Residues characterisation from the fluidised bed combustion of East London’s solid recovered fuel

Waste thermal treatment in Europe is moving towards the utilisation of the combustible output of mechanical, biological treatment (MBT) plants. The standardisation of solid recovered fuels (SRF) is expected to support this trend and increase the amount of the generated combustion residues. In this work, the residues and especially the fly ashes from the fluidised bed combustion (FBC) of East London’s NCV 3, Cl 2, and Hg 1 class SRF, are characterised. The following toxicity indicators have been studied: leachable chlorine, organochlorides expressed as pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene, and the heavy metals Cu, Cr, Cd, Zn, Ni, and Pb. Furthermore the mineralogical pattern of the ashes has been studied by means of XRD and SEM–EDS. The results suggest that these SRF derived ashes have significantly lower quantities of Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, leachable Cl, and organochlorides when compared to other literature values from traditional waste thermal treatment applications. This fact highlights the importance of modern separation technologies employed in MBT plants for the removal of components rich in metals and chlorine from the combustible output fraction of SRF resulting to less hazardous residues.     

Towards sustainable airport development

Summary This paper considers the application of the principles of sustainable development to an airport situation. If sustainable development is to be enshrined as the global development pathway which reconciles economic and environmental issues then it must be applicable to a range of spatial scales. Airports will interact at a variety of levels with this multi-level decision making and enactment structure. The requirements imposed upon an airport may differ according to whether decisions are being taken by local, regional or national decision makers. Conflicts and uncertainties will inevitably result. Definitions of sustainable development are considered and policy guidance from the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the nation State level evaluated for its relevance to airport decision making. An attempt is made to reconcile definitions and interpretations before an idealized representation of a sustainable airport is presented. Mechanisms by which this may be actualized are then suggested. A need for improved theoretical knowledge is identified but research is also necessary on application and localization procedures for sustainable development.Professor James Longhurst is Head of Department of Environmental Health and Science at UWE, Bristol. Until recently he was the Director of the Atmospheric Research and Information Centre. David Gibbs is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Hull, UK. David Raper is Deputy Director and D.E. Conlan Environmental Projects Manager in the Atmospheric Research and Information Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.     

Assessing the perception and reality of arguments against thermal waste treatment plants in terms of property prices

The thermal processing of waste materials, although considered to be an essential part of waste management, is often sharply contested in the UK. Arguments such as health, depletion of resources, cost, noise, odours, traffic movement and house prices are often cited as reasons against the development of such facilities. This study aims to review the arguments and identify any effect on property prices due to the public perception of the plant. A selection of existing energy from waste (EfW) facilities in the UK, operational for at least 7 years, was selected and property sales data, within 5 km of the sites, was acquired and analysed in detail. The locations of the properties were calculated in relation to the plant using GIS software (ArcGIS) and the distances split into 5 zones ranging from 0 to 5 km from the site. The local property sale prices, normalised against the local house price index, were compared in two time periods, before and after the facility became operational, across each of the 5 zones. In all cases analysed no significant negative effect was observed on property prices at any distance within 5 km from a modern operational incinerator. This indicated that the perceived negative effect of the thermal processing of waste on local property values is negligible.     

Progress with implementing local air-quality management in rural areas of England

Air quality in the UK, although vastly improved from the smogs of the 1950s, now faces a new set of challenges from a variety of sources and pollutants. Poor air quality has long been associated with urban areas, but it is becoming clear that many rural locations also have locations likely to exceed the UK Air Quality Strategy-objectives: This paper will examine the extent to which rural authorities have been engaged in the local air-quality management (LAQM) process, a new regime by which air quality control is being accomplished in the UK. Results are presented from a questionnaire survey of environmental health officers of 100 rural authorities undertaken in January 1999. The paper investigates both the technical aspects of the LAQM process as well as the management approaches. The current progress of rural authorities, and some of the problems they face, are discussed particularly in comparison with urban areas. It is concluded that some rural authorities with air pollution problems stemming either from within or outwith their borough, may face significant challenges from the LAQM review and assessment process, particularly where air pollution responsibilities have only relatively recently been addressed. Rural authorities seem to be embracing these new responsibilities enthusiastically, but it is almost inevitable that they will be trailing behind urban authorities who have several decades of experience and joint working to draw upon.     

Oxides of nitrogen in the greater Manchester conurbation,UK

Summary This paper reviews the emission sources of oxides of nitrogen and provides an estimate of the contribution from the Greater Manchester conurbation. The uncertainty attached to the estimate is large. Atmospheric and rainwater concentrations of oxides of nitrogen are reported from the Greater Manchester Acid Deposition Survey network. The health and ecological implications of these concentrations are commented upon and the measured values compared to a number of environmental guidelines, including recently formulated critical load and critical level estimates. Control technologies applicable to both mobile and large combustion sources are briefly reviewed.Dr James Longhurst is Director of the Acid Rain Information Centre which is based at Manchester Polytechnic.