INTRODUCTION FROM THE EDITOR It is amazing how things creep up on you unnoticed some times, this issue of Environment Industry Magazine marks 2 years since its launch in June 2009. I want to use this anniversary to make some changes to consolidate our position and to ensure the magazine continues to be published into the future. The first and most significant change is to the advertising rates, as of 1st June following an exhaustive consultation with many clients and media agencies we have considerably reduced the advertising rates. Over the last two years there has been a significant increase in publications supporting the environmental sector including a number of online publications. I want to make Environment Industry Magazine a more attractive and competitive proposition to advertisers. We have also re-introduced the eighth page advert to give us access to clients who cannot commit to large advertising spend, and due to popular demand we are introducing a product guide to further increase the information on new products and services available in the publication. This will give the reader access to a broader range of service providers who support Environment Industry magazine. I have always had a pragmatic view of marketing and I have a very clear policy that Environment Industry Magazine is not about making vast wealth, (I certainly wouldn’t be in publishing if I wanted to be rich) it is about treating the environment as a singular concept, showing how every industry sector is interlinked, that the energy sector can influence the waste industry or the building sector or the timber industry through the increase of use of biomass boilers. That the construction industry must consider energy, waste, sociology, contaminated land, conservation, water management, building materials etc in every new development. It is also about persuading the most influential people to write down their ideas of what is actually happening in their industry. Finally Environment Industry Magazine is about networking and education. Over the last 2 years we have fought hard to put Environment Industry Magazine on the map, through the toughest recession in living memory and the recent government austerity measures.
Whilst a lot of our competitors have struggled, failed or moved to online publishing. Environment Industry Magazine has thrived, even grown, not only in size but also in credibility; slowly becoming one of the most respected publications in the environmental sector, something which I am extremely proud of and something I intend to improve on. Hopefully these few minor changes will help to secure the future of the magazine. However, this is not a charity and we all have mouths to feed (see new mouth to feed below). Talking of mouths to feed and things creeping up unnoticed Tabitha is six months old already, and is quickly becoming a little person who will most likely want ballet classes and horse riding lessons etc........ unfortunately the burden of these things will fall upon the shoulders of our advertisers. So, I ask you to dig deep when planning your next marketing campaign, I don’t want to have to see the look disappointment on Tabitha’s face when I tell her “Santa won’t be visiting this year because ....... didn’t advertise”. Oh and the other change is we have decided to resort to emotional blackmail to get you to advertise. Have a nice summer, we will be in touch
Alex Stacey Managing Editor
CONTENTS NEWS: PAGE 4 - 27
FOCUS: PAGE 28 - 41 SUDs
Page 4-27 - News Page 26 - Steve Grant Column
Page 30-31 - Flooding - Richard Benyon, MP Page 32-33 - Flood Contingency Planning - Marc Hobell, Ordnance Survey
WATER: PAGE 42 - 49 Page 44 - 45 - Where Are We With Rainwater Harvesting? Lutz Johnen, Chair Rainwater Harvesting
Page 34 - 35 - Flood Protection - Mary Dhonau, Flood Protection Association
Page 46 - 49 - Balancing Carbon and Ecology Graham Pollard, Project Manager, Severn Trent Water
Page 36 - 38 - Holding Back The Water Tony Andryszewski, Technical Manager, Environmental Agency Page 39 - 41 - Surface Water Management, Water Transport Infrastructure & Deculverting Waterways - Jonathan Glerum & Ben Kid, CIRIA
ENERGY: PAGE 88-106 Page 90 - 94 - Renewable Heat Incentive Gregory Barker, MP Page 96 - 98 - Renewables Inheritence - Gaynor Hartnell, CEO Renewable Energy Association
TIMBER: PAGE 120 - 127 Page 124-127- American Hardwoods - Rupert Oliver, Environmental Consultant, American Hardwood Export (AHEC)
LABS AND TESTING: PAGE 74-85 Page 75 - 78 - Timber Testing - Dr Ed Suttie . BRE Page 79 - 80 - Acoustic Tools in Forestry and Wood Processing - Barry Gardiner, Wood and Timber Programme Leader, Forest Research Page 81 - 85 - Gas Analysis - Dr Andrew Hobson, Quantitech
Page 128- 129- Timber Expo Show Preview
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Alex Stacey Tel: 0161 3410158 Fax: 0161 7668997 Email: alex@enviromedia.ltd.uk
Environment Industry Magazine is proud to be the official media partner for the UK Sustainable Development Association. Every effort is made to verify all information published, but Environment Industry Magazine cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any losses that may arise as a result. Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect those of EnviroMedia Ltd. Environment Industry Magazine welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to EnviroMedia Ltd unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality. |2| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
STNETNOC CONTENTS LAND MANAGEMENT: PAGE 86 - 95 Page 88 - 95 -
Stabilisation and Solidification of Contaminated Soil and Waste Part 2: Soil Properties and The Soil-Binder System Dr Colin Hills, Director, Centre for Contaminated Land Remediation, University of Greenwich
WASTE MANAGEMENT: PAGE 96-109 Page 98 - 99 - Metal Recycling - BMRA Page 100 - 103 - Plastics Recycling - Michelle Matthews, Recoup Page 104 - 106 - Solutions On Marine Litter Wilfried Haensel, Executive Director, Plastics Europe Page 107 - 109 - Introduction To PRNS Angus Macpherson, The Environment Exchange
CONSERVATION: PAGE 134 - 141
GREEN BUILDING: PAGE 110 - 119
Page 112-115 - Green Build Expo Show Preview Page 116 -117 - Modeling Existing Buildings For Retrofit Aniruddha Deodhar, Sustainability Program Manager, and Adam Matthews, Business Development Manager, Autodesk Page 118-119 - Why Brick Continues To Be The Most Sustainable Of Materials - Simon Hay, CEO of the Brick Development Association (BDA)
TRANSPORT: PAGE 120-133 Page 122 - 124 - Sustainable and Affordable Transport - Maria Eagle, Shadow Secretary, State For Transport Page 126-128 - Green Transport - Tony Pain, Marketing Director, DAF Trucks UK Page 130 - 133 -
Sustainable Transport Dr Mike Mekhiche, Director Of Programs For Power and Energy Management
Page 136 - 138 - Invasive Species Japanese Knotweed - Steve Blunt, Ground Cover DBM Page 139-140 -
Conservation - Balast Water, Preventing Marine Invasives, By David A. Wright, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, Environmental Research Services, and Thomas P. Mackey, Hyde Marine, Inc. Co-chairs of the BWEG.
MISCELLANY: PAGE 142 - 160 Page 143 - Environment Prosecutions Page 144 - 145 - “Going Grey Is Not Black Or White” - Terry Nash, Director, UK Sustainable Development Association “ Page 146 - 147 - Logistics and Driver Training - Shane Harding, Director, System Training Page 148 - 150 - Mapping - Linked Data - John Goodwin & Glen Hart, Ordnance Survey Page 151 - Ideas In Transit Page 152 - 158 - Case Studies Page 159 - 160 - Famous Last Words - Jill Allen-King, Chairperson, European Blind Union Commission on Mobility and Transport ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |3|
Green history lessons brought to life Twelve London museums are accredited green tourist attractions
A dozen London museums have won Green Tourism awards for making their buildings more sustainable and bringing the environmental lessons of the past to life. The museums were supported to take part in the Green Tourism Business Scheme by Renaissance London, a partnership set up to foster diverse, vibrant and sustainable regional museums in the capital. Each museum was awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold after months of work on improvements to energy and water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and more.
The Whitehall Museum in Sutton received gold for exemplary practice. It changed all its lighting to LED lights, which will cut its carbon emissions by 4 tons to 733kg and save £750 in bills over the next year.
The Florence Nightingale Museum in Lambeth received a silver award. It brought to life the character of Alex Soyer, ‘the Jamie Oliver of his day’, a chef who lived at the same time as Florence Nightingale. He travelled to the Crimean War to teach the army about healthy eating, and the museum has used the character to work with local schools on nutrition.
The Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe received silver. The noisy, old-fashioned gas-fired heater was replaced with electric fires which are fitted with motion sensors and turn on and off as visitors move round the museum. Museum director Robert Hulse said: “The museum is a leaky old building - it doesn’t let the water in but it doesn’t half let heat out. We can’t insulate it because it doesn’t have cavity walls and is a scheduled ancient monument. We made a big shift in our thinking
British celebrity couple receive top American environmental award It’s been a busy month for actress, Trudie Styler – first she launched her new range of natural food readyto-cook meals “Lake House Table Kitchen Suppers” from her estate in England, then she dashed off to New York where she and husband, the musician Sting, were |4| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
from heating the building to heating people as they move around.” The museum also improved its energy and water efficiency with LED lighting in galleries and toilets. It is estimated that the new lighting uses 50 per cent less energy, saving two tons of carbon dioxide and reducing the annual bill by £400. The scheme will run again next year with a fund of £20k for improvements for smaller museums. Green Tourism technical director John Proctor said: “All the museums managed to win an award, and not everybody does that - you have to show real commitment. Being green is not just about technology - it is about telling the story of how people might have lived sustainably in the past, how they created things and found solutions to their problems without relying on a global infrastructure.
The full list of museums and their results: Whitehall Museum - gold Horniman Museum - gold Brunel Museum – silver Florence Nightingale Museum - silver Freud Museum - silver Islington Museums - silver Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge - silver Geffrye Museum - silver London Transport Museum - silver Museum of London - silver Fashion and Textile Museum - bronze Wandsworth Museum - bronze honoured alongside former US President Bill Clinton with the prestigious Big Fish Award for their extraordinary contributions to environmental protection. The celebrity couple – renowned as much for their Rainforest Foundation and commitment to natural living as for their individual talents – were guests of honour at the Riverkeeper organisation’s annual Fisherman’s Ball, along with a glittering array of high profile philanthropists. Riverkeeper is a group which campaigns to protect New York’s Hudson River, which it has restored from polluted dead water to a natural state. Sting, Trudie and Bill Clinton were all invited to the high society annual ball and presented with the Riverkeeper’s Big Fish Awards.
npower fuels Tata Steel with one of the UK’s largest industrial energy supply contracts Tata Steel, one of the world’s largest steel producers, has signed one of the UK’s biggest ever industrial energy supply contract with npower, which will see the company provide energy to 22 Tata Steel plants across the UK. The contract equates to a supply of approximately 5 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy, enough to power 1,260,000 homes – more than the number of households in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Coventry and Bradford combined. Volker Beckers, CEO of RWE npower, said: “Tata Steel is Europe’s second largest steel producer with most of its operations based in the UK, so it is a major coup for npower to be the energy partner of a company at the heart of UK industry. The sheer scale of this supply contract demonstrates how energy plays a crucial role in supporting business and the UK economy.” Dr Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Steel Europe, said: “We operate in a very volatile and challenging energy environment nowadays, so it is vital that the energy supply chain in the UK is fit for purpose. We need an energy supplier committed to managing our requirements in terms of continuity of supply, delivered costs and service, and we have been impressed by the way npower has demonstrated enthusiasm and capability to meet those requirements."
MONMOUTHSHIRE COUNCIL WORKS WITH TAKE-AWAYS TO BOOST RECYCLING RATES FOR FOIL TRAYS The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation’s (Alupro’s) Aerofoil campaign is helping Monmouthshire Council to encourage residents to recycle more foil trays, by working with local take-away restaurants. The campaign was launched with support from the Welsh Assembly Government-funded Tidy Towns Wales initiative, involves over half of the County’s take-away restaurants. Customers will be given reuseable cotton bags for transporting their food, and leaflets and posters will remind them to rinse their foil trays and put them in their purple recycling bag, alongside other recyclable materials. A key part of the Aerofoil programme is to provide local authorities with communications resources which help them to encourage householders to recycle more things from home. Monmouthshire Council’s head of waste, Dave Harris, said: “We want to have the highest recycling rates in Wales. This campaign is a very simple but effective way to encourage households to help us achieve this, and cut carbon emissions and ease the pressure on our landfill sites for waste disposal at the same time. We want to remind residents that once they’ve enjoyed their favourite take-away meal, all they need to do is rinse out the foil trays and place them in their purple recycling bag. It’s the convenient way to recycle their convenience food trays!” ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |5|
RENEWABLE TRAINING CENTRE TARGETS KNOWLEDGE GAP Facility will double course availability and expand awareness of technology Mitsubishi Electric has opened a new Renewable Training Centre at its headquarters in Hatfield enabling the company to double the availability of training courses. The company is also forging on-going links with schools and colleges to fill the knowledge gap surrounding renewable technologies and capture the next generation of plumbing, heating, air conditioning and photovoltaic (PV) installers. "We intend to increase awareness and understanding of renewable technologies from the classroom to career," explains Donald Daw, Commercial Director for the company's Living Environmental Systems Division. "In doing so, we not only plan to help raise standards within the industry but also increase the level of understanding amongst the public. Independent research has demonstrated that heat pumps can offer a viable mass-market alternative to gas and oil heating, if they are installed and commissioned correctly into suitable buildings," The new facility increases the number of training places to 4,000 per year. The centre allows the company to provide 12 different courses covering air conditioning, domestic heating, commercial heating and control systems. The company is looking for ways to encourage plumbers and heating engineers to obtain Micro Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation to ensure every installation delivers the very best performance. Around 44 per cent of total UK emissions come from buildings and over 83 per cent of these are generated during the operational life of these buildings. Daw therefore sees the |6| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
specification, commissioning, installation and maintenance of the technologies we use to heat, cool and power our buildings as crucial in helping the country reach tough emissions targets in the coming years. For Donald Daw, this last element is a key part of the company's long-term strategy. "We sit at the crossroads between carbon-based heating for our built environment and the renewable technology that will help lower monthly bills and cut carbon emissions. However, the renewable industry will fail to realise the full potential of low carbon technologies unless it looks beyond its traditional boundaries and helps to fill the knowledge gap that exists."
no change in colour temperature, a major advantage compared to tungsten lamps.
PAINTINGS NEWLY ILLUMINATED AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY As it did 20 years ago with the introduction of a new balanced warm and cool tungsten illumination, the National Gallery, London, is once again proving itself a leader in the area of lighting systems for galleries. Over the next two years, LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting will be installed throughout the Gallery, which will significantly reduce its carbon emissions and improve the quality of light in the picture galleries. The Gallery is the first institution in the world to use these lights in conjunction with a system that automatically adjusts external roof light blinds according to the amount and angle of sunlight. This ensures that only diffused light is present in the galleries through UV-filtered roof light glazing. The new LED lighting system will slowly augment the natural light as needed, as opposed to the old system that can be distracting to visitors by going on and off abruptly. This is possible because LED lights can be dimmed with
In the last three years the National Gallery has been exploring ways to improve the quality, ease of control and efficiency of its picture lighting systems. During this period, improvements to LED lights have made them viable options both as general light sources and for specialist applications to light works of art in museums and galleries. Trials of the new lighting system have taken place in Room 62 of the Sainsbury Wing and in the Wilkins Building. As a result of these successful trials, the Gallery has decided to install the lights in all galleries in the main Wilkins Building and in the Sainsbury Wing. The new lighting will not only improve the public’s enjoyment of the collection, it will also reduce the Gallery’s emission of carbon dioxide by 400 tons each year. This major initiative to replace all lighting in the galleries with energy-efficient, lowmaintenance LED lights will reduce the Gallery’s lighting energy consumption by 85%. The ‘lamplife’ of LEDs is 25 times greater than that of the current tungsten lights, leading to a significant reduction in maintenance costs. A further benefit of the new lighting system is that it does not produce any UV light, so filters are not required and lens losses of the amount of available light are minimised.
Bilfinger Berger Environmental Ltd becomes ‘Eneotech Environmental Ltd’ The UK team of Bilfinger Berger Environmental Ltd is pleased to announce a new focus on the Environmental market in the UK. The European environmental sections of Bilfinger Berger have been grouped together to form a new specialist company dedicated to all aspects of hazardous soils, water and wastes Eneotech Environmental. In the UK Eneotech Environmental Ltd remains little changed, with the Company registration, shareholders and directors remaining the same. Our new ultimate holding company shareholders will be: ARCADIA Beteiligungen Bensel, Tiefenbacher & Co GmbH, Bilfinger Berger AG and the Management team. The new group will have a turnover of about £45 million; of this, 90% is attributed to remediation and treatment of hazardous wastes. |8| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
The sale is in line with Bilfinger's publicly stated objective of moving away from project/construction activities into the services sector. Bilfinger is retaining a stake in the new company as it is envisaged. We will continue to work together in the future. Eneotech Environmental Ltd is tasked with expanding our presence in the UK soil and water remediation markets, whilst expanding our core services to provide further areas of activity including landfill projects, industrial and water services, as well as international hazardous waste management. The team in Chertsey remains unaltered and is confident that our new structure will deliver both improved service and value to our customers.
Two government departments use combined heat and power to reduce cost and carbon
GSH Group, ENER-G and Telereal Trillium teamed up to install a Combined Heat and Power system (CHP) at Quarry House in Leeds. The occupiers, The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health (DH), are set to save £90,000 per year and reduce annual carbon emissions by over 430 tonnes with the high tech energy-saving system. The 500kW ENER-G CHP system, which produces 500kW of electricity and 568kW of heat, is set to transform the way DWP and DH use heating and reduce carbon emissions by converting a single fuel into both electricity and heat in a single process at the point of use. It represents the first installation of its kind within DWP’s portfolio and is designed to reduce energy consumption by up to 20 per cent at Quarry House. CHP is the simultaneous production of electricity and heat that is carbon reducing and offers an alternative to traditional fossil fuel power sources. An engine (normally gas fuelled) is linked to an alternator to produce the electricity, whilst heat produced by the engine is collected from oil, jacket water and exhaust gases by heat exchangers, and used to heat the building. The process increases fuel efficiency and minimises energy loss
Reinforcing environmental safety for merchant ships-a source of growing concern to the world of shipping
The Maritime Passive Safety Association launches a film to raise awareness of the risk of accidental pollution of seas and rivers
Gilles Longuève, President of the Maritime Passive Safety Association (MPS) and General Manager of the JLMD Ecologic Group, presented an animated film intended to raise the shipping industry's awareness of the risk of accidental pollution. The three minute film reminds us of the environmental risks inherent in the exponential growth in the number and size of merchant ships: about 80% of all the things in your house have been at sea. Ships are becoming much bigger and more numerous. Maritime traffic is growing exponentially and also compared to other forms of transport. At a time when the risk of accidental pollution is of growing concern to the shipping industry around the world, the MPS emphasises, through the film, the major improvements that are currently possible thanks to the emergence of new technologies and innovative services. “The decision makers in the world of shipping are increasingly concerned by the problem of accidental pollution. Both because awareness of ecological issues is growing in the industry and due to the increasingly strict requirements of charter companies” declared Gilles Longuève. “The environmental safety of ships and ship owners' commitment to the environment are becoming competitive issues in shipping”. Watch the film at http://www.maritimepassivesafety.com/EN/
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Nautricity pushes back the tide of marine energy A team of Scottish engineers have developed a revolutionary marine turbine which, they claim, will produce the world’s first domestically affordable electricity from tidal energy in the next 12 months. Glasgow-based Nautricity, a Strathclyde University spin-out company, is to begin pre-commercial testing of CoRMaT, a patented rotor system which, its developers claim, overcomes many of the problems which have made tidal energy production uneconomic until now. While conventional tidal devices resemble wind turbines moored to the seabed, incurring enormous deployment and engineering costs, CoRMat is a small, free-floating capsule, tethered to a surface float, which uses a novel, contra-rotating rotor system to effectively harness tidal energy. It can be deployed in water depths of up to 500m and, because its closely spaced rotors move in opposite directions, it remains steady in the face of strong tidal flows, avoiding the catastrophic stresses experienced by single rotor devices. Nautricity is one of several companies that has been selected by the Crown Estate to bid for the first round of licenses to generate wave and tidal energy in the Pentland Firth. A proof of concept version of CoRMaT has
already successfully generated electricity and, later this year, a pre-commercialisation device will undergo further rigorous testing at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. With greater reliability, efficiency, ease of maintenance and environmental impact than conventional subsea rotors, developers are confident it can be the first device on the market to effectively deliver commercially competitive electricity to the national grid. Contrary to popular perception, the first generation of tidal energy devices are some way short of producing affordable electricity, according to Nautricity. While natural gas, one of the most efficient energy sources, produces a megawatt/hour of electricity for around £48.90, according to latest estimates, and the cost of offshore wind generation is around £57.80 per mw/h, there is no evidence that any tidal device has been capable of generating electricity for less than several hundred pounds per mw/h. Several of the devices have failed within days of being deployed on the seabed because their rotors cannot withstand the stresses and strains imposed upon them. In many cases, it takes engineers months to replace damaged or dislocated blades, adding significantly to costs. “We anticipate that within the next year we will be capable of producing electricity that is competitive with offshore wind generation,” says David Pratt, co-founder of Nautricity. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |11|
Baby Black Lion Tamarin born by caesarean section at Durrell Keepers at Durrell are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy male black lion tamarin. The baby represents a great achievement for the conservation charity as this is the first black lion tamarin baby to have been successfully bred outside of Brazil in the last eight years. Commenting on this exciting news Mark Brayshaw, Head of Durrell’s animal collection said “This birth is great news; monitoring and successfully delivering the baby has been a very tricky event to manage. Predicting when the infant would be sufficiently developed yet intervening prior to natural parturition has been key and has involved dedicated input from the mammal team with lots of early mornings and late nights to monitor progress.” This baby has been named Francisco after the Head of Durrell’s Veterinary Department who delivered him. He is the first healthy baby born to new Mum Roxanne, who has previously lost two babies and suffered several miscarriages. Due to her previous problems the decision was made to monitor her four and a half month pregnancy carefully and to deliver the baby by caesarean section at the appropriate time. At the park, all of Durrell’s tamarins have been trained to sit on scales so that they can be weighed remotely. Roxanne had also been trained to allow keepers to monitor her by ultra-sound through the enclosure mesh. This was done almost every day for a few months with a fake ultrasound device, meaning that when she did fall pregnant the team could check the development of the foetus without her being anasthetised. So far both mother and baby are doing well. The infant is being hand-reared and syringe fed every two hours throughout the day and night and over the next few weeks they will slowly teach him to lap milk from a dish and when he is able to do this successfully he can be returned to his family.
Rubbish king lays out the law Love your rubbish – if you don’t give it due care and consideration, you could end up much poorer, and a criminal to boot, warns Jason Mohr, Britain’s king of waste carriers, the founder of AnyJunk. With rubbish disposal in the spotlight as some local authorities start charging at tips, Mr Mohr said that as head of the country’s largest on-demand rubbish clearance company he was constantly being questioned about the regulations and legalities of dumping junk. “It’s all about a ‘duty of care’, whether you’re dealing with trade waste or household rubbish,” he explained. “Simply put, this means you are obliged by law to get rid of your rubbish responsibly.” Mr Mohr said everyone with trash to dispose of should be aware they should comply with five key requirements: • Store and transport waste securely and safely without risk to others or the environment. • If you hire a third party to remove or transfer waste, they must be licensed waste carriers. • Waste must only be disposed of at facilities that are licensed to receive it. |12| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
• •
If you transfer commercial waste to another party this must be recorded as a waste transfer note, which should be kept for at least two years. If you transport building or demolition waste (this includes the waste generated by refurbishment) you must be registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency.
“These rules don’t only apply to businesses – householders have the same duty of care when it comes to transferring or disposing of waste,” said Mr Mohr. “Don’t give up your junk to anyone who is not lawfully authorised to handle it.” The penalty for “breaching your duty of care” towards your junk is a fine up to the statutory maximum of £5,000 on summary conviction, and an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment. That irresponsibly dealt with rubbish can leave you with a criminal record, and seriously out of pocket. “Of course you can avoid having to be concerned about any of these regulations by simply calling an expert, reliable, environmentally-aware and professional rubbish clearing service,
A limit on the total amount of greenhouse gases to be emitted by the UK between 2023 to 2027 has been proposed to cut Britain’s emissions by 50% from 1990 levels and highlighting the Government’s commitment to being the greenest government ever. The proposal, set out by Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, is in line with advice from the independent Committee on Climate Change. It sets a fourth carbon budget of 1950 MtCO2e for the period that will span from 2023 to 2027, putting the UK on course to cut emissions by at least 80% by 2050. The carbon budget will place the British economy at the leading edge of a new global industrial transformation, and ensure low carbon energy security and decarbonisation is achieved at least cost to the consumer. The package announced today also includes measures to minimise costs of the low-carbon transition to industries exposed to international competition: • In line with the Coalition Agreement, the Government will continue to argue for an EU move to a 30% target for 2020, and ambitious action in the 2020s. We will review progress in EU climate negotiations in early 2014. If at that point our domestic commitments place us on a different emissions trajectory than the EU Emissions Trading System trajectory agreed by the EU, we will, as appropriate, revise up our budget to align it with the actual EU trajectory. • Before the end of the year we will announce a package of measures to reduce the impact of government policy on the cost of electricity for energy intensive industries and to help them adjust to the low-carbon industrial transformation. The Prime Minister said: “When the coalition came together last year, we said we wanted this to be the greenest government ever. This is the right approach for Britain if we are to combat climate change, secure our energy supplies for the long-term and seize the economic opportunities that green industries hold. In the past twelve months, we have pursued an ambitious green agenda and today, we are announcing the next, historic step. By making this commitment, we will position the UK a leading player in the global low-carbon economy, creating significant new industries and jobs. The transition to a lowcarbon economy is necessary, real, and global. By stepping up, showing leadership and competing with the world, the UK can prove that there need not be a tension between green and growth.” Chris Huhne said: “Today’s announcement will give investors the certainty they need to invest in clean energy. It puts Britain at the leading edge of a new global industrial transformation as well as making good our determination that this will be the greenest government ever. The Coalition Government has set a fourth carbon budget level, in line with the advice from the Committee on Climate Change, that sends a clear signal about our determination to transform Britain permanently into a low carbon economy. By cutting emissions we’re also getting ourselves off the oil hook, making our energy supplies more secure and opening up opportunities for jobs in the new green industries of the future. |14| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
UK PROPOSES FOURTH CARBON BUDGET Emissions to be cut by 50% by 2025 BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT has welcomed the announcement from the Energy Secretary which extends the UK’s carbon budget. David Clarke, MBE, Chief Executive Officer, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, says: “As the Chartered Institute for IT, we welcome this focus on reducing carbon emissions and producing cleaner fuels. Our commitment as the Chartered Institute for IT, is to enable the IT industry to become more energy efficient and provide the IT profession with the knowledge and expertise it needs to lower carbon emissions and reduce the environmental impact of IT. In practice this means helping IT professionals to gain new skills to meet the needs of changing job roles, understand the legislation and the associated challenges of reducing emissions, and developing a recognised best practice standard that they can adopt.” Zahl Limbuwala, Chair of BCS Data Centre specialist group, adds: “It is widely recognised that our use of energy and other natural resources can be reduced or at least optimised through the use of IT. Therefore information technology is seen by many as being the primary solution to addressing and reducing the carbon emissions of almost every sector. We believe that in order to meet these new criteria, IT professionals will be key to providing innovative approaches to efficiency. However, the IT industry has to also master its own emissions at the same time and this means understanding what is required and how savings can be made. It’s important that our industry takes great steps to address its own carbon emissions with the expected explosion in use of IT. We’ve already seen many steps towards this, including the development of the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres.
Dr Tim Fox, Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the UK Government’s proposals for a Fourth Carbon Budget: “These proposals are welcome but exceptionally ambitious and are unlikely to be achieved without substantial policy support. The scale of the engineering deployment required to reduce emissions on this scale, in terms of energy, transport and other engineered infrastructure, is unprecedented and has never been seen in any industrialised nation before. "There needs to be a radical step change to make these ambitions a reality. Government must introduce a stable, robust and supportive planning system – including the urgent introduction of the delayed National Policy Statements, and Government also has an important role in investing strategically to bring forward emerging technologies with clear potential in the UK, like wave, tidal and carbon capture and storage. "There is ample appetite from business and investors to invest in low carbon energy and clean technologies but Government needs to provide a stable long-term market framework to create confidence and allow the necessary investment to happen.”
AMBITIOUS UK EMISSIONS TARGETS REST ON POLICY DETAIL In response to the announcement today of the UK government’s fourth ‘carbon budget,’ Ole Beier Sørensen, Chairman of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), the leading European investors’ forum for collaboration on climate change, and Chief of Research and Strategy with the Danish pension fund ATP, said: “The new carbon budget set out today by the UK government demonstrates determination, is ambitious in scope and sends a signal to the UK public, financial markets as well as the wider international community. “We hope that the ambition shown by the UK government sets a benchmark and has a wider impact at international level. “However,the suggestion that the UK could review, and potentially weaken, its own commitments depending on progress elsewhere needs to be clarified to ensure certainty for investors beyond 2014. “Policy details outlining how the government will stimulate the financing necessary to green the UK economy and bring about these reductions is now the important next step. Turning these targets into a reality will rest on these details.”
Gaynor Hartnell, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association said, “We support the Government’s bold carbon decision, and we too want to see energy intensive industries remain competitive. The UK needs more manufacturing - green jobs making renewable energy equipment - as this is the growth industry of the future. Government must send a clear message it is determined to meet the renewables targets, and for that we need some stability in order to build investor confidence.”
Responding to Government’s commitment yesterday to reducing carbon emissions by 50% on 1990 levels by 2025, Director General of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Tom Foulkes said: “We welcome the Government’s commitment to these ambitious targets however to achieve them we will need to attract hefty investment in low carbon energy. This will require a robust and effective reform of the electricity market to sufficiently reduce risk for investors as well as long-term changes to the regulatory and policy framework to enable the construction sector to deliver efficient, timely solutions. ”Government must recognise that even the most theoretically robust reforms to the investment environment will fail to be effective if construction is hindered by ongoing practical issues such as planning delays, specialist skills shortages and a stop-start approach to infrastructure development."
ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |15|
Smart grid proves feasible
MCERTS 2011 - a remarkable success
Consumers are exchanging power among themselves. A trial involving 25 households in the Hoogkerk district of the City of Groningen – PowerMatching City – has demonstrated that it is possible to create a ‘smart grid’ with a corresponding market model, using existing technologies. The system enables consumers to freely exchange electricity and keeps the comfort level up to par. This is the first time in Europe, and insofar as known worldwide, that the results of a live smart grid community are known at this technological scale. 25 homes were connected with each other as part of the trial and equipped with micro combined heat and power systems (High Efficiency boilers), hybrid heat pumps, smart meters, PV panels, electric transport and smart household appliances. These homes collectively constitute a smart energy system. The project was implemented by the TNO knowledge institute (after the takeover of the ECN business unit ‘Intelligent Electricity Networks’), the software company HUMIQ and the energy company Essent, under the lead of energy consulting and testing & certification firm KEMA. In view of the success, the project will have a successor and the trial will be expanded.
Following the sudden closure of the Bretby Conference Centre, the organisers of MCERTS 2011 had to find a new home in time for this year's air emissions monitoring event. The International Centre at Telford was chosen as the new location and following some frantic re-organising, the MCERTS 2011 team was naturally delighted to receive unanimously favourable feedback from speakers, delegates and exhibitors. MCERTS 2011 (www.mcerts.uk.com) was organised by the Source Testing Association and provided the latest help and advice on regulations such as the recently published Industrial Emissions Directive, and on monitoring techniques and standards such as EN 14181 and EN 15267. It also provided an opportunity for some of the world's leading instrument manufacturers to launch new monitoring technologies. Despite the last minute change of venue, the organisers have been delighted with the result, which provides an excellent opportunity for growth at the next event which takes place in 2013.
The second phase of the project will focus on the integration of the market model into the regular energy market processes, such as 1) settlement and billing; 2) expansion of the use of electric transport and associated smart charging services; 3) upscaling of the live lab environment and 4) congestion management at the district transformer.
PYLON DESIGN COMPETITION LAUNCH Architects, designers and engineers are to be challenged to rethink one of the most crucial but controversial features of modern Britain: the electricity pylon. A new competition which was launched on 23 May, run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and National Grid, will call for designs for a new generation of pylon. There are more than 88,000 pylons in the UK, including 22,000 on National Grid’s main transmission network in England and Wales. These stand some 50 metres high, weigh around 30 tonnes and carry up to 400,000 volts of electricity over thousands of kilometres of some of the most exposed, weather-beaten parts of Britain. But the familiar steel lattice tower has barely changed since the 1920s. As well as exploring the design of the pylon itself, the competition aims to explore the relationship between energy infrastructure and the environment within which it needs to be located. The challenge is to design a pylon that has the potential to deliver for future generations, whilst balancing the needs of local communities and preserving the beauty of the countryside. Chris Huhne will chair the judging panel, which will include Nick Winser, Director of the V&A, Sir Mark Jones, architects Sir Nicholas Grimshaw and Bill Taylor, engineer Chris Wise, the journalist Jonathan Glancey and a senior representative from RIBA. A prize fund of £10,000 will be shared amongst the winning candidates and National Grid will give consideration to developing the winning design for use in future projects. |16| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
SOLD OUT
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy Champions for Environmental Stewardship
The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) was developed to take advantage of what are recognised as some of the best small boat sailing waters on the planet. The venue provided training facilities for the 2008 Games medal winning heroes, helping an overall medal haul of 4 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. The WPNSA will be the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and was the first 2012 venue to be completed, over 3 years ahead of schedule to budget with a sustainable legacy programme. A strong feature in the development phase and currently today as a host to international sporting events is environmental stewardship. John Tweed, Chief Executive of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, is a strong advocate of caring for the environment through working with SSE Energy at the venue: ‘During the development phase and now throughout events the Academy has put environmental best practice at the forefront of all activity as an international venue setting quality green examples. We have photovoltaic cells which harness solar power generating 20% of the WPNSA’s energy and we have already saved over 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide’. The WPNSA has been described by Natural England as ‘an example of the best practice and earlier this year was the first sailing facility to be awarded the Sustainable Event Certification (BS 8901), a management system standard designed to help organisations in the events industry improve the sustainability of their event related activities, products and services. There is also recovery of ‘grey water’ from the roof of the Academy which is used for boat washing and active recycling programme includes sails and batteries. Motion-sensitive lights are installed throughout the |18| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
complex to cut wasted energy. This integrated approach has pushed the 2012 sailing venue into the spot light winning a much coveted Sport Industry Award for Environmental Concern in Sport. Environmentally focused conferences are also being developed at the venue which includes corporate style rooms looking out over the natural delights of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay. Conferences have included a Marine Litter Summit in conjunction with the Dorset Coast Forum and more recently a conference championing clean and sustainable seas and oceans has attracted the attention of international organisations committed to a cleaner marine environment and experts on sustainable practices. Jonathon Porritt, Director of Forum for the Future, leader in advising businesses on sustainability, highlights the importance of conferences: ‘Our knowledge of what’s going on in our seas and oceans is still superficial and woefully incomplete. But we already know more than enough to understand how poorly we’re doing in managing our marine environment – all around the world. It is so important not only that we share that knowledge, but that we encourage each other to act on the basis of that knowledge – more effectively and much more urgently’. The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will continue their long term view on conserving the natural environment well past 2012 and inspire visitors to the leading international sports venue in thinking globally but act locally to conserve their own environments around the world. www.wpnsa.org.uk
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Sussex motorcycle designer celebrates UK record
Sussex electric motorcycle designer Phil Edwards is celebrating after setting a new UK record at Santa Pod Raceway at the weekend. Phil said he was shaking after his dragster smashed the record in its first outing on Saturday, May 14. On subsequent runs fine tuning saw the electric motorcycle get even faster. The new UK record, set by Phil's bike in the standing start quarter-mile run in the Alternative Energy Racing event, is 14.1245 seconds. The previous record was 14.99 seconds. The dragster ridden by motorcycle racer Rob Moon reached speeds of 96.5 mph. The top speed of the previous record holder was 92.8mph. Phil said: "I am delighted to have broken the record, I have learned a huge amount and I look forward to pressing on with other projects which revolve around harnessing the raw power we created in the dragster." Phil will now be turning his attention to helping bring a new electric recreational motorcycle to market. He is also working on an electric speedway bike and an electric track bike. Development rider Rob Moon who set the new UK record on Phil's dragster will be competing for Team Agni in the TTXGP European Championship, the first clean emissions Grand Prix, and racing his own privately developed Yamaha R1 machine. And the dragster? Phil is negotiating with a leading university which is interested in taking it on and developing it further.
WYG awarded environmental quality mark The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) has presented global management and technical consultancy, WYG, with the EIA Quality Mark. WYG is one of only 40 organisations to be awarded with the stamp of approval which assesses consultancies and developers that regularly carry out Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), including their management processes and approaches. The scheme is designed to provide a regular and rigorous analysis of compliance reviewing both Environmental Statements and conducting staff interviews on an annual basis. It also allows organisations awarded the Quality Mark to make a voluntary commitment to ensuring their EIA activities maintain high standards of quality. |20| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Dr Steve Mustow, Director of Environmental Planning, WYG said: “We are delighted to have achieved this level of quality and to have completed the transition from IEMA’s previous corporate EIA register to the new EIA Quality Mark.” WYG has over 50 years experience in environmental services and has worked on a wide range of environmental projects including Liverpool Waters, one of the largest planning applications in the UK, on behalf of Peel Land & Property (Ports) Ltd. Currently WYG is working on several projects including wind energy developments at two sites in England for Partnerships for Renewables (a Carbon Trust Company).
