(MERAF) for the Base Metals Smelting Sector - CCME

4.2.10. United Kingdom
In the UK, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 legislated for integrated
pollution control (IPC) under the authority of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Pollution. SI No. 472 1991 sets out processes and substances to be covered by
IPC. Industry Sector Guidance Note IPR2 gives the limits achievable for
releases to water, air and land using appropriate techniques.
In general air emissions limits will be detailed in the relevant authorisation for the
facility. For the most complex and polluting or potentially polluting industrial
processes (Part A processes) this authorisation is an Integrated Pollution Control
(IPC) authorisation and is regulated under Environmental Protection Act 1990
Part I, IPC by the Environment Agency in England and Wales and in Scotland by
SEPA. Other industries, identified as Part B industries under Part 1 of the EPA
1990, fall under Local Authority Air Pollution Control where the authorisations are
issued by local authorities in England and Wales and by the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland.
Table 55 shows the particulate matter and metals maximum concentrations from
the UK Environmental Protection Act 1990, Industry Sector Guidance Note IPR2.
Table 55: United Kingdom Maximum Concentrations of Pollutants to Air
Parameter
Non-Ferrous metals
processes
Smelting processes
(mg/m 3 )
(mg/m 3 )
Particulate Matter 50 50
Mercury and its compounds
(as mercury)
1 1
Cadmium 1 1
Lead 5 5
In granting an authorization, the enforcing authority must seek to ensure that the
“best available techniques not entailing excessive cost” (BATNEEC) are
employed to prevent, or where this is impracticable, to minimize and render
harmless, the release of any substance prescribed for any environmental
medium.
A series of reports have been published for various metallurgical industries.
These notes provide a brief description of the process, detail of the best available
techniques for the control of pollution from the process, levels of release
achievable by their use and aspects of monitoring specific to the process. They
provide guidance to the regulatory authority setting conditions to the
authorisation.
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