PROCESSING
Dust from unloading and feed operations
Leaks in feed equipment on production lines
Inadequate or missing air filters
Improper clean-up of spills
INPUTS
PRODUCTION PROCESS
POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EMISSIONS
Waste Water
Dust Filter
Floor Sweeping Empty Packaging
Sludge
Dust to Air
PROCESS WASTE - POTENTIAL LAND EMISSIONS
OUTPUTS
Listed below are examples of where flame retardant emissions can occur, highlighting critical
points in the process of handling and treating chemicals:
WASTE DISPOSAL
Residues in packaging
Poorly treated wastewater from system wash-outs
Waste not reprocessed
Use of uncontrolled landfills
2
The VECAP team supports companies in the
implementation of best practices and in the
continuous improvement process by encouraging
the user to adopt the Industry’s Code of
Good Practice which is regularly updated. As
an annex to the Code, best available technique
(BAT) guidance documents have been developed
for emptying bags and intermediate bulk
containers ef f icient l y. The table below
shows examples of where flame retardants
emissions can occur and what the VECAP
recommended practices are to reduce these
emissions.
IMPlEMEntIng BESt PRACtICES
1
3
2
1
3
4
2
1
3
4
HAnDlIng AnD tREAtIng CHEMICAlS
MANUFACTURING
Production
Packaging
Shipping
End of the Production Cycle - Disposal
opening and Emptying of packaging
Transport & Storage
Make sure solid waste is treated and sent to incineration or
to controlled landfill
Make sure waste water is treated to remove polymer additives in a
treatment facility
Store empty bags properly and send them for disposal in a controlled
landfill site or incineration
Minimize the amount of packaging used. e.g. In case of polymer
additives big bags are preferred and only use 20-25kg paper or plastic
bags if the process requires that specific size of package
Dispose filters from the ventilation systems and the collected dust as
chemical waste
Do not clean polymer additives spills with water.
Dry cleaning is the best practice
Unavoidable waste water streams, for instance from rinsing the process
baths, should ideally be reused in the next production run and not sent to
the waste water treatment
Do not mix waste water containing polymer additives with other waste
water streams
Treat sludge resulting from waste water treatment plants or systems as
chemical waste
Solid and liquid additives are difficult to remove from bags and
containers and can increase potential emissions to land and water
Difficult to remove residues of powders that tend to stick to the package
walls or get trapped in folds
Many polymer additives have a low solubility in water and do not degrade
biologically in waste water treatment systems
There is a resulting sludge from a waste water treatment that needs to
be discarded
Chemicals could spill on the floor when opening and emptying bags,
as well as being discharged in the environment
During the opening and empting of bags, chemicals can escape
through open windows or through the clothes of
the handlers
Empty bags are a critical point as any residues left in the bags can
lead to emissions to land
Close windows during the opening and emptying of bags
Clean spilled chemicals immediately
In places where powder materials are handled, make sure a local
exhaust ventilation system (preferably a tiered system composed of
several filters, regularly maintained) is used
At the end of the production cycle the bags and all residues need to be
discarded responsibly
Bags are taken to the filling station where they are opened
Bags could break and
cause a leakage of
products
Ensure bags are properly
sealed on arrival
Repair torn bags
immediately
Bags and containers need
to be stored in warehouses
PROCESS
POSSIBLE EMISSIONS
BEST PRACTICE
lInKIng PotEntIAl EMISSIonS to VECAP BESt PRACtICE
Likelihood of potential
emissions to environment
loW
MEDIuM
HIgH