Ashden Awards 2011: UK finalists announced Pioneers of low carbon energy in the UK will be recognised at the 11th annual Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, the world’s leading green energy awards in London on 16 June 2011. This year’s finalists are eight ground-breaking initiatives from across the UK, all of which are leading the way to a low carbon economy. They are transforming their communities, expanding renewable energy uptake, retrofitting and building eco homes and developing green skills and know-how for the future. The Ashden Awards showcase practical solutions to combat climate change, rewarding outstanding and innovative projects in the UK and developing countries. Five UK winners will be announced at the awards ceremony with one of them being selected to win the coveted Gold Award. Prizes of £10,000 each will be offered with the Gold Award winner doubling their prize to £20,000 to be spent on expanding their work. The 2011 UK finalists are: Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), Powys, Wales This world-leading centre for practical learning on sustainable energy is training thousands of people a year in renewable energy technologies, green building and low carbon living to spread the skills and know-how the UK needs to move towards a low carbon economy. Keep Scotland Beautiful, Stirling, Scotland ‘Going Carbon Neutral Stirling’ is an initiative of Keep Scotland Beautiful that is galvanising a wide range of groups in the community to reduce their carbon impact through easy no-cost or low-cost steps, inspiring over 8,000 people to act. Midlands Wood Fuel Ltd, Shrewsbury This fast-growing business is quickly expanding the use of wood fuel in the Midlands and beyond. It has created rigorous quality control and tracking systems to ensure the wood supply is high quality and reliable, thereby offering a viable heating alternative to gas or oil. Radian, Eastleigh, Hampshire This housing association is leading the way in retrofitting hard-to-treat homes and building eco homes that far exceed the current minimum standards for energy efficiency. Consequently nearly 44,000 residents are enjoying the benefits of lower fuel bills and cosier homes.
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Severn Wye Energy Agency (SWEA), Gloucestershire This agency runs an innovative programme in secondary schools called ‘Young Energy People’ (YEP!) that is building young people’s vocational skills, and inspiring them to become dedicated energy-savers through training and practical experience in energy management. The Big Lemon, Brighton Is a community-focused enterprise that runs buses and coaches on bio diesel made from waste oil - sourced locally from restaurants and cafes in Brighton – with public buses transporting students to and from campus and coaches hired privately to get to music festivals and other events. Transition Together, Transition Town Totnes, Devon Is a community scheme led by Transition Town Totnes that encourages groups of neighbours in the town to embark on a low-carbon path together, through actions that save money and carbon. Turners Hill Primary School, Crawley, West Sussex This village primary school is on a serious sustainability ‘mission’ and is proud to have a team approach to energy saving with well-informed and engaged pupils and staff, working in buildings with improved energy efficiency and using renewable energy technologies. Sarah Butler-Sloss, Founder Director of the Ashden Awards, said: “Our UK finalists share a vision for transforming the UK into a low carbon economy and their achievements should inspire us all. With a determination to go beyond the talk to action, their work shows us how, right now, we can roll out clean energy, efficient buildings, green skills and sustainable transport across the UK. And as individuals we can act every day to save costs and energy, and strengthen our communities in the process.”
HUHNE WELCOMES INTERIM REPORT FROM CHIEF NUCLEAR INSPECTOR Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has presented to Parliament the findings of the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s interim report into the events at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan in March this year. Chris Huhne asked for an interim report to consider any immediate lessons that could be applied to the UK nuclear industry. Dr Weightman will provide a final report in September this year. In his interim report, Dr Weightman has found that the UK has displayed a strong safety culture in its response to Fukushima and current safety measures are adequate. Dr Weightman also said that it is not necessary to make immediate safety improvements to operating nuclear reactors in the UK. Chris Huhne said: “Safety is and will continue to be the number one priority... The Chief Nuclear Inspector has made clear the differences between Japan and the UK. We do not use the same reactor types, and do not plan to in future. We also do not expect to experience the extreme natural events seen in Japan. Dr Weightman’s interim report is authoritative and detailed and I thank him for his work. It provides us with the basis to continue to remove the barriers to nuclear new build in the UK. We want to see new nuclear as part of a low carbon energy mix going forward, provided there is no public subsidy. The Chief Nuclear Inspector’s interim report reassures me that it can.” The Energy Secretary added that subject to careful consideration of Dr Weightman’s interim report, the Government will bring forward the Energy National Policy Statements for ratification as soon as possible. The NPSs provide a framework for decisions on planning applications for major energy infrastructure projects.
"Watch this space" said we, following Steve Grant's piece about the plight of the world's fish stocks, and tuna in particular. Well - following on from our last bulletin which levelled criticism at Morrison's Supermarkets for not having adopted the stance on sustainable tuna fishing methods as their major competitors (even Tesco's), it's gratifying to report that having carried out their 'assessment', they've decided not just to adopt the policy, but to do so by 2013, a year ahead of Asda and Princes. This means that over 70% of the major brands in the UK have either switched or are switching to fish sourced through sustainable methods. There is now only a single major brand that has not made the commitment to abandon incredibly destructive tuna fishing methods: John West. We therefore urge our good readers to apply pressure using their shopping baskets. More good news on fish: Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith's Early Day Motion (see below) on fish discarding received wide cross-party support (over 240 signatures) and was passed unanimously. This really is a significant step forward and sends a loud message to the EU about the UK view of the Common Fisheries Policy. "That this House welcomes the resolution of the `Fish Fight' campaign to eliminate the environmentally and economically damaging practice of discarding fish before landing; is concerned that up to half of all fish trawled in the North Sea are thrown back either dead or dying; further welcomes the campaign's support for the sustainable use of discard species by retailers, suppliers and restaurants to stimulate the creation of new markets for lesser known species; and calls on the Government to demand strong reform of the European Union Common Fisheries Policy to institute a regionalised, ecosystemsbased management framework which incentivises the use of selective gear, uses real-time management, including temporary closures, and establishes ecosystem catch quotas rather than single-species landing quotas."
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ROCKSPRING APPOINTS SOLON TO CONSTRUCT FLAGSHIP UK SOLAR PARK SOLON SE, a leading European photovoltaic module manufacturer and system provider, has been appointed by Rockspring Property Investment Managers, “Rockspring�, to construct and deliver a turnkey solar park with a peak power of around 408 kilowatts, on the site of an old RAF airfield at Westcott Venture Park, Buckinghamshire. Rockspring with the assistance of renewable energy company, Ownergy, has commissioned SOLON to build the plant with Phase One to start immediately. The site is expected to be one of the few large scale solar arrays to be completed before the proposed feed-in tariff change in August 2011. The solar park will be positioned and anchored through the existing concrete of a 1.4 hectare area of the existing runway at the Venture Park, located on the outskirts of Aylesbury. Over 1,500 SOLON modules and 28 Danfoss de-centralised inverters will be used to build the power plant which will supply the business park on site with green electricity in the future. Construction work has already begun and is due for completion at the end of June.
Environmental Permit Issued For Runcorn Combined Heat and Power Plant Viridor, alongside partners INEOS ChlorVinyls, Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA), and Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Ltd (VLGM), is pleased to confirm that the Environment Agency has issued the Environmental Permit for the Runcorn Combined Heat and Power Plant. Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) will be used by major chemicals producer INEOS ChlorVinyls to provide energy for its neighbouring chlorine production plant at Runcorn, Cheshire. The fuel will feed a new Combined Heat and Power plant which will produce electricity and steam to replace energy currently generated from non-renewable sources. Phase One of the facility is being developed by a joint venture of INEOS, Viridor and Viridor Laing. It will act as the final destination for 275,000 tonnes a year of SRF delivered under the GMWDA household waste contract. Phase Two is being developed solely by Viridor and will accept waste from other commercial contracts. Construction of the facility by Keppel Seghers is currently underway.
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Lies, Damned Lies And Mathematics. I’ll preface the column in this issue by asking my loyal readers, (that’s right – both of you) to bear with me and read on. A chap from Honiton by the name of Tom Brooks recently made the headlines after analysing the positions of some 1500 prehistoric sites and finding that some of them follow geometric patterns. He concluded that the patterns were so accurate that it was beyond chance and that they must have been part of a sophisticated navigational system. This was reported in the UK national press last year, including the good ol’ Daily Mail who reported that the patterns were so “sophisticated and accurate” that “he does not rule out extraterrestrial help.” London’s Metro quoted Tom Brooks saying “Such patterns could only have been the work of intelligent surveyors and planners, which throws into question all previous claims as to the origin of mathematics.” Matt Parker, based in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of London, was a little suspicious of the basis of these claims, and decided to apply this technique to another ancient and mysterious civilisation: that of the sadly missed Woolworths stores. “We know so little about the ancient Woolworth stores, but we do still know their locations so I thought that if we analysed the sites we could learn more about what life was like in 2008 and how these people went about buying cheap kitchen accessories and discount CDs” said Matt Parker. The results revealed an exact and precise geometric placement of the Woolworths locations. Three stores around Birmingham formed an exact equilateral triangle (Wolverhampton, Lichfield and Birmingham stores) and if the base of the triangle is extended, it forms a 173.8 mile line linking the Conwy and Luton stores. Despite the 173.8 mile distance involved, the Conway Woolworths store is only 40 feet off the exact line and the Luton site is within 30 feet. All four stores align with an accuracy of 0.05%. The bisector of this same triangle then passes through the Monmouth, West Bromwich and Alfreton store locations with an accuracy of 0.5%. There are also grids
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of isosceles triangles – those with two sides of equal length – on each side of the Birmingham Woolworths Triangle. One such isosceles triangle made with Stafford only has an error of 3% and it points directly at the Northwich Woolworths store that is itself only 0.6% off being exactly isosceles. Matt Parker concludes that “these incredibly precise geometric patterns mean that the people who founded the Woolworths Empire must have used these store locations as a form of ‘landmark satnav’ to help hunters find their nearest source of cheap sweets that can be purchased in whatever mix they chose to pick. Well, that or the fact that in any sufficiently large set of random data it is possible to find meaningless patterns of any required accuracy.” These patterns were found from the 800 random exWoolworths locations by simply skipping over the vast majority of the sites and only choosing the few that happen to line-up. Matt Parker claims he could find many more such patterns, but he really had to get on with some real work. He does envy Mr Tom Brooks though, who with 1500 locations, had almost twice as much data from which to pull meaningless patterns. Those of you have borne with me so far are probably thinking by now that Grant has finally (and as widely predicted) lost the proverbial plot. But it is Matt Parker’s conclusion that is interesting, and even salutary. “It is extremely important to look at how much data people are using to support an argument. For example, the case for global warming covers vast amounts of comprehensive evidence, but it is still possible for people to search through the data and find a few isolated examples that appear to show otherwise.” Amen to that, says I. steve@stephenmgrant.com
FOCUS: FLOODING Page 30-31 - Flooding - Richard Benyon, MP Page 32-33 - Flood Contingency Planning - Marc Hobell, Ordnance Survey Page 34 - 35 - Flood Protection - Mary Dhonau, Flood Protection Association Page 36 - 38 - Holding Back The Water - Tony Andryszewski, Technical Manager, Environmental Agency Page 39 - 41 - Surface Water Management, Water Transport Infrastructure & Deculverting Waterways - Jonathan Glerum & Ben Kid, CIRIA
The Government’s Commitment To Flood And Coastal Erosion Risk Management By Richard Benyon, MP On 7 March this year, the Government, Environment Agency, local authorities and community groups and many others embarked on the largest emergency flooding exercise ever to take place in England and Wales – Exercise Watermark. Over four days the severe weather conditions of the scenario caused simulated flooding from the sea, rivers, surface water and reservoirs, which tested both local and national plans to respond to a range of threats including severe, wide-area flooding along the east coast of England, and a breach of a major reservoir in an urban area.
Preparedness for flooding is one of my main priorities. Climate projections suggest that the conditions that can lead to flooding and coastal erosion will happen more frequently in the future. The Government is committed to managing these risks.
From the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms in central London to local emergency responders and volunteers in rural Lincolnshire, people across the country tested their response if ‘the worst’ were to happen for real.
Following the devastating floods of 2007, Sir Michael Pitt conducted a review to examine the response to the floods and how the risk and impact of flooding could be reduced in the future. His 92 recommendations received cross-party support and we have already seen great progress made. 73 of the 92 recommendations have now been implemented. The Government is committed to ensure that relevant work is undertaken to take forward the findings of the Review and improve how flood risk is managed.
It was a challenging week and the scenarios were deliberately designed to stretch those taking part. We have come away with a much better understanding of our strengths, as well as some weaknesses, when it comes to handling such events. There are lessons to learn but as a result of planning and carrying out the exercise, we are already better prepared to deal with a real flood emergency.
The legal foundation for delivering Sir Michael’s recommendations is the Flood and Water Management Act. The Act provides for better, more comprehensive management of flood risk for communities, the economy and the environment. It has already given the Environment Agency the strategic role for overseeing all sources of flood risk, and coastal erosion, and introduced more responsibilities and accountability for
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At the same time we have announced changes to the way national funding will be allocated to flood and coastal defence projects. The changes aim to allow more projects to proceed, and give each community more of a say in what is done to protect them. Instead of meeting the full costs of just a limited number of schemes the new approach could make Government money available to any worthwhile scheme. For the first time, funding for surface water management is available on an equal basis with other risks and approaches. The new system is a fairer and more transparent way of allocating national funding than the previous approach, and will provide greater certainty to communities over the prospect of national funding. The amounts on offer to each project will be made clear, using a simple formula. Where costs will not be fully met by national budgets, projects can still proceed by partners working to reduce the project costs, or by voluntarily deciding to find additional funding from local sources. In doing so, decisions can be taken locally about whether a scheme is worth pursuing, and in what form.
Image courtesy of www.bluesky-world.com © GeoPerspectivesTM
local authorities in managing local flood risk. It will also deliver a risk-based approach to reservoir safety and tools to encourage the uptake of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). A key part of the Act gives new roles and responsibilities to local authorities. Among these is giving unitary and county councils (or ‘lead local flood authorities’) the lead role in managing all causes of local flooding. This includes surface water runoff, groundwater flooding and flooding from watercourses not managed by the Environment Agency. The Act requires lead local flood authorities to put in place strategies for managing flood risk in their areas. Another requirement under the Act led us to recently present for parliamentary approval a first National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. This strategy will provide a framework for managing all sources of flood risk and coastal erosion,on a holistic and nationally consistent basis.
Flood and coastal defences are closely linked to the issue of household insurance, which can make a real difference to helping people to recover after flood events. The Government has an agreement with the insurance industry, called the ‘Statement of Principles’, that commits insurers to continue to offer insurance to existing customers even in cases where they are at significant risk. Although the current agreement is due to end in 2013, Defra is working closely with the insurance industry to ensure that insurance remains widely available after this date. In September 2010 I hosted a summit involving people from the Environment Agency, the insurance industry and National Flood Forum to discuss flood insurance. Three working groups were set up to continue the dialogue with the aim of putting in place a roadmap to take us beyond 2013. I will hear back from the working groups at a follow up summit in July. With all this work going on, it’s easy to forget that flood protection isn’t only about building and maintaining defences. It is also about managing the consequences and safeguarding lives when floods happen. Exercise Watermark was a brilliant reminder of this. Defra’s Flood Rescue Grant scheme to provide funding for emergency teams has so far given grants worth a total of £2.7million to 45 organisations. The result is that the number of specialist flood rescue boat teams available across the UK has more than trebled from 38 to over 140. All these boat teams will be added to the National Asset Register, meaning they can be called upon for use wherever they are needed anywhere in the country. It has undoubtedly been a year of great progress in delivering better protection from flooding and coastal erosion. I have overseen many changes which i am certain will make the country both more resilient to the threat of flooding, and better prepared to respond to the challenges that the future may bring.
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Image: Geological map of flooding on M1, July 2007
Finding certainty in an uncertain world Marc Hobell, Ordnance Survey Over the past 20 years Britain’s national infrastructure has undergone a dramatic transformation. As a society we have moved on from a moderate dependence on a series of loosely coupled systems and assets. We now live with a near complete dependency on huge networks of distributed goods and services. The modern, complex interdependency which has come to characterise our infrastructure means that a failure of any aspect can quickly cascade with unexpected or unforeseeable outcomes. Crucial to being able to respond in such an environment is the timely availability of data and a shared operational understanding among ad-hoc groups of infrastructure operators and responders. In recent years we’ve seen geography underpin the response to a range of different national and regional emergencies ranging from flooding and terrorism to pandemic flu – all of which have endangered parts of our critical infrastructure. Then, in October 2010, the Government published the new National Security Strategy, and set out the kind of threats we can expect to face now and in the future, including that posed by cyberterrorism. Of course, Ordnance Survey doesn’t map ‘cyberspace’, but it does map physical space, and a cyber attack can be used to cause damage to the real world and to real people, potentially with an even greater impact than more traditional threats. For example, the Stuxnet worm computer virus attack on the Bushehr power plant in Iran last year, if replicated in the UK, could shut down power supplies on a potentially widespread scale, having a massive impact on the real world and on real people. Planning and responding efficiently to these emergencies with reduced funding and resources is increasingly |32| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
important, particularly in a financially constrained world. The Civil Contingency Act Review, Sir Michael Pitts review into the 2008 floods and the INSPIRE Directive, all focus on the importance of integrated services and for the better sharing of information. As such, the work Ordnance Survey has been involved in around using geography to underpin contingency planning through its Mapping for Emergencies service, and Exercise Orion, remains very relevant in the context of a world where danger is as likely to flow down a network cable as from a flooded river or suspect package. How location data is supporting emergency planning Geographic Information (GI) from Ordnance Survey is available to every government department, local authority and the majority of infrastructure providers in the country, and many are doing fantastic work, using it to help them reduce risk. Given the myriad of differing organisations involved in emergency planning and response, geography is really the only way of quickly visualising information in a consistent and integrated way. Through the use of GI based emergency planning tools, Bristol City Council has reduced the amount of time it takes to produce analysis and reports of relevant geographic data from 6 hours to 20 minutes. This huge improvement supports those involved in the response effort, providing rapid access to accurate and detailed data. This enhances the decision-making process, provides a clear platform to inform communication between responders and will essentially speed up response times and save lives. GI helps provide the full picture helping to pinpoint emerging risks and highlight the consequence of loss. It also identifies sites with
special requirements such as hospitals and schools that will be a priority for supply or evacuation, or places that are useful during an emergency such as leisure centres. Not the whole story Of course, simply locating an incident and where it might have a potential impact is in itself useful, but not the whole story. It does not take away the operational decision making process, but provides a common situational platform. By linking secondary information to geographic data, such as the locations of hydrants, places likely to home vulnerable people or building classifications, it adds a valuable dimension to any analysis, helping to inform resource planning and incident prediction. During the flooding in TewEksbury, geographic data helped pinpoint where flood defence barriers would be most needed, as well as the areas likely to be most in danger of flooding. When roads become impassable, it has also formed the basis for quickly identifying the best route for emergency vehicles and vital supplies. This intelligence can also inform contingency planning so that the most suitable routes to major public sites or high risk locations can be identified in advance, whilst taking into account areas that might be flooded or otherwise inaccessible. Geographic information was used in response to flooding in Caerphilly, in 2008, when two and a half inches of rain fell in a single day. This led to significant widespread flooding affecting people, property and infrastructure. Residents were evacuated from their homes, and some key travel routes (including the main railway line) were closed either by flooding or landslides. Several schools were also closed and a residential home
Image: Visualising flooding
Image: Visualising the impact of flooding
evacuated. An initial diversion took 42 miles to navigate – equivalent to the distance from Westminster to Brighton! Using GIS tools the council’s Emergency Planning Team helped coordinate the response. GI was used to visualise the relationship between reports of flooding and potential high risk locations, such as homes for the elderly, schools and community centres. Making specific use of GI, enabled staff to place multiple reports into a single context, helping to identify patterns in the incident while ensuring people and assets were moved using the safest possible routes. Whatever the incident, whether it’s flooding, a cyber attack or something completely different, GI provides a common platform on which to undertake a strategic assessment – from a regional level down to the impact on individual properties – to inform scenario planning and explore options and their consequences. It can feed in to all stages of the process – prevention, protection, response and recovery, and can improve the quality and timeliness of decision-making, providing a single view of complex information, helping to reduce duplication and cut costs.
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Flood Protection Mary Dhonau, Flood Protection Association
Home owners and businesses can put in protection measures that will help to minimise the damage and speed up the repair time. This is known as ‘Flood Resistance’ ~ this means protecting a property, using flood protection products or building materials to try to prevent floodwater from entering a property, damaging its fabric and contents. (Or in the worst case scenario they will give homeowners time to move their possessions to a safe place). These measures will involve some expense but will pay for themselves in the long term and will be time and money well spent to, hopefully, reduce the distress flooding causes. They are far superior to the humble and inefficient traditional sandbags which often only filter the water. This type of intervention is only applicable if the flood water is no more than 0.9 of a metre deep and if the floodwater does not lurk about for too long, e.g. a flashy type flood such as we experience as a result of a heavy downpour, following an intensive localised rainstorm, or in an area where a river rises and falls very swiftly.
Five million people live with the threat of being flooded from the river and sea and 200,000 of those are considered to be at very high risk. In addition as yet there is no definitive number for those who are at risk of flooding from urban drainage. Baring in mind that approximately two thirds of the insurance claims from the catastrophic floods of summer of 2007 were from this form of flooding, it’s no wonder the insurance industry is jittery about the amount they have to pay out for flood damage.
A first port of call, of course, is to sign up to the Environment Agency’s flood warning system. Telephone Floodline on 0845 988 1188. If your area, or type of flooding is not covered by a flood warning invest in a ‘flood alarm’ or a telemetry system. There are quite a few types on the market varying in their level of sophistication. The Environment Agency has tested some flood protection products for reliability and these have been given a ‘kite mark’. Details of these products can be found on the Environment Agency’s web site www. environment-agency.gov.uk .
This gloomy scenario threatens to become even worse with the effects of climate change and the pressure to build new homes. Having been flooded many times myself. I know only too well how devastating being flooded can be but it doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom!
The Flood Protection Association www.floodprotectionassociation.co.uk has a list of reputable flood protection firms and a number of case studies. Also the National Flood Forum has a list of flood protection products available. They can be found by visiting www.floodforum.org.uk. The ‘Blue Pages directory’ gives a comprehensive list of products available.
Preparation is essential! One way of avoiding being flooded is to check if your home is at risk of flooding before you consider buying it. Go to the Environment Agency’s web site at www. environmnet-agency.gov.uk and check there if your proposed property is deemed at risk of being flooded. In addition, there are many companies, such as Landmark Home Check which for just a few pounds will give you details of all forms of flood risk including pluvial flooding (flooding caused by excessive rainfall and as a consequence the drains just not being able to cope). If you are already living in a house deemed at risk of being flooded apart from moving or having flood defences your only alternative is to plan and prepare for the threat of being flooded.
Protecting airbricks I spoke to many people after the floods of 2007 and I was often told that the flood water entered their homes only though their airbricks. This type of flooding is easily preventable. There are quite a few different varieties of airbrick protection. • An ‘elastoplast’ type~ one use only stick on variety. (Good to have for peace of mind if you live in a low risk flood area) • Covers that can be screwed into the holes • Some have a fixture permanently fixed to the wall and once you have a flood warning you can easily clip the protection cover in place. • Relatively new on the market a ‘fit and forget’ airbrick replacement, which basically is self activating
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and gives the homeowner peace of mind that the airbrick will be protected should a flood occur when they are away from their home.
If a home owner is putting in resilience measures as part of the repair work after a flood, some changes would cost little more than putting it back to how it was before.
Protecting doorways Floodwater can often enter a home via the doorway, sometimes entering a home through the front door and leaving via the back door destroying everything en route. This type of flooding could well be prevented, or at the very least lessened by fitting doorway flood protection, which can be easily fitted in front of your doors, should you receive a flood warning, or think a flash flood might be likely as a heavy thunderstorm is forecast. Also think about keeping a supply of ‘sandless sandbags’~ they are a bit like disposable nappies for giants and can soak up to about 20 litres of water. Also new on the market and freshly tested to BSI kitemark standard are full lengh ‘normal ‘looking doors that when shut protect against floods
Examples of flood resilience include putting the plug sockets, boilers and service meters higher up the walls - above previous flood levels. Installing tiled floors on a concrete floor, fitting plastic skirting boards, or wood such as Oak that is more resilient to floodwater. I used normal skirting board but coated it with several layers of yacht varnish. When I was flooded again in 2007, my skirting boards were fine! Replace your kitchen units with stainless steel, plastic carcasses (on which ‘normal doors’ can be fitted and removed before a flood) or solid wood rather than MDF or chipboard units (as these disintegrate with the effects of floodwater).
Other types of resistance products If your home is of high value you could also protect your home by fitting it with a type of ‘flood skirt’ which in a nutshell you pull up to wrap around your house. Floodwater can often enter your home or business from many ways and not only through the front door and airbricks. Many people report that the first thing that alerted them to the fact that they were flooding is when their carpets became saturated. In this situation using a pump in a sump under the floor could help keep the water level down. It is sensible to get the advice of an expert qualified in flood risk to help you make informed decisions before selecting such products. Anti backflow valves are very useful to stop sewage entering your home via the toilet which can easily be fitted to stop the floodwater over topping the toilet. Floodwater will find the easiest point of entry, even via your washing machine, or similar outlets. Again you can purchase quite cheaply anti backflow valves for these items. Also think about the condition of your external brick work as floodwater will find the easiest port of entry. Have a good look at the outside of your property and repair any suspect mortar and cracked bricks. On the market now are sealants which will make the brickwork more resilient to leaking but at the same time will allow the bricks to breath. A second option is to make your home ‘flood resilient ’adapting a property to minimise the effect of floodwater, so no permanent damage is caused and the structural integrity is maintained. This reduces the amount of time homeowners are out of their properties and the amount of money your insurance firm will have to pay out, helping you to be able to maintain your insurance cover. It is my view that sadly every flood defence will be over topped one day and flood resilience is going to be the only sensible option when we adapt to living with the increased threat of flooding.
Failing this, raise the units so flood water can run beneath them into a drain. Replace ordinary plaster with lime-based plaster or cement render. Fit lightweight internal doors with rising hinges, so if you get a flood warning you can lift the doors off out of harm’s way. Also, keep items of sentimental value upstairs where the floodwater can’t get them. For more details see ‘how to restore your home following a flood’ -a publication written by the Association of British Insurers is available on their web site www.abi.org.uk .Please note before attempting to undertake any of the above, it is sensible to contact a surveyor qualified to undertake flood risk assessments. Visit the Flood Protection associations web site for further details. In December 2006 the Labour government brought out new planning guidelines for future development (PPS25). This is now being updated by the government. With the threat of global warming and the pressure to build more and more houses, developers have now got to plan for the future and build-in flood resilience before the onset of any future flooding.PPS25 and subsequent guidance will help developers shape the way new homes are built in the future. Statistics show that more people are at risk of being flooded than being burgled or their house catching fire. Yet people are prepared to protect themselves from burglary or fire but few actually take steps to cut down the effect that flooding will have on their homes, businesses and the devastation it brings to their lives. However with the threat of increased flooding and the insurance industry breathing down our necks we will soon be faced with no alternative but to do so!
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Holding Back The Water By Tony Andryszewski, Technical Manager, Environment Agency Since February 2010 the Environment Agency has been pioneering new tests for flood protection products which could protect homes across England and Wales. Here Tony Andryszewski, Flood Manager at the Environment Agency, describes how this work is giving householders and organisations greater confidence in reducing their flood risk. Heavy rain may be a fact of life for people living in the UK, but, for the one in six households in England and Wales at risk of flooding, intense or prolonged rainfall can spell disaster. Flooding causes thousands of pounds worth of damage in just a few hours, it destroys homes, causes heartbreak and puts companies out of business. Victims of flood often find themselves unable to return home for months whilst furniture, flooring, electrics and even walls are replaced – often at huge expense to either the homeowner or insurer. The devastating floods of summer 2007 cost the UK economy £3.2 billion. A recent Environment Agency report found that the average cost per home flooded in 2007 was between £23,000 and £30,000, with a quarter of homeowners not fully covered by insurance. The Environment Agency is working hard to protect more homes from flooding. The Agency has completed 225 new defences since the summer of 2007, increasing protection to over 198,000 properties. However, whilst we can all be better prepared and minimise the damage caused by flooding, we cannot prevent it. Some flooding is inevitable and climate change predictions show that weather conditions in the UK are likely to become more extreme, with more intense rainfall increasing likelihood of flooding. Homeowners need to find out if they are at risk, and local authorities and community services, alongside the Environment Agency, have an important role to play in raising awareness of flooding. The Environment Agency offers services to homeowners and businesses to help them to prepare for flooding. You can identify if you are at risk of flooding via free maps on our web site (www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood). Anyone living in a flood risk area is urged to sign up to our free flood warning service (Floodline Warnings Direct) by visiting our web site (www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood) or by calling Floodline on 0845 988 1188. This free service allows those at risk to receive flood warnings direct to their phone, mobile or email address. Live information is also available on our web site |36| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
including three day forecasts of flood risk, river levels and flood warnings. However, simply finding out whether a property is at risk of flooding is only the first step. Further steps need to be taken to protect properties at risk of flooding. These preparations can make the difference between an easy clean-up and devastation. Defending individual properties from flooding Traditional flood defence schemes are not always affordable. Smaller scale, individual household flood prevention measures can be effective in making properties more flood resistant and resilient. There are many steps residents can take to protect their home and business from flooding. Some are simple and temporary while others involve permanent structural work. Making a property resilient to floodwater will limit the distress and damage caused by flooding, which Image: Flooding in Carlisle
Image: Flooded home
pitch. During the simulation, the replica building is fitted with flood protection products, such as door and vent covers. The tank is then flooded with thousands of gallons of water to simulate a severe flood. If successful in holding back the flood waters, the products are awarded the BSI Kitemark, tested against a new industry standard, PAS 1188.
means less costly repairs and less time out of homes or businesses. Flood protection and resilience measures range from flood gates fitted to doors and windows through to using tiled floors in home renovations. The experience of Appleby in Cumbria in November 2009 showed the effectiveness of flood protection products. Ahead of heavy rainfall and potential flooding, 46 homes and businesses in the town were fitted with flood barriers after receiving an Environment Agency flood warning. The products had been financed by Defra through a pilot grant scheme, at a cost of around £2,000 or £3,000 per property, and as water was cascading through the main street of the town, these 46 properties were protected from flooding. Testing flood protection products Keeping water out of a building during a flood requires a surprising level of engineering. Flood water can exert extreme pressures on a building, the likes of which can not be withstood by simply covering a door with wood or plastic. As a result, flood defence products used in the home need to be designed to prevent water from entering a building, whilst taking the pressures exerted by flood water without causing structural damage to a property. In February 2010, the Environment Agency, in partnership with hydraulics experts at HR Wallingford, launched the UK’s largest flood product test centre in Oxfordshire. A cutting edge simulator is used to recreate the devastating effects of a flood using 196,000 gallons of water to test products designed to defend homes, businesses and people from flooding. The test centre features a replica living room inside a massive tank of water, about half the size of a football
This new industry standard ensures rigorous and consistent testing, providing people at risk of flooding with confidence in flood protection products. Manufacturers benefit by being able to show that their flood product offers a high level of protection. This testing also provides local authorities, housing associations and developers with a clear route to properly tested products – including larger scale defences - which should encourage proactive installation in existing and new build developments. It is hoped that this rigorous testing will encourage new product development, bringing further benefits to people at risk of flooding. The National Flood Forum’s Blue Pages Guide provides an independent directory of flood protection products and services, including those with the BSI Kitemark. It can be found online at www.bluepages.org.uk. Taking flood protection to communities People at risk of flooding are already benefiting from this work. Last year, Defra’s property-level flood protection grant scheme helped some of those in high flood-risk areas by enabling them to purchase flood protection products for individual properties, such as those tested at HR Wallingford. This year, the Environment Agency has made a further £2million available on behalf of government to deliver a programme of individual household flood protection measures. This scheme will increase protection to around 600 properties in over 30 communities. Local Authorities can use the funding to survey properties to determine the most appropriate measures to protect each property. They will then use the remaining money to pay for measures to be installed at the properties. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |37|
The Environment Agency urges local authorities receiving this grant money to ensure that the products they purchase to protect people and property are tested and bear the BSI Kitemark wherever possible.
in the UK. Called Exercise Watermark, this four day exercise put the decision making, partnership working and communications ability of everyone involved in flood response under the spotlight.
One community to benefit from such a scheme is Eamont Bridge in Cumbria. The village suffered from flooding twice in the last five years, the most recent being in November 2009 when a total of 45 properties were flooded – some to over a metre.
Thousands of different organisations were involved – from parish councils, local government offices, police and fire and rescue services, to the Environment Agency, Defra and the Ministry of Defence right up to the highest level of decision making – Government’s COBR briefings, which were chaired, as in a real life situation, by a member of the cabinet. Over 335 businesses, communities and voluntary groups also signed up to take part, some of them deploying their own flood protection products.
Last year, 37 properties in Eamont Bridge received flood resistance measures as part of a pilot scheme by the Environment Agency for the North West Regional Flood Defence Committee and funded by local levy money. Eight other properties were included in the Defra Property Protection Scheme run by Eden District Council. 100% of residents eligible for the scheme took up the offer of these improvements to their homes. To make the properties more resistant to flooding the Environment Agency fitted door guards, airbrick covers, non-return valves and pumps to properties. Where necessary the Environment Agency also carried out further works to repoint and/or render stonework. This work is the result of extensive work with local residents. The village had to meet various criteria before it could take part in the scheme, including being in a flood warning area and having a flood action group. The Eamont Bridge Flood Action Group was established following flooding of the village in 2005 and will continue to be instrumental in protecting the village from flooding by working with the Environment Agency and local authorities. Testing responses to flooding – Exercise Watermark Preparing for flooding goes beyond defences. When flooding hits – as we saw in November 2010 in Cornwall and in Cumbria in November 2009 – an army of people spring into action. In March 2011 these services were tested as part of the biggest emergency flooding exercise ever undertaken Image: Temporary flood barrier
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This exercise helped everyone involved to think about how they would respond during a major flood, enabling them to react much more quickly in a real emergency. The Environment Agency is now reviewing the learnings from this exercise in order to further improve our response during a flood. A holistic approach Protecting people from flooding requires action on many fronts. From signing up to flood warnings, to engineering flood defences, to testing emergency responses. Empowering individuals with the means to protect their homes from flooding is one element of tackling this challenge. By driving standards and development of flood protection products, the Environment Agency’s work with HR Wallingford will give homeowners confidence to protect their own home. Local Authorities and service providers can support this effort by making information and products available to communities at risk of flooding. For more information on how to prepare for flooding and to sign up to Flood Warnings visit www.environment–agency.gov.uk/flood or call the Environment Agency’s Floodline on 0845 988 1188. For advice on setting up a community flood action group contact the National Flood Forum at: www.floodforum.org.uk.
Drainage is one of the most underestimated performance control assets. Its main function is safety and maintaining the life of other assets and like all assets it requires designs with future performance in mind and maintenance planning and implementation to ensure its functionality. However, the vast majority of the drainage asset is in place, much having been built concurrently with our established road and rail networks many decades ago. Maintaining serviceability and functionality requires a huge commitment of money and resources. Budgetary constraints and annualised budgets have meant that is has been difficult for many infrastructure owners and operators to undertake what they would deem as necessary works and upgrades. Within some of the infrastructure sectors asset management tools are being developed which take a life-cycle cost approach to maintenance by addressing cost benefit and value for money as an integral and often first stage of justification for any proposed works. To undertake an assessment and appraisal of drainage assets is an enormous task and one that is often overlooked during routine inspections due to the concealed nature of these assets. On the Highways Agency network, it is estimated that for the 9,000km of road, there are 25,000km of drainage asset; Network Rail operates 30,000km of railway and the drainage asset associated with this length will be at least that length. To these figures must also be added county and council maintained roads – a significant additional length. With such enormous asset lengths, the costs associated with inspection, maintenance and renewal are equally large. The Highways Agency spends millions of pounds annually on drainage and it is widely acknowledged that this figure is currently below what really needs to be spent to bring its system up to an acceptable standard. Other infrastructure owners, including Network Rail, London Underground, Transport Wales, Transport Scotland, Roads Service Northern Ireland, and not to mention local authority transport networks, are burdened by a considerably older and aged stock of drainage assets. The flooding experienced in the UK in recent times (including Boscastle in 2004, Carlisle during 2005, the flooding that took place over the summer of 2007 in North West and central England, more recently the extensive
Life-Cycle Management Of Transport Infrastructure Drainage Assets By Ben Kidd, Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) flooding in Moray in Scotland and in Cumbria in 2009) has further highlighted the potential impacts of increased loading on drainage systems. It is also expected that with the effects of climate change, there will be an increased incidence and intensity of flooding events and, as such, it is paramount that lessons are learnt from recent flooding events, particularly regarding the whole-life management of drainage assets as they serve to maintain the operation of other key infrastructure assets. The impact of poor drainage maintenance is most commonly reflected in damage and deformation of the earthwork, permanent way, pavement and associated assets. It is often only a small fault that leads to a major effect and resultant costs of significant remediation and loss/disruption of service. Effective asset management is widely recognised as the key to preventing the occurrences described above. This should include systematic recording of the asset type, location and condition – a task which is currently very much in development. The knowledge base of good practice asset management, gained largely from the management of earthworks infrastructure, could for example be integrated with the management of drainage assets. CIRIA are currently developing a new guidance publication entitled “Transport infrastructure drainage: condition appraisal and remedial treatment (CART)”, with support from Department for Transport, Highways Agency, Institution for Civil Engineers, London Underground, Network Rail, Northern Ireland Roads Service, and Transport Scotland. The new guidance will sit alongside other publications in CIRIA’s infrastructure asset management suite of guidance (other CIRIA “CART” guides include tunnels, embankments, cuttings, culverts, iron and steel and ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |39|
bridges and drystone retaining walls), as well as alongside CIRIA’s well-established guidance on the design and management of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). The broad objective of the research project is to produce a good practice guidance document which covers key aspects of design, appropriate standards, construction for new works, renewals, condition appraisal and remedial treatment of infrastructure drainage for a number of different drainage assets within the overall drainage system. The new guidance is expected to be available in Autumn 2011. For further information on the project, including how you can get involved in the project, go to CIRIA’s web site.
