accurately positioned splash protectors, screens, flaps, catchpots, drip trays and troughs. | Generally applicable. |
| (d) | Recovery and reuse of residues from the pasteuriser | Residues from the pasteuriser are fed back to the blending unit and are thereby reused as raw materials. | Only applicable to liquid food products. |
| (e) | Phosphorus recovery as struvite | See BAT 12g. | Only applicable to waste water streams with a high total phosphorus content (e.g. above 50 mg/l) and a significant flow. |
| (f) | Use of waste water for land spreading | After appropriate treatment, waste water is used for land spreading in order to take advantage of the nutrient content and/or to use the water. | Only applicable in the case of a proven agronomic benefit, a proven low level of contamination and no negative impact on the environment (e.g. on the soil, the groundwater and surface water). The applicability may be restricted due to the limited availability of suitable land adjacent to the installation. The applicability may be restricted by the soil and local climatic conditions (e.g. in the case of wet or frozen fields) or by legislation. |
Further sector-specific techniques to reduce waste sent for disposal are given in Sections 3.3, 4.3 and 5.1 of these BAT conclusions.