Retrofitting surface water management measures By Jonathan Glerum, Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) Back in 2004 the Government’s Foresight report estimated that around 80,000 properties are at risk of stormwater flooding in intra urban areas resulting in £270 million of damage each year. As well as the financial costs, flooding can have a huge social, economic and environmental impact. With climate change it’s expected that this will increase in the future. In overcoming these difficulties sewerage undertakers alone are investing some £200 million annually on sewer flooding alleviation. Similar amounts of investment are also made by the Environment Agency and local authorities to manage urban flood risk. Both the built and natural environment needs to be more effectively protected from damage, and more sustainable surface water management options may provide opportunities to effectively manage flood risk, whilst also helping to improve water quality and accommodate urban regeneration. There is growing acceptance that a more sustainable approach to drainage design is both required and feasible. Much of the work in this area has focused on sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and designing for exceedance (above ground flood management) in drainage systems. |40| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Image – Highways Agency Area 3: Refurbishment of the M4 central reservation filter drain (courtesy of Carnell Group)
Photo – Remote CCTV inspection of drainage assets (courtesy Tubelines ltd)
However, guidance has predominantly focused on new build developments, which is arguably less technically challenging to implement than retrofitting surface water management. These challenges include the availability of space, technical understanding and hydraulic capacity together with the complexity of stakeholder interactions and the regulatory and legislative framework. Within a context of providing better places to live it is increasingly desirable for more sustainable surface water management measures (rather than traditional approaches) to be retrofitted in existing developments, especially due to the legacy of house building on floodplains. This will deliver multiple objectives of flood risk management, water quality improvement, climate change adaptation and mitigation, whilst also offering the opportunity to improve the areas we live in. Integrated approach at a street level Surface water management measures that complement and enhance the areas that we live in need to be sensitively designed. Urban designers, planners, and surface water engineers must work together to successfully retrofit measures and over time, urban streetscapes may be transformed to keep water on the surface. For this to happen, it is essential that the context of the streetscape is maintained, whilst surface water and water quality are managed appropriately. The greatest challenge to the success of retrofitting projects, however, is likely to be the ability to establish sufficient stakeholder support. A wide range of stakeholders are likely to be involved in retrofitting surface water management systems, including environmental regulators, consultants, local authorities, sewerage undertakers, the insurance industry and the general public. Along with the urban designers, planners and surface water engineers previously mentioned, these stakeholders will play a vital role in the way we manage our surface water in the future. By ensuring sufficient stakeholder buy-in, surface water management is likely to be considered before the
Image – An urban area retrofit to manage surface water, the Dings, Bristol (courtesy SUStrans)
design stage of a project. It has been seen that many questions arise before a decision is made to implement retrofit surface water management, so to answer these questions, prior consideration is essential. Given the difficulties of retrofitting surface water management measures into urban areas, it is imperative that there is clear evidence that they have the potential to meet the objectives of the stakeholders and that it is feasible to implement them once they have been designed. The objective of this project is to develop a practical
approach to more effective and sustainable management of surface water run-off in existing urban areas. The immediate impact of the project will be a wider appreciation of the potential for retrofitting surface water management measures (Part A of the guidance document), and an increase in the delivery of retrofit surface water management measures in existing urban areas (Part B of the guidance document). The guidance document will be available in Autumn 2011. If you would like further information on either of these projects, then please contact either Ben Kidd or Jonathan Glerum on +44 (0)20 7549 3300. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |41|
WATER Page 44 - 45 - Where Are We With Rainwater Harvesting? -Lutz Johnen, Chair Rainwater Harvesting Page 46 - 49 - Balancing Carbon and Ecology - Graham Pollard, Project Manager, Severn Trent Water
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Where Are We With Rainwater Harvesting?
Lutz Johnen, Chairman of the UK’s Rainwater Harvesting Association and Managing Director of Aqua-lity Trading & Consulting Limited,
looks at the state of rainwater harvesting in the UK and asks what role can it play in bringing about better environmental management.
As we approach the anniversary of the floods that caused widespread devastation across Britain in the summer of 2007, in which fourteen people lost their lives and £3.2 billion of damage was caused, is the UK doing enough in changing its approach to water management and what role will rainwater harvesting play going forward?
Further worrying evidence contained in a report by the Environment Agency warns that Britain’s rivers, which provide 70% of our water, will drop by 10-15% in volume within 40 years. With the population forecasted to increase by 20 million by 2050, the two statistics do not sit well together - less water for more people.
Many commentators suggest that 2007 was not a one off and that we can expect to see more extreme weather events such as this in the future. The Centre of Ecology and Hydrology described the flooding as “remarkable in its extent and severity” and goes on to warn that such flooding could occur at any time, highlighting Britain’s vulnerability to extreme weather incidents.
What is clear is that our approach to water management going forward needs to be one that can help deal with times when there is excessive water and, equally, with times when water is in short supply.
Indeed, flooding is not the only issue. Prolonged periods of dry weather equally present their own challenges with regard to water management. The Environment Agency reports that the UK has seen 13% less rain than average in the first three months of 2011. Across the country there are water shortage issues with receiving just 3.5mm of rainfall in March - the lowest since 1929. Bristol Water’s reservoirs are 12% lower than at the same time last year and Central Southern England has seen its driest April since records began. Last year we also saw the first water restrictions in the UK for four years following a very dry spring. Restrictions, which included the closure of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, were imposed surprisingly in the North West where rainfall is typically above average and where there had been widespread flooding only months previously. Indeed, a single dry season had been sufficient to stress the water supply. |44| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Two thirds of the 57,000 homes affected by the 2007 floods were flooded due to surface water run-off overloading drainage systems; furthermore, 80,000 properties are deemed to be currently at very high risk of surface water flooding. One of the principal benefits of rainwater harvesting is that the system stores the surface water run-off on site therefore reducing the amount and speed of run-off into the drainage system and the likelihood of flooding. This water is cleaned and then used for flushing toilets, watering the gardening, operating washing machines or for other non-drinking requirements therefore utilising available water more effectively whilst reducing the dependency on the mains water supply. Although there is currently no funding in the UK directly aimed at the installation of rainwater harvesting technology, new directives such as the Code for Sustainable Homes, announced by the government in 2008, and the commercial equivalent BREEAM, are encouraging.
The Code for Sustainable Homes has been introduced to drive a step-change in sustainable home building practice to both reduce water used and manage what is used more effectively. Operating through a phased approach, the ultimate target is that all new builds will be sustainable homes by 2016. House builders are being encouraged to follow the Code’s guidelines because, although compliance is currently voluntary, it is likely that the government will make the standards mandatory in the future, and not complying may make obtaining planning permission more difficult. Of the nine categories which the Code uses to measure the sustainability of a home, it is the water (WAT1) and surface water run-off (SUR1) categories which are most relevant to the use of rainwater harvesting. Concentrating first on WAT1, the Code states that by 2016 water meters will be mandatory and all new dwellings should reduce the daily reliance on piped water down to 80 litres from the current average of 150 litres of potable water per person per day. To achieve this standard, along with reducing the amount of water a toilet, shower, dishwasher and washing machine use, 30% of the water requirement of the home is to be provided by non-potable sources such as rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling systems. In an attempt to reduce flooding risk, SUR1 states that peak run-off rates and annual volumes of run-off will be no greater than the previous conditions for the development site. According to a report by Michael Croften-Briggs, chief planner in Oxford, surface water run-off caused half of the town’s flooding in 2007, and he expresses concerns in his report that 8,000 new homes planned by 2030 will only exacerbate the situation. Hopefully, if the SUR 1 requirements are upheld, his fears may subside. Local Authority enforced Building Regulations, updated in April 2010, now also feature a water efficiency target for new homes in line with Code for Sustainable Homes. The document recognises, for the first time, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling as recommended techniques to assist with the reduction of mains water use whilst still producing sufficient water supply to satisfy consumer needs.
The UK Government is also offering an Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme that lets businesses write off 100% of the cost of qualifying water efficient plant and machinery against taxable profits in the year of purchase. Rainwater harvesting products qualify for this relief which can bring business' significant financial savings whilst also reducing their impact on the environment. Although these initiatives are positive steps towards sustainable living, rainwater harvesting in the UK is still in its infancy and lagging behind the rest of Europe. Currently around 3,000 systems are installed each year in the UK compared with the industry in Germany which is approaching the installation of 100,000 units per year. In the Dutch speaking parts of Belgium, rainwater harvesting systems are mandatory as a flood prevention measure and water saving resource. France has a scheme in place whereby each person will receive 8000 Euros tax relief for supporting renewable technologies including rainwater harvesting. Outside of the continent, Australia is looking to heavily invest in rainwater harvesting, and US councils have a mandatory scheme for people who wish to irrigate. In the UK, not only would greater incentives help accelerate the widespread implementation of rainwater harvesting technologies, but we also need initiatives to educate and alter the attitude of the general public towards water management. Lessons have definitely been learned in the wake of the 2007 floods and we are certainly heading along the right track. However, before the UK can fully grasp and integrate rainwater harvesting technologies into developments to a level equal to its European counterparts, we need initiatives to help educate the consumers, promote the technologies to businesses and planners and encourage use through incentives such as the solar industry’s feed in tariff. Only then will we be able to head towards achieving a truly sustainable future for this, the most precious of resources. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |45|
Balancing Carbon and Ecology. By Graham Pollard, Balancing Carbon and Ecology project manager, Severn Trent Water
Credit: © Environment Agency Caption: Sewage outfall at Minworth, Birmingham
Over the past 20 years, effective regulation of sewage treatment has resulted in the rehabilitation of many Midlands rivers. Watercourses that were once so polluted that even sewage fungus which couldn’t survive in their waters now have substantial fish populations. However, “you get nought for nought”, and the cost of intensifying sewage treatment processes to meet water quality standards has been an increase in power usage, leading to higher carbon dioxide emissions to atmosphere and higher bills for consumers.
prompted action to deal with the problem. The Public Health Act of 1875 brought together legislation covering sewerage and drains, water supply, housing and disease. Amongst other measures, it placed an obligation on local authorities to cover sewers, keep them in good condition and supply fresh water to their citizens. They were given power to purchase their local water company, but the lack of standards in both charges and equipment (many companies still employed stone or even wooden pipes) continued to cause inefficiencies.
Faced with the threat of global warming, sewage companies and the regulator are working together to re-think the difficult balance between carbon emissions, river water quality and cost to consumers.
By the 1970’s there were 29 river authorities, 160 water supply undertakings and more than 1,300 sewage treatment authorities covering England and Wales, with serious under-investment in the distribution infrastructure. In an attempt to create economies of scale, the Water Act of 1973 brought together this plethora of water and sewerage undertakings into ten water authorities, each responsible for water supply, sewage treatment and river protection within its area, but these were still dependent on public funding and under-investment remained a problem. So in 1989 the ten water authorities were sold as Water Service Companies and passed into private ownership, bringing private sector investment (through loans and the issue of private shares) and private sector efficiency into the industry. One of the Water Service Companies was Severn
For many thousands of years, human by-products were dumped on to land or into our rivers, with no particular consideration of the consequences to the environment. However, in the UK, increasing population, industrialisation and rapid increases in urbanisation meant that by the mid 1800s the problems created by un-treated waste could no longer be ignored. Filthy urban living conditions, which frequently saw sewage flowing down the street and through the living quarters of the poor, resulted in the spread of fatal diseases such as cholera and typhus - but it was the stink that finally
“This is a great initiative which was born out of our desire for continuous improvement in the way Severn Trent works and to ensure we meet future challenges using sustainable approaches. One of the key future challenges we face is meeting the requirements of the Water Framework Directive – effectively treating wastewater before returning it to our region’s rivers - at the least possible cost to our customers and the wider environment. Taking innovative, flexible approaches which allow us to minimise our carbon impact is key to this. It’s a challenge the Environment Agency shares and working with our regulator towards this common goal is vital to success. What has emerged from our Balancing Carbon and Ecology project is a great example of true partnership working: aligning our interests whilst respecting the distinct duties and responsibilities of each organisation.” “It is showing us that all of us with a stake in the water industry can work together to deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers, investors and the environment” Tony Wray, CEO, Severn Trent Water |46| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Trent, based in Birmingham and responsible for water management and supply, and waste water treatment and disposal, in the catchment areas of two of Britain’s greatest rivers - the Severn and the Trent. At the same time, the government created two regulatory bodies to ensure that the interests of the public were maintained: – –
the Office of Water Services (OFWAT) had primary responsibility for setting limits on the prices charged for water and sewerage services, taking into account proposed capital investment schemes (such as building new wastewater treatment works) and expected operational efficiency gains. The National Rivers Authority (NRA) had responsibility for managing water resources, investigating and regulating pollution, flood controls and land drainage. In 1996 its responsibilities were passed to the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency was created to implement the Environment Act 1995, with a brief “to protect or enhance the environment, taken as a whole”, so as to promote “the objective of achieving sustainable development”. The vision of the Environment Agency is of “a rich, healthy and diverse environment for present and future generations”. The regulation framework developed by the Environment Agency and its predecessor relies on a consent setting methodology to control discharges of treated sewage effluent to the environment using the percentile approach to river and effluent quality standards introduced in the late 1970s. It is a robust approach, taking account of a statistical range of conditions and correlation between river and effluent flows, which can readily be extended to catchment modelling, for example using the Environment Agency’s “SIMCAT” Catchment Simulation modelling software. Taken together with the investment in technology and capacity made by the water companies, the current regulatory regime has enabled a significant improvement in performance, compliance and a subsequent improvement in water quality. However, much of this was achieved against a background of relatively cheap power and when global warming was not a significant consideration. Indeed, there was much more concern about the possibility of an imminent ice age. Measures taken to address water quality issues could result in expensive large scale energy-intensive engineering projects. The industry now faces two significant new requirements: 1. to control greenhouse gas emissions in line with the government’s CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and 2. to meet the higher ecological standards specified by the Water Framework Directive. To meet these often competing requirements in a
sustainable manner the sector needs to consider regulatory and technical innovation. What may have worked in the past is not necessarily best suited for future needs. A smarter, more flexible approach that works with the environment, rather than on it, is needed. Currently, Severn Trent Water’s sewage treatment processes release 320 ktCO2(e)/ year to the environment. Meeting the requirements of the Water Framework Directive will require even more stringent effluent treatment standards resulting in a potential increase in carbon emission as old sewage works have to be replaced with newer, more energy intensive, treatment processes with associated costs to consumers. By working closely with the Environment Agency in planning our investment programme for 2010-2015, Severn Trent have already made cost savings for customers and reduced the planned operational and embedded carbon by approx 17% whilst still achieving protection and improvement of the water environment. Building on that success, in May 2009 Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency jointly established the “Balancing Carbon and Ecology” programme of work.
“to meet the environmental goals of the Water Framework Directive at lowest possible carbon footprint and least cost to consumers”
Our vision is
The programme encompasses a review of the way sewage treatment works are permitted, consideration of process options and of the flexibility within the regulatory process. It has come about because the Water Industry is required to achieve even higher ecological standards in our rivers, whilst minimising the emission of greenhouse gases to atmosphere. The Balancing Carbon and Ecology (BC&E) programme is managed through a governance structure with representation from both organisations at every level. The overall programme approach is to: • ensure through modelling, experimentation and analysis that we maximise the environmental returns on our treatment investments; • improve our understanding of - and ability to react to - the “real time” needs of the water-bodies into which we discharge; • improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which specific chemicals in sewage effluent damage the environment and how we can adapt processes and regulations to directly target those mechanisms; • jointly model and plan the infrastructure required to deal with the probable future requirements; The programme has three themes: Modelling, Dynamic ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |47|
Control and Regulation. Modelling Severn Trent and the Environment Agency invested in an upgrading of the Environment Agency’s SIMCAT (Simulation of Catchments) models and are both now using the shared model to run scenarios. Using these jointly developed models we can better understand the impact of changes across the whole of a river catchment and help identify the sites with the greatest potential for carbon savings. Accounting for all the pressures across a catchment is helping us gain a joint understanding of what work needs to be prioritised to meet future water quality requirements and the best timing for any improvements (e.g. link to water companies’ Capital Maintenance Programme). We are currently using SIMCAT to help us to develop a growth model for the Upper Avon catchment up to 2026, and having proved the methodology there, we will use the same tools and techniques to develop models for other catchments within the Severn Trent region. We will develop the PR14 National Environment Programme, and longer term permit plans as a combined project team, which will enable us to minimise capital intervention. If we can retain one filter works and avoid building an ASP for a population of 50,000 we will save 1250 tonnes of operational carbon per year. Dynamic Control Initial trials were carried out at Coleshill Sewage Treatment Works, an “activated sludge plant” (ASP). ASPs use nitrifying bacteria to break down ammonia, and need a supply of oxygen (as blown air) to survive and do their work. If we can operate our ASPs dynamically in relation to river flow – i.e. if we can match the ammonia released to the river to the river flow, so that concentration in the river remains constant, even at low flow rates, then we could meet the standards that the river and ecology require whilst using less energy and so reducing green house gas emissions. The trial demonstrated that we can vary our treatment process in response to river flow, and by inference, to any other relevant dynamics of the receiving watercourse, assuming the technology exists to detect and measure the change. In order to benefit from this capability, there are three factors that we need to consider: 1. Is the treatment equipment being used flexible enough to realise the potential power savings? This leads to consideration of design standards for the air blowers and diffusers that deliver oxygen to the ASP, and whether there is a cost effective alternative to using blowers to maintain the suspension of nitrifying bacteria in the liquid. |48| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
2. Does the river condition that enables reduced processing last long enough to realise significant carbon savings? The evidence suggests that sudden changes followed by a rapid return to “normal” state will offer little opportunity to reduce energy usage. 3. What are the risks involved in reducing dissolved oxygen levels in the ASP? In the context of this programme, any increase in other greenhouse gas emissions would reduce the benefit of any CO2 reductions, and any reduction in WFD compliance levels would be unacceptable. As a result of these findings, the programme is now pursuing four further work-streams: 1. The possibility of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in low dissolved oxygen conditions was identified as a critical risk during the literature review we conducted as part of the Coleshill Dynamic Control trial. Turning the air blowers down to reduce power consumption/CO2 emissions results in a reduction in dissolved oxygen levels in the ASP. This is thought to stress the nitrifying bacteria, causing them to release N2O. Since N2O is a “greenhouse gas” 298 times more damaging than CO2, any increase in emissions would outweigh the benefits gained from reducing CO2. We have therefore launched a 12 month trial at Coleshill STWs, working with our strategic research partners from Cranfield University to establish the levels of gaseous emissions of N2O, Methane (CH4), and CO2 and liquid phase nitrogen species at different levels of dissolved oxygen. 2. We are investigating whether we can use the effect that river water temperature has on the proportion of un-ionised ammonia (NH3) in ammonia discharged to the river. Since this is the form which is known to cause environmental damage, this may allow us to match the ammonia released to the river to the temperature of the river, using much the same operating methods as for flow-based dynamic operations that we trialled at Coleshill. There is already precedent for summer/winter consents, which are based on this effect. We calculate that a summer/winter permit could allow us to reduce the design size of an ASP by 15%, which would reduce “embedded” carbon and reduce operating carbon without damage to the water environment. If we can establish a more rigorous link between temperature and the proportion of NH3 we can investigate taking a more dynamic approach, setting seasonal or perhaps monthly
permit levels.
environment is protected.
3. We are investigating how to improve the targeting of phosphorous treatment to maximize environmental benefit. The more damaging fractions of phosphorous are thought to be those that are soluble and bio-available. Too much Phosphorous in a watercourse promotes ver-growth of plants, and particularly of algae. This in turn leads to eutrophication and the collapse of dissolved oxygen levels that fish and other animal species need. However, eutrophication is a seasonal problem, and outside of the algal growing season, it may be possible to reduce the intensity of P treatment and still satisfy the ecological requirements of the watercourse.
We are examining options for permitting by catchment areas, that will enable greater flexibility in meeting water quality targets, whilst ensuring adequate protection for sensitive river environments.
Moreover, larger particles of phosphorous may cause no adverse effects in the environment, and the use of energy and chemicals to treat this “particulate” P may be producing more environmental impact than it is saving. There are a number of questions still to be answered before practical trials can be undertaken, and we are working with specialists within the Environment Agency and with our strategic research partners from Cranfield University to get a better understanding of how phosphorous interacts with river ecology.
This programme is focused on the Midland/Severn Trent area, but will ensure that any regulatory barriers to more efficient operation are identified and escalated for national discussion to seek to promote (if needed) a regulatory regime that it is fit for future needs. The Future Through our joint ownership of the Balancing Carbon and Ecology programme, Severn Trent and the Environment Agency are developing stronger and more effective relationships in a working partnership that will help us to achieve the best environmental and cost outcomes possible under current regulation. Whilst in no way weakening our respective identities and legal roles, we are jointly accepting a moral responsibility to work together effectively for the benefit of all users of our precious water resources. We will continue to progress those initiatives that are within our power, and collaborate with the Environment Agency, the water companies, regulators and wider stakeholders to promote innovative approaches that will help to deliver the programmes overall goals.
4. We are re-assessing our current ASP standards to identify optimum specifications for blowers, mixers and diffusers to enable flexible operations (to take advantage of dynamic control options) at least life-time cost. We have started a project with our strategic research partners, Atkins, to study previous capital schemes and analyse the impact of various Working in Partnership operating scenarios We’ve made significant progress in water quality over the last on design criteria for ASP 20 years. The Environment Agency, working with partners, equipment, and make is committed to driving further improvements as part of the recommendations on Water Framework Directive. Further improvements to water future standards. industry discharges will play a significant role in achieving Regulation We are currently exploring alternative ways to regulate or enforce permits to promote reduced carbon emissions and meet environmental standards in the most sustainable way. This involves understanding what we can do within the current permitting regime to support and control more carbon efficient operation of sewage treatment works, whilst ensuring the
this goal. We’re also keen to take account of other factors, such as climate change and ensure the way we regulate promotes innovation and partnership. We want to better understand the wider environmental implications of improving water quality. We’ve been working in partnership with Severn Trent Water on our Balancing Carbon and Ecology programme. The project has already identified opportunities to reduce carbon while improving water quality. Our valuable work with Severn Trent Water will feed into a wider national Environment Agency and water industry project with a broader focus. This includes looking at how controlling pollutants at source could reduce the energy and carbon emissions needed for sewage treatment. We’re looking forward to continued partnership with Severn Trent Water and others to make a difference for people and the environment. Mark Sitton-Kent , Midlands Director, Environment Agency ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |49|
ENERGY Page 90 - 94 - Renewable Heat Incentive - Gregory Barker, MP Page 96 - 98 - Renewables Inheritence - Gaynor Hartnell, CEO Renewable Energy Association
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By Gregory Barker, MP
Renewable Heat Incentive: Why, What and How?
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Fossil fuel gas currently supplies around 70% of the UK’s heat. It has proved a cheap and reliable source in the past, but with rising and volatile prices and increased dependence on imports the need to move to cleaner forms of heat is clear. That is why we have decided to bring in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), aimed at dramatically increasing the amount of heat we get from renewable sources. We are putting £860m into the RHI and the scheme is expected to increase green capital investment by £7.5 billion up to 2020. The scheme, to be administered by the gas and electricity market authority Ofgem, is the first of its kind in the world, providing long term financial support to encourage the uptake of renewable heat for householders and local communities as well as the commercial and industrial sectors. We want to encourage the installation of a range of technologies across the country, including ground source heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal, to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon emissions, meet our renewable targets and stimulate green growth. Why the RHI? Current estimates indicate that the RHI could lead to a reduction in gas demand equivalent to a 10% reduction in net gas imports against what they would have been in 2020. That’s significant at a time when more and more people are worried about energy security. Not only do we need to consider the price implications of fossil fuel gas, we must also think about the impact our current heating set up is having on our carbon emissions. Currently around half of the UK’s emissions come from the energy used to generate heat, more than from generating electricity. In our transition to a low carbon economy, the RHI therefore has an important role to play, with cumulative savings of 4 million tonnes of carbon to be made up to 2014, increasing to 44 million tonnes of carbon in 2020. That’s equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of 20 typical new gas power stations. What does the RHI hope to achieve? The RHI represents a serious investment in our future. It will not only help reduce our carbon emissions by shifting away from fossil fuels and help us meet our renewables targets, it will also support the 150,000 existing manufacturing, supply chain and installer jobs. How will it work for business and industry? The RHI will be introduced in phases. The first phase will allow anything from a pub to a public library, a chemical plant to a brewery, to get support to install technologies such as biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar thermal and get paid for the heat they produce. Community projects will also be eligible provided they aim to provide heat to more than one house. RHI tariffs for commercial, industrial and community heating will start this year and will compliment other renewable incentives already in place: the Renewables Obligation and the Feed in Tariffs.
The tariffs will be paid to the owner of the heat installation (or producers of biomethane for injection) for 20 years for eligible technologies that have been installed since 15th July 2009, based on each kWh of renewable heat produced. Once in the scheme, the level of support will be fixed (although we will adjust these annually with inflation), however we do expect the levels of support available for new entrants to the scheme to decrease over time as the costs of equipment and installation decrease through economies of scale. What’s in it for householders? For householders there will be ‘Renewable Heat Premium’ payments from July this year, in place until the Green Deal comes in, later in 2012. This will help families to cover the purchase price of green heating systems, supporting up to 25,000 installations over this time frame. This scheme will enable us to gather vital data on how these renewable heat technologies work in the home and how efficient they are. It will also ensure we understand what works best for manufacturers, installers and householders and what provides best value for money for the consumer, in a new and emerging market place. The second phase of the RHI will then kick in for householders when the Green Deal starts later in 2012. Those who take up the Premium Payment should also be able to receive the new RHI tariffs in 2012.
Phasing the support for householders will allow us to align with the Green Deal, creating a more joined up approach for those wishing to take action on energy efficiency and carbon reduction in their homes. There will be £15 million of ring fenced funds available specifically for the domestic sector under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment because we want to ensure there is money available specifically for householders and support for a range of technologies in homes across the country. Details of the Premium Payment scheme will be set out later this month, including how the payments will be allocated and how to apply. The first payments will be available from July. Details of the RHI tariff for householders from 2012 onwards will be consulted on later this year. The RHI is an historic turning point that will transform the way our homes and businesses are kept warm. But it’s also a great chance for Britain to lead the way in a fast growing industry, which is why we must work together to capture the economic benefits of this new emerging economy. |54| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
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Renewables Inheritence By Gaynor Hartnell, CEO, Renewable Energy Association The Coalition Government must really swing in to delivery mode and instill confidence in the renewables sector to get over the investment hiatus that has set in. At third in the league table for renewables and with a challenging and legally binding target, the stakes are high. The ratcheting back of the Feed-in Tariffs and uncertainty over future ROC revenues beyond 2018 when the post EMR world takes over, has led to a significant reduction in investment in the last 12 months, compared to this time last year. Either factor on its own would be bad enough. In this article Gaynor Hartnell, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association, looks at the situation inherited by the new Government, comments on how it is fairing and sets out what she believes the Government needs to do in order to rectify the position. Starting situation Taking the helm in these choppy, post credit-crunch waters and steering into the path of major decarbonisation of the country’s energy sector was never going to be easy. The bill for power alone is estimated at £200bn. But with “the greenest Government ever” in command one should take comfort. For renewables the task is to take the UK from around a 3% renewable energy contribution to 15%; the steepest deployment curve faced by any European Member State. The background is the larger picture of an 80% reduction in Carbon emissions relative to 1990 levels. The Committee on Climate Change has the task of recommending periodic carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act. The next stage is for Government to legislate for the fourth carbon budget, covering the years 2023 – 27. After a brief period of deep and public soul searching, the Committee’s recommendation was accepted. One year into the new administration and some good news is definitely needed. Investment has slowed, and having achieved fifth-place in a ranking for clean energy investments in 2009, the UK dropped out of the top 10 last year. This was the conclusion of Pew Environment Group in its report “Who’s winning the clean energy race: 2010 edition” as reported by the Energy Select Committee earlier this month. |56| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Image accredited to SXC andrewp001
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So what has caused this slowing down? The decision on Feed In Tariffs for small scale generation has unnerved investors, as has the prospect of the Renewables Obligation ending. But is this fair? The Government had inherited a Feed-in Tariff so generous towards PV that it looked like it could easily account for the entire anticipated spend for all technologies, and get through it in one year rather than three. Regarding the Renewables Obligation, the Conservative party had set out in its manifesto its desire to see the policy replaced by Feed-in Tariffs, and many commentators had criticised the RO as costly and cumbersome. Positive early action Since taking power the Government has done some very positive things to progress the agenda. Firstly, it demonstrated that its intention towards the 15% renewables target was not in doubt. The coalition had the platform of the previous administration’s thinking on how to achieve 15% in the form of the Renewable Energy Strategy, published in 2009. Shortly after taking office the UK was required to send the European Commission its National Renewable Energy Action Plan, declaring how it would meet its target. Along with virtually all other Member States, the UK set out its commitment to meeting the target, and to do so with domesticallyproduced renewable energy, not relying on imports from neighbours. Also on the positive side, the decision on grandfathering of biomass under the Renewables Obligation fell to the new Government and largely it got the answer right. Plus, the 2009 Energy Act gave the incoming government the enabling powers for a renewable heat policy, which included the ability to decarbonise the gas grid from the injection of renewable gas. This was progressed and draft legislation for the Renewable Heat Incentive has now been published, despite the coalition agreement having made no mention of it. The agreement did contain a commitment to put an emphasis on energy from waste and marine renewables. So far so good. We are still waiting for some robust indication that the new Government will set renewable transport on the road to delivery, as at the moment the biofuels sector is floundering with a policy which seems to be expressly designed not to meet the required target. Given that biofuels are one of the cheapest ways of achieving the overall renewables target, logic would suggest this must be revisited. The Jury is out The proposals for Electricity Market Reform are of major importance. The magnitude of the task of reform is huge, however, and the response to the proposals in the consultation document were far from unanimous. Despite the title of the project, it is not the electricity market that is being reformed; we are sticking with NETA - the “new electricity trading arrangements” put in place 10 years ago. EMR is more of an intervention to steer through a generation mix designed at achieving |58| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
an average of 40–60g CO2/kWh emissions (compared with nearly 500g CO2/kWh today). This is to be done by awarding contracts for new generation using low carbon sources. Essentially this will fulfil the role played by the Renewables Obligation, and extend this special treatment to nuclear power and carbon capture and storage. The renewables industry reacted to the proposed reform by wondering whether it wasn’t better to stick with what we had. The Renewables Obligation wasn’t broke, so why try to fix it? On the detail, also, the renewables industry was unanimous. Contracts for Difference are far more penal to technologies with variable levels of output (e.g. wind) and it isn’t necessary to start from the position of seeking one size to fit all with respect to the type of contract offered – the choice of contract type would effectively pick the winner. Competitive bidding for contracts was met with universal objection. The Energy and Climate Change Select Committee was forthright in its opinions. It has just published its report on the EMR, and the accompanying press release called on the coalition to “be up-front about nuclear subsidy” saying that it would be “deeply irresponsible to skew the whole process of electricity market reform simply to save face” [because it had promised not to subsidise nuclear]. So to summarise so far the Government can be praised for reiterating commitment to the 15% renewable energy target, declaring its intention to be the “greenest government ever”, suggesting it will be pragmatic on energy from waste and running with the RHI baton. It gets a question mark for its EMR proposals. It scores badly, however, on its handling of the Small Scale Feed-In Tariffs1. Trauma over PV feed-in-tariffs The Small Scale FITs for renewables were introduced in April 2010. The Government’s first intervention was in the Comprehensive Spending Review that Ocobter. It left the tariffs where they were, but declared that the spend in the final year (2014 – 15) had to be 10% less than previously anticipated. This was initially heralded as a victory, as the tariff levels had been rumoured to be facing the chop. Almost a month later in November 2010 Greg Barker was making statements in the House of Commons which seemed unashamedly and deliberately designed to undermine investor confidence the groundmounted PV projects. The following March, drastically reduced tariffs were proposed for PV projects over 50kW in size, for implementation later this year. The proposed reductions were between 40 – 70%, depending on the size of the project. DECC is digesting the results of this consultation at this very moment, along with contemplating its reaction to a challenge brought by a number of PV developers for a judicial review. Reparing the damage The Renewable Energy Association’s agenda is to get the UK back to stability as soon as possible, and see investor
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confidence restored to the sector. How is this to be done? Here are just three suggestions:Firstly, reorient the Feed-In Tariff for Small-Scale renewables back towards its original policy intent. This had been to bring adequate rates of return for investors, based on anticipated generation costs. Previously IRRs of 8 – 10% had been aimed at, with the exception of solar PV, which had been intended to be more modest, at 5% but because of falling panel costs turned to be very much higher. Industry would like to see 12% across the board. The Government should forget whether projects are over 50kW or not and stop trying to rewrite history by saying the tariffs were only ever meant to support householders and community projects. When the Tories were in opposition they were calling for the small scale feed-intariff maximum threshold to be increased from 5MW to 10MW! We welcome a more regular assessment of the tariffs, as has also been proposed, as the generation costs for PV are falling rapidly. Indeed they are expected to reach the retail price of electricity for domestic customers in the UK before the turn of the decade. Secondly on EMR – Government should step back from its position of seeking to deal with nuclear, CCS and renewables all with the same type of contract (i.e. the one that suits nuclear) and instead cater for their different needs. Have renewables-appropriate contracts for renewable generators. The first of the Select Committee’s recommendations was that “It is important that the Electricity Market Reform package is geared to deliver our renewables targets as well as our decarbonisation objectives”2 . Thirdly it could put some kind of context to power generation from biomass. We are not calling for a specific target, but given that DECC regards it as one of the seven technologies which together are anticipated to contribute around 85% of the renewable energy target and this requires a massive expansion by 2020 it is helpful to know how many GW we are aiming at. This has not been explicitly published. Contrast this with the Committee on Climate Change, which sees this sector as Image: Solar power
having no role at all in decarbonising the UK beyond that date! The Official National Renewable Energy Action plan enshrines the lead scenario from the Renewable Energy Strategy, which implies around 3.3 GW of capacity from biomass and bioenergy related power generation by 2020. Among these are a number of less glamorous or less understood technologies including landfill gas, combustion of waste, waste wood power or CHP. There are also some, which for the want of demonstration, could prove invaluable in the future in assisting us convert solid biomass into the kinds of liquid and gaseous fuels and feedstocks that our economy runs on, i.e. gasification and pyrolysis. It is rational for the Government to do all that it can to support the cheaper renewables technologies, so please let’s have the Government say loud and proud that it wants to see over 3GW of capacity delivered by 2020. In output terms that is equivalent to around 6GW of offshore wind energy, yet offshore wind dominates the agenda. Other renewables need to be up there alongside. These technologies must not be overlooked in the context of the EMR as clarity is needed where they are wastederived or do not comprise 100% biomass. Would, say, a gasification project running on solid recovered waste (say comprising 50% biomass, 50% residual plastic waste) be eligible for half its output on the basis that the biomass part is virtually zero carbon, or not eligible for a contract at all, on the basis that its overall emissions are around 400g CO2/kWh? This is not a complete list of things the government needs to do to restore confidence, but it’s a start. There is no time to lose. The rate of investment into the sector needs to accelerate, not the opposite, as has been the case recently. It has not been easy, given the economic climate, and the challenges of coalition government, but the industry is keen to work together with DECC and other relevant departments to help make it happen. 1. (NB these are not to be confused with the type of Feed-in Tariffs proposed under the EMR. The former is for renewable generation of less than 5MW capacity, the latter are for nuclear, CCS and large scale renewables.) 2. House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee. Electricity Market Reform. Fourth Report of Session 2010–12, Volume I. May 2011.
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TIMBER Page 124-127- American Hardwoods - Rupert Oliver, Environmental Consultant, American Hardwood Export (AHEC) Page 128- 129- Timber Expo Show Preview
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U.S. hardwood industry encourages decisive move towards Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) By Rupert Oliver, environmental consultant , American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) A major international effort is underway to ensure that Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) become a key part of the material selection process in the building sector. Despite their growing significance, awareness of EPDs amongst most material suppliers is still relatively low. The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has begun to address this issue in the wood sector through a major project launched at the end of last year. The project aims to promote compilation and use of EPDs in line with international standards by European and Asian joinery and furniture manufacturers of hardwoodbased products. The innovative project, which is being undertaken by PE International (PE), may offer lessons for other suppliers to the building sector. EPDs are third-party verified ecolabels that disclose the environmental performance of products in much the same way as a nutrition label discloses nutritional performance. EPDs can be prepared by industry associations for generic products (for example “American red oak lumber”) or by companies for specific product lines. The development of EPDs is a response to the confusion that arises from the wide variety of environmental claims made by material suppliers, some of which may be genuine and others bogus. A huge array of labelling systems has evolved, many certifying only a small part of the material supply chain which in reality may have only a marginal impact on the overall environmental footprint of a product. The development of EPDs also responds to a criticism of those building rating systems like LEED which allocate environmental credits to construction materials in an uncoordinated way on the basis of single attributes. This approach produces seriously inconsistent results. For example, LEED credits “regional materials” (defined |64| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
as those harvested and processed or extracted and processed within 500 miles of the project) despite LCA demonstrating that transport contributes only a relatively small proportion to the overall environmental footprint of most materials. Similarly, the LEED credit for "rapidly renewable" materials cannot be justified on environmental grounds, sending out completely the wrong signal with respect to competing land uses. It implies that it is environmentally appropriate to remove forests managed on a long rotation for timber in favour of short-rotation agricultural crops. EPDs can overcome these problems by delivering information on the full environmental impact of a material or product across its entire life cycle. They help to ensure that efforts to reduce one impact do not result in environmental degradation elsewhere. International standards have been developed to ensure that the information provided in EPDs is comparable and that environmental assessments are performed in the same way and yield the same results no matter who does the analysis. Requirements for LCA are set out in the ISO 14040 series of standards including, for example, rules for stakeholder consultation and peer review to
ensure credibility. Requirements for EPDs (or “type III environmental declarations”) are found in ISO 14025. Amongst other things, ISO14025 requires a program of Product Category Rules (PCRs) which are the detailed instructions on how to perform the LCA for EPDs in specific sectors. In 2007, basic requirements for product category rules for EPDs for building products were set out in ISO 21930. Use of EPDs is expanding rapidly in Europe where they provide the foundation of all the leading green building rating systems including DGNB (Germany), BREEAM (UK and Netherlands) and HQE (France). Formal Europewide standards for preparation of EPDs and for their use in environmental assessment of whole buildings are currently being prepared by CEN, the European standards institute. The EU is also developing a proposal that would require mandatory provision of basic EPDs for all products requiring CE Marking. Starting this year, France is already phasing in a mandatory requirement for EPDs for all consumer goods. Sustainable wood supply An important starting point for preparation of EPDs in the wood sector is to assess the sustainability of harvesting at source. Forests act as carbon sinks, since trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it as carbon. When the trees are harvested, much of the carbon remains stored in all the ensuing products thus mitigating climate change. Under the terms of EPD programs and carbon footprint standards (like the UK’s PAS 2050 standard), wood products may only be credited with this carbon storage effect if they derive from a renewable source where growth exceeds harvest. For this reason, the AHEC project incorporates a detailed analysis of U.S. government forest inventory data gathered at regular intervals over the last 60 years. This demonstrates that the volume of hardwood standing in U.S. forests increased by more than 100% from 5.2 billion m3 to 11.4 billion m3 between 1952 and 2007. Due to very low levels of hardwood forest utilisation, projections of U.S. hardwood supply indicate that harvests could rise from current levels of less than 100 million m3 to in excess of 250 million m3 within the next 40 years without threatening long term sustainability. Analysis of hardwood growth and removals indicates strong potential to significantly increase supply of most American hardwood species, with particularly strong potential in soft maple, tulipwood, red oak, white oak, ash, hickory, and hard maple. Furthermore, due to declining domestic demand for U.S. hardwoods over the last decade, a much larger proportion of supply will be available to supply export markets. Current U.S. hardwood lumber exports of around 2.5 million m3 a year could, in theory, rise to over 15 million m3 without detriment to the forest resource - although in practice achieving such an increase is |66| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
constrained by availability of hardwood logging and processing capacity in the U.S. and intense competition in export markets both from wood and non-wood products. Life Cycle Inventory data for US hardwoods PE is now compiling Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data for kiln dried American hardwood lumber from point of extraction in the forest through to point of delivery to the importers yard. The work builds on a project of the U.S. Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) which is creating a comprehensive and consistent LCI database covering forestry and logging practices, sawmilling and some aspects of kiln drying. CORRIM’s data on hardwood forestry operations in the U.S. is sufficiently comprehensive that PE has been able to concentrate their research effort on other processes. PE is refining the CORRIM data on hardwood kiln drying – which provides generic data for “hardwood lumber” - to take account of variations between hardwood species and thicknesses. An on-line questionnaire has been issued to hardwood processors in the U.S. to collect more detailed data on the kiln drying component. The questionnaire also covers the energy mix (bio-energy versus fossil fuels) during kiln drying and details of transport distances and modes of transport of logs and lumber within the U.S. Companies covering a wide range of processing types and locations are being asked to complete the questionnaire to ensure data is broadly representative of the export industry as a whole. Information from the questionnaire will be used to produce industry average LCI data for different species and thicknesses of U.S. hardwood lumber and veneer at point of delivery in major European and Asian markets. The data collection process, which currently covers U.S. hardwood lumber only, will soon be extended to include U.S. hardwood veneers. After the primary data collection for lumber and veneers is complete, this will be compiled and linked with other LCI data sets (e.g. regionspecific power mixes, transportation and fuel production processes) using PE’s unique GaBi 4 LCA software. This will provide all the data necessary to compile generic EPDs for American hardwood lumber and veneers. The EPD data will then become an integral part of the AHEC Species Guides, extending the existing technical performance data to provide comprehensive coverage of environmental aspects. In the absence of existing PCRs for hardwood sawn lumber and veneer, AHEC will work with PE, other trade associations and manufacturers to develop these in line with relevant international standards (ISO 14025). AHEC will also be contacting European and Asian wood product manufacturers directly to identify companies using American hardwoods that would be willing to engage with AHEC to publish a range of product-specific EPDs. In order to ensure credibility of the project it will be subject to independent peer review in line with ISO requirements. An external review panel is currently being constituted which will be composed of at least
4 members including internationally recognized experts in LCA, relevant ISO standards, and the wood products sector, together with representatives from the environmental NGO community and at least one other material supplying sector with an interest in promoting development of EPDs. Sensitivity analysis of environmental impact of different materials Another innovative component of the project will measure the environmental implications of specifying American hardwoods in place of other wood and nonwood materials for several specific furniture and joinery products. Through AHEC’s contacts with manufacturers in Europe and Asia, a small number of specific products will be selected – for example a chair manufactured in Germany, a table manufactured in Italy, or a door manufactured in Spain – to undertake a detailed sensitivity analysis. An overall design, function and service life will be agreed for each product, and then the environmental impact of using different combinations of materials assessed. Account will be taken not only of the life cycle impacts of delivering the various materials to the manufacturer, but also of the implications of the different materials for service life and end-of-life handling. This project component will not only inform material suppliers and manufacturers of the relative environmental impact of using American hardwoods compared to other materials, but also of where the environmental “hot spots” lie within the supply chain of these materials. In the end, this is the real strength of an LCA based approach to material specification applied through use of consistent and comparable EPDs. It allows much better targeting of measures to improve environmental performance. In some cases, it may be better to switch materials to improve the overall environmental profile of a product. In others, there may be better opportunities to improve performance through adjustments in the supply, processing, use, and disposal of the existing preferred material. An EPD programme provides the information necessary to make these judgements.
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Timber Expo – be informed, inspired and do business Rupert Scott, Marketing Manager of TRADA Technology, explains why Timber Expo will be more than just an exhibition and why timber has a unique place in the built environment of the future. • • • • • • • • • •
Date 27th & 28th September 2011 Venue Coventry’s Ricoh Arena 6,000m² Jaguar Exhibition Halls More than 100 exhibitors Target 5,000 visitors from the UK and overseas TRADA’s In Touch with Timber Conference integral part of the show The Wood Awards will be co-located with the event. Timber Buyers’ Forum launched Free Timber Talk seminars Hourly product-specific tutorials
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Image: The 3-storey atrium space along the Eden spine
Image: Glulam beams and CLT roof bearing onto CLT blades along the façade.
TRADA Technology has always believed that if the timber industry can act together, it can achieve big things. The timber supply chain comprises a vast number of operations. Valued by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) at more than £7.6 billion, the wood industries and forestry combined comprise the fifth largest industry in the UK.
Image: The complex geometry of the roof along the Eden spine is based on the Fibonacci spiral
Engineering, with B&K Structures, Global Forest Trade Network (WWF), Grainger Sawmills and Timbmet as Gold Sponsors and Balcas Timber, Coillte, Gang-Nail Systems, Latham’s (also sponsoring the VIP Lounge), Lime Technology, Norbord and UK Flooring as Silver Sponsors. The latest addition is the UK Structural Insulated Panel Association – who will be constructing one of the show seminar theatres using SIPS technology , as well as using the structure to communicate technical issues as part of a two- day Timber Talk seminar programme free to all visitors. Timber Expo will therefore be a showcase for everything that is new and exciting in timber, from flooring, cladding and decking, to timber frame, SIPS, glulam, LVL, crosslaminated and timber protection products.
Yet despite its size and influence, the timber industry has been surprisingly reticent in claiming its place in construction in the UK. Wood has been used by man for an enormous variety of purposes since prehistoric times. It can be used in conjunction with many other materials and can be found in every aspect of a building. Its inherent properties ensure good thermal and acoustic performance and, if correctly specified and designed, wood and engineered wood products provide strength where needed, as well as offering inspiration for design. As the world’s only truly renewable construction material The Timber Buyers’ Forum, a unique feature of Timber it has a unique place in the built environment of the Expo, will give exhibitors the opportunity to have prefuture. arranged, structured meetings with procurement directors/buyers. B&Q, Vinci Construction, Lend Lease, Until now, there has not been a major exhibition Jewson, Tesco, Travis Perkins, Sir Robert McAlpine and dedicated to timber in the UK, a country which in BAM are just a few of the companies who have already spite of a significant forestry sector of its own still confirmed their participation. imports almost 90% of the timber and wood products it consumes. Timber Expo, to take place in September 2011, will fill that gap and with the support of the timber industry it will provide the forum that the sector has been missing. It will raise the profile of timber, gathering together forward-thinking companies, timber commentators and business leaders, linking suppliers with specifiers and end users. Already more than 80% sold, the show will reflect an important trend, the advent of specialist timber subcontractors who by shouldering the design work for contractors, are creating new products and building systems and thus widening the specifier’s perception of timber as a sustainable and versatile material for structural and interior design. The many sponsors and exhibitors include, as Platinum sponsors, International Timber/Pasquill Timber
Timber Expo is aiming for 5,000 visitors from across the timber using and specifying sectors, both in the UK and internationally. It will therefore encompass TRADA’s inspirational In Touch with Timber conference, in a new format of four half-day sessions, accommodating 1,000 delegates over the two days. Furthermore, the winners of the Wood Awards 2011 will be unveiled at the event, adding yet more value to the visitor’s day. In short, with entry free to all who pre-register online, Timber Expo will be an event where visitors can be informed, inspired - and do business. For more information on all aspects of Timber Expo visit www.timber-expo.co.uk For a full list of exhibitors see ‘The show so far’ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |71|
In Touch with Timber – new format for popular conference TRADA ‘s popular conference In Touch with Timber is an integral part of Timber Expo. It will continue to inspire through case study examples of everything that is new and ground-breaking in timber. This year, however, it is offered across four different, three-hour modules, with a flexible pricing structure, to cater for different needs, enabling delegates to personalise their visit to Timber Expo by booking the sessions most relevant to their business. Session 1: Tuesday 27th September 9.30am – 12.30pm Timber – the first choice for excellent design Award-winning design is more than aesthetics. It should encompass all aspects, including durability, functionality and buildability. A combination of materials is usually needed to achieve a great result, so we are not advocating timber only buildings. However we definitely believe that using timber as a major material on almost any project provides the greatest scope for truly outstanding design. Leading designers draw from recent projects, many award-winning, to discuss the primary influences for their work, including Jim Greaves - Senior Partner - Hopkins Architects; and Roddy Langmuir - Partner Edward Cullinan Architects. Session 2: Tuesday 27th September 2011 1.30pm 4.30pm Growing the commercial sector Timber as a structural material has, until fairly recently, been mainly restricted to the domestic market. But many companies are introducing a new breed of high-tech, structural timber sub-contracting into the market. As a result, the commercial sector is very much ready for the taking. Four speakers from across the supply chain, representing client, designer, contractor and timber Image: Novel cross-laminated timber concrete composite construction, referred to as TimCrete
subcontractor, discuss their experiences, current projects and forward plans for this market. Speakers confirmed to date include: Martin Wood - Partner - Bryden Wood Architects; and Nick Milestone - Construction Director B&K Structures. Session 3: Wednesday 28th September 9.30am – 12.30pm Improving processes and performance Off-site construction techniques have come in and out of fashion since the 1950s. There is no doubt that there is much potential yet to be harnessed, particularly for timber, which has arguably the greatest range of possible solutions. Attention to improving performance of the processes and end product are key to achieving the gains in reality. Four speakers from different market sectors use their own case studies to discuss what has been learned - and achieved - to realise the full potential of off-site construction using wood. Speakers include: Simon Smith - Director of Buildings and Design - Ramboll UK; and Guy Nevill - Senior Partner - Max Fordham LLP (and member of the BCO Environmental Sustainability Group). Session 4: Wednesday 28th September 2011 1.30pm – 4.30pm Sustainable Timber Futures Given that only crop-based materials can be replenished, timber has to be a serious part of any sustainable building strategy in the future. While timber does indeed grow on trees, it also has to perform in use and prove that it is fit for purpose alongside alternative materials. New and exciting developments are helping to improve timber’s offering in a number of ways. Four speakers look at a major and exciting area of improvement to demonstrate the efforts made to make timber the best choice for sustainable construction. The In Touch with Timber pricing structure offers discounts with maximum flexibility. Multiple tickets can be bought and used in three ways: The same person attending several sessions Several colleagues all attending the same session Several colleagues attending different sessions Costs per session: TRADA member: 1 ticket £80 2 tickets £130 3 tickets £160 Subsequent tickets: £55 Non-member: 1 ticket £100 2 tickets £150 3 tickets £180 Subsequent tickets: £60
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Wood Awards 2011 The winners of the Wood Awards 2011 will be unveiled at the show on 27th September, adding yet more value to the visitor’s day. The Wood Awards is the UK’s premier architecture and furniture competition celebrating excellence in design in the world’s most sustainable building material. The broad entry categories are designed to attract every type and size of project in construction, joinery and furniture, and include: • Commercial & Public Access • Private/Best Small Project • Structural • Conservation/Restoration • Furniture The prestigious Gold Award goes to the ‘winner of winners’. The judges may also, at their discretion, give special awards for Outstanding Design, Outstanding Craftsmanship, and Innovation. With permission from the owner, anyone associated with a qualifying building or furniture project - from timber supplier to designer - can enter projects completed between spring 2010 and May 2011. Image: John Hope Gateway helical staircase ECA, courtesy of Edward Cullinan Architects.
The Ricoh Arena The venue for the event was selected with care. A poll of potential exhibitors was conducted, asking if they would prefer to be in London or out of town and a clear majority opted for a regional venue. The Ricoh Arena in Coventry was selected for its modern facilities, central location and easy access by road and rail – it is only an hour by train from London Euston and 20 minutes from Birmingham International Airport. Exhibitors will have a wide choice of meeting and seminar rooms, plus the option of having an exhibit in a product showcase area. The show so far A2O Group Accoya/Accsys Actis Insulation Advanced Machinery Services AHEC American Softwoods Anagram Systems A Proctor Group Aptus Fasteners Arch Timber Protection B&K Structures Balcas Bluwood Nexgen Advanced BM TRADA Canadian Timber Group Carpenter Oak Coed Cymru Coillte Combilift Core Structures Exterior Decking Frame UK
Future Roofing Construction Gang-Nail Systems Global Forest Trade Network (WWF) Grainger Sawmills Hoppings Softwood Products Innovare Systems International Timber Johann Pabst Holsindustrie Kaufmann Kerridge Commercial Systems Lathams Lime Technology MBM Speciality Forest Products M H Southern Mayr Meinhof Kaufmann Norbord OHRA Ontario Wood Osmose Timber Technologies Owatrol Pabst Holz Pasquill PEFC (with Malaysian Timber Council)
Pen Y Coed Warmcell Progressive Solutions Reindeer Wood Rotafix RTC – Passive Wall SAM Mouldings Sarum Hardwood Structures Sherpa Connectors Silva Timber Products Stakapal Stanley Works Swift Training School Timbermark Timbmet TRADA Technology Trade Fabrication Systems Universal Wood Products UK Flooring Vandecasteele Houtimport Vincent Timber W Howard Wiehag ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |73|
LABS AND TESTING Page 75 - 78 - Timber Testing - Dr Ed Suttie . BRE Page 79 - 80 - Acoustic Tools in Forestry and Wood Processing - Barry Gardiner,Wood and Timber Programme Leader, Forest Research Page 81 - 85 - Gas Analysis - Dr Andrew Hobson, Quantitech
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Timber Testing – Unpacking What is Behind Timber Construction Products By Dr Ed Suttie, BRE BRE is the UK’s largest research and consultancy business covering the built environment and all its facets. Dr Ed Suttie leads the timber and materials sustainability research in BRE. Using timber as the example, in this article he considers the array of testing behind a construction product that underpins the successful use and application in the industry in the UK. Wood is an exceptional construction material. It is highly versatile, has good thermal properties and is strong and renewable. At a time when sustainable development is at the forefront of construction and key issues such as climate change dominate our future thinking, wood is an outstanding renewable material that offers a range of environmental benefits. There are many different timber species and types of wood-based composite materials available, each with its own particular physical and mechanical properties. Correctly understanding these properties and how to specify, protect and maintain timber and wood-based products is key for delivery of effective performance in use. Timber construction has entered a new era with architects and designers using the material in exciting and innovative ways. Current trends for greater sustainability, productivity and service-life performance have influenced product innovation and supply.
A window, looks simple doesn’t it? Actually it has had hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of testing invested in it by the materials and component suppliers as well as the joinery company. Construction product development can be a slow process with many years elapsing between concepts to product for the chosen few. For the purpose of demonstrating the range of testing that supports a product we have dismantled a wooden construction product and consider what was tested and assessed to enable its use in your home. Timber properties The fundamental mechanical properties of the wood species and the joinery blank that is manufactured from laminated and finger jointer wood need to be characterised. For example the properties of the wood species such as mechanical strength (static bending, compression, tensile) are presented as data determined using BS 373 “Methods of testing small clear specimens of timber”. The grading of the timber can then either be considered by visual grading or machine grading which then accounts for strength limiting features of the species and elements. Case study: With funding from the Forestry Commission BRE’s testing laboratory is supporting the data capture to enable the machine settings for home grown Douglas fir and home grown larch timber to be generated. Thus opening more widely a market opportunity for these timbers into construction where they previously have not found application or application to date has been limited. Creep and duration of load For glued finger jointed elements the creep and duration of load character are tested to establish the permanent character of the glue line. In rooms of controlled temperature and humidity the glued sections are loaded and deflection movement is monitored over periods ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |75|
of weeks and months until the conclusive end point is reached. Case study: Supporting an investigation by Coillte Panel Products into a revolutionary new MDF type product some of the earlier product applications where identified as those requiring long term mechanical stability. The product Medite Tricoya proved to have significantly better creep resistance properties than equivalent MDF type products. This offers application for MDF in end uses where this would have been a limiting factor.
End grain sealant efficacy This tests a range of products such as sealants, glues and coatings to determine the relative contribution of end grain sealant to moisture protection for a joinery company. BRE use the British Woodworking Federation’s technical method to conduct these studies. Case study: A coating manufacturer in partnership with a joinery producer wanted to present to the market place a different proposition for a durable wood window. Instead of a class 3 wood preservative treatment, they wanted to use a surface applied wood protection system including a coating and an end grain sealant to restrict moisture ingress to the joinery product. BRE conducted a series of tests on the contribution to moisture minimisation that the end grain sealant made and gave confidence in the continued development of the proposition. Biological durability testing The durability of the material selected to make a wood product is critical in being able to deliver a reasonable working life (as demanded by the Construction Products Directive) in that particular end use environment. A suite of European Standard tests are available for wood preservative treated wood, natural durability of timber species and panel products. Gaps in standards such as that for wood modification technologies (BRE Digest 504) require expert adaptation of existing methods. The |76| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
laboratory and field tests require pure cultures of fungi and breeding colonies of termites and wood boring beetles to be able to conduct the tests. The retention required of the wood preservative is to be effective at protecting against biological deterioration caused by fungi and insects. EN113: This European Standard specifies a laboratory test method which gives a basis for the assessment of the effectiveness of a wood preservative against wood destroying basidiomycetes. By using this method it is possible to determine the preservative retention at which impregnated wood of a susceptible species may be regarded as adequately protected under the conditions of test. EN113 with relevant preconditioning is the cornerstone test standard for wood preservative products in Europe. With this critical value (effective retention) the product could enter the market with an efficacy claim. EN46 tests against Hylotrupes bajulus (House longhorn beetle) larvae and EN117 and EN118 against Reticulitermes (European subterranean termites). In addition to the efficacy of the treatment the environmental assessment of the treated wood must be considered for submission of products under the Biocidal Products Directive. This is assessed as part of leaching studies using either CEN or OECD methods to provide dossier information for the treatment. BRE can conduct the environmental performance studies required for BPD registration of wood preservatives for a formulation - recording losses of preservative to water following standard OECD guidelines or CEN/TS 15119 methods. This is conducted using EN113 sized treated wood specimens and data is typically gathered over a 6 week leaching period or longer. Case study: On-going testing for two of the world’s largest wood preservative manufacturers includes laboratory assessment and field testing. The BRE Building Technology Group works to ISO 17025, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards and is accredited by UKAS to perform the following efficacy testing against wood destroying fungi, termites and wood boring insects. BRE has the only independent UKAS accredited biological test facility in the UK with full breeding colonies of house longhorn beetle and termites. Emissions testing All construction products emit chemicals to the air. For those materials for use in indoor environments this is an important issue as the emission is released to the indoor air. In order to maintain the health and well being of the occupants of the building, avoid any smells, these emissions are quantified and can be managed to within world recognised healthy limits. Case study: Investigation of odours in new clothes cupboards in an office building, staff had complained about bad odours from a cupboard used to store clothes, air sampling from the cupboards and office revealed
unusually high levels of fatty acids in the cupboards. FLEC emission measurements (BS EN ISO 16000-10) from a sample of the shelf material in the cupboard conclusively proved that the smell was due to the cupboard material. Case study: Investigation of complaints about a strong “chemical” smell in a basement room, on site sampling revealed high levels of formaldehyde in the air. Emission measurements using BS EN ISO 16000-10 adapted for formaldehyde from a sample of plywood taken from the room demonstrated that the high levels of formaldehyde could be explained by the measured emission from the plywood.
Coating weathering testing The performance of the exterior wood coating on the window is key to the maintenance interval needed for the product and the acceptance of the system in the market place. Fully factory finished wood windows are widely available now and offer the consistency and reliability of a factory produced and coated product. To assess the performance of wood coatings we undertake EN927-5 tests of artificial weathering of coated wood specimens in QUV weathering machines that simulate UV conditions of sunlight and moisture to accelerate the degradation experienced. During exposure the samples are assessed for colour stability, adhesion of the coating and other defect characteristics. The other longer term test is EN927-3 the natural weathering performance for exterior wood coatings is assessed over a one year period to inform on the suitability as exterior coatings. Acoustics and Sound Insulation Acoustic conditions are a key issue for occupants of any building from schools to hospitals, our homes to supermarkets. Failing to achieve a client’s expectations or statutory requirements leads to complaints and has been linked with dissatisfaction and adverse health effects for the building occupants. With the pressures to develop buildings in close proximity to major traffic links, it is inevitable that the external building elements will be exposed to increasingly higher levels of noise. Without appropriately specified fenestration, the internal noise environment can become an undesirable place to live or work.
Design teams need accurate facts and figures relating to products such as windows to give them confidence that the proposed solution complies with statutory or employer’s requirements. Independent laboratory tests of sound insulation to BS EN ISO 140-3, within a purpose built UKAS accredited testing laboratory, provide a consistent and readily comparable performance measure. Suppliers of products tested to these standards set themselves ahead of the competition, whilst design and purchasing teams can specify tested products with confidence.
Weather tightness The overall weather tightness of the whole window is tested. The window is fitted into a special rig that creates pressure on one side of the window that is then sprayed with water simulating driving rain. This helps manufacturers understand how the whole product works and helps them assess, improve and develop the performance of their windows, doors and rooflights. The BRE team assess, test, inspect or investigate with regards to weather tightness, air permeability, water tightness, wind resistance, operation, strength, air tightness, air flow characteristics, impact resistance, security testing and CE Marking. Environmental product declaration (EPD) Timber from a sustainable and legal source is a hugely credible carbon store and a capable construction product, be it as cross laminated timber (CLT), a window, a box beam or a solid hardwood floor. An EPD is a means of a company communicating the environmental impacts of a product in a uniform and considered way. The EPD is under-pinned by a comprehensive Life Cycle Inventory and assessment to capture the impacts through from cradle to grave or cradle to cradle to cradle. In the UK the boundaries of the LCA method and the way the impacts would be assessed, weighted and summarised was agreed in the mid 1990s by all sectors and provided the basis for the Green Guide to Specification (BRE publication and on-line www.thegreenguide.org.uk). The Green Guide underpins the materials component of the regulatory framework for delivery of low impact construction in the UK using BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes. The Green Guide independently demonstrates the environmental credentials of ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |77|
construction products and enabling specifiers to compare impacts for different solutions and select the lowest impact ones. Service life performance Service Life Prediction or Planning is a process that seeks to ensure, as far as possible, that the service life of a building will equal or exceed its design life, while taking into account (and preferably optimising) its life cycle costs (ISO 15686-1). The building sector in the UK is under pressure to improve its cost effectiveness, quality, energy efficiency, environmental performance and reduce the use of non-renewable resources. A key issue for the competitiveness of wood is the delivery of reliable components of controlled durability with minimum maintenance needs and life cycle costs. A first attempt has been made at a predictive model delivered by the pan-European R&D project “Woodexter” including BRE. It is a simple tool that connects climate, moisture, building, design, sheltering, consequence of failure, resistance of the material to indicate whether a satisfactory service life will be reached. A guideline and tool for decking and cladding is available for download (www.kstr.lth.se).
which will replace the Construction Products Directive (CPD). The main provisions of the CPR will not come into force until July 2013, which will in effect make CE marking mandatory for construction products covered within each of the EC mandates. This will have major implications for UK manufacturers, designers, specifiers and regulators as CE marking will be mandatory in the UK for a number of construction product types. The core principle is that CE marking should give companies easier access into the European market to sell their products without adaptation or rechecking. It is a widely recognised and accepted mark. BRE works with clients to support them and develop the package required to achieve CE marking for their products. About BRE BRE is the UK’s leading centre of expertise for construction, the built environment, sustainability, energy, fire and many associated issues. We provide research, consultancy, information and testing services to customers worldwide. www.bre.co.uk BRE is owned by the BRE Trust, a registered charity (no. 1092193) with a mission to champion excellence and innovation in the built environment for the benefit of all. www.bretrust.org. uk BRE has comprehensive, integrated capabilities for timber and construction related research and consultancy. We are involved in projects ranging from the evaluation of the sustainability of wood products and properties of newly available species, to the structural performance, service life and behaviour of modern products.
CE marking CE marking is a declaration by the manufacturer that the product meets all the appropriate provisions of the relevant legislation implementing certain European Directives. A wood window is a highly complex product. For a wood window to be CE marked it would include typically the depth and breadth of testing that has been described above and most likely additional studies of glue bond strength, gasket performance, metal fixing and fastenings performance all to the recognized European standards. CE marking is currently carried out using the Construction Products Directive (CPD) with reference to a harmonised product standard (hEN), currently not mandatory in the UK. However, the European Commission and UK Government adopted the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), on 4 April 2011, |78| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
BRE’s extensive knowledge and involvement in innovative projects means that we can provide cutting-edge support and advice throughout the timber life cycle, including: - Processing: best practice and innovation in sawing, kiln drying, machining, grading, scanning, edge jointing - Engineering: develop and measure the performance of structural timber and timber products and conduct site investigations - Specification: the behaviour and long-term performance of different wood species and wood composites including environmental aspects, life-cycle analysis and structural behaviour - Wood performance: durability of wood and wood products, the use of wood protection and durability enhancing technologies including exterior coatings to enhance performance, causes of and how to prevent deterioration, service life attainment - Resource efficiency and management of timber: local sources of timber, innovative applications, recycling and reuse of timber and timber products A complete review of BRE’s services can be found at www. bre.co.uk and to source BRE publications see www.brepress.com For further information visit www.bre.co.uk/timber
Acoustic Tools in Forestry and Wood Processing By Barry Gardiner, Wood and Timber Programme Leader, Forest Research Acoustic tools for testing material properties have been available for many years. Recently these tools have been applied to testing the properties of wood in standing trees, logs and sawn timber. Tools for identifying the existence of rot in trees have been widely used for a number of years and are of particular value in the arboriculture industry. However, in this article we are concerned with tools that provide a measure of the stiffness of wood. With the improvements in the reliability and ruggedness of these instruments they are now becoming an integral part of timber testing in many parts of the world including Great Britain. On average close to 50% of all variability in the properties of sawn wood is between trees within a forest stand, and something close to 35% of variation is found within each tree. Therefore, the main driver behind the use of acoustic tools is to identify trees that will produce wood with specific properties and to segregate this material as early in the processing chain as possible (Wang et al., 2007). This avoids unnecessary costs in processing material that is not fit for purpose and allows better and more profitable use of the resource. The earlier in the chain this can be done the greater the potential
Image: © Crown Copyright
Image: Schematic of Harvester head © Timber Sonics Ltd Image: © Crown Copyright
economic benefit. At present there are a number of hand-held acoustic tools which are designed for use on standing trees and they all work on the “time of flight” principle by measuring the time a sound pulse takes to travel between two probes hammered into the tree stem approximately 1 m apart. The time required to make these measurements, which is of the order of a minute, means that in general they are only used in surveys or in pre-harvest assessments to measure general stand properties. Only in stands of very valuable timber might it be worthwhile assessing every individual tree. However, recent developments that incorporate acoustic technology into the head of harvesting machines provide the possibility of decisions being made for every tree harvested (www.timbersonics.com). These could be on the log length to be cut and how to segregate logs into different loads for different end-uses, and these decisions could be adjusted automatically as market conditions or customer requirements change. In the future it will also be possible to determine wood density and grain angle at the time of felling so that a complete description will be obtained of every log harvested, and with advances in Radio Frequency Detection (RFD) it will be possible to send this information with the log to the processor. Unfortunately, the earlier a measurement is made from the final product the weaker the correlations are between the acoustic measurements and the parameters of interest, which in our case is wood stiffness. Therefore, although ideal in allowing segregation at the earliest possible stage of wood processing measurements on standing trees or trees being felled have a higher level of uncertainty than those made directly on cut logs or on the sawn timber. The reasons for this are not completely understood yet but relate to the exact positioning and distance between probes and over what part of the standing stem information is being integrated . This means that measurements made on logs at the roadside in the forest, in the log yard, or on the in-feed line of a sawmill can provide additional valuable information. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |79|
All the acoustic tools used for measurements on logs or sawn timber use the “resonance” method in which a tap from a hammer induces the sample to resonate at its natural frequency, which is then measured using an accelerometer or a microphone. These tools can be used to segregate logs or to adjust cutting patterns in the sawmill based on different velocity thresholds. They have also proven to be of value in estimating the moisture content of logs due to the increase in acoustic velocity as the moisture content decreases.
The ease of operation and reliability of acoustic tools means that they are now becoming integrated into the surveying of forests, pre-harvest assessments, tree and log segregation, decisions on processing, and grading of timber around the world. A general outline of the use of acoustic tools at different stages of the forestry wood chain can be found in Mochan et al. (2009) and illustrated in Table 1. Further work is still required to completely understand the repeatability and precision of measurements using such tools and the exact nature of the information they provide. Only by such careful analysis can the full potential and benefits of the use of acoustic tools in the forestry wood chain be realised.
In addition, because of their small size and low cost, hand-held acoustic tools can be a good solution for timber grading of small quantities of timber for which standard grading using bending or x-ray systems would be prohibitively expensive (e.g. http://www.brookhuis. com/en/products/strength-grading.php?). For larger scale operations the use of in-line acoustic testing or the addition of acoustic testing in parallel to standard x-ray grading can provide excellent discrimination of sawn timber performance and is now offered as part of grading systems (e.g. http://www.microtec.eu/ProductView. aspx?Lang=en-US&Cid=975&Nid=10262,10342,10515; http://www.falconengineeringusa.com/grading.html; http://www.dynalyse.se/)
References Mochan, S., Connolly, T. and Moore, J. 2009. Using acoustic tools in forestry and the wood supply chain. Forestry Commission Technical Note 018, Edinburgh, UK. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/PDF/FCTN018.pdf/$FILE/ FCTN018.pdf Wang, X., P. Carter, R.J. Ross, and B.K. Brashaw. 2007. Acoustic assessment of wood quality of raw forest materials--a path to increased profitability. Forest Prod. J. 57(5):6-14.
Table 1: Examples of acoustic tools and their applications. Tool
Application(s)
Manufacturer
Web site
ST-300
Standing tree
Fibre-gen, New Zealand
www.fibre-gen.com
Sylvatest Duo
Standing tree
CBS–CBT, France
www.sylvatest.com
TreeTap
Standing tree
University of Cantebury, New Zealand
www.research.canterbury. ac.nz
TreeSonic
Standing tree
Fakopp Enterprises,, Hungary
www.fakopp.com
IML Hammer
Standing tree
Instrumenta Mechanic Labor GmbH, Germany
www.iml.de
TreeStar
Standing Tree
Timber Sonics Ltd., Scotland
www.timbersonics.com
LG-640
Felled logs/sawn timber
Fibre-gen, New Zealand
www.fibre-gen.com
RLG
Felled logs/sawn timber
Fakopp Enterprises,, Hungary
www.fakopp.com
HM-200
Felled logs/sawn timber
Fibre-gen, New Zealand
www.fibre-gen.com
Dynagrade
Sawn timber
Dynalyse AB, Sweden
www.dynalyse.se/
ViSCAN
Sawn timber
Microtec, Italy
www.microtec.eu
MTG
Sawn timber
AB Brookhuis Micro Electronics, Netherlands
www.brookhuis.com
PUNDIT
Laboratory
CNS Farnell, UK
www.cnsfarnell.com
Grindosonic
Laboratory
J W Lemmens, Belgium
www.grindosonic.com/en/
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Gas analysis: choosing the right technology Dr Andrew Hobson from Quantitech outlines the key factors affecting the choice of analyser for process, ambient and stack monitoring. In doing so, he claims that FTIR has become the dominant technology where accurate multiparameter speciation is required. Introduction A potentially bewildering array of options present gas detection professionals with an opportunity to spend anything from a few hundred to tens of thousands of pounds on a single analyser. This choice is further complicated by the emergence of new technologies and new regulatory requirements, so whilst this article will provide an outline of some of the options, there is no substitute for expert advice.
Applications – stack monitoring (Image 1) More than thirty certified continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) are available employing a variety of technologies. These include Ultraviolet (UV) and Infrared (IR) absorption, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS), chemiluminescence and photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS). Numerous techniques are also available for the measurement of particulates.
Traditionally commonplace in occupational safety monitoring, multiparameter analysers enable operators to test for the gases of most concern in the workplace. However, in recent years, multiparameter gas analysers have become more prevalent in stack gas analysis as the technology has been proven and MCERTS (The Environment Agency's monitoring certification scheme) approved instruments have become available. Multiparameter analysers are generally more expensive than single parameter analysers. However, the cost comparison moves in favour of multiparameter as more gases are measured. Furthermore, many process operators have chosen multiparameter because it provides them with the option to add further gases at a later stage – 'future proofing' their monitoring capability.
Many factors affect the choice of analyser, but the regulatory requirement is of course the most significant. A coal fired power station for example, may only be required to monitor SO2, NOx and CO, whereas a municipal waste incineration plant will have to monitor other parameters such as organic compounds, HCl, HF, dioxins, heavy metals etc.
With over 100 Gasmet FTIR (Fourier Transform InfraRed) analysers installed in the UK, Quantitech has an obvious bias in favour of this technology. However, as time passes, FTIR is finding ever-increasing application in a wide variety of industries and applications. Whilst writing this article, for example, an engineer called for advice on the measurement of Benzene. A single parameter infrared analyser at a cost of about £10k was the obvious solution. Then the caller mentioned a further need to measure Sulphur Hexafluoride, which would incur a further £10k. So, at this point portable FTIR has to come into consideration because if the caller needs to measure three parameters, now or in the future, then the costeffectiveness of multiparameter starts to outweigh single parameter analysers.
If a process operator is only required to monitor, say, three parameters, single gas analysers might be the most cost-effective alternative. However, if more gases are required (now or in the future) a multiparameter analyser would cost less. Portable, MCERTS approved and relatively low cost, Horiba's PG250 multiparameter analyser has been very popular because it is a portable stack gas analyser that can simultaneously measure up to five separate gas components using the same standard reference measurement methods employed in permanently installed CEMS. These include NDIR for CO, SO2, and CO2, Chemiluminescence for NOx, and a Paramagnetic sensor (on the latest model) for O2 measurements. (Image 2) Many of Quantitech's test house customers employ the Horiba PG250 (or the latest version, the PG250 SRM) to perform compliance monitoring on incinerator stacks for a broad range of parameters and to conduct QAL 2 calibration of CEMS, following the requirements of BS EN 14181. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |81|
In recent years there has also been an enormous growth in the popularity of FTIR based multiparameter monitoring systems – both portable and continuous. More than 2000 Gasmet systems have been supplied worldwide.
Image 1: Stack monitoring
An FTIR spectrometer obtains infrared spectra by first collecting an ‘interferogram’ of a sample signal with an interferometer, which measures all infrared frequencies simultaneously to produce a spectrum. Sample identification is possible because chemical functional groups absorb light at specific frequencies. In addition, through calibration of the spectrometer, it is possible to determine the intensity of the absorption (relative to the component concentration). As a multicomponent gas analyser, the Gasmet FTIR is therefore ideal for process operators that need to: 1) Analyse multiple components, or 2) Analyse hot/wet gas (e.g., hot humid applications for HCN, NH3 or HCl etc) 3) Analyse any gas in complicated gas mixtures The Gasmet library of reference spectra consists of reference files of gas spectra measured to date with different Gasmet gas analysers. The library contains hundreds of spectra and each reference spectrum contains both quantitative and qualitative information about the component. This means that users are able to analyse samples retrospectively if a new parameter becomes of interest. Whilst FTIR is able to analyse an enormous number of gases, the technique is not suitable for noble (or inert) gases, homonuclear diatomic gases (e.g., N2, Cl2, H2, F2, etc) or H2S (detection limit too high). High levels of accuracy and low levels of maintenance are achieved as a result of continuous calibration with a He-Ne laser, which provides a stable wavenumber scale. In addition, high spectral signal to noise ratio and high wavenumber precision are characteristic of the FTIR method. This yields high analytical sensitivity, accuracy and precision. The Gasmet FTIR analyser is MCERTS approved for nine of the most important parameters. However, with such a vast array of measurable parameters possible, existing users are able to take measurements that help improve process control and allay any concerns with potential additional monitoring requirements in the future. FTIR is not currently certified for VOCs, however this is a subject that is currently being actively investigated. The analysers outlined above monitor a sample stream that is extracted from the stack. However, in-situ multiparameter analysers are also available for measurement within the stack. |82| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Image 2:
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In addition to the regulatory requirement, a range of other factors affecting the choice of analyser include the gas mixture, temperature, flow rate, the external environment, stack accessibility and budget. FTIR is now available in both portable and fixed online instruments, but importantly the Gasmet FTIR is exactly the same in each version. The advantage of a portable version is that it provides great flexibility; not only can the instrument be used at multiple locations, it can also be utilised for different applications – environmental, process, research, occupational safety, leak detection, spill response etc. Applications – process monitoring (Image 3) Similar factors affect the choice of analyser for monitoring manufacturing or production processes. However, gas concentrations tend to be higher and MCERTS approval is not essential. Nevertheless, manufactured products and processes tend to change so there is a strong argument for flexibility in the monitoring strategy.
and that measurement requirement is not likely to change, the most economic solution would be to install a single parameter analyser. However, if multiple gas analysis is a possibility, such as specific hydrocarbons or water vapour, FTIR is likely to be the best choice. This technology is also ideal for applications in which it is necessary to measure low concentrations of some gases amongst high concentrations of others. FTIR is also ideal when you know the 'needle that you are looking for in the haystack' because you can often find it or prove that it is not there. Applications – ambient monitoring (Image 4) Environmental monitoring of ambient gas levels is generally conducted at governmental and local authority level and also for research purposes. Such analysers employ similar methodologies and the same arguments exist for single and multiparameter instruments. The portable ambient monitoring sector is more fragmented because the reasons for monitoring are more diverse. Personal gas detectors employ low cost technologies that are mostly single parameter and capable of providing early warning of unsafe occupational exposure. Similar technologies, such as electrochemical sensors, are often employed for workplace surveys or leak detection. Portable gas detectors are usually low in cost but it is important to be aware of the potential effects of interferences from other gases and of response factors to different organic vapours, for example.
Image 3:
Portable instruments enable users to monitor at multiple sites or locations. However, FTIR offers enormous flexibility to monitor almost any gas, which radically increases the number of locations at which the analyser can be utilised. Continuous process monitoring is preferable in many instances because it provides an opportunity for feedback control of the process and/or the creation of alarms. If a single gas measurement is required in one location |84| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Speciation of multiple gases within a mixture requires significantly more expensive technology. For example, individual volatile organic gases can be measured by a photo ionisation detector in conjunction with a gas chromatograph, and infra red analysers are able to measure multiple parameters by comparing sample wavelengths against a stored library. The most recent development is the transfer of FTIR technology to the portable instrument sector. This has resulted in a portable analyser that is able to produce laboratory levels of accuracy for gas analysis in the field. Quantitech first launched the Gasmet DX4030 portable FTIR analyser in the UK during 2007 and in 2009 18 units were ordered by the Environment Agency for a new multi agency rapid response Air Quality Cell as part of a total instrumentation contract valued in excess of £1 million. (Image 5)
Image 4:
The Gasmet DX4030 can be configured for specific applications such as anaesthetic gases, fumigants, industrial chemicals etc. However, by generating a complete infrared spectrum of the sample air, it becomes possible to perform an analysis for almost any gas - substantially reducing the risk of failing to identify a significant compound. Summary Similar gas detection technologies are employed for ambient, stack, process, research and workplace monitoring. However, the choice of analyser is dictated by a wide range of factors that can have a substantial effect on the cost, so it is often helpful to obtain expert advice before making an investment in monitoring technology. Whilst FTIR is fast becoming the answer to many of the questions, it is not the only answer. Separate samplers and analysers are necessary for Hydrogen Sulphide, Dioxins, heavy metals etc. However, the purpose of this article has been to highlight the fact that FTIR has become the dominant technology for applications which necessitate the measurement of multiple parameters.
Image 5:
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LAND MANAGEMENT Page 88 - 95 - Stabilisation and Solidification of Contaminated Soil and Waste Part 2: Soil Properties and The Soil-Binder System - Dr Colin Hills, Director, Centre for Contaminated Land Remediation, University of Greenwich
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Stabilisation and Solidification of Contaminated Soil and Waste Part 2: Soil Properties and the Soil-Binder System By Dr Colin Hills, Director, Centre for Contaminated Land Remediation, University of Greenwich Scope In the first part of this occasional series of articles on s/s technology, Dr Colin Hills Director of the Centre for Contaminated Land Remediation at the University of Greenwich, introduced stabilisation/solidification (s/s) as a risk management strategy. This was done in the context of the Environment Agency Guidance of 2004 [1] and with reference to recent projects, including the on-going $400M Sydney Tar Ponds remedial operation in Nova Scotia, Canada. In this second article, co-authored by Dr Peter Gunning of Carbon8 Systems Ltd, the science behind s/s is introduced with reference to key soil properties and the interactions between soil and the binders, and reagents used for stabilisation and solidification. This article sets the scene for subsequent papers in this series, which examine the s/s treatment of inorganic and organic contaminated soils, and the long-term performance of s/s waste forms. Introduction Knowledge of the soil/matrix type is important when stabilisation/solidification (s/s) is planned for the remediation of contaminated soil. The characterisation of soil allows a prediction of the performance of the soilbinder system, and any adverse impacts (of the soil being treated) on the waste form. ‘Knowing’ your soil also aids the selection of a binder system to be employed.
Key soil characteristics The particle size distribution of a soil to be stabilised can influence the final strength of the product. Well-graded materials tend to exhibit a linear increase in unconfined compressive strength (UCS) with increased addition of cement binder content. However, when small quantities of binder are used, a soils grading may unduly affect strength development. The clay minerals give unique engineering properties to clayey soils: cohesion and plasticity. Cohesive material can be considered to form a coherent mass. Noncohesive (granular) material, on the other hand, will not [2]. BS 5930 (1999) allows for the classification of soils [3]. Knowledge of the cohesivity of a soil guides the approach to treatment by s/s. For example, cohesive soils mix poorly and an additional (lime-treatment) step to decrease plasticity can significantly improve the workability of the material, enabling ex-situ treatments to be used. Where soils contain expansive clay minerals with high liquid limits (40-60%), the liquid limit can be used to gauge the amount of cement required to stabilise a soil. Soils with higher liquid limits may require too much cement and be uneconomical to treat [4].
The nature of soil can vary considerably from one contaminated site to another and within a particular site. The chemical and physical properties of a soil have an important influence on both contaminant mobility and short-term and the final waste form properties, including the engineering behaviour of a material, both in terms of its strength/performance and leaching behaviour. Table 1 gives soil characteristics and their implications on s/s, whereas Figure 1 shows initial works at the Sydney Tar Pond Site, in Nova Scotia. The soils encountered, included made ground and estuarine silts and clays.
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Figure 1: The start of remedial works at the Sydney Tar Ponds, Nova Scotia (image courtesy of the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency)
Table 1: Soil classifications and properties (modified from [5]) Grain size
Coarse sand Fine sand
Silt
Clay
Upper size limit (mm)
2
0.2
0.06
0.002
Average number of particles per g
350
350,000
3x108
3x1111
Average surface area per g (cm2)
40
400
4000
60000
Typical mineralogical make-up Quartz
•
•
•
•
Feldspar
•
•
•
•
Rock Fragments
• •
•
Ferro-magnesium minerals 2° clay minerals
•
Heavy minerals
• General characteristics
Loose grained
•
•
Smooth and flour-like
•
Sticky and plastic
•
Non-cohesive
•
Air in pore space Visible to naked eye Implications for S/S Easily mixed
•
•
Potential for increased permeability
•
•
Moisture sensitive
•
•
No - easily stabilised
••
Pozzolanic The moisture content of a soil is important [2]. If a soil or waste contains too much water then the porosity and permeability once treated is likely to be high, and the density and strength will be lower. The moisture in a soil can be adjusted by stockpiling and draining or alternatively, water can be added to soil that is too dry. Soil can also be dried using lime, but more immediate adjustment and compaction facilitates longer-term strength gain [6,7]. The permeability of a soil results from the size and interconnectivity of its pore structures, and is in turn related to the soils particle size distribution, and particle shape and soil microstructure [8]. In general, the smaller the particles, the smaller are the average size of the pores and the lower the coefficient of permeability. The transport of water through a soil will be faster if the soil has a higher coefficient of permeability than if it has a lower value. However, the rate of transport of contaminants can depend upon a number of ‘other’ factors, as discussed later in this series of articles. The strength of a soil measures its capacity to withstand stresses without collapsing or becoming deformed [8,9]. |90| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
•
In general, coarser textured materials have greater soil strengths than those with small particle size. For example, quartz sand grains are subject to little compressibility, whereas clays are more easily compressed.
Some soils are susceptible to volume change as moisture content varies. For example, loess deposits are incompressible when dry, but when wet or subjected to shock or dynamic loading they can suddenly collapse. Soils can swell due to rebound after a period of compression, as a result of the introduction of water, or swell due to the action of frost or from the exposure to air and moisture, as in the case of some shales. Swelling test requirements exist for stabilised soils [10].
Binders for use in s/s Binders can impart both chemical and physical stability to the treated product. Binders can be considered as falling into two broad groups: primary agents e.g. cement and lime, and additives, including pulverised fuel ash (PFA), ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS), silica fume and natural pozzolans. Other additives include bitumen, polymers and modified clays (See Table 2).
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Table 2: Common binders used in S/S (modified from [11]) Primary Binders
Additives Inorganic
Organic
Portland Cement
Activated carbon
Bitumen
Lime
Neutralising agents
Urea formaldehyde
Alkali-activated slag cement
Oxidising agents
Polybutadiene
Alkali-activated pozzolana cement
Phosphates Organophilic clays
Polyester polyethylene
Kiln dust
Carbonates
Organic polymers
Calcium aluminate cement
Zeolites
Rubber particulates
Reducing agents
Sulfides
Silica fume Surfactants Sulfides Gypsum Pulverised fuel ash (PFA) Iron slag Soluble silicate The interaction of primary binders and additives with soil is described below. However, the stabilisation of contaminants in a bound system also depends on the speciation of the contaminants involved [12,13]. Primary binders can be used alone to encapsulate contaminants chemically and (or) physically in the treated waste form. Additives may not be effective on their own, but when used in conjunction with small quantities of lime or cement can constitute a blended-binder. Additives may be used to ‘tailor’ the redox environment of an s/s system for particular contaminants and to meet quality criteria, such as reduced permeability [14]. Cement is commonly used for s/s applications and can be used with a number of additives including fly ash, soluble silicates and organophilic clays [15]. Cement stabilisation is best suited for inorganic wastes and contaminants, although organic compounds can also be treated [16]. Conversely, many organic compounds and certain inorganic contaminants, e.g. borates, sulfates and some heavy metals, can adversely affect the setting of cement due to reduction in the formation of the crystalline structure, resulting in a more amorphous material [12]. Lime is typically used in s/s applications in the form of quicklime (CaO) and hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2). It is normally applied to fine grained soils for the purposes of modifying pH to stabilise contaminants [16], and the dehydrating effect of quicklime is beneficial for improving the engineering properties of waterlogged ground, sludges and slurries. The hydration reaction of quicklime increases the surface area of the reagent assisting in the encapsulation of organic contaminants [15]. Lime is normally used in conjunction with additives such as surfactants and silicates to improve properties and reduce permeability, or with pozzolanic materials to form |92| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
composites with cementitious properties [12]. Excessive carbon in some PFA may have advantages when used for s/s of certain contaminants, as the carbon surfaces are sites for adsorption and decrease contaminant mobility. PFA may be used with lime or cement, but the former may have a higher leaching rate than cement. It is worth noting that the rate of formation of certain cement minerals such as ettringite and monosulfate may be important as these minerals can readily chemically combine certain metallic and anionic contaminants. PFA has been used to form zeolitic structures for the stabilisation of chromium and cadmium containing residues [17], whereas other work using PFA involved the successful stabilisation of ferro-vanadium wastes [18], lead and chromium [19] and boron [20]. Both cement and lime are sufficiently alkaline to activate the cementitious properties of GGBS. Several other materials, including sulfates, chlorides and alkalisilicates, are also activators [21]. Many waste-streams contain components that will activate GGBS [18] including sodium salts e.g. OH, CO3, SiO3, PO4, HPO4 and F. Talling and Brandster (1989) reported that alkali-activated GGBS has enhanced resistance to waste/binder interference effects caused by, for example, the presence of organic compounds known to interfere with cement hydration [21]. Binders incorporating GGBS may have improved durability performance compared to conventional cement-based materials. Interaction of soil and binder Soils are complex mixtures comprising solid, liquid and gaseous phases. The nature of the soil matrix can influence the efficacy of s/s and any pre-treatment that may be required. It is well established that soil organic matter (SOM) may affect the cementing of soils [22].
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The presence of clays may lead to early stiffening of the hardening mix requiring use of a plasticising agent, but clays may also adsorb organic compounds considered responsible for retardation of cement set. During the hydration of cement, C-S-H is produced and a pH of 12-13 results. At this high pH, clay minerals can react to produce a gel-phase, which further cements the soil matrix. However, silt particles can cause an initial reduction in strength of the waste form during the first 3-6 months, although after a year strength is likely to be greater than if silt was absent. The interactions of cement and lime on soils are broadly similar. Guidance on the various applications of lime for soil stabilisation is readily available [23], and its use as CaO or as Ca(OH)2 results in a two-stage reaction. The first-stage reaction of lime with soil changes soil properties in minutes to hours. There is a decrease in the plasticity of a clayey and an increase in strength, soil dehydration, and change in clay particle chemistry as Na+ and H+ (from the clay minerals) are exchanged for Ca2+(from the lime). The reaction of soil with Ca(OH)2 is similar. The second stage of the reaction process involves solidification over days and weeks as a result of pozzolanic reactions [24]. As described, the addition of lime to clay promotes the dissolution of silica and alumina (particularly at the edge sites of the clay particles) producing C-S-H and C-A-H gels [25]. As clay minerals agglomerate and flocculate (and plastic index decreases) the soils shear strength increases, which facilitates handling. However, depending on soil type, both an increase and decrease in liquid limits has been observed [26]. Thompson [27] showed that organic matter with a high cation exchange capacity retarded the strength producing pozzolanic reactions. However, Arman and Munfakh [26] concluded that organic soil-lime mixtures do retain strength characteristics, but in the context of contaminated land, the most significant physical change is in permeability, which may initially increase depending on the time taken between mixing and compaction, and curing. Both quicklime and hydrated lime have been widely used in the USA as part of an s/s remediation strategy, including in conjunction with other materials such as PFA. It should be noted that the addition of lime or cement has a profound effects on SOM, as the increase in pH leads to the mobilisation of humic and fulvic acids. If a soil has a high organic content, humic and fulvic acids may interfere with the setting of the cementitious binder [28]. It should also be established that some metal contaminants, such as Cu, can readily complex with SOM and become mobilised during s/s [25]. Guidance on |94| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
how to improve the effectiveness of s/s in respect of the additives and binders available has been summerised by Conner [29]. Summary The properties of soils can have an important influence on the physical and chemical characteristics of the mature waste form. Soils are themselves complex mixtures of organic and mineral matter that may contain contaminants that are present in pore space or bound to SOM or clay particles. A wide variety of binders can be used for s/s, including lime or cement. The high pH environment resulting from binder addition causes soils to undergo a 2-stage reaction process leading to s/s. Contaminants are adsorbed, precipitated and physically trapped and/or incorporated into crystalline phases in the hardened waste form. References [1] Environment Agency. (2004). Guidance on the use of Stabilisation/Solidification for the Treatment of Contaminated Soil. Science Report SC980003/ SR2. http:// publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/ pdf/SCHO0904BIFO-e-e.pdf. Accessed 24.03.2011. [2]
British Standards Institution. (1990) BS EN 1924: Part 1. Stabilized materials for civil engineering purposes. Part 1: General requirements, sampling, sample preparation and tests on materials before stabilization.
[3] British Standards Institution. (1999) BS 5930. Code of practice for site investigations [4]
Stavridakis, E.I. and Hatzigogos, T.N. (1999 Influence of Liquid Limit and Slaking on Cement Stabilised Clayey Admixtures. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering 17, pp. 145-154.
[5] Townsend, W.N. (1973) An introduction to the scientific study of the soil. 5th edition. St. Martin's Press (New York). [6]
Holt, C.C. and Freer-Hewish, R.J. (1996) Lime Treatment of Capping Layers under the Current DoT Specification for Highway Works. Lime Stabilisation. Thomas Telford, London, 1996, pp 251-261.
[7]
Glendinning, S. and Boardman, D.I. (1996) Lime Treatment of Metal Contaminated Clay Soils. In: Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society and the Hydrogeological Group. (Eds. Lerner, D. N., and Walton, N.), University of Portsmouth, UK, pp. 249-258.
[8] British Standards Institution. (1990) BS 1377. Methods of test for Soils for civil engineering purposes.
[9] Brady, N.C. and Weil, R.R. (1996) The Nature and Properties of Soils. 11th edition. Prentice Hall, Inc. [10] MacNeil, D.T. and Steele, D.P. (2001). Swell test requirements for lime stabilised materials. Transport Research Laboratory, TRL Report No. 505. [11] Shi and Spence (2005) Introduction. In: Spence, R., Shi, C. (eds) stabilisation/solidification of hazardous, radioactive and mixed wastes. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 49-78.
Concrete Research 33 (2), pp. 289-295.
[20] Palomo, A. and Lopez de la Fuente, J.I. (2003) Alkali- Activated Cementitious Materials: Alternative Matrices for the Immobilisation of Hazardous Wastes. Part 1. Stabilisation of Boron, Cement and Concrete Research 33, pp. 281–288. [21] Talling, B. and Brandster, J. (1989) Present State and Future of Alkali-Activated Slag Concretes. American Concrete Institute Special Publication, SP-114, pp. 1519-1545
[12] Hursthouse, A.S. (2001) The relevance of speciation in the remediation of soils and sediments contaminated by metallic elements - an overview and examples from Central Scotland, UK. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 3, pp. 49-60
[22] Tremblay, H., Duchesne, J., Locat, J. and Leroueil, S. (2002) Influence of the Nature of Organic Compounds on Fine Soil Stabilization with Cement. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 39, pp. 535-546.
[13] Kaplan, D.I. and Knox, A.S. (2004) Influence of Sediment Redox Conditions on Contaminant Stabilization by Apatite and Fe(0). US Department of Energy Report. Available at http://www.osti.gov/. Accessed 06.05.2011.
[23] Angel, S., Bradshaw, K., Clear, C.A., Johnson, D., Kenny, M., Price, B.W. and Southall, M. (2004) Essential guide to stabilisation/solidification for the remediation of brownfield land using cement and lime. British Cement Association.
[14] Al-Tabbaa, A. and Perera, A.S.R. (2006) UK Stabilisation/Solidification Treatment and Remediation – Part 1: Binders, Technologies, Testing and Research. Land Contamination & Reclamation 14 (1).
[24] Shi, C. and Day, R.L. (1995) A Calorimetric Study of Early Hydration of Alkali-Slag Cements. Cement and Concrete Research 25, pp. 1333-1346.
[15] Barr, D., Bardos, R.P. and Nathanail, C.P. (2003) Non- biological Methods for Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Land – Case Studies. Construction Industry Research and Information Association Report No. C588. [16] Bone, B., Barnard, L., Boardman, D., Carey, P., Hills, C. Jones, H., MacLeod, C. and Tyrer, M. (2005) Stabilisation/Solidification for the Treatment of Contaminated Soil. CL:AIRE (Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments) guidance bulletin GB1. Available at http://www.claire.co.uk. Accessed 06.05.2011. [17] Fernandez-Pereira, C., Galiano, Y.L., Rodriguez- Pinero, M.A., Vale, J. and Querol, X. (2002) Utilisation of Zeolitised Coal Fly Ash as Immobilising Agent of a Metallurgicam Waste. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 77, pp. 305-310. [18] Potgieter, J.H., Potgieter, S.S., Loubser, M., Kearsley, E and Strysom, C.A. (2002) Stabilisation of Ferro-industry Waste in Various Solid Matrices. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 77, pp. 311-314.
[25]McKinley, J.D., Thomas, H.R., Williams, K.P. and Reid, J.M, (2001) Chemical Analysis of Contaminated Soil Strengthened by the Addition of Lime. Engineering Geology, 60, pp. 181-192 [26] Arman, A. and Munfakh, G.A. (1970) Stabilization of Organic Soils with Lime. Division of Research Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA, Engineering Research Bulletin 103. [27] Thompson, M.R. (1965) Influence of Soil Properties on Lime-soil Reactions. Public Works 96, 8, pp. 120-123 [28]Vipulanandan, C. and Krishnan, S. (1993) Leachability and Biodegradation of High Concentrations of Phenol and O-cholorophenol. Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials 10, pp. 27-47. [29] Conner, J.R. Guide to improving the effectiveness of cement-based stabilization/ solidification, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL, 1997.
[19] Palomo A. and Palacios M. (2003) Alkali-activated Cementitious Materials: Alternative Matrices for the Immobilisation of Hazardous Wastes: Part II. Stabilisation of Chromium and Lead, Cement and ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |95|
Waste Management Page 98 - 99 - Metal Recycling - BMRA Page 100 - 103 - Plastics Recycling - Michelle Matthews, Recoup Page 104 - 106 - Solutions On Marine Litter - Wilfried Haensel, Executive Director, Plastics Europe Page 107 - 109 - Introduction To PRNS - Angus Macpherson, The Environment Exchange
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End Of Waste Brings A New Beginning By Ian Hetherington, BMRA (British Metals Recycling Association) In April, the European Council of Ministers announced new End of Waste regulations for recycled ferrous and aluminium scrap meaning that for the first time they are classed in law as a valuable resource rather than waste – a landmark decision which the metals recycling industry has been seeking for 20 years or more. British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) director general Ian Hetherington looks at the implications for the British metal recycling industry. The End of Waste regulations for recycled iron, steel and aluminium effectively changes the point in the recycling process where scrap metal ceases to be waste and becomes a secondary raw material. This landmark decision rewards two decades of hard work by industry leaders and UK Government and lifts some of the unnecessarily heavy regulatory burden placed on UK metals recyclers. Previously recycled iron, steel and aluminium only ceased to be waste when it was remelted. The new regulations mean it ceases to be waste at the point at which it is ‘furnace ready’; after segregation and treatment by metals recyclers. This puts the European Union’s metals recyclers and traders on an even footing with the world’s other major metal commodity trading nations such as Japan and the US which do not class recycled metal as waste. The lack of any harmonised criteria previously meant some member states in the EU developed different frameworks for regulating scrap metal. Now the regulation makes clear that clean and safe furnaceready ferrous and aluminium scrap is not a waste but a quality material that has been through a quality managed
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process. With each iron, steel or aluminium consignment, compliance with the regulations must be demonstrated. To be classed as a secondary raw material, scrap aluminium, iron and steel must be of demonstrable quality, following processes such as cutting, shredding or granulating, separating, cleaning, de-polluting and emptying. For example, end-of- life cars need to be depolluted to remove the fluids and hazardous compounds before being broken down into discrete waste streams, and the metal fraction treated so that it is ready for re-manufacture in order to meet the new criteria. There are a number of reasons why metals recyclers have been keen to see this change through. Most importantly it opens up markets which the regulations have until now been restricted. For example, Saudi Arabia has a policy of not importing waste and so iron, steel and aluminium exports from Europe to the country have until now been extremely limited – despite the fact it is a significant consumer of recycled aluminium. The new End of Waste regulations also ease the transporting of iron, steel and aluminium as they remove unnecessarily burdensome regulation for these low risk materials such as the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste rules. Dealing with different approaches to waste shipment has, over the years, caused issues for those trading these materials and has put European recyclers at a major disadvantage to other major metals exporters. The End of Waste criteria has been established within the new Waste Framework Directive and there is now a transition period of six months before the criteria will fully come into effect on 9 October this year.
Now, the European Commission is working on developing the End of Waste criteria for copper, as well as other materials such as glass and paper. It is hoped that the new copper regulations will follow the same format as ferrous and aluminium and so bring similar benefits for copper recyclers and traders. The reclassification of furnace-ready recycled metals as secondary materials is particularly beneficial for the UK metals recycling industry since it exports more recycled metal than other EU member states. It comes at a crucial point for Europe’s long term goal to become a recycling society and will help towards the UK’s zero waste ambitions. This is a massively significant step forward for the industry and recognises the recycling sector for what it really does – turn waste into valuable and globally traded commodities. The efficient trading of these secondary materials is essential if we are to continue towards a zero waste economy and towards becoming a recycling society. Box out – the criteria for End of Waste The point at which scrap metal ceases to be waste is determined by the criteria as set out below: Iron and Steel • The total amount of foreign materials shall be less than 2% by weight (of the metal). Foreign materials are non- ferrous metals and non-metallic materials such as dust, glass, rubber, plastic etc. • The scrap shouldn’t contain excessive amounts of ferrous oxide (rust), except for typical amounts arising from outside storage. • Scrap should be free of visible oil, oily emulsions, lubricants or grease except negligible amounts that would not lead to any dripping.
• Scrap should not contain any pressurised, closed or insufficiently open containers that could cause an explosion in a metalwork furnace. • Only waste containing recoverable iron and steel may be used as input. • Mechanical treatments to prepare the metal for direct input into steelworks and foundries include cutting, shearing, shredding or granulating, sorting, separating, cleaning, de-polluting and emptying. Aluminium • For aluminium the total amount of foreign materials shall be less than 5% by weight (of the metal). Foreign materials are metals other than aluminium and aluminium alloys and non-metallic materials such as dust, glass, rubber, plastic etc. • Mechanical treatments to prepare the metal for direct input into steelworks and foundries include cutting, shearing, shredding or granulating, sorting, separating, cleaning, de-polluting and emptying. Box out – The UK metals recycling industry Metals recycling is a globally competitive and environmentally important industry. In the UK it amounts to £5 billion a year. It supplies secondary raw material, which preserves natural resources, saves energy and CO2 emissions by up to 80% in metals production. Approximately 60% of UK recycled metal is currently exported. Every year the UK exports around 7.4 million tonnes of recovered ferrous metal (iron and steel) and approximately 1.5 million tonnes of non-ferrous metal (such as aluminium and copper). Recycling of metals is also a major contributor to the UK’s achievement of targets under EU Directives such as end-of-life vehicles and packaging.
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Plastics Packaging Recycling Opportunity, Investment and Vigilance Current state of play Many of the perceived short and long term requirements to develop sustainable UK plastics packaging recycling are a continuing theme. Increased efforts across the plastic bottle supply chain are needed to recover an acceptable quantity and quality of material for recycling. The focus has shifted onto wider plastic packaging collections in recent years, however the infrastructure to effectively handle and reprocess this material has not yet caught up with collection levels which also continue to increase. Despite recent financial pressures on many companies due to the economic conditions, environment is no longer the first budget to be cut. Most organisations now see a strong CSR and environmental programme supported by tangible outcomes as a core part of business success. In local government, plastic collections are generally seen as a required part of an integrated kerbside service that the consumer demands, whilst waste companies try to maintain a balance between quality and processing costs. In the short term, the targets for UK plastics packaging recycling have been set at 32% for 2011 and 2012. This has attracted mixed comments from various sector commentators. An increased target for plastics recycling was needed as the UK have comfortably met 2010 targets, mainly through the collection of household plastic bottles, and commercial and industrial plastic films. Also as DEFRA noted, the UK needs to meet wider EU Directive packaging recycling targets. Two key DEFRA consultations were published in 2010: Implementing the Packaging Strategy (including proposed packaging recycling targets until 2020), and a Review of Waste Policies. Recoup provided substantial responses to both documents on behalf of its network and key themes included. 1. Recycling targets to be based only on packaging that can be recycled; 2. Individual recycling targets for plastic packaging types; 3. Clarification of the ‘collection’ responsibility for quantity and quality; 4. Packaging Data – the need for accurate data both for regulatory and operational management; 5. Plastic Packaging Specialists Support – the need for a small, knowledgeable full time UK team. |100| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
With even more plastic bottle reprocessing infrastructure planned for implementation in 2011, the need for continued increases in bottle collections is clear. This can only be achieved through an infrastructure that gives every UK household the opportunity to recycle plastic bottles in convenient and easy to use systems. One of Recoup’s key areas of interest continues to be developing and maintaining quality plastic material supply from household collections. There is substantial evidence to suggest that both commingled and source separate household collections can achieve the plastic quality required by reprocessors – whether this is bottles or a wider range of plastics. There is also plenty of evidence to show that where poor or inadequate quality material is supplied from commingled systems meet a sorting system unable to effectively sort the material, this can lead to sub standard quality. Hence, Recoup does not enter into the collection debate for that reason, and also many types of council realistically will not be changing their systems anytime soon given the current economic conditions. But what we can do is encourage those councils and their contractors using commingled collections with an MRF to undertake proper reviews, and in direct discussion with their plastic outlets, make investments in their sorting systems to meet accepted quality standards. The issue is provision of adequate sorting and handling infrastructure. Get this right and we should make some real progress in terms of quality. Recycling claims and communications also need to be more consistent, whether collecting plastic bottles or a wider range of plastics packaging. It is a challenge to get this right given that there are so many stakeholders, a range of approaches to collecting and recycling plastics, and pressures to improve green credentials. But it is useful to take a step back from the supply chain and consider some general boundaries and approaches that will allow UK plastics recycling to develop sustainably. It is key that consumer confidence is maintained and that through good consistent communications, what the industry says can be recycled, stands up to scrutiny. While innovation and technologies are constantly developing, plastics reprocessing is very similar the world over. Local authorities must ensure that recycling claims are audited as they are custodians of the front line recyclables collection schemes which link back to the consumer. If some plastics are recovered through energy from waste, this is not necessarily an issue, but
stakeholders must be made aware of this. Should this be termed recovery or recycling, and does this match the consumer perception of recovery or recycling? It is common for some non-bottle plastics collected in other EU countries to be used in EfW applications where it cannot be effectively recycled. Communication Reviews of plastic recycling instructions to consumers highlights many different approaches despite this material being sold to the same or similar reprocessors. Aligning messages will need to be a joint effort led by local authorities with the support of industry and stakeholder groups. There is no good reason why every plastic bottle collection scheme cannot carry the same message. Those collecting other plastics can then add a further statement. Green Claims Guidance has been published by Defra. This notes that environmental claims are important for enabling consumers to make informed choices and drive business to improve the environmental performance of their products or organisation. The true value of environmental claims and marketing rests on the assurance that claims are both credible to consumers, and reflect a genuine benefit to the environment. It promotes the use of clear, accurate, relevant and substantiated environmental claims and labels on products, services or in marketing and advertising. The associated report also provides a good insight into consumer understanding and interpretation of a range of green terms.
Current UK plastics packaging collection rates Key to understanding the UK’s ongoing progress in terms of Plastics Packaging collection is the UK Household Plastics Packaging Collection Survey. Commissioned by Recoup (RECycling Of Used Plastics Packaging) and sponsored by Nampak Plastics and PPS Recovery Systems. The 2010 report (using collection data for 2009), showed that an encouraging 46% of plastic bottles are now being collected for recycling, a 7% increase vs. 2008 data. This represents over 263,000 tonnes of plastic bottles collected or over 303,000 tonnes of plastic packaging collected, when including non-bottle packaging. To put it in perspective, if all the plastic bottles collected in the UK for recycling in 2009 were laid end to end, they would reach the moon and back two times over or circle the Earth 43 times over! As a comparison, the total tonnage of plastic bottles collected in 2000 was just over 12,700 tonnes. As one of the most referenced reports, it provides the industry with some key data enabling key stakeholders to understand the issues and opportunities for plastic packaging collections and a guide for the direction of development and investment. Work is already underway to gather 2010 collection data and the request for data has already reached Local Authorities across the UK. The UK Household Plastics Packaging Collection Survey 2010 is freely available online. Download at: www.recoup.org
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highlighted when Recoup were invited to speak at a seminar entitled Opportunities, challenges and advances in processing and recycling of biopolymers – organised by Incrops on 23rd March, Thetford. It’s a complex subject, but we have attempted to capture the key points in relation to the bigger picture and impacts on plastic packaging collections, sorting and reprocessing. Bioplastics are alternatives to petrol-based plastics and are generally understood to be either plastics made from renewable raw materials or biodegradable plastics made of either renewable or fossil raw materials. The terminology has been commonly used to describe two different aspects of the product: disposal/end-of-life (e.g. ‘biodegradable’, ‘compostable’) or material source (e.g. bio-based). Compostable plastic is generally based on renewable raw material and it has to undergo degradation by biological processes during composting. Such parameters are stipulated by certified standards which also define that the biodegradation process should not take over 180 days. Example of compostable plastic is the polylatic acid or PLA.
Understanding what plastics packaging is in the waste stream for collection and recycling A pivotal part of driving the volumes of plastics packaging collected for recycling is understanding the range of packaging materials in the market and reaching households, together with understanding their recyclability. The merit of ‘rigid non-bottle’ plastics packaging, in terms of a material have never been in question it is absolutely ‘fit for purpose’ in terms of its usage, but debate on its integration into the current mainstream collection of household plastics packaging will continue. Ultimately non-bottle plastics must be recycled without detriment, either financially or operationally, to the existing recycling systems. Working across the plastic supply chain to manage commercial and political pressures in line with realistic development goals will help to steer the sustainable development of the nonbottle plastic packaging recycling opportunity. We expect to see a climb in the number of LAs collecting this material in the data collected for 2010. In last year’s report, 98 local authorities indicated actively collecting ‘rigid non bottle’ plastic. Bioplastics Other materials to be revisited include ‘Bioplastics’. Recent announcements from their industry association, European Bioplastics, state that in 2011 bioplastics production will go over the 1m tonne mark with double growth between 2010 and 2015. This revisit was further |102| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Bio-based plastic refers to those with a proportion of the content produced from renewable resources. This type of plastic is not expected to be biodegradable but, instead, fully compatible with current plastic reprocessing. Examples of bio-based plastic are the newly developed PET bottles from both Coca-Cola and Volvic mineral water (and recently announced by PepsiCo), as well as HDPE shampoo bottles from Procter & Gamble, all made from sugar cane. In addition, other type of ‘biodegradable’ plastic available is the oxo-biodegradable plastic, which should not be confused with bioplastic. This type of plastic contains additives to help break down faster than a normal plastic. They are not meant to degrade at composting, anaerobic digestion or landfill sites and the main application is for situations where littering is high. Terminologies The various terminologies for bioplastic in the market combined with excessive “green claims” are likely to cause more confusion than clarification. Some of the terminologies available are ‘fully biodegradable’; ‘100% fully compostable’; ‘100% compostable’; ‘biocompostable’; ‘fully biodegradable and 100% compostable’; ‘100% back to nature’. If we are to include the terminologies available for oxo-biodegradable plastics we also have ‘biodegradable’; ‘totally degradable’; ‘100% degradable’. Disposal Options Considering the main waste treatment options available and the types of bioplastics and oxo-degradable plastic in the market, the following analysis illustrates the route that each material is more likely to take during disposal.
Recycling • PLA bottles can be separated by optical sorting (NIR) but this is not always available and is not 100% efficient; it is likely to contaminate PET recycling stream. Issues with PLA occurred in the past when companies like Belu and Innocent launched their compostable bottles in the market, later moving back to PET. • Bio-based bottles are likely to be fully compatible with current bottle recycling. • Oxo-biodegradables are likely to be classed as contamination if in bag / film format. It is also uncertain if the additives can influence the quality of the recycled material, after reprocessing. Composting • PLA (bottle / non-bottle packaging) is likely to be seen as a normal plastic, resulting in refused collection. In the UK it is unlikely to end up in the composting site through current collection schemes and the majority is also not suitable for home composting. Commercial composting plants operate shorter retention times than the ones specified by compost standards (6-7 weeks vs 25 weeks); so even if collected for composting it will not degrade as expected. • Biobased / oxo-biodegradable plastics are not suitable for composting. Anaerobic Digestion • Compostable bags will be accepted where food waste collection is available, providing quality of material. • PLA bottles (and other packaging) are not suitable for anaerobic digestion treatment. • Biobased / Oxo-biodegradable plastics are not suitable for anaerobic digestion. Landfill • PLA packaging, if biodegrades in a landfill is likely to generate methane. • Oxo plastics are not expected to biodegrade under anaerobic conditions. Energy from Waste • PLA / compostable / biobased plastic can all be treated at EfW plant, but this is not the preferred option. • Oxo-biodegradable was recommended by DEFRA to be treated at EfW, as most suitable treatment option. RECOUP welcome and support new developments in the plastic industry; however, we do recommend that anyone interested in getting involved with bioplastic to ‘do their homework’ properly, understand the recyclability of the product and understand the recyclability and current market for the “oil-based counterpart”. Considering the current waste disposal options available, sustainable and viable options to treat compostable plastics like PLA are limited; bio-based plastics, on the other hand, are likely to be fully integrated with current systems.
It was recently announced that global bioplastic production is likely to increase to 1.7 million tonnes in 2015, with biodegradable plastics equating to around 700,000 tonnes. Therefore, it is paramount that further research needs to be conducted to determine the impact of such increase and terminologies must be standardised by relevant organisations to minimise the impact of misinformation and misunderstanding, correctly specifying the nature and disposal of the product. Maximising the opportunity for material collection In tandem with getting the mix of materials collected for recycling is of course growing the number of locations where the consumer can place materials for recycling. Common ground for most has of course been kerbside and Civic Amenity sites, but since 2007 we have seen a growing interest in ‘Away from Home’ collections – Recycle on the Go. Recycling on the Go (RotG) continues to gather momentum as more privately funded initiatives are launched in the UK, coupled with an increase in the numbers of local authorities now actively providing a recycling scheme in addition to any bring or kerbside scheme which they may operate. Recoup continue to be a focal presence in the delivery and implementation of RotG projects, helping to successfully deliver programmes such as Recycle Zone and Nestle Waters’ Buxton Recycling initiative. RotG can take the appearance in many different shapes, sizes and forms. Through the programme delivery which Recoup have been involved with, all manner of different types of schemes have been implemented, including the use of technology through Reverse Vending recycling machines. Reverse Vending was the sole basis for the Tesco lead recycling initiative in 2009. In March 2011, Recoup hosted their annual conference in London, with the focus again majoring on RotG. The programme of the day varied from their previous conference on the subject in so much as it was a more specific conference focussing on the opportunities to recycle throughout the course of a working day and the environments where a RotG scheme could and would fit. Delegate feedback from the day suggested that another hugely successful and informative event had been delivered. It is an interesting time for plastic recycling, and recent government consultations on packaging strategy and waste policy will inevitably lead to a review of the impacts on future plastics packaging recycling activities, and consideration of the infrastructure and financing needed to deliver future recycling targets and implement policies. This will present the plastic supply and recycling chain with a number of challenges and opportunities in the years ahead. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |103|
In March 2011, representatives from intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, national and regional governments, industry and academia came together in Honolulu to discuss marine litter, and come up with recommendations to tackle the issue as a matter of urgency. The choice of Hawaii as the location for the 5th International Marine Debris Conference was no coincidence. The North Pacific Ocean is the reluctant host to some of the most visible and shocking examples of the damage caused by waste to the marine environment. However, the problem is not restricted to one region or one area of human activity. It is a global challenge, with interlinked causes, that calls for multi-stakeholder cooperation at international, national and local level – both on land and at sea. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – one of the co-hosts of the conference along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines marine litter as “any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment...” This ranges from abandoned vessels and derelict fishing gear to domestic and industrial waste originating from land. In depth analysis and understanding of the full extent and consequences of marine litter is still underdeveloped. However, the lack of comprehensive data does not prevent us from already forming a growing understanding of some of its impacts. In recent years we have seen an increasing amount of debris washed up on beaches or
floating in large concentrated masses in the high seas. We have also been exposed to distressing images of marine wildlife suffering from marine litter, whether through entanglement with rubbish or discarded fishing nets or ingestion of alien substances. Due to the fact that it floats on or just below the surface, plastic waste is often portrayed as the primary problem. However,the significant amount of heavier materials that sinks beneath the surface may be less visible, but is no less concerning. Marine litter presents both an environmental risk for marine fauna and flora and a potential risk for human beings because of the impact on the food chain. Damage caused by floating debris can also have a significant economic impact on the shipping, fishing and tourism industries. There is no easy solution to this issue, particularly when it comes to reversing the damage that has already been caused to our marine environment. However, the basic fact remains that the vast majority of waste in our seas is there as a result of human neglect or poor waste management. Therefore, it is avoidable if concerted action is taken to address its root causes. It is widely claimed that approximately 80% of marine litter comes from land – although this has not been substantiated and the proportion most probably varies from region to region. Typical causes include everyday littering and illegal dumping on beaches and in coastal areas, or industrial accidents causing the spillage of plastic pellets into drainage systems. Arguably a more
Solutions On Marine Litter By Wilfried Haensel, Executive Director, PlasticsEurope
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substantial factor is the existence of landfill sites in close proximity to the coast or rivers leading to the sea which invariably lead to large amounts of waste entering water systems. Better enforcement of waste management policies and greater public awareness of the seriousness of the issue would therefore go a long way towards addressing one of the major sources of the problem. Whatever the exact percentage involved, it is nonetheless also clear that a significant amount of marine litter comes directly from sea born vessels or platforms. Just as on land this can often be the result of illegal dumping of waste at sea, individual negligence and inadequate waste management systems on board commercial, fishing or recreational ships. Moreover, even when crews wish to dispose of their waste responsibly they are often hindered from doing so by the lack of effective waste reception facilities in ports, or by the costs involved where they do exist. All of the above, points to the fact that the maritime environment is under considerable pressure from human activity and that if left unresolved, this situation will only get worse as the global population continues to expand and demand for resources increases. So what can be done to resolve the issue? This was the fundamental question that the organisers of the recent international conference in Hawaii sought to address. The basic starting point for discussions was the recognition that marine litter is a global problem in all senses of the word.
is not acceptable, and the industry is keen to shoulder its fair share of the burden in shaping solutions to the problem. PlasticsEurope was instrumental in bringing together plastics industry organisations from around the world to sign up to a “Joint Declaration for Solutions on Marine Litter” which was announced during the conference. The Declaration sets out a clear strategy for industry action, and advocates close cooperation with a broad range of stakeholder to achieve substantial progress in reducing damage to the marine environment. In the six point strategy outlined in the Declaration, the industry announces its intention to: • Work in public-private partnerships aimed at preventing marine debris • Work with the scientific community to better understand the scope, origins and impact of marine litter and the range of solutions to the problem • Promote comprehensive science-based policies and enforcement of existing laws to prevent marine litter • Promote best practice in waste management, in particular in coastal regions • Enhance opportunities to recover plastic products for recycling and energy recovery; and • Steward the transport and distribution of plastic resin pellets and products to its customer and promote this practice along the supply chain Several of these objectives are already being pursued in different shapes and forms at regional and national levels. For example, there are already industry specific
Firstly, it does not respect national boundaries nor does it stay in one place. Floating debris can be found in some of the most remote places known to man. It also has been demonstrated that litter produced in one country that enters the sea as result of poor waste management often ends up polluting the beaches of countries hundreds of kilometres away. Secondly, any effective solutions can only come about as a result of close cooperation and concerted effort by a wide range of actors. No single solution will solve all problems. Solutions must be discussed at local and regional levels by all stakeholders to take local specificities into account. The inevitable challenge in such a situation is in ensuring that different partners work together effectively in a coordinated manner and make the best use of their individual strengths and expertise. In this respect, while acknowledging that the causes of marine litter are many and complex and cannot be solved by one stakeholder group alone, the European plastics industry is determined to drive multi-stakeholder action on the issue both in Europe and at international level. Whatever its origin, plastic waste in any environment
Image © www.dreamways.org
initiatives in place such as Operation Clean Sweep, a best practice code to ensure that industry members prevent the loss of plastic pellets into the sea during transportation or down factory drains. More broadly, the European plastics industry has been working for a number of years with public authorities, ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |105|
NGOs and other actors to identify and address gaps in waste management procedures across Europe. For example, some countries perform very well when it comes to plastic waste collection, recycling and recovery, while others have very poor records in this area. In other words, there is a significant room for improvement. The European plastics industry is also working closely with its partners and customers to promote best practice in the reuse, recycling and energy recovery of plastics throughout the whole supply chain. Finally, on a related note, one of the industry’s key policy priorities is to advocate a move towards a total ban on landfill in Europe, which would eliminate one of the major sources of marine litter in this part of the world.
and enforcing robust waste management procedures that prevent waste getting into our seas in the first place. Actions need to be linked to holistic waste strategies aiming at ending the use of landfills from where it is likely that a significant proportion of the marine litter originates. Public authorities should also help stimulate behavioural change through the imposition of higher penalties for littering, especially on beaches or from vessels. Information and educational campaigns promoting responsible waste disposal should also be implemented. Meanwhile, intergovernmental organisations such as the UNEP will be instrumental in various ways, not least by engaging with countries facing challenges in developing infrastructures to manage waste effectively.
However, the Declaration is not limited to action in one region but is intended to serve as a catalyst for international cooperation and best practice sharing within and outside the industry. This will be crucial if we are to achieve results.
The maritime sector in its different forms also has an important role to play, in particular the fisheries industry. Lost, derelict and abandoned fishing gear is one of the most significant and concerning examples of marine litter, and should be tackled as a priority. In addition, crews on board ships and platforms must take
The challenge now will be to translate these good intentions into tangible actions. Here it is clear that the plastics industry cannot act alone and needs to work in partnership with other stakeholders. The Honolulu Commitment signed by all participants at the end of the 5th International Marine Debris Conference – and which acknowledges the Declaration by the plastics industry - provides a framework for multi-stakeholder action on marine litter. Within this context, every affected actor has a role to play.
responsibility for the management of the waste they produce and prevent it from entering the sea. Finally, as individuals we must all to do our bit to prevent the pollution of our seas. We should pick up litter, whenever and wherever we find it.
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Marine litter is a hugely complex, multi-faceted and increasingly serious challenge for our global society. Individual initiatives can and will make a difference, but it is only through collective, coordinated action that the tide of waste entering our oceans and seas can truly be stemmed.
An introduction to the PRN system, what is it, who does it affect, where does the money go, etc. - a beginner’s guide. By Angus Macpherson, The Environment Exchange Theory The chart below shows how the key factors in the packaging waste cycle were anticipated to interact over time. On the left hand side of the diagram in 1998, when the regulations were introduced, the rewards for recycling were insufficient for collectors to justify recycling material at the levels required to meet the legislated targets. This was partially because the costs of collection, sorting, baling and delivery to the reprocessor were higher than the price of the recovered materials which was low due to limited demand, and partially because before landfill tax was introduced the alternative cost of waste disposal in landfill was low. To incentivise recycling over landfill, the PRN should hold a value that is equal to or greater than the difference between landfill costs and reprocessing costs.
It was anticipated that over time (moving to the right hand side of the diagram), the cost of waste disposal would increase as a result of both landfill tax increases and a shortage in supply of landfill void space, the costs of recycling would decrease as economies of scale and movement down the learning curve took place while demand and price for recovered materials would increase as energy costs increased, making recycling more financially viable and attractive. Eventually the PRN price diminishes to administrative levels so the cost to the producers of packaging waste should decrease as the reprocessing industry develops, and as the market stabilises at the higher level less and less of an incentive via PRN price support is required. However the PRN is always there to cover for any unexpected market failure for example at the end of 2008. For historical information on PRN prices, visit www.t2e.co.uk/prns/prn-trade-history.
Key The Total Cost of Disposal of the Recycled Commodity: This includes the cost of collection, sorting, baling and delivery of the recycled commodity to the reprocessor. Anything above the ÂŁ0 is an additional cost to disposal by landfill. Price of Recycled Commodity: The price paid for the recovered commodity on delivery to the reprocessor. This partially offsets the additional costs of sorting, baling and delivery of the recycled commodity. Cost of Waste Disposal: This is the cost of disposing packaging waste in landfill and is additional to the collection and delivery costs. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |107|
Packaging! Some love it, many hate it but we all need it. Without packaging goods get damaged, they would be difficult to store, to transport, or to contain. Packaging is an art form; it is part of the marketing mix and a technology miracle. Think Easter Eggs or CD cases or how rarely we break a milk bottle or struggle to open the ring pull on a drinks can. But because it is everywhere everyone has an opinion on it: too much, wrong material, not reusable, and/or littering the countryside. So politicians tried to frame legislation to meet all these concerns and found it far from easy. Reduce the weight of packaging and you reduce its reusability, change the material and you reduce the recyclability and ultimately increase the litter problem. Also increased recycling increases collection costs so who is going to pay? Laying down the law Industry fought back. Packaging is not our problem it is our solution to satisfying consumer demand to have what they want, where they want it, when they want it. Packaging is a cost. We do everything possible to minimise its use. What happens after its use is society’s problem; it is up to the politicians to educate society not to cause litter and to use recycling bins, and stop terrorists so it would not be necessary to remove bins to stop terrorists putting bombs in them! Politicians argued back that waste packaging is a resource. It is needed to make more packaging, ‘closed loop’ systems. Secondary raw materials save carbon, which in turn reduces energy consumption and environmental damage. In a cradle to grave approach, the polluter (i.e. packaging producers) has to pay. The arguments broke out again. The packaging manufacturers said they were not in charge of their own destiny. They made the material but not all of it was used for packaging and they only did what their customers, the retailers, wished within the limitations of the materials available. While they were enthusiastic to use secondary raw
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materials there was not enough of it available and, due to quality issues, on health grounds legislation prevented them from using it and in many cases packaging using secondary raw materials was going to be heavier than primary raw materials. Furthermore it was unfair that legislation could be drawn up in one country, Germany, which would place packaging manufacturers, in this case single use beverage container manufacturers, at a disadvantage to their competitors in other countries within the European Community. And so, as a compromise, the European Commission Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste was published in 1995. A Directive states what a member country must achieve but not how it is to achieve it. Many countries moulded their legislation on the German system, which is a packaging tax used to finance a duplicate collection scheme for packaging, the DSD. The United Kingdom Government of the time viewed this as expensive and inflexible and that it would not utilise the available UK infrastructure and so the UK Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 came into being. So what was the legislation trying to achieve? The aim of the legislation was to: reduce packaging use by placing a cost on it, encourage reprocessors to use secondary raw materials by placing a reward on it, and encourage packaging reuse by exempting any packaging used more than once from the cost. As a secondary benefit, by encouraging increased recycling, it was hoped that the legislation would discourage littering. Some even thought it might encourage deposit schemes. And how was this to be done? An obligation was placed on ‘the packaging chain’, which comprises packaging manufacturers, convertors, packer fillers and the seller to the final consumer of that packaging to prove that they had ensured that a proportion of the packaging placed on the market had been recovered — a subset of which is recycling.
What is recycling? Is it the moment when the waste is collected from the disposer or the moment it can be substituted for a primary raw material or when it has been turned into a new product? The last option was selected. So these completers of the recycling process, known as reprocessors, were eligible to become accredited by the Environment Agencies to issue evidence of recovery of packaging or, as they have become known, Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs). Swiftly it became clear that not all secondary raw materials are used in the United Kingdom and businesses outside the United Kingdom could not be regulated by United Kingdom regulatory bodies. Thus, those that exported secondary raw materials to reprocessors that operated to ‘broadly equivalent’ standards to European reprocessors were eligible to issue Packaging Export Recovery Notes or PERNs. So who is obligated? All businesses that either manufacture, convert, pack or sell packaging and are above the de minimis levels of handling 50 tonnes of packaging or have an annual turnover in excess of £2 million. Within this context to sell does not require a business to receive remuneration for that packaging, they could just give it away. To the surprise of many businesses in all probability they carry out more than one activity on their packaging. For example a shop not only ‘sells’ to the final consumer the plastic bag that it gives away to the customer but it also packs that bag. Similarly the brewer that puts beer into kegs is also the seller of those kegs to the publican that then sells the beer to the final consumer because the publican is the final consumer of the keg. However if the brewer puts the beer into cans that are then sold by a retailer the retailer becomes the seller of the cans to the final consumer but the brewer is the seller of the box in which those cans were delivered to the retailer so long as those cans are taken out of the box by the retailer!
Where does all the money go? The money goes to the issuer of the PRN or PERN either via a compliance organisation that aggregates both demand and regulatory knowledge or directly through The Environment Exchange (www.t2e.co.uk), the marketplace for buying and selling PRNs. This money is supposed to go towards increasing the recovery of packaging waste either through the acquisition of collection or processing infrastructure or through the marketing and administration of that infrastructure. While it has often been difficult to identify the exact use of the money or which piece of packaging is the additional piece collected as a result of these funds, what is undoubtedly true is that the legislation has been spectacularly successful in achieving the aim of increased recycling of packaging at a relatively low cost to industry with recycling rates increasing from 30% in 1997 to over 60% in 2010. Looking forward The question that is currently being asked is where next for this legislation? In particular whether the work of the Courtauld Commitment can be used to further encourage the reduction in packaging or whether the introduction of a deposit scheme would encourage reuse or reduce litter as well as the merit in increasing recovery and recycling targets for some or all materials. In the interim the Environment Agencies are constantly seeking ‘free riders’, those that have been avoiding playing their part in the system by failing to register as ‘obligated companies’.
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Green Building Page 112-115 - Green Build Expo Show Preview Page 116 -117 - Modeling Existing Buildings For Retrofit - Aniruddha Deodhar, Sustainability Program Manager, and Adam Matthews, Business Development Manager, Autodesk Page 118-119 - Why Brick Continues To Be The Most Sustainable Of Materials - Simon Hay, CEO of the Brick Development Association (BDA)
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The North’s Largest Sustainable Building Event Returns To Manchester Greenbuild Expo, the largest sustainable building and refurbishment event in the north of the UK, returns to Manchester Central for another two days of training, demonstrations, workshops and advice from all sectors of the built environment. Taking place on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 June, the conference is free to all and is specifically targeted at those working in the volume housing and non-domestic building sector, including hotel and leisure venues, offices and larger companies, as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) becomes more integral to working life. It is anticipated that architects, house builders, engineers, maintenance and energy managers, contractors, Local Authorities, installers and procurement bodies, amongst many other organisations and professions, will attend the event. Greenbuild Expo 2011 will be bigger than its 2010 predecessor with over 100 exhibitors, and for the first time, Greenbuild Expo will be hosting the UK’s only wood fuel event, Ignition11. Exhibitors confirmed for Greenbuild Expo 2011 include BRE, Centre for Construction Innovation North West, Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, Forestry Commission, EnviroHomes, EcoSkies, NICEIC, Solfex, Johnson and Starley, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Sundog Energy, Worcester Bosch, Wagner Solar, UK Green Building Council and UK Flood Barriers. The latest speaker to confirm attendance is James Walker from B&Q, who will talk about the company’s pilot pay-as-you-save (PAYS) project, which aims to fund green housing refurbishment. Speakers from organisations such as BRE, Manchester City Council, Gateshead Housing and Procure Plus will also be leading seminars. Focusing this year on sustainable refurbishment, Greenbuild Expo will examine such topics as the Code for Sustainable Homes and renewable energy. Bespoke taster training sessions will also allow participants – everyone from installer to planners - to gain an insight into a variety of topics, including: • MCS installer sessions for photovoltaics, solar thermal, heat pumps and biomass • Energy management sessions for facilities and buildings managers, public sector • Passivhaus design taster for public sector, developers, architects and consultants • Sustainability courses for all. The sessions will be led by expert training providers who will be offering full course discounts and incentives for all delegates. Other highlights of the conference include the Building Retrofit Zone, co-hosted with Energy In Buildings and Industry (EIBI) Magazine, where multi-site and large |112| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
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building owners can learn how building adaptations can reduce carbon emissions, utility bills and comply with the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme. As the only UK conference dedicated to woodfuel, Ignition11 promises to continue from where Ignition09 left off, bringing biomass out of the forest and into the city, with exhibitors, workshops and training sessions. With its own area within Greenbuild Expo, Ignition11 will be devoted to the latest developments in product innovation and legislation updates, as well as showcasing the alternatives that woodfuel provides in light of the Government’s commitment to the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI). Exhibitors already booked include Asgard Biomass Systems, Remeha Commercial, RES, the Rural Development Initiatives, Viessmann, UK Biomass and Dunster Heat. The Ignition11 seminar programme includes talks on how the RHI will support woodfuel, understanding and using fuel quality standards, woodfuel procurement and a guide to getting it right first time. Advice from consulting engineers, surveyors and agents will be supplemented by a number of organisations, such as Envirolink Northwest and Rural Development Initiatives. For more information about Greenbuild Expo 2011 and Ignition11, please visit: http://www.greenbuildexpo.co.uk
Ignition to burn brightly at Greenbuild Expo 2011 Ignition11, the only UK conference dedicated to woodfuel, returns as part of Greenbuild Expo 2011. Taking place on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 June at Manchester’s premier conference venue, Manchester Central, the conference is free to enter. Ignition 2011 will give delegates the opportunity to discover the grants available, to understand the best technologies on offer and to gain an insight into how the woodfuel industry can help organisations achieve a more sustainable business. Ignition11 will have its own dedicated area within Greenbuild Expo, the largest sustainable building and refurbishment event in the north of the UK.
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Award winning Home dwelle.ing presented at Greenbuild Expo At Greenbuild Expo this year we are pleased to be able to bring you the award winning Home dwelle.ing. Visit the show for FREE, taking place in Manchester on the 29th & 30th June, and see this example of the future of housing, achieving zero carbon status, Passivhaus standards and, if doubled-up, Lifetime Homes Standards. Winning 5 architectural awards for design, sustainability and innovation it forms an integral role in the new Eastlands Homes project, the result of collaborating with Cooler Projects CIC, the building will perform two key functions: • Home dwelle.ing will be a showroom for a system that utilises highly sustainable and healthy materials and components to promote zero carbon design & living. • The building will demonstrate how careful design and specification can provide a number of benefits in modern living. Eastlands Homes are developing a programme to assist residents and the local community to understand how to reduce their carbon footprint.
their expertise and allows them to visualise the impact that their new behaviour is having. In other words the programme will focus on creating a sense of ‘autonomy, mastery and purpose’ in the participants and so make its impact all the greater. Undertaking this programme will also give the tenants a greater understanding of the potential disruption that the work will cause. Home dwelle.ing will be the hub for this new programme, located adjacent to Platt and Worsley Courts in Rusholme, two of the blocks to be modernised. Register for FREE now and make sure you see the future in sustainable design and visit Home dwelle.ing. There are also over 100 FREE seminars on a variety of sustainable building solutions from newbuild solutions, like Home dwelle.ing, to reburb - the industries biggest challenge, renewables, biodiversity, legislation and much more.
With the modernisation of six of its towers, which will make them far more energy efficient, Eastlands Homes want to maximise the impact that this investment has on the their carbon footprint through a programme to empower their tenants to reduce their footprint too. This will also help Eastlands Homes meet its obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC). Cooler Projects CIC will deliver a Carbon Literacy programme to tenants of the modernised blocks that will be led by tenants’ needs and experience. It will use motivational science to ensure that the new behaviour is derived from tenants’ ideas, supports them in building ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |115|
Rapid Energy Modeling for Existing Buildings: Bringing Energy Assessments of Buildings to Scale By Aniruddha Deodhar, Sustainability Program Manager, Autodesk, and Adam Matthews, Business Development Manager, Autodesk The International Energy Agency has targeted a reduction of 77 percent of the global carbon footprint by 2050 as necessary to achieve climate stabilisation. To meet that goal, existing and future buildings — which today account for as much as 40 percent of global energy consumption — must become more energy efficient. More and more, retrofits and renovations of existing buildings are viewed as opportunities to achieve significant and cost-effective carbon reductions. With that in mind, it is likely that regulations regarding energy efficiency of existing buildings are becoming more stringent. Over the next two years in the United Kingdom alone, an estimated £3 million will be spent to determine the best methods for retrofitting existing housing stock. Indeed, according to the British government, ensuring all 26 million U.K. homes are energy efficient by 2050 will require retrofitting 40,000 homes a year by 2015 and a staggering 1.8 million homes a year by 2020. In meeting these goals, however, building owners, regulators and financiers continue to face major technical and cost challenges. Identifying the best retrofit candidates, conducting large-scale asset rating, and profiling large building portfolios for their performance are just some of these challenges. In this article, we examine why traditional approaches to measuring and managing energy usage within existing buildings are insufficient. In addition, we assess and evaluate “rapid energy modelling,” a new technologydriven workflow with the potential to enable building performance analysis to be applied to existing buildings in a scalable way. |116| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
Alternative Approaches Architects, engineers, building owners, regulators and financiers – varying in size and degree of green expertise, have revealed in interviews that energy benchmarking falls short of the insight they need to baseline building energy performance. They were pleased to learn that technology has advanced to the point where such benchmarking exercises could be augmented with the ability to easily capture existing conditions and quickly create energy models before choosing and validating, in a model-based environment, the energy and cost implications of different design alternatives…in other words, rapid energy modelling. Regrettably, traditional energy modelling capabilities are often restricted to larger-budget projects. This is primarily because several months typically pass before the necessary information to guide design and retrofit process of the existing building can be delivered. Building audits can provide crucial perspectives on the operational details of a building, but are usually prohibitively time consuming and expensive, requiring travel and significant investment of time on the part of auditors and their clients. In short, audits provide optimal value only if they are targeted at buildings with already recognized potential for improved energy performance. The Solution: Rapid Energy Modelling Through the use of a broad selection of software solutions — including Autodesk Revit Architecture,
Autodesk Revit MEP, Autodesk Green Building Studio, Autodesk ImageModeler (available on Autodesk Subscription), as well as technology previews available on Autodesk Labs, including Project Vasari and Project Photofly — workflows constituting the broader rapid energy modelling umbrella help address the aforementioned challenges. Just like it sounds, rapid energy modelling involves moving quickly, with minimal data, from existing building conditions through simple simulations to building energy analysis. While the umbrella term encompasses a number of workflows, it typically consists of the following three steps: 1. Capture: Capture existing building conditions in the form of photos, satellite images or 2D plans. Transform them into a wireframe, using reference measurements or geospatial and structural information. 2. Model: Convert the wireframe into a 3D model with Autodesk Building Information Modeling software, using either of the following modelling techniques: a. Conceptual modelling, using massing (with conceptual energy analysis features available to Autodesk Revit Architecture and Autodesk Revit MEP Subscription customers during the term of their Subscription) b. Detailed modelling, using design elements such as walls, floors, windows, roof and room/space (with Autodesk Revit Architecture or Autodesk Revit MEP) 3. Simulate and Analyze: Use Autodesk Green Building Studio to produce detailed reports on energy consumption, carbon neutrality and renewable potential. Models created using conceptual modelling can be simulated inside the native Revit environment with conceptual energy analysis features and later (optionally) fine-tuned in Autodesk Green Building Studio. Realising the Benefits A major benefit of rapid energy modelling for existing buildings is time savings, which in the construction industry translates to financial savings. Being able to capture existing building conditions, create an intelligent 3D model and conduct energy analysis faster helps nondomestic property owners better identify buildings with the greatest potential for energy and carbon emissions savings, at lower cost, in less time. Rapid energy modelling offers financiers, regulators, insurers and real estate brokers a more streamlined method of determining an existing building’s “asset rating” — a more precise metric of a building’s environmental quality, based on design that influences sales prices, lease rates and insurance rates. Contractors, architects and designers can also evaluate the lifecycle impact of their retrofit decisions in just a few hours and with minimal data. What’s more, the process can help building owners, facility managers, tenants and real estate developers prioritise retrofit investments and related energy-efficiency measures. Finally, rapid energy modelling can help building owners, property managers and tenants to evaluateentire building portfolios.
A rapid energy modelling workflow helps supplement energy benchmarking by enabling building professionals to quickly and easily iterate numerous design alternatives to better assess the energy and carbon footprinting implications. At the same time, the workflow augments, refines and focuses traditional on-site building energy audits, typically complex and time-consuming processes that require highly skilled energy auditors. Testing the Process Although gaining acceptance and achieving increased adoption in the United States, rapid energy modelling is still in its infancy in Europe. Relevant technologies and software solutions are now in place, however, as is the methodology and workflow behind them. The market potential is huge. A process of education and awareness building is now in place to increase knowledge levels across the industry and showcase how owners can exercise greater control over buildings, together with wider opportunities to drive cost savings and enhance their green credentials through reductions in carbon emissions. The various workflows of rapid energy modelling have been road tested in experiments conducted by or involving Autodesk, professional services firms such as ICF International, and Clear Carbon by Deloitte. The workflows have also been piloted with external projects, such as those conducted at URS-Scott Wilson, a globally integrated design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments in the United Kingdom, and at DPR Construction, a leading general contractor in the United States, specialising in technically complex and sustainable projects. In Conclusion Adoption of rapid energy modelling techniques can help significantly increase the number of existing buildings undergoing energy assessments and subsequent upgrades within a smaller budget and shorter time frame. There is considerable interest in the building community to streamline the modelling process. Building owners and tenants; designers, architects and contractors; property managers and real estate brokers; and regulators and financiers are just some of the stakeholders likely to benefit from this groundbreaking approach. The benefits derived from streamlining assessments of energy usage and driving savings from enhanced energy efficiency will be increasingly compelling for the demands of a lowcarbon built environment. To learn more about the Autodesk rapid energy modelling workflow, visit www.autodesk.com/rem.
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Simon Hay, CEO of the Brick Development Association (BDA), takes a closer look at how the Brick Industry is delivering a sustainable future.
Brick has been a reliable construction material for centuries and has proven itself time and time again. There is no shortage of brick structures around the world still providing good service - just look at Brunel’s stunning spanned bridge over the Thames at Maidenhead, or the brickwork at St Pancras. Brick has long been a favourite among architects, developers and the public too. It’s warm and humanising character brings buildings to life. An external brick wall contributes scale, colour and texture. Then there’s the choice. Around 1200 different varieties of brick are produced in the UK alone, from handmade bricks made by traditional techniques to mass produced extruded and stock bricks. Bricks blend easily and naturally with their surroundings and will not rot, rust, erode or decay. On versatility and pure aesthetics, few rivals come even close. And because we have been building with brick for thousands of years, its technology is well understood. Recent decades have brought an increased awareness of the cost of technological advances and an understanding of the need to harbour resources, restrain consumption and work towards a system that can operate effectively for generations to come. In short, an economic and social system that is sustainable. In 2002 the brick industry established key performance indicators to assess its progress in matching the targets and aspirations defined in its own sustainability strategy. Performance is monitored by returns submitted annually by members of the Brick Development Association with indicators in place to ensure they provide the best available measure of the Industry’s sustainability. Brick is a traditional product for which there is a consistent demand. Brick factories are sited in areas near clay supplies, often in a rural location. Hence, the Industry is an important local employer, providing a |118| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
close connection to the local economy. In addition, there are a large number of ancillary industries and products associated with the Brick Industry such as plant, machinery, distribution and bricklaying, which in total employ many more people than the industry itself. As a significant employer, the Industry shapes the personal development and welfare of those who work within it. It also provides support and benefits for the local communities which are its neighbours. The Brick Industry has many long-established manufacturing sites. Constant re-investment is necessary to update existing plants and processes and to ensure that the Industry can meet increasingly stringent legislative requirements. The long-term nature of investment programs reinforces the permanence of the Industry’s contribution to local economies. The UK has an ongoing need for both new housing and the renovation of existing housing stock to meet the demands of demographic change. Brick plays a major role in the creation and renovation of the built environment and buildings made of brick have proved to be particularly sustainable for many reasons. Brick fulfils a variety of roles in building technology, providing physical support, security, protection from sound and fire, weather resistance, as well as being attractive and extremely durable. A brick structure, subject to minimal maintenance, will last almost indefinitely. Any in-service maintenance costs are infrequent and low. All members of the Brick Development Association are formally committed to participation in the Ceramic Industry Health and Safety Pledge, which consists of a comprehensive program of initiatives designed to reduce the incidence of work-related injury and ill health. This ten-year program with set specific targets is designed to achieve defined levels of improvement in the incidence of
work-related injury and ill-health. The brick production process is energy intensive and gives rise to atmospheric emissions. Water is used throughout the brick manufacturing process with companies increasingly recycling water and recovering rainwater for this process. Brick manufacturers recognise that a responsible approach to the environment extends beyond simple compliance with an increasing number of sites accredited ISO 14001 or EMAS systems as well as being subject to UK Integrated Pollution Control or Local Air Pollution Control. It is important to measure and reduce the natural resources brick making consumes, so the Industry is determined to make the process as efficient as possible by sourcing materials locally, minimising waste and working with other operators such as surface mining to use clays that are a by-product of their main activity. Using additives such as sawdust and sewage sludge will also reduce the quantity of clay required. Drying and firing the clay consumes energy. During recent years the Industry has improved its energy efficiency through: • Installing more efficient computer controlled kilns from which heat is recycled to be used in the drying process; • Undertaking energy monitoring programs; • Advances in burner technology and the installation of variable speed motors to match energy consumption to the task in hand; • Using alternative fuels such as landfill gas from clay pits for firing the product and generating energy. Distribution of the finished product is potentially an expensive operation which contributes to environmental pollution. The Industry has made efforts to reduce this pollution by arranging transport on an industry-wide basis to reduce the number of empty return journeys and by improving the efficiency of the lorry fleet by replacement of old vehicles and careful monitoring of fuel consumption and tyre wear. The Brick Industry is able to monitor and control the use of resources up to the factory-gate but the benefits derived from consuming the resources are only evident when the product is in use because when brick is correctly specified, well detailed and properly laid it will give many years of maintenance-free service. The hidden benefits The BRE’s Green Guide assigned the highest possible accreditation A+ to every external wall it rated containing brickwork. This is proof positive that brick has a key role to play in meeting targets for the Code for Sustainable Homes.
And it’s carbon footprint? A square metre of brickwork produces 28 kg of carbon dioxide by the time it is delivered to site. That equates to 0.0001867 tonnes per square metre a year, over 150 years. A very small footprint. Putting that into context, the energy used to produce and deliver brickwork for an average semi-detached home is less than 2% of what will be spent heating that home, over a lifespan of 150 years. The embodied energy of the clay brick is equal to 0.4% of total domestic energy consumption over a 150 year lifespan. However we all know that the life of brick extends well beyond that. A survey of close to 900 brick-built homes revealed that brick structures can have a lifespan of 500 years or more. In sharp contrast, some of the lightweight panelised homes now being constructed have a design life of 50 years or less. Sustainability is not just about recycling and the use of carbon-free materials. Nor is it just about the embodied energy accrued through the process of sourcing, production and transport. It is about the whole-life energy consumption of a product. The crucial additional element in any sustainability calculation is how much it costs to look after a product once it has become part of a building. The evidence is all around us that brick only gets better and better with age. It will not rot, corrode, erode, decay or ignite. Maintenance is minimal – repointing may be necessary after 70 years. In the UK, brickwork must perform well under demanding conditions and it does this better than many rival products. It can accommodate thermally induced movement better than other masonry products and makes a major contribution to cavity walls. Leave it out, and that can severely reduce load capacity – by more than 70% laterally, and vertically by more than 30%. Research by the Department for Communities and Local Government identified brick as the only construction material with good resistance to water penetration, and cited its drying ability and retention of pre-flood dimensions. What’s more, brick ages gracefully and when the time comes to knock down brickwork, it can be crushed and recycled on site – and bricks laid in lime mortar can be cleaned up and re-used. The structural strength of brickwork means it’s also possible to recycle entire brick buildings –or at least their shells. Re-using a brick building not only saves it from demolition but helps meet carbon reduction targets and preserves the character of an area. Simon Hay concludes: “The brick industry is proud of the essential role it has played in creating Britain's built environment thus far. Whilst we are not complacent about this, we do hope that our industry will be able to contribute even more in the future”. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |119|
TRANSPORT Page 122 - 124 - Sustainable and Affordable Transport - Maria Eagle, Shadow Secretary, State For Transport Page 126-128 - Green Transport - Tony Pain, Marketing Director, DAF Trucks UK Page 130 - 133 - Sustainable Transport - Dr Mike Mekhiche, Director Of Programs For Power and Energy Management
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“A sustainable and affordable transport system is vital for the economy and vital for the environment” By Maria Eagle MP, Shadow Secretary, State for Transport Affordable and reliable transport is critical to Britain’s economic recovery – it contributes to our competitiveness, growth and the success of British businesses. It enables people to take advantage of a wider range of work opportunities and helps young people stay on in education – more important than ever in tough times. That’s why the Tory-led government’s decisions to cut and delay vital investment, force cuts to local services and hike the cost of travelling is so shortsighted. Labour is committed to halving the deficit in this parliament. There would have been cuts to transport spending if we had won the election. We have therefore backed the painful cuts to the roads budget of nearly £2billion and the scrapping of a number of public transport bodies as well as significant cuts to the cost of running the Department for Transport. However, we would not have cut so far or so fast. The ideologically driven scale of the cuts is reckless and places our economy at considerable risk. The loss of capital investment in particular puts the prospect of growth in danger. And if you don’t have growth, you just can’t credibly tackle the deficit. So we would have made different decisions in three areas. We would have sustained the vital investment in rail infrastructure. We would not have abandoned Labour’s fair funding formula for rail fares. Also we would not have slashed the money for local government to maintain essential, but nonprofit-making, bus services and carry out essential road maintenance. First, the cancellations and delays to Labour’s planned investment in the rail network will do great damage to British jobs and industry as well as holding up |122| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
vital improvements. Electrification is going ahead around Liverpool and Manchester and the Great Western Mainline to Bristol, but they have axed our plan to take that on as far as Swansea: vital for the South Wales economy. And there is silence on any electrification of the Midland Mainline. Labour’s plan for 1300 new carriages has been slashed by more than half to just 650, the Inter-City Express Programme has been scaled back considerably, while vital rail schemes such as Thameslink and Crossrail have seen their completion delayed. Combined with the cuts to the planned work to upgrade stations, these delays and reductions of our planned capital investment will have a real impact on the rail network at a time when there are serious capacity and reliability issues on so many services. Second, the decision to shift more of the burden of the cost of using public transport onto passengers risks pricing people off the railways and back onto the roads. The government just doesn’t get that the social and economic benefit of public transport goes wider than the benefit to the individual passenger. The 16 year old who can stay on in education. The person seeking work able to take up an opportunity further away. The pensioner able to get out into the town centre and maintain vital
social contact. These all benefit society. Their move to a ‘user pays’ principle is a real concern. We would not have reversed the step that we took in government to require train companies to apply fare limits to all fares separately, rather than hiking some by significant levels traded off by smaller reductions elsewhere. And we would not have made things even worse for rail passengers by allowing fares to rise by 3% above inflation from next January. As a result of these changes, rail passengers face fare rises of over 30% across the next three years. And the recently published government review into the rail industry proposes giving even greater freedoms to train operating companies to set the level of the fares. Instead of yet further increases in the burden on passengers, I believe the government should be looking at the fragmented structure of the rail industry that is the legacy of their botched privatisation when they were last in power. It’s time to look again at whether the franchise system, with hundreds of millions of pounds leaving the industry in profits every year and the huge costs that come from the complex number of players in the industry is the right future for the rail industry. Third, while funding for local government would have been reduced, we would not have cut as severely as 28% of local transport funding. This is already having a catastrophic impact on vital bus services. Research by the Campaign for Better Transport shows more than 70% of councils are cutting bus services. Some local authorities are proposing to cut all support for non-commercial buses – this will have a devastating impact in rural areas where council supported buses can make up 90% of the network. And these cuts will get worse next year when the government cuts by 20% the Bus Service Operators Grant, which provides bus companies with a fuel duty rebate. According to Department for Transport figures, without BSOG we would see a 6.5% increase in fares and a 6.7% fall in bus usage. Perhaps most worryingly, the cuts in funding that local transport authorities receive to compensate bus operators for free travel for pensioners and disabled people will see bus operators receive less money, and so while David Cameron has kept his election promise to protect the bus pass, he is turning a blind eye as the bus services are cut, making the pass worthless for many pensioners. I am also worried about the impact on road safety of the significant cuts to road maintenance budgets. While I have supported the decision to significantly reduce spending on new road schemes by
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the Highways Agency, it wasn’t the right decision to axe £432 from local council’s road maintenance budgets this year (even if they later backed down and returned £100million to cope with the extreme winter weather). Combined with the decision to axe road safety funding meaning the loss of speed cameras and ending targets to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads, there is a real risk about the safety of our roads for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. A sustainable and affordable transport system is vital for the economy and vital for the environment. The approach that the government is taking is bad news for passengers, particularly commuters; bad news for those that rely on buses to get to work, or take up work; and – most of all – bad news for business, competitiveness, jobs and growth.
Road Transport: the green solution for Britain’s goods movement By Tony Pain, Marketing Director, DAF Trucks UK
The road transport industry in Europe and the UK is coming under increasing pressure to meet ever-changing emissions legislation from the European Union. However, history has shown that truck manufacturers and road transport operators are continuing to meet, and exceed, targets set-out by policymakers. However, achieving legislative targets is only one part of the solution to drive down emissions and pollutants. Already legislation controls Particulates and NOx standards with CO2 emission standards on the horizons, but there are two other major concerns when it comes to reducing the environmental impact from transport. First is energy security and second is energy sustainability. Road transport, meaning motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks, accounts for about a quarter of all the UK’s CO2 emissions. Of that total, trucks emit between 20 and 25 per cent of road transports’ contribution, so about 6% in total. A significant amount, yes, but it’s not until we look at where truck development and optimisation has come from – and is headed with the next Euro-6 standard – that we see how efficient trucks actually are at their task. According to the latest Department for Transport statistics, Greenhouse Gas emissions from road freight transport fell by 9% between 1998 and 2008, but manufacturers like DAF still have a responsibility to improve. 85% of all the goods transported in the UK go by truck so there is a need to optimise road freight transport to make it even more efficient than it already is. In 1950 there were 450,000 goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes GVW on the road in the UK but surprisingly there are actually slightly less trucks in use today at only 440,000. This demonstrates how efficient the UK’s operators have become at moving goods, because despite there being |126| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
less trucks in use, five times as many goods measured in tonne miles are being transported by road today than there were in 1950 so vehicle productivity is very high with HGVs. Compare this to the rise in the number of cars [2 million in 1950. 28 million today] for the same period and it shows that personal transport needs to become more sustainable and efficient, more so than goods transport. As one of Europe’s leading truck OEMs, DAF Trucks has made significant strides in developing clean and efficient engines for its trucks. Since the introduction of Euro-1 of the European Emissions Standards in 1992, truck manufacturers like DAF will have managed to reduce NOx and particulate emissions by 95% and 97% respectively in meeting the forthcoming Euro 6 regulations. This has been done by developing cleaner-burning engine systems such as EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and exhaust after-treatment processes like SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) with AdBlue, and the fitment of particulate filters. Ultimately, the appetite for big and powerful cars is
unsustainable. If we do the sums, using a one and a half-tonne – and sometime even two tonne – vehicle to move a single human from point A to point B is not an efficient use of diesel or petrol, with a power to weight ratio of up to 2000 horsepower per tonne of useful ‘load’ being moved. In contrast, large trucks are used in a far more efficient manner as they are using something like 15 horsepower per tonne of load carried. And every horsepower uses fuel and emits CO2. Most trucks operate with a load factor of about 80, meaning 80% full. The majority of commuting cars run with just one person in a 5 seater, a load factor of 20% The need for lighter and more efficient transport is essential for making meaningful, long-term emissions and fuel savings. So what are the solutions to energy security and sustainability in road freight transport? Possible solutions: Many people are very much for utilising rail more as an alternative to road freight transport. Rail does have its place; however, the UK is very unique compared to the rest of Europe when it comes to switching to rail. In the UK, residential and urban area are extremely congested and there simply is not enough space to accommodate new trains and tracks. Furthermore the cost of building new infrastructure will be prohibitive. On either end of the train depot, we’d still need trucks to transport the goods to and from the trains to their destinations. Granted, trucks will be travelling shorter distances, but in the UK, the average truck journey, says the Department for Transport, is just 58miles. This relatively short journey distance is not a realistic option for switching to rail. Indeed in the UK only 7% of all truck loads move over distances of over 300 miles compared to the European average where some 40% are moved over the same distance.
Liquid fuels are the future for trucks as they offer the highest energy content, are easy to store and handle and are readily available. Applying the same principles of alternative transport with respect to passenger cars, cannot be applied to trucks. For instance, replacing the same energy value of 400 litres of diesel – as found on a typical 44-tonner – will require 125 tonnes worth of lead acid type batteries. Biodiesel is another alternative that has been used by a handful of operators, but the results have been mixed. Currently all diesel contains at least a 5% blend of biodiesel, but moving to higher blends such as B30 could provide the answer to emission reductions. A handful of high-profile freight transport operators are using biodiesel, and with great success too. The problem with biodiesel is that it is hygroscopic attracting water and if not refined, and used, correctly can have detrimental effects on its fuel injection components and engine lubrication. However, used in a controlled manner, biodiesel can help truck engines run cleaner in terms of particulates. Synthetic diesel development is also a possibility where coal or gas is converted to a liquid. It’s free of sulphur and other harmful by-products of petroleum-based fuels and could have a higher equivalent cetane rating than diesel. DAF Trucks has recently launched a hybrid version of its LF 12-tonner for the urban distribution market, which represents a step-forward in the development of alternative transport. The diesel/electric hybrid can reduce emissions by up to 20% depending on the application. Smaller hybrid trucks with specialised applications will feature in the road transport operations of the future. The technology will develop further and they will be ideal for urban distribution given their reduced emissions and noise level. Existing and simple measures can be adopted today to ensure fuel efficiency and longer-term sustainability. Driver training and moving towards night-time deliveries are effective means of improving fuel usage. Well-trained drivers can save up 10-15% in fuel consumption, while vehicles doing night-time deliveries can get to their destination without idling in traffic during peak hours. Currently truck manufacturers are doing a fantastic job in providing operators with the tools to reduce their fuel consumption, but they have recognised the need to establish a sustainable long-term plan to ensure road transport is as clean and efficient as possible. There is a danger though that the efficiency gains made over the previous decades could be lost in looking for alternatives. Whichever alternative emerges, it will need to be cost-effective, freely available, environmentally sustainable and practical for the freight transport industry.
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Sustainable Transport Dr. Mike Mekhiche, BAE Systems’ director of programs for power and energy management Technological advances enable and influence the development of larger, denser urban areas, offering greater access to stronger, more diversified urban economies with better services and opportunities leading to an improved overall quality of life. For the first time in human history, in 2008 more than half the world’s population lived in cities. By 2030, 5 billion people are expected to live in high density urban areas. This migration can have positive consequences to the environment, in that large cities are more energy efficient and resulting in a lower per capita carbon foot print (as an example, a New York City resident’s carbon foot print is 30% that of a suburban or rural counter part). However, this also comes with a serious set of challenges that must be mitigated in a sound manner for such benefits to materialize: - Careful urban planning from the perspective of optimizing high-demand land and space (housing, work space, parks and green surfaces, parking, walking and biking paths…) - Transportation systems that are effective and sustainable: Integrated, efficient and affordable transport systems for people and goods that will reduce/eliminate the need for personal cars - Pollution mitigation: Means and systems to mitigate/ eliminate greenhouse gases, NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions, particulates, and heat island effects from buildings and vehicles - Natural resource management: Systems and technologies that enable the reuse of refuse material and minimize water and energy consumption (sewer systems, water and energy) The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that transport energy use and emissions will increase by more than 50% by 2030 and more than double by 2050. In the US cars and light trucks emitted nearly 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, or 17% of the country’s total in 2009. In the UK, nearly 21% of the country’s CO2 is generated by domestic transport dominated by passenger cars. Considering both the challenge and the opportunity presented by the transport sector in terms of enabling efficient and sustainable modern cities and supporting a greener and healthier planet, governments with a pull from their citizens and green focused organizations are funding initiatives in support of implementing and proliferating sustainable transport systems. A key enabling technology, identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is hybrid propulsion which, when implemented in transit buses and vocational |130| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
medium and heavy duty trucks results in fuel consumption, CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 20% to 40% depending on duty cycle, vehicle type and hybrid power train architecture, when compared to their corresponding conventional counterparts. Achieving and delivering a heavy duty hybrid solution that addresses the demand for sustainability is a rather complex task and can be approached in several ways. The complexity stems from the need for the corporations investing in such endeavours, beyond their corporate and social responsibilities, to realize a return on investment while providing a product that meets the expectations of the end users, including affordability. After all, the ability of these corporations to continue developing and producing such technologies and others that serve their nations and communities, is primarily founded on their profitability and ability to reinvest a portion of their profits in technology development and maturation. This means that the product must provide the best performance in terms of fuel efficiency, reliability, reduced emissions, lower operating costs, passenger comfort, and lower noise, while keeping the cost of its production as low as possible. Different companies with different cultures and pedigree have varying views on the best way to achieve a balanced (cost vs. performance) equation. In BAE Systems’ view, meeting the challenges of our modern society and fulfilling our responsibilities towards our children and communities for a better tomorrow, requires a paradigm shift in the way we develop and produce enabling products and technologies. BAE Systems relies on 60 years of experience in power management and control for commercial and military aircraft and leverages systems integration approaches to develop hybrid propulsion solutions. To achieve a sustainable offering in hybrid propulsion requires a complete understanding of its mission, the way it is used, the way it is supported in the field, the value proposition that would be acceptable to the market place and how it will evolve in the next 20 to 50 years. Other important considerations include an understanding of the geopolitical environment that shapes the various global markets, local policies visà-vis the environment, energy, and the acquisition process of such vehicles and fleets. Furthermore, another key element in driving technology acceptance and accelerating product maturation is the careful consideration of potential adjacent markets and applications for components, subsystems and perhaps the entire system altogether (military, light rail and renewable energy are examples of adjacent markets that are under consideration by BAE Systems, depicted in figure 1). The intimate understanding of this multifaceted
puzzle, allows for a sound business model to be put in place that is synergistic with the specifics and the “culture” of the target market of interest. This includes partnership strategies that bring together the right team members, supply chain, vehicle OEMs, end-users, policy makers, local communities and others. This philosophy supported investment in developing, maturing and delivering a viable portfolio of hybrid propulsion and power management solutions branded as HybriDrive® by BAE Systems for transit/city buses and commercial truck platforms.
and local Transit Authorities and others to accelerate the commercialization of hybrid technologies.
One of the major barriers to a widespread new propulsion technology acceptance such as hybrids, in addition to the need for a cultural change, is its cost premium when compared to conventional heavy duty vehicle propulsion products. A number of actions must be put in place to mitigate such hurdles:
Initiatives to break this vicious circle, to include outof-the-box, paradigm shifting design and development approaches that minimize cost and provide flexible and scalable components are critical. Such components will provide enticing solutions in other applications beyond the hybrid propulsion market. Further, a dual use design philosophy that is inclusive of potential military applications offers the opportunity for further technology deployment and maturation in support of increased volumes and lower cost.
1. Educating the OEM and the end-users: Every effort is made during the design and development of such technologies to make their implementation and use as transparent as possible to the OEMs and end- users. The idea is to minimize/eliminate the need for specialized skills and additional training, as well as the need for cost prohibitive vehicle redesign to accept these new power trains. However, the fact remains that electric components operating at high voltage and power levels are unknown and therefore intimidating to the general public. A great effort is applied toward explaining and demonstrating the simplicity, the safety and the benefits of these technologies. Further, implementing a thought process that focuses on life cycle costs is critical to overcoming the initial negative perception of the acquisition price of such technologies. 2. Governance and policy shaping: Although hybrid propulsion technology is becoming more accepted, the fact remains that the local and national policies that govern mass transit and commercial vehicles certification, acquisition and operation are written around the combustion engine technology. Examples include emissions certification, On Board Diagnostics (OBD), vehicle safety requirements and so on. The growing commitment of governments to prioritize sustainable transport systems, clean air, economic growth (job creation), and the need to mitigate rising energy prices and dependence on foreign oil (national security), have helped hybrid technology suppliers and supporters to make progress in influencing upcoming regulations. Stressing the importance and the need to allocate portions of tax payers’ money in support of the development, maturation and proliferation of these technologies is paramount. Such critical efforts must continue into the future. Corporations such as BAE Systems have embraced this approach and have been working with the US Government (Congress), the Department of Energy, the Federal Transit Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, CALSTART, WESTART, CARB, HTUF, NVC
3. Stimulating Economies of scale: One key element of the strategy to accelerate the widespread use of the technology is to work in concert with fleet users, OEMs and the supply chain to minimize and eliminate the cost barrier that’s holding back initial hybrid volumes. The dilemma is that for cost to come down, volumes must go up, however, for volumes to go up, the cost must come down.
Several steps must be put in place; a. Design and development programs must assume a commercially viable standalone end product. This means that all efforts must be made to provide an affordable product without subsidy. While this constraint might not be met in the end, the goal is to seek the creative approaches that would result in the lowest cost system, ensuring the business case is solvable on the supplier side, as well as on the end-user side by providing a payback on the initial price premium well within the life of the vehicle. b. The system and its components must be designed with the greatest possible flexibility and scalability within the limits of a solvable business case. The purpose here is to obtain a set of components that can be scaled up and down their power and torque capabilities without prohibitive redesign. This way, additional applications and adjacent markets can be accessed. The purpose is to enable economies of scale via increased volumes, increased affordability, accelerated maturity, therefore enabling faster proliferation of the product. This approach allows access to a larger number of vehicles within the same market: example 12m buses, articulated 18m buses, fuel cell buses, CNG buses and trolley buses. It also allows for access to vehicles of a different type, such as light rail where the propulsion power and torque levels are very similar to those of heavy duty transit buses and trucks. Further, the scalability allows for the components to be used within completely different applications where high efficiency, reliability, advanced control and smart power management are critical discriminators. Examples of such applications include wind turbine, solar power and maritime applications. c. Inclusion of the military market to the greatest extent possible is another key element of the strategy. While the ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |131|
enhancing vehicle’s effectiveness in completing its mission. iii.Export power capability: Much of the electric power that is generated in remote military bases is done via towed electric generators that are fuel hungry, heavy and bulky. The implementation of an advanced on board power system combining generation and management allows for the actual vehicles, when stationary, to generate electric power and support the needs of the bases, hence eliminating the need for towed generators during initial deployments, expeditionary forces and/or in times of acute need. mission profile of a combat or tactical military vehicle differs from that of a commercial truck or bus, the actual components of a commercial hybrid propulsion system can be implemented in such a way that supports the specifics of the military vehicle and market. The stringent constraints on government budgets combined with the changing conflict types is creating the need for the DOD and MOD to reduce the logistical foot print of the armed forces in the battlefield. Fuel remains the largest tonnage of material transported into and within the battle field at a delivered cost in the hundreds of dollars per gallon in the most remote missions. Hence, improving fuel economy equates to reducing battlefield cost (tax payer’s money), and reducing the number of deployed personnel. However, while these departments represent a significant number of vehicles (hundreds of thousands), they could neither entice sufficient competition and volume to support a sustainable market nor the investments needed for a broad industry capability. This situation has led the military leaders to start adopting commercial practices when it comes to developing and deploying new capabilities and products. Starting with advanced commercial systems reduces non-recurring engineering budgets, accelerates final capability deployment and reduces acquisition costs. Military vehicle specifics include: i. Mobility improvement: Whereby implementing onboard power generation and management solutions by leveraging the power converters and the electric machines of the commercial hybrid systems, capabilities such as vehicle cabin air-conditioning, engine cooling, accessory electrification and mission equipment power needs are met with improved efficiency. This in turn results in releasing additional power back to the wheels or tracks for improved mobility (acceleration and grade climbing). Further, fuel consumption is also reduced resulting in increased vehicle range and reduced logistic support needs. ii. Vehicle battle field capability improvement: Enhanced onboard power generation and management also provide the opportunity to equip military platforms with much needed enhanced mission equipment which would not be supported with conventional power trains, thereby |132| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
iv. Stationary generators themselves can be made more efficient by operating at variable load-dependent speeds using synthesized output power rather than the traditional fixed speed synchronous power. 4.Securing incentives: Analyses carried out by Groups such as HTUF (Hybrid Truck Users Forum) show that production and acquisition of hybrid vehicle volumes in the 3000 to 5000 units per year will enable sufficient price reductions to justify purchase based on the business case alone (no subsidies required). However, in order to achieve such volumes initially, additional incentives must be put in place. HTUF and its working groups, including end-users, OEMs and suppliers, were able to secure and push into actual practice, federal tax credits under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005). This incentive was the first statutory acknowledgement of the uniqueness of medium and heavy duty hybrids. The working groups are working on a multi-level strategy to help secure better incentives at the federal level, while also working with States and regions to encourage and secure matching or supporting incentives at that level. Such incentives are designed to be time limited (3 to 5 years), enough to increase the volumes to the tipping point level and reduce acquisition price to the point where the premium is paid by the benefits of reduced vehicle life cycle costs (fuel savings and reduced maintenance). Such incentives have been put into practice for the mass transit market several years ago whereby the federal government subsidises the acquisition of hybrid and other clean alternative technologies. Today, close to 2000 hybrid buses are acquired in the USA every year. Efforts to reduce cost and increase fuel economy supported by the increasing fuel prices are stimulating yearly production increase towards a sustainable market. Similar activities are taking place in the UK where carbon credits and other types of incentives are being defined and pushed into practice. The BAE Systems HybriDrive® family of products development started 20 years ago. Focus on adjacent markets and interest in environmentally friendly technologies led to investing to develop hybrid propulsion solutions for wheeled heavy duty vehicles. The first member of the HybriDrive® portfolio was the BAE Systems’ Series propulsion system. This best in class
technology, is leading the global hybrid transit bus market with over 3,200 systems in revenue service across North America and the UK, surpassing 300 million revenue service miles and saving 25 million gallons of fuel cumulatively while preventing 280,000 tons of CO2 from being released into our atmosphere. Beyond its demonstrated superior fuel economy, emissions reduction, flexibility and scalability to support various transit bus platforms, it offers a viable path to a Zero Emissions Vehicle. Further, the prime mover and the associated electric power generator can be replaced with other power sources, such as Fuel Cells, Plug-in batteries or overhead power grid, leading to pure electric mass transit vehicles. The largest fleet of hybrid transit buses in the world is in New York City with a total of 1,675 buses, all contributing to the sustainable urban economy and the well being of the local communities. Statistics show that the local economy benefits from the overall savings due to a smaller personal car population, shorter travel distances and heavier mass transit use, resulting in cumulative savings of $19 billion per year of which approximately $16 billion are spent within the city. Over the last two years, an additional product has been under development and will be added to the BAE Systems HybriDrive® portfolio by the end of 2012 (production ramp up). This is the Parallel hybrid propulsion system, targeting primarily the heavy duty vocational truck market. After a thorough analysis of the global vocational truck market in terms of fuel consumption, noise pollution, greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions, the determination was that considerable improvements can be made to achieve further environmental friendliness and leap towards transportation sustainability by providing the right hybrid propulsion power train. The Parallel system is different from the Series system in that both combustion engine power and electric power are blended to provide vehicle propulsion and enhance vehicle performance (combustion engine and electric machine are both connected to the vehicle wheels via a propulsion shaft, unlike the Series system where the wheels are connected to the electric traction motor only). The anticipation is that within the vocations of interest (refuse collection, pick and delivery, construction…etc), fuel savings and associated emissions reductions will be in the 20 to 30%.
well into the next decade. Further, regulations and standards that support the proliferation of hybrid technology have yet to be developed.
• Electric accessories: Components such as electrically driven air-conditioning, cooling fans, steering pumps, air-compressors and such do not currently exist and/or are not in an optimized format for heavy duty vehicles. Much work is yet to be done to develop the products and establish a supply chain that can produce them for the right cost. These components are critical to achieving additional fuel consumption and emissions reductions, and to supporting the progression toward a future pure electric vehicle.
• Energy storage: The current performance and
the future viability of hybrid propulsion systems rely to a greater extent on the performance of the energy storage. However, current battery and ultracapacitor technology is too costly, does not have the life expectancy, nor the energy and power density required to enable long range EV operation (engine off) for a commercial vehicle, and currently does not offer a viable path to a pure electric vehicle end-state. Further development of energy storage technology must remain an area of great focus well into the next 2 decades.
• Fuel cells: Fuel cell technologies remain a promising
approach to support zero emission vehicles of the future. Progress has been made in improving the robustness, reliability, life and the cost of these systems. However, substantial further progress remains to be made for this technology to be viable in heavy duty applications.
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Natural
Gas (LNG) and Biofuels: As more efficient engines utilizing lower emission fuels such as Compressed and Liquefied Natural Gas and biofuels, the opportunity exists for a force multiplier effect by combining the efficiency of a hybrid system with the petroleum offset and CO2 reduction of these cleaner fuels.
While progress is being made in the development, maturation and commercialization of hybrid drivelines, much more must be done in order to realize the full potential of this technology and enable a commercially viable path to the Electric Vehicle end-state. The progression towards this end state will be made via the coexistence of various technologies and options as they gain commercial viability over the next 10 to 20 years. Meanwhile, several areas require continued attention and work: • Legislative and governance: Emphasis on the need for incentives and allocation of funding in support of green sustainable transport systems must continue ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |133|
CONSERVATION Page 136 - 138 - Invasive Species - Japanese Knotweed - Steve Blunt, Ground Cover DBM Page 139-140 - Conservation - Balast Water, Preventing Marine Invasives, By David A. Wright, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, Environmental Research Services, and Thomas P. Mackey, Hyde Marine, Inc. Co-chairs of the BWEG.
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Image: Wetland habitat managed for water voles, and protected from Himalayan Balsam by grazing
‘LATERAL THINKING TO TACKLE INVASIVE SPECIES’ By Stephen Blunt, Principal Landscape Manager, Richards, Moorehead & Laing Ltd
Habitats in the UK are being threatened by many invasive species – some long established and others recently arrived in Britain. Conventional control methods using herbicides or physical removal can be effective but expensive to use on a large scale, and in sensitive locations such as nature reserves their application is restricted. This article describes a number of alternatives which illustrate how, by understanding the biology of the invader and applying a little lateral thinking, the invaders can be tackled at moderate cost and with low environmental impact. Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) spreads rapidly by seed, which shoot from ‘explosive’ seed capsules and can float considerable distances downstream to invade new locations. This plant grows rapidly to produce dense stands which swamp desirable waterside habitats, but dies down after autumn frosts to leave bare soil which is vulnerable to erosion. A small infestation can spread with amazing speed, growing as new seedlings every spring, and so when it first appeared in habitat creation areas formed as part of the A55 dualcarriageway across Anglesey, the Ecology Manager was keen to take action. The habitat area contained ditches and drains managed to provide Water Vole habitat, and Himalayan Balsam would quickly swamp the food plants of this endangered mammal. Initial efforts to pull out seedlings by hand proved time-consuming and only partly effective, but UK Highways provided additional fencing to allow the site to be managed by grazing. Three |136| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
ponies were introduced and they selected the Balsam as part of their diet, eating the young plants each year and preventing further seed production as a ‘low-tech’ and long-term form of biological control. RML’s Ecologist made sure that plants outside the ponies’ reach were removed by hand, and the site is now kept virtually free of Himalayan Balsam at a fraction of the cost of other methods. Another invasive species which spreads by seed is Rhododendron ponticum. This long-lived perennial gradually invades woodlands and steep hillsides to form a complete cover which suppresses almost all other plants. It is widespread from Dorset heaths to the scottish highlands, and a notable problem in Snowdonia where the National Park Authority co-ordinates clearance action by voluntary groups and contractors. The growing spread of the plant disease Phytophthora ramorum which is especially prevalent in Rhododendron makes effective control of this invasive shrub all the more urgent. As the plant can regenerate from cut stumps and from seed in the soil, construction works such as road improvement which cut into affected woodlands must now take care not to spread the seed or stumps when moving soil. Highway project staff faced just this problem on a scheme in Wales, where advance works had cut and cleared the Rhododendron but the contractor was required to remove the soil and stumps to a landfill. Environmental consultants Richards, Moorehead & Laing Ltd put forward alternative proposals to strip the topsoil carefully and use
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Image: Giant Hogweed © Invasiveplantcompany.com
it as the base layer of subsoil within the works, so that any viable Rhododendron seed or root fragments would either fail to germinate or would emerge in control areas where follow-up herbicide treatment could be applied. This simple innovation saved a substantial cost, avoided road haulage and conserved scarce landfill space. Giant Hogweed is not just invasive – its sap causes severe blistering to the skin and so it is a hazard to site staff and to users of the site. Controlling Giant Hogweed on construction projects is therefore a priority and while herbicides are an effective tool for the established plant, they do not prevent the regeneration of the large ‘bank’ of seeds in the soil around mature plants. Stripping the topsoil and using it as subsoil in landscape areas is a simple and environmentally-friendly way of dealing with this problem. Ideally the material should be used in areas where monitoring and follow-up treatment of any Giant Hogweed seedlings that do emerge is straightforward. Biological control of Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) gained a lot of press coverage when the first trial releases were approved in 2010. The sap-sucking Psyllid bug, identified and tested in an exhaustive programme to find suitable control agents, is expected to multiply and feed on Japanese Knotweed alone. The knotweed will be weakened by this process and, if all goes well, will be reduced in vigour so that native species can compete and regain their place in the ecosystems. Biological control will not eradicate Japanese Knotweed – that would leave the Psyllid without its food source – but |138| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
should prove highly beneficial in rescuing habitats from this invasive plant. Conventional eradication methods will still be required for sites where knotweed must be fully removed, or controlled rapidly to allow development or other uses to go ahead. Specialist Japanese Knotweed contractors will still be needed, but conservation site managers, rivers authorities, National Parks and large landowners should benefit from the help of the biological control programme. In the current economic climate there is no prospect of substantial funding for Japanese Knotweed control in rural and publicly-owned areas, but the scale of land infestation is growing rapidly. There is also the potential for knotweed relatives to hybridise to produce a plant which can effectively pollinate the all-female Japanese Knotweed in this country. Consider how well Japanese Knotweed has spread to all parts of the UK without producing viable seed, and then imagine how much more effective it would be if viable seed were commonly produced. This ‘nightmare scenario’ makes the development of an effective and safe biological control agent a priority, and so we await the results of the trial release programme with interest. Habitats throughout the country are being invaded by non-native species that have found local conditions to their liking, and taken advantage of our curiosity or carelessness to spread into new locations. These species use their ecological advantages to proliferate and out-compete the native flora. Now we must use our ecological advantage – brain power – to find ways to fight back at low cost and with the minimum of environmental impact.
The Ballast Water Management Challenge Solutions To A Global Environmental Problem
By David A. Wright, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science, Environmental Research Services, and Thomas P. Mackey, Hyde Marine, Inc. Co-chairs of the BWEG. It has long been recognised that ballast water represents the primary vector for the introduction of invasive aquatic organisms into waterways and coastal ecosystems. Invasive species threaten not just the balance of the ecosystems themselves but may also degrade coastal and inland fisheries, through encroachment by noncommercial species, and industrial and municipal water usage, through the clogging of intakes by species such as zebra mussels. Introductions of some phytoplankton species through this vector can involve potentially serious health risks. Prominent among these has been the proliferation of harmful algal blooms, resulting from ballast water transport of phytoplankton between coastal areas. The transoceanic transport of non-indigenous species was the focus of the 2004, United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) mandating international ballast
Image: Typical BWTS retrofit installation aboard a cruise ship
water management. After 2016, all vessels subject to the regulations will be required to have an operational, IMO Type Approved Ballast Water Management System. Some jurisdictions may apply stricter standards. The current standard sets limits on the number of viable organisms allowed in treated discharged ballast water. The standard includes different size categories and makes provision for both bacteria and more complex planktonic organisms. One of the greatest challenges imposed by the BWMC and the requirement to fit type approved Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS) is finding space and power and managing the installation onto existing ships. New vessels can deal with the challenge through proper planning and providing adequate space and power for a treatment system. The major challenge for new buildings may be the availability of suitable IMO Type Approved BWTS. Currently 10 systems have received type approval under the IMO G-8 Guidelines. Additional approvals are expected soon. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |139|
A system must be chosen that is well suited to the particular vessel, whether, it is a retrofit or new construction. Because of the significant investment involved, an established supplier offering a technology with proven operational reliability, as well as IMO type approval should be chosen. The system must be compatible with the existing or planned ballast system and generally must be suitable for operation in salt, brackish and fresh waters. Particularly in the case of retrofits, the system should be designed for adaptability, with modular components for installation flexibility, and preferably suitable for transport through existing accesses. The owner/operator and supplier need to work closely with the installers and the Classification Society. There are many special considerations particularly for ships on which the system must be installed in hazardous areas or that have very high ballast water flow rates. Because of the tight compliance schedules, the availability of installation facilities, skilled fitters and engineering services may be among the greatest impediments to meeting the BWM Convention requirements for existing ships. Many other engineering, installation and operational challenges must be met on vessel retrofits including determining the effect of the added pressure drop on the ballast pump’s capacity. Normally a ship check will be required to determine the most suitable location for the system components and to develop the necessary engineering information and drawings to meet the owner and class requirements. Safety, reliability, maintainability, automation, and low operating costs, energy consumption, and consumables throughout the life of the ship are among the principal operational considerations. As the BWMC advances towards full ratification by IMO member states, the size and scope of the management task becomes increasingly clear. The Convention will come into force exactly 12 months following full ratification. Many observers expect full ratification of the convention in 2012 or sooner. The worldwide commercial fleet has been estimated at approximately 70,000 vessels. Ballast capacities range from several cubic meters (m3 or tonnes), in the case of fishing boats, to hundreds of thousands of tonnes on very large bulk carriers, where ballasting rates can be as high as 15,000–20,000 m3/h. In many, multiple BWTS may be required, depending on the number and configuration of ballast pumps and for larger vessels with very high ballast capacities and flow rates. Installation of BWTS has been scheduled according to a 4-year timetable, depending on the capacity of the ship and its age. Assuming full compliance by the existing merchant fleet, and an expected 2,000 new ships entering the world’s fleets each year, it has been estimated that the global BWTS market will spike during years 2012 to 2015 with |140| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
over 10,000 existing ships per year (30 per day) installing BWT systems, and will then drop sharply in 2016, when it is assumed that all existing vessels will be in compliance and the annual market will be represented only by new ships (King and Hagan 2011). Given the enormity of the task, some slippage in these dates would not be surprising. In addition to the daunting task of equipping the world commercial fleet with BWTS, there is the formidable job of enforcing the statute circumscribed by the convention once it comes into force. Although performance testing has become increasingly standardised worldwide and has become the ‘blueprint’ for future compliance testing, an important distinction between the two will be that, performance testing typically compares treated with untreated water, compliance testing will deal exclusively with the discharge of treated water from vessels as they enter port. This challenge is just now being dealt with at IMO. In view of the fact that enforcement of the convention will be the responsibility of the port states, it is likely that jurisdictions will adopt a tiered approach to compliance assessment, including the use of reporting, inspections, and testing for selected groups of organisms. Such a strategy would identify the most obvious cases of noncompliance, based on the rationale that it is much easier and cheaper to detect clear noncompliance than it is to identify full compliance, bearing in mind the sampling and analytical effort involved. The complexity of the issue and the need for a relatively uniform approach to this worldwide challenge will require a sustained effort to standardise outstanding sampling and analytical protocols and streamline the testing process. This in turn will provide a cost effective means for enforcing the ballast water management convention and reversing the exponential increase in aquatic invasive species introductions worldwide. All ship owners will have to comply with the upcoming BWM regulations. The IMO BWM Convention is expected to be ratified shortly and will come into force 12 months after ratification. Planning immediately for the installation of BWTS and selecting safe, practical, robust and reliable ballast water management solutions should be the highest priority. King, D.M. and Hagan, P. (2011). "The question industry should ask IMO about ballast water.” Sustainable Shipping April 20, 2011.
MISCELLANY Page 143 - Environment Prosecutions Page 144 - 145 - “Going Grey Is Not Black Or White” - Terry Nash, Director, UK Sustainable Development Association “ Page 146 - 147 - Logistics and Driver Training - Shane Harding, Director, System Training Page 148 - 150 - Mapping - Linked Data - John Goodwin & Glen Hart, Ordnance Survey Page 151 - Ideas In Transit Page 152 - 158 - Case Studies Page 159 - 160 - Famous Last Words - Jill Allen-King, Chairperson, European Blind Union Commission on Mobility and Transport
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROSECUTIONS West Yorkshire waste criminal ordered to pay back £2,000 A West Yorkshire man has been ordered to pay back £2,000 today (20 May) after he was prosecuted by the Environment Agency for running an illegal waste site near Todmorden. As well as his suspended sentence he was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and he was made subject of a curfew between 10pm and 6am for three months
Smelly south London waste company ordered to pay £87,837 for causing persistent stink A south London company was ordered to pay £87,837 on Thursday 28 April after admitting to a series of waste permit breaches which affected the local environment and quality of life for nearby residents. Hinkcroft Transport Ltd, of Landmann Way in New Cross, was fined £65,000 and ordered to pay £22,837 in costs by Croydon Crown Court. The company faced two charges under the Environmental Permitting Regulations ( England and Wales)
Predator fish kept illegally Fishery manager Timothy Phillips was today(Thurs) fined £1,650 for illegally keeping live sturgeon in a fishing lake at Thetford. It was the first Environment Agency prosecution under the Import of Live Fish Act (ILFA). Phillips was accused of keeping prohibited nonnative live fish at Witchlake Fishery, Oakwood Park, Blackdyke Road, Hockwold cum Wilton,Thetford, in Norfolk without a valid licence.
Water company fined for polluting Plym Estuary with sewage South West Water was today ordered to pay £23,400 in fines and costs after sewage escaped from one of its structures and polluted the Plym Estuary. The case was brought by the Environment Agency. In May 2010 Environment Agency officers carried out a survey of surface water out falls along the western shore of the Plym Estuary. They found three out falls in an area known as Arnolds Point, one of which, the Lipson Stream, was discoloured. A sample from this outfall was ‘grossly contaminated’ with sewage. Large amounts of sewage debris was visible around this outfall and along the surrounding foreshore.
Shell pleads guilty Charges relating to gas explosion at Bacton Shell UK Ltd today (Wed) pleaded guilty at Norwich Crown Court to seven charges arising from an explosion and fire at the Bacton Gas Plant, Norfolk in February 2008. The company admitted failing to take measures to prevent major accidents, failing to ensure the safety and welfare of its employees and exposing others to health and safety risks
Skip company director fined United Skip Hire Ltd director Malcolm John Fuller, was yesterday (Tues) fined by Harlow Magistrates’ Court for operating illegally at Morelands Industrial Estate in Rettendon, Essex Fuller of Hockley Road, Rayleigh pleaded guilty to running an illegal waste site and was fined a total of £500 and ordered to pay a contribution to Agency costs of £500 Harlow Magistrates bench chairman said the court took into account Fuller’s timely guilty plea and financial circumstances when sentencing. Fuller told investigating officers that he was not aware he needed permission
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… going grey is not black or white …
By Terry Nash, Director, UK Sustainable Development Association Following the driest winter and spring for many years, with a long dry summer forecast, and water levels in many reservoirs at record low-levels for the time of year, the introduction of water restrictions and hosepipe bans is being widely predicted – even for the farming industry. Added to the well-known existing structural stresses on national water supplies, the anticipated effect on patterns of rainfall due to climate change, and the inexorable rise in population (up another 20-million by 2050 forecast by the Environment Agency), the need to reduce personal levels of water consumption becomes ever more urgent This is reflected in The Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) which at levels 5&6, due to apply to all new-build dwellings from 2016 onwards, requires domestic water consumption to be reduced from the current national average of 150-litres per person per day down to 80-litres. The underlying assumption is that this will be achieved in part by greater use of water-efficient fixtures and appliances, and in part by substituting water from other sources for mains-water. The 2010 edition of Part-G of The Building Regulations paves the way for meeting this requirement by permitting two types of water in domestic dwellings, namely “wholesome” (ie mains) water for bathing, cooking, dish-washing and drinking, and “non-wholesome” water for toilet-flushing, clothes-washing and the outside tap. The revised Regulations also go on helpfully to identify possible sources of nonwholesome water, of which “greywater” – typically the outflow from baths and showers – and harvested rainwater are the two most commonly available. Of these, harvested rainwater is the most straightforward to use, requiring only suitable filtration and storage arrangements to make it suitable for nonpotable use. Due to contaminants and chemicals picked-up in typical initial use, greywater must either be used straight-away for restricted purposes such as toilet-flushing, or be processed to make it suitable for storage for use when required, and wider applications such as clothes washing and garden irrigation. On many projects, therefore, harvesting rainwater would be the most cost-effective way of providing non-wholesome water in order to meet sustainability codes. At levels 5&6 of the CSH, for example, perhaps around 30-litres per person per day of substitution water might be required to meet Code requirements once economising methods have been exhausted (subject to project-specific calculations to be performed according to the Government’s national calculation methodology). This would require a roof area of about 20-m2 per occupant in an area with an average annual rainfall of 600-mm. Where these broad parameters are not available, then the need to consider providing a supply of water to substitute for mains-water from a greywater system comes firmly into play. Greywater systems can range from relatively simple temporary holding tank systems that retain bath or shower outflows for a day or two for flushing the adjacent toilet, to more sophisticated systems that bring the water up to a standard that enables it to be stored for longer-term use and wider applications. The ways in which the greywater is processed can vary widely depending |144| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
upon the system being used, but typically might involve passing it through a membrane under air pressure to hold back solid matter, bacteria and potential viruses. Such water would usually be up to the standard of EU guidelines for bathing water and would be suitable, say, for storing in the rainwater harvesting tank (if also fitted). Greywater recycling overcomes the two main constraints of rainwater harvesting, namely the requirements for an adequate ratio of roof-size to the number of inhabitants, and the need for reasonably predictable and reasonably regular rainfall. It also benefits greatly from the excellent match (broadly 1:1) between the amount of greywater we each produce each day, and the amount of water we use for non-potable applications. On the debit side, however, all but the relatively simple greywater systems are significantly more complicated and expensive than their rainwater harvesting counterparts, and need much more maintenance. The “simple� systems themselves can also be intrusive in a modern space-constrained bathroom. From the foregoing, the decision on when or how to employ greywater recycling to meet modern building codes is not straightforward or clear-cut, and must be considered alongside other water-related aspects of a project such as the need to manage surface water in the most cost-effective way. Arrangements also need to be compatible with the near-future requirement for SUDS arrangements to be adopted to ensure their long-term maintainability and efficiency. Factors that need to be taken into account from the outset is the good match on a typical 3 or 4-bed home, between the non-wholesome water requirements of the inhabitants, and the likely annual harvested rainwater yield of the roof. Individual rainwater harvesting systems therefore get the surface-water management challenge off to a good start by having in place a source control that will in any case need to be maintained for its own primary use purposes. Assuming a mixed development that includes smaller/higher-density accommodation that perhaps do not justify individual rainwater harvesting systems, a communal system can instead be considered. As by definition these will be short of water, they can be fed from both their own roofs and the overflows from nearby single-property systems. These communal systems effectively provide the solution to part of the surface-water management requirement and, like their single-property counterparts, will also be maintained for their own reasons. Taking this incremental approach to both water supply and surfacewater management leaves only two decisions to be taken: to what extent does greywater recycling also need to be considered to meet CSH requirement?; and what attenuation requirement remains on a wholesite basis to meet surface-water management requirements? Insofar as the second question is concerned, the future norm will be to provide this attenuation in the form of site and amenity enhancing waterfeatures, open to visual inspection and thus easily maintainable by the local SUDS Adoption Board. In short, all projects should aim from their outset to take a fully integrated approach to water-supply and surface-water management requirements, perhaps regarding rainwater harvesting as the default means of providing substitute water to meet building codes, combining with greywater recycling to provide any shortfall, with any surplus being fed through to the site amenity water features to provide the necessary levels of attenuation for SUDS purposes. For further information on environmental technologies see www.uk-sda.org ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |145|
System Training – Helping to Reduce Fuel Usage and Emissions in the Logistics Industry As the UK’s largest logistics training provider, Carlislebased System Training has led the way in terms of raising the quality and standard of occupational learning in the industry over the past decade. System Training offers a diverse range of transport and logistics industry training options – making it a true ‘one stop shop’. Its portfolio of high quality courses has been carefully and systematically developed through collaboration with employers to meet the precise needs of the transport industry. However, the company’s innovative ideas and dynamic approach has seen it develop solutions for operators that provide a real and tangible benefit, and help cut down on carbon emissions and fuel usage. By intelligently applying the training to daily operations, System Training has helped logistics providers save fuel, reduce accidents and increase profitability. Courses are regularly scheduled at the company’s training centres, and can also be delivered on-site anywhere in the country. Highly experienced instructors and tutors holding appropriate qualifications are subject to regular audit to ensure continuous improvement and compliance and external quality control standards. Course materials are regularly updated to ensure consistency with current legislation. System Training’s Driver CPC Consortium In a bid to take its approach to another level System Training launched a unique Driver CPC Consortium with the aim of improving training standards across the UK Logistics industry. The initiative is targeted at helping with the implementation of the new Driver CPC legislation within logistics businesses. Over 30 of the logistics sector’s leading names have already signed up including: Bibby Distribution, Tesco, MAN Trucks, CM Downton, TM Logistics, Asda and Yodel. The consortium has been developed to facilitate costeffective, seamless in-house delivery of the statutory periodic driver training that forms the basis of the Driver CPC for both LGV and PCV Drivers. An extensive range |146| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
of training programmes and development solutions are available and are designed to improve business performance and profitability. Benefits include improved fuel efficiency, reduced number of accidents, lower maintenance costs and insurance premiums, as well as increased utilisation, improved staff morale and retention. Members of the Consortium work with a highly experienced, dedicated team of training experts, who will assist in the development and implementation of an effective Driver CPC programme within their business. Membership is backed up by a full provision of ‘Train the Trainer’ support required for each company’s own instructors. The Consortium has been specially developed for medium and large-scale transport and logistics operations and major retail businesses operating their own transport fleets that have, or wish to develop, an in-house training capability. Typically these businesses will employ in excess of 50 drivers. Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving One of the most popular training courses with logistics operators and organisations that run large fleets is Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED). System Training delivers many SAFED courses annually and they concentrate on providing drivers with the skills to drive more fuel efficiently. With fuel prices, and the cost of motoring rising, SAFED courses have risen in popularity.
Drivers are taught how to plan ahead while driving to ensure that heavy acceleration, harsh braking and unnecessary gear changes are kept to a minimum. Not only does it lead to vehicles using less fuel but the skills also enable the driver to be a safer road user and reduce the chance of accidents and damage causing incidents. SAFED is the main course to help reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions in the road transport and logistics sector but it’s also becoming more popular with other businesses and organisations that run large vehicle fleets who are committed to reducing costs and carbon output.
System Training Driving Simulator System Training recently unveiled a new truck and bus driving simulator at the Commercial Vehicle Show. The simulator will be used to train logistics apprentices and new drivers to achieve their goods vehicle licence and to deliver driver training in a very sustainable fashion. In the past all practical driver training had to take place on the public roads but now the simulator will allow training to be delivered emission free. The classroom based machine will allow new drivers to get an idea of spatial awareness and hazard perception before they go out on the open road and allow System Training to reduce carbon emissions associated with the practical elements of training. An Eye On The Future – The Logistics Apprenticeship Not content with pushing up standards in the industry now, System Training has also been determined to ensure the next generation of logistics industry workers is equipped to push the sector forward. Many young people have now found employment in the logistics industry thanks to its radical new apprenticeship scheme.
where they would have had to learn along the way. This method allows both the apprentices and the employers to start benefitting from the placement from the outset, speeding up the practical learning process and reducing the risk for employers. Another benefit of the scheme is that participants also receive a wage during their time on it to ensure they don’t have to incur the level of debt that affects many students. The apprenticeship is aimed at giving youngsters the opportunity to gain a firm grounding in one of the UK’s biggest economic sectors, while raising the standard of talent available to firms seeking new employees.
At A Glance • System Training was formed in 1988 to deliver driver training and consultancy for business clients. • The company employs over 300 staff and delivers training nationally through its many sites across the UK. • Its dynamic approach ensures behavioural change by engaging and interacting with clients’ staff at various levels. • System intelligently applies training suited to each client’s needs to ensure the techniques make an operational and financial difference. • It’s techniques concentrate on helping fleets reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions. •
System Training work in partnership with Skills for Logistics, Department for Transport and Skills Funding Agency to ensure the current and future development of the logistics skills pool.
The programme, developed by System Training in conjunction with major employers, sees youngsters undertake a three-year apprenticeship that includes practical work experience in various aspects of the industry, as well as providing classroom-based learning that leads to nationally-recognised qualifications and an opportunity to move into full-time employment upon completion of the course. What differentiates the model of the scheme is that System Training actually employs the apprentices from the beginning of the course. This means they spend time initially gaining the skills they need in the workplace before going on placement – providing them with experience that allows them to make a genuine contribution when they go on placement. For example many gain their goods vehicle licence before being placed with a company so they can drive on the fleet straight away - unlike in the traditional manner ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |147|
What is Linked Data? By Glen Hart and John Goodwin, Ordnance Survey Whether we like it or not, we are entirely dependent on the use of computers and the internet to do business. Increasingly this dependence is spreading to our social lives too and the notion of an “always connected” life is almost reality for some.
Image: Linked geodata
Underpinning this dependency, the raw opiate of our digital world, is data and it is the one thing we are not short of. But for the most part that data, if viewed from a distance, can be seen to be a chaotic assemblage. Tom Heath of Talis (www.talis.com) has a very nice analogy that we can expand upon here. Imagine if datasets were cities and the railway system was used to connect those cities; what would this world look like? Well perhaps like the world we know, each of these data cities would be very different, each with a unique character, built using different architectures and building techniques. How they would be connected though would be very different. In fact the most noticeable thing will be how unconnected most of these cities are.
reused as much of the technology as possible. So Linked Data uses HTTP and using a standard called RDF to enable data to be interconnected via links, much as HTML enables documents to be linked. So Linked Data is part of the Web, just as documents are.
Where connections exist, each will be different, in railway terms no two railway lines would have the same gauge; a train running from City A to City B, could not run from City B to City C - the lines would be a different size. But just as connectivity is important for real cities, so it is for data too. For instance, a company performing an environmental assessment will need to take data from a number of sources – mapping, land cover, habitat surveys, soils data and so on - and combine them to perform the required analysis. Given the current state of data none of this process is easy.
Linked Data works by requiring all data to be formatted in RDF. RDF is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standard and stands for Resource Description Framework. The name itself isn’t too helpful in saying what RDF is, but putting that to one side the one thing that can be said about RDF is that it is about as simple as a ‘Standard’ can be. The basic format of all RDF is what is known as a triple.
Essentially we need a better solution. Linked Data is a rising technology that can help with some of these issues. To understand what Linked Data is, it is worth understanding where it has come. The World Wide Web emerged in the early 1990’s, the brain child of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. What Berners-Lee wanted to do was to link documents over the internet to share with his colleagues. But he was unable to do so in a simple and consistent manner. The World Wide Web did not exist and so he had to invent it. Linked Data has taken the same basic idea behind the linking of documents and applied it to data and has also |148| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
The two main problems that this seeks to address are to standardise data around one format – much as HTML has standardised documents on the web - and to provide a way to directly link data so that once linked, it is not necessary for others to link it again. Although this may not sound much it is actually a very big deal, in time it will probably affect the way we all do business as much as the original Web has.
A triple has the format:
Subject, Predicate, Object
Hence the name. It enables us to make lots of simple statements that combined represent our dataset, such as: Hampshire is a County. M5 connects to M6. Portsmouth is also known as “Pompey”. In each case we have a subject: Hampshire, M5 and Portsmouth, a predicate: “is a”, “connects to” and “is also known as” and an object: County, M6 and “Pompey”. The subject must always refer to a thing; the object can be either a thing such as M6, or a value such as “Pompey”.
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The above statements are written in English, but as data they are encoded and so are a lot less readable, but the basic principle is nonetheless the same. Linked Data also borrows another idea from the web of documents; the idea of identity as an address. Each document on the web can be found by reference to its URL. This both uniquely identifies the web page (document) and allows the document to be located. Linked data does not use URLs but URIs or Uniform Resource Identifiers. The URIs are used to uniquely identify the things you are interested in (subjects and objects) and the predicates. The URI is the handle you use to represent the thing you are interested in as you can’t put the thing itself on the Web. Ordnance Survey has published Linked Data about all the administrative areas of Great Britain. In that data we have assigned a URI to represent the City of Portsmouth: http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/id/7000000000037254, a URI to the predicate ‘Contains’: http://data. ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ontology/spatialrelations/contains and a URI to Cosham: http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ id/7000000000017392 an administrative area within Portsmouth. So the statement “Portsmouth contains Cosham” is published as: http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/id/7000000000037254 http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ontology/ spatialrelations/contains http://data.ordnancesurvey. co.uk/id/7000000000017392 Well, not exactly, there are a few other bits and pieces that go around it, but these are just syntactic sugar for the benefit of a computer that we need not worry about at this stage. But how does this really help? By having a standard and universal data standard, we don’t have to worry what the format the data is, we know what it’s going to be RDF, and that means everything comes as a triple. This immediately removes one of the problems of converting data from one format to another. Secondly as a dataset becomes more and more linked the chances are someone will have already made the links that are needed for our application. Both these can make very significant inroads into reducing the cost and time it takes to link datasets together so it can be used to solve some problem. Of course it does not address all problems, but it can help in time with finding data if we assume that a Linked Data equivalent of Google will emerge. But Linked Data isn’t without problems. Probably the most pressing is the ease with which |150| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
it is possible to make bad links to other people’s data – for example linking data about Birmingham in England to Birmingham in Alabama. But Linked Data is nonetheless a very good move in the right direction. What is happening? Like the original Web, Linked Data started in a small way in 2007 with just a few interlinked datasets. Even then there were datasets with distinct geographic content that would be of interest to many in the environmental industry. One was GeoNames the crowd sourced gazetteer of world placenames, another was DBpedia. DBpedia is a Linked Data version of much of the content of Wikipedia and contains a lot of explicitly geographical and environmental information. But Linked Data is not just for the crowd sourcing community; its value has also been recognised by governments and companies. For example the BBC has begun to use Linked Data as the basis from which to generate many of its web pages. It does not just stop there. The US government is promoting the use of Linked Data to publish data, and companies such as Tesco have recognised the importance of Linked Data and are using it for things like stock control. Ordnance Survey was one of the first agencies to release Linked Data and people are already beginning to use this in anger with current usage (March 2011) being 1.8 million. For those interested in environmental data, the use of Linked Data will enable it to be much easier to integrate with other sources. And if you need to use environmental data, look to see if it is available as Linked Data, whilst if you’re publishing any, you should seriously consider doing so as Linked Data. This article can do no more than scratch the surface of what Linked Data is, but if you want to find out more a good starting point is http://www. linkeddata.org. Image: Linking Open Data cloud diagram, by Richard Cyganiak and Anja Jentzsch. http://lod-cloud.net/
Innovators Scoop Top Prizes At Transport Awards Following a day of drama and excitement at Ordnance Survey’s Southampton head office, the winners of the GeoVation Challenge, ‘How can we improve transport in Britain’ have been decided. GeoVation is Ordnance Survey’s innovation programme that seeks to support innovators, developers or entrepreneurs who want to bring geography-based ventures to life. Now into its second year of awards, this GeoVation Challenge asked entrants to suggest ideas that would help people travel in a smarter, better or greener way. A total of 155 entries were received, which were then whittled down to 9 finalists. Then, at a showcase event on 4 May, each of the finalists were given 5 minutes to pitch to a panel of expert judges and explain why their idea deserved to be awarded part of the development fund. They then took questions from the judges and the assembled audience. The winners shared a prize fund of £160,000, which included £10,000 for the best use of Ordnance Survey’s free mapping service, OS OpenData. They will now begin work bringing their ventures to life. And the winners are… •Mission:Explore were awarded £36,500 for their idea to encourage children and their families to cycle by inviting them to seek out and complete irreverent, geographic‘missions’ located across the National Cycle Network. The team also won an additional £1,000 prize after winning the Community Award, as voted for by the audience. • Liftshare’s My PTP, which stands for Personal Transport Planner, also took home a cheque for £36,500 to help build their vision of a journey planner that enables businesses and consumers to make informed travel choices in real-time. • CycleStreets received £27,000 to help them build their cycling advocacy toolkit which will help groups across the country work for better cycling facilities. • MySociety won £27,000 to implement the mobile element of their FixMyTransport initiative. They want to encourage travellers to become micro- activists when they find problems with the transport network, allowing them to automatically report issues to the relevant authority.
• The @ccessAdvisR team were also awarded £27,000 for their idea of a disabled access route planner to help take the stress out of journeys for travellers with limited mobility. • And finally, £6,000 was presented to the London Cycle Map Campaign for their idea of creating a colour coded Tube-style map of the Capital’s cycling network. One of the judges, Peter ter Haar Ordnance Survey’s Director of Products, said: “All the judges were hugely impressed with the quality of the entries and the calibre of the presentations. Each of the finalists should be proud of getting this far, but in the end the judges decided that these six ideas could make the most impact and had the greatest potential.” Dr Chris Parker, the GeoVation Coordinator at Ordnance Survey, added: “We launched GeoVation because we believe that geography can play an important part in addressing some big challenges – including helping us improve transport in Britain. It’s very exciting that such brilliant ideas have now been given the means to bring their projects to life.” The GeoVation Challenge is run by Ordnance Survey with support from Ideas in Transit, a five-year project funded by the Technology Strategy Board, the Department for Transport and EPSRC. For more information on GeoVation and the winners, visit the web site at www.geovation.org.uk
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CASE STUDY Otter Brewery Removes Effluent Treatment Bottleneck at Devon Production Headquarters
Micromac Effluent Pre-Treatment System Provides Elegant & Simple Solution With Major Cost Savings
Image 1: Run Down screen extracts solids from waste water |152| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
of Sustainable Direction and Micromac Filtration we can ensure that our Wetland Effluent Treatment system meets our needs today and will also do so in the future.” “This will provide us with significant cost savings - £60,000 in effluent haulage is just one example,” he continued.
Image 2: Patrick McCaig and Richard Milton celebrate the successful commissioning of the effluent treatment system at Otter Brewery
Bideford, Devon. 20 May 2011 – Industrial filtration specialist, Micromac Filtration has announced the successful completion of strategic infrastructure upgrade project at Devon-based Otter Brewery. At the brewery’s production headquarters, situated in East Devon’s Blackdown hills, Micromac has designed and installed an effluent pre-treatment system that substantially reduces solid loading to a traditional Wetland Effluent Treatment (WET) system that is found on site. Micromac was appointed on the recommendation of Sustainable Direction Limited, who were recruited by Otter Brewery to investigate the efficiency of the brewery’s WET (Wetland Effluent Treatment) system as a means of preventing water-born pollution being discharged to the environment, and its ability to support production capacity expansion at the brewery. “We discovered that Otter Brewery’s extensive system of reed beds, which were established in the 1990s had become overloaded and we needed to reduce loading by around one quarter,” explained Dr. John Henry Looney, Managing Director at Sustainable Direction. “Micromac’s system of run down screen, settlement and constant rate discharge to the wetland system is simple, relatively low cost and very effective.” Sustainable Direction was able to source grant funding for the consultancy and capital expenditure on this project. Within weeks of the system’s commissioning, Otter Brewery saw a significant improvement in the quality of the water discharge from the brewery site. As a result, the brewery can continue to employ its traditional reed bed approach and avoid the installation of alternative much more capital intensive systems.
Brewing for Britain One of the South-West’s most successful businesses over recent years, Otter Brewery needed to strike a careful balance in its operations. Whilst demand for its beers and ales continues to grow year-onyear the family-run company is very aware of its responsibility to protect the local environment. The brewery is based on a 16th century farm in the middle of a sensitive rural ecosystem. Currently, the brewery makes 20,000 brewer’s barrels of beer per annum and every pint of beer made requires four pints of water to be used in the production process. To clean waste water and return it to the water course, the brewery use one of the oldest methods of waste water management known – the willow bed. The willow beds are of a series of ponds surrounded by over 8000 willows. The waste water runs from one pond to the next through these willow 'filter' beds and eventually feeds a larger lake at the bottom of the field. As the waste water passes through the beds, the roots of the willows extract solids from the waste water and use them as nutrients for growth. Regular testing of this source ensures that water that runs from the final lake is in pristine condition before rejoining the water course. “In some ways Patrick and his team are victims of their own success,” commented Richard Milton, managing director of Micromac Filtration. “Originally they selected reed beds since they represent nature’s solution, but they couldn’t support the increasing demand for their beer. Now, by pre-screening and settling the brewery waste water before releasing it into the reed beds we have created a cost-effective and natural solution that will support the brewery’s continued growth over many years.” Image 3: Natural harmony – Wetland Effluent Treatment at Otter Brewery
“As a company and as individuals we take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously,” remarked Patrick McCaig, managing director at Otter Brewery. “At the same time, we are a growing business, experiencing all the growing pains that you encounter. With the help ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |153|
CASE STUDY
NICKLIN MEDAL INSPIRES ROCKTRON’S SUCCESS RockTron, the world-renowned fly ash beneficiation specialist, was awarded the Institution of Chemical Engineers’ most prestigious Don Nicklin Medal in 2009. The award was a huge honour as it recognised RockTron’s achievements over some of the industry’s most decorated chemical engineers. Since receiving this award, RockTron has become the focus of much international interest and the company has sprung to life on the international stage. www.rktron.com The Nicklin Medal The Nicklin Medal, the most prestigious innovation and excellence award conferred by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) was awarded to RockTron for the most outstanding entry across all IChemE categories in November 2009. The judges evaluated 140 submissions and shortlisted 65 entries from international organisations with a combined R&D of over £5 billion, including Dow Chemical, Arup, Solvay, Anglo American, Spirax Sarco, BASF and many internationally renowned universities and research institutions. RockTron was honoured over all of these to be awarded the Nicklin Medal, which recognises the company’s extraordinary advancements in recycling technology and firmly positions RockTron at the forefront of global efforts to address environmental concerns. Environmental Issues In recent years, businesses worldwide have begun to place a great deal of importance on sustainability and the ‘greening’ of business models. This is connected to the growing requirement for businesses to embrace government legislation on green initiatives, such as lowering carbon emissions. Since 2009, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the International Energy Agency have been pushing to activate known CO2 mitigation actions and develop commercially viable carbon recovery and storage |154| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
technologies in order to reduce global CO2 emissions. In the long term, carbon capture and storage offers the potential to make the most significant reduction to CO2 emissions, if it proves to be commercially viable. Arguably, the most vital part of tackling environmental issues is to transform these problems into opportunities, and RockTron’s unique technology does just that. RockTron’s technology recycles 100% of both fresh and stockpiled fly ash waste from coal-fired power stations, generating 100% recycled, low carbon products for a range of industries including polymers, elastomers, coatings and cement. These new eco-minerals can green the supply chain and, as such, has attracted interest from around the world. Low Carbon Products RockTron’s cementitious products can help the UK government meet its commitment to cut carbon emissions by at least 26% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. RockTron estimates that for every 500,000 tonnes of RockTron products used as a substitute for CEM I cement, 450,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved. This equates to 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions saved during the 25 year lifetime of a typical RockTron cementitious products plant. RockTron’s Advanced Products can similarly help industries to cut their carbon footprints, and can be used as functional fillers in plastics, rubbers and coatings to give improved physical properties including sound absorption and improved wear resistance. RockTron’s MinTronTM product produces a low 0.08 kg of CO2 per kg of product, whereas glass, talc, precipitated silica and carbon black typically produce over ten times that amount at 0.85-0.9 kg of CO2 per kg. For car manufacturers particularly, RockTron’s Advanced Products can help reduce vehicle weight, enabling better fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.
RockTron’s stature amongst green technology companies has been elevated by the Nicklin Medal, making it an attractive proposition for global businesses wanting to make the switch to a low carbon supply chain. The award is an acknowledgement of just how relevant RockTron technology is to addressing these pressing global environmental issues. New Technology RockTron identified the potential of fly ash and its environmental importance nearly two decades ago. The company’s fly ash beneficiation technology, which is now available under licence, offers a comprehensive solution to this waste problem. RockTron’s innovation is that its technology uses a wet mineral processing solution, which means that 100% of both fresh ash AND stockpiled ash can, for the first time, be treated in the same beneficiation process. This process yields new 100% recycled eco-minerals with industrial applications far beyond the traditional markets for standard fly ash products, producing no solid waste stream at all. RockTron’s 100% recycled eco-minerals can also be used as fillers and extenders in polymer, rubber and coatings manufacturing and as cementitious substitutes, dramatically cutting costs and CO2 emissions. With the increasing pressure on natural resources, we can no longer afford to store and ignore this potentially valuable global resource. The Nicklin Medal recognised this unique process and its extraordinary innovation in addressing important environmental issues. By early 2010, the award of the Nicklin Medal had ensured worldwide interest in and recognition for the company, with RockTron going on to win the Fossil Fuels Innovation Award at the Rushlight Awards for the company’s contribution to the reduction of the environmental impact of fossil fuel usage. The founding directors behind RockTron’s technology began to consider how to manage the growing interest. With interest sprouting up from all continents, RockTron looked set to explore avenues that it could never have imagined in the company’s early days.
Partnership Opportunity In response, the company developed a technology licensing model for the cementitious industries, enabling faster expansion across the global market. RockTron’s first cementitious plant licence was granted to the Fiddler’s Ferry commercial plant in the UK. Additionally, RockTron has the UK’s largest mineral processing pilot plant, a fully operational R&D and demonstration facility at Gale Common in the UK, capable of evaluating fly ash from anywhere in the world. Another licence agreement quickly followed in October 2010 in Malaysia. The successful launch in Kuala Lumpur of a new RockTron licensee was enhanced by the company’s signing of an MOU with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia’s main energy provider, to beneficiate fly ash in Malaysia. RockTron also cosponsored and exhibited at the IGEM 2010 (International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia). These events heralded extensive pan-Asian and local interest in RockTron’s green technology and licensing solutions for fly ash beneficiation.
The Green Future RockTron’s journey has been an eventful one. Like many new technologies that are often ahead of their time, it has taken the founding directors almost 20 years to develop and commercialise. This groundbreaking technology is now available under licence to energy and cementitious businesses worldwide. The company acknowledges the important role that being awarded the IChemE Nicklin Medal has made in generating this significant interest and is looking forward to establishing this commercial solution to an environmental problem around the globe.
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CASE STUDY Hydro-Logic Helps Historic Tenbury Wells Avoid Flooding Blight Tenbury Wells has historically been prone to flooding, but recently the frequency of flooding had increased to the point where it could become an inhibitor to the prosperity of the town. To avoid this the Tenbury Flood Task Group (TFTG) was formed, appointing consultants Hydro-Logic to survey the threatened properties and identify suitable flood-protection measures. It was decided that the answer in the short term was to develop a “property-level” flood alleviation solution, in line with the DEFRA scheme which enables councils to bid for money for the protection of domestic properties at a 1 in 20-year flood risk. Tenbury submitted a bid and received a grant of £125,000 to protect 23 properties, to cover two activities: a comprehensive survey of properties at risk of flooding and the provision of flood alleviation solutions to those properties. On the basis of the grant, the TFTG decided to go beyond the DEFRA limitations and survey over 200 properties thought to be at risk of 1 in 100-year flooding and in April 2010 the TFTG appointed Bromyard-based consultancy, Hydro-Logic Ltd. to carry out a full flood risk assessment of each of the properties. Hydro-Logic’s first step was the development of a database to contain all the relevant information relating to each property, its location, flood levels, etc. This database is one of the most important benefits of Hydro-Logic’s strategy as it provides Tenbury with a vital decision-making tool for the future. At the same time, Hydro-Logic also validated hydraulic models, resulting in a list of properties in each of the 1 in 20/50/75/100-year flooding event risk levels. The team then undertook a building-by-building survey of over 200 properties. Survey forms were completed and a list made of all resistance and resilience measures needed to provide protection. Thresholds and floor levels of each property were integrated into Hydro-Logic’s modeling system to estimate the level of water in different types of flood and from that information identify the most appropriate method of protection. The Hazard Mapping model framework was used to examine three additional scenarios: the 20/50/75-year Climate Change, and modeled levels were obtained for each property in the database, forming the basis for the evaluation of flood depths for each building. |156| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
One of the prime objectives of the project was to obtain costs of procuring and installing the flood measures identified during the survey and the spreadsheet database was designed to ensure that it is a relatively simple task to establish the relevant costs for a property or group of properties. In such an historic town, many of the buildings are listed, so any proposed flood defences have to take into account the importance of maintaining the attractive streetscape. To this end, a meeting was held at an early stage of the project to agree a protocol for dealing with Listed Buildings and properties within the Conservation Area. As with any project of this type, participation is voluntary on the part of the building owners and tenants and therefore considerable pro-active communication about the project was undertaken to obtain community “buy in”. Throughout the process the Town Council has been closely involved, helping to distribute leaflets and conducting a survey to understand the community’s views on funding. Ultimately the purpose of the project has been to help Tenbury combat the threat of economic blight due to the flood risk, by providing property owners with the necessary information and some financial support towards providing suitable and effective flood defence and alleviation measures. The immediate benefit of the project has been the creation of a complete, up-to-date survey of all the properties at risk of flooding, together with a comprehensive set of unit prices for flood defence and alleviation measures, which can be used to make financial decisions.
CURTAINS UP FOR KAWNEER AT CAMBRIDGE Curtain walling, windows and doors by leading architectural aluminium systems supplier Kawneer have been used on a building complex that is key to the future of Cambridge University.
in the eight-metre cantilevered zone (11 metres including the terrace) over the feature pond. This additional capping was required to allow considerable movement in the system due to live loads imposed on the floor.
Two versions of Kawneer’s AA®100 curtain walling, along with concealed window vents and series 190 and 350 doors, were installed over five months by specialist subcontractor Drayton Windows for main contractor Willmott Dixon at the £18 million Hauser Forum.
“The architect was able to make a feature of the vertical capping and introduce it to additional feature areas of the café’s glazed façade. We worked in partnership with Kawneer, as the system supplier, to achieve these solutions.”
Named after the building’s alumni sponsor, Dr Hermann Hauser, the Hauser Forum forms a new gateway to the university’s West Cambridge science and technology campus on greenbelt land to the west of the city and houses several forward-thinking departments including nanotechnology and physics for medicine.
In the café area, the curtain walling was required to span 7.5 metres in height without intermediate support and includes glass-to-glass corners with a maximum module of 1.2m x 1.8m width, again with no intermediate support permitted from the primary structure.
The Forum provides office and research facilities for small start-up companies developing spin-off technologies from other university scientific research programmes. It comprises three key elements – the 2,400m² Centre for Entrepreneurship incubator building, the 5,000m² Broers R&D building, and a 600m² atrium café. While Kawneer’s 190 heavy-duty and 350 severe-duty commercial entrance doors (the latter for automated sliding doors) feature throughout the complex, the company’s AA®100SSG (Structurally Silicone Glazed) curtain walling with mullion-drained sections has been used on the café. Drayton Windows’ designer Scott Harwood said: “It was necessary to introduce vertical face caps to the mullions
In addition, Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained curtain walling, which features 50mm sightlines, features on the R&D building and the incubator building, the latter with concealed window vents. The café encourages the exchange of ideas across the disciplines for academics and visitors from across the campus in a social and relaxed atmosphere and this image, of the Forum as a place to meet and exchange ideas, is reinforced by a large oversailing canopy which unites the elements and defines the public plaza below. Naturally ventilated, the complex was designed by concept architects WilkinsonEyre to achieve a BREEAM “Excellent” rating and among other features incorporates extensive use of shading to the glazed areas. The project was taken through the tender stage and progressed on site by Ingenium Archial. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |157|
BARN CONVERSION ACHIEVES CASE STUDY AA IN ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE watts depending on demand, the appliance is easily run off the energy generated from a 4kW solar PV system from Gigabiz. This utilises free electricity during the day and also powers a small amount of electrical underfloor heating which has also been installed to warm the hard flooring downstairs. The property benefits further from economy 10 electric tariff.” He continues, “Despite running a dehumidifier, the underfloor heating, the Genvex and using various electrical tools whilst finishing the conversion, the cost for electricity for the past 4 months has been £150 without the solar panels & with electricity as the only energy source.” Although the conversion does not have loft space, a small loft has been constructed between the first and second floor above the bathroom where the appliance is located to house the system ducting. Dundridge Barn in Devon has been awarded the incredibly high rating of AA for the property’s Energy Performance Certificate following the installation of a Combi 185 integrated system from Total Home Environment. The Combi 185 system provides domestic heating, hot water and ventilation for the property all in one integrated appliance. The system uses a 95% efficient counterflow heat exchanger together with a super-efficient integrated mini heat pump to heat water and incoming air using warm used air extracted from the property. By combining the advantages of active heat pump ventilation with the benefits of heat recovery through a passive heat exchanger only a small amount of supplementary heating is required. Despite having no previous background within the building trade, the conversion of the property was undertaken by Giles Clayden with the help of his brother Matthew, and friends following a great amount of research into renewable energy. Giles has been impressed with the energy savings since moving into the property, as he comments, “After carrying out research on energy efficiency, I decided that the Combi was the best option. As the Combi only uses 70 to 450 |158| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
The Combi offers priority switching in which heating of domestic hot water takes place first. The integrated storage cylinder holds 185 litres and can be fitted with a bare tube heat exchanger, making it ideal for combination with solar heating or a wood pellet boiler for hot water. The Combi 185 has a maximum air flow of 350 m³/h, allowing ventilation with simultaneous heating in living areas of up to 225m². Further information is available from Total Home Environment on 0845 260 0123, email info@totalhome. co.uk or by visiting the company’s web site at www.totalhome.co.uk
FAMOUS LAST WORDS MRS JILL ALLEN-KING, OBE, Chairperson, European Blind Union Commission on Mobility and Transport Since 1964 I have been a totally blind person, starting off being housebound for the first few years, having no confidence to go out alone, to the present time, now aged 71, chairing the European Blind Union's Commission on Mobility and Transport, travelling all over Europe, which I have done for the past fourteen years. The majority of you who read this article will probably be fully sighted, and your journeys, whether on foot, or by car, you take for granted, with little or no thought for the thousands of people living in the community who have sight problems. You may well see one of the 4,500 guide dog owners, but you will not notice the thousands who have partial sight or total blindness, or even those who are both deaf and blind. You will not know of the many who have diabetes, which means they lose their sensitivity and feeling in their feet and hands, and those people who are suffering with arthritis in their knees and hips. All these disabilities have a big impact on the way that we move around in our environment, with so little thought being given by architects and planners when designing and building the environment. From the moment I leave my gate, I have to contend with overhanging branches, badly positioned street furniture, cars that park on the pavement, quite often blocking the footpath, which means that one has to go out into very busy streets, and this is even dangerous for parents pushing prams and buggies, let alone wheel-chair users who sometimes have to return home or make a long rerouted journey. Dog owners who allow their dogs to foul the footpath, which my guide dog has to guide me round. People who cycle illegally on footpaths. Unguarded holes that are left by Local Authorities and public utilities, despite the Street Works Act, which says there should be a one-metre high barrier. All these obstacles we have experienced over the past forty years, but recently we have encountered many more hazards, which are making our environment much more dangerous and, with the increase in numbers in the next twenty years, of elderly and disabled people, architects and planners must take into account our needs. The introduction of "shared streets", where our conventional pavements, which have a four-inch kerb, have been removed, and our conventional pedestrian crossings are also removed, leaving a wall-to-wall flat
Above: An example of ‘Tactile Paving’ for controlled pedestrian crossings
surface, has led to "no go" areas for many blind and partially sighted people. We have campaigned for many years to have audible signals on all pedestrian crossings, which has enabled all pedestrians to know the safe time to cross. I was responsible, in 1978, for initiating the tactile paving for controlled pedestrian crossings, so that a blind person knew when they were up to a crossing, and it was ramped for a wheel-chair user. This has enabled blind and partially sighted people to travel throughout the country, and now in other parts of Europe, to feel safe and to be given the information they need to locate crossings, steps, etc. In 1984, the Cycle Tracks Act was passed, but unfortunately, while providing cycle tracks which I fully support, it also included the introduction of "shared facilities" for cyclists and pedestrians together. This has led to many accidents and frightening experiences for blind and partially sighted people. Over the past forty years, the amount of traffic has increased, which has been loud and noisy, which we could hear. But, over the past five years, the introduction of hybrid vehicles has made it more difficult, and now we are learning about the electric vehicle. I went to France last year, initially for a meeting and then to test the new electric vehicle that is being introduced into the UK this year. We were not in a real-life situation, and even though my hearing is very good, I could not hear the vehicle approaching or passing me. Unless some engine sound is put onto these vehicles, there will be many accidents to blind people. The other problem that is being created is the installation of charging points. I am presuming that they are going to be positioned on pavements, which are going to create another obstacle for blind people to encounter on their daily walks. I sincerely hope that people charging their electric vehicles from their own homes will not be allowed to do this if they do not have ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |159|
A MOVING ACCOUNT YOU WILL FIND HARD TO PUT DOWN. Jill Allen-King MBE wrote and released her autobiography in July 2010. Just Jill is an inspirational and moving account of one woman's triumph over adversity and how she used her own experience of disability to benefit others. When she was growing up during the 1940s very few people were aware that Jill Allen-King had lost an eye as a baby. However, when tragedy struck for the second time and Jill went completely blind on, what should have been, one of the happiest occasions of her life - her wedding day, she was rendered housebound. For seven years, Jill barely left the house, too scared to go outside unless she was taken by her husband and family. The birth of her daughter, Jacqueline, gave her renewed purpose but could not give her back the thing she desperately needed - her independence.
Above: A working guide dog.
their own garages or driveways, as we do not want trailing wires across footpaths or footways. As a guide dog owner for nearly forty years, one of my own personal problems has been to find somewhere for my guide dog to go to the toilet. Although we have a specially-built run for her in our garden at home, because I spend many days and weeks travelling throughout the UK, and despite the fact of raising this issue with railway, bus and air companies, as well as my own Local Authority, no-one ever provides a safe area where a guide dog can go to the toilet. My dog has to rely on gutters or grass whenever I can find it. This in itself is a problem. The public constantly complain about dog mess, but noone provides the facilities for dogs to relieve themselves. I mentioned earlier about cars parking on pavements being a hazard, and, of course, they crack and break our pavements, causing thousands of accidents to pedestrians who trip and fall. My own mother-in-law died as a result of a fall on a cracked and broken pavement. These accidents cost millions of pounds to the Health Service as well as causing distress and disabilities to thousands of people. With better understanding and designing of the environment, millions of pounds could be saved and, more importantly, many lives could be saved, and the quality of life for thousands of elderly and disabled people could be improved.
It was only when Jill got her first guide dog that she began to rediscover the world outside of her front door and take those first giant steps towards regaining her freedom. It was a journey that would lead to a life of campaigning for reform and helping others. Jill's autobiography charts her journey from partially sighted child to totally blind adult and beyond, culminating in her being awarded the MBE in 1983 for her many achievements. Jill currently chairs the European Blind Union Commission on Mobility and Transport, a position she has held for the past 13 years, and the National Federation of the Blind's Environment Committee. Allen-King said: "I hope my life story will help to inspire other people who are losing their sight and, at the same time, tell a story that has led to me being invited to many countries and special events in the UK, giving me the opportunity to meet many famous people, including Her Majesty the Queen, and Lady Diana (a week before her wedding), telling her the story of how I went blind on my wedding day." Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin said: "Just Jill is an important book that raises questions about what it means to have a disability in our society and how we can all learn from the work of Jill Allen-King. The book is stocked in all good book shops now".
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