Environment Magazine Issue 23

ISSN 2043-0140

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012-2013

GREG BARKER MP - GREEN DEAL BROWNFIELD BRIEFING AWARDS WEEE SEWER MIS-CONNECTIONS POLLY HIGGINS

INTRODUCTION

from the

EDITOR As 2012 draws to a close I would like to wish our advertisers, editorial writers and Staff a merry Christmas and thank them all for their support this year. Without them we really couldn’t do what we do every issue. I would also like to thank the readers, as they are the reason for doing it all in the first place. We have had so many positive responses to the magazine this year; and it is these comments that make all it worthwhile.

This year we should all be pleased that we can celebrate Christmas albeit an austere one at all.

If George Osborne get any more mercenary he will start taxing festive cheer and goodwill to all men!

According to RAPP UK who ran flash survey following George Osborne’s Autumn Statement consumer confidence extremely low and people are reacting with resentment and anger at having to rebase the way they live their lives in austerity.

As many as two thirds of consumers feel worried about the next 12 months. Nearly half of people (47%) said they were incredibly worried, while 19% said they worried: a total of 66%. And the worry is driven, unsurprisingly, by money. Almost half said they expect their financial situation to get worse over the next 12 months. And these worries are likely to manifest themselves immediately: as a result of the statement.

Interestingly though only a significant minority (27%) said they would be tightening their belts at Christmas!

make us a whole lot more streamlined. We will be introducing our new editorial assistant in early 2013; they will become a central contact point making it easier to liaise with Environment Industry Magazine, especially in terms of getting news and press releases published. 2013 will also bring about a refresh of the magazine itself which includes the introduction of a category for Air Quality and a wider range of sub categories – making the magazine easier to navigate and giving us opportunity to focus on more specific issues in each edition of the magazine.

The website will also be subject to some reorganisation bringing its identity in line with the magazine and we are introducing some new ideas the help the website standout in the crowd.

We hope 2013 is going to be a really positive year for Environment Industry Magazine and we look forward to working with you all again.

Finally, we are always looking for editorial submissions and we welcome comments as to what should be included in the magazine.

Please send any suggestions environmentmagazine.co.uk

to

alex@

Personally I am incredibly optimistic about this Christmas and about 2013. I am looking forward to spending the holidays with my daughter; she is 2 on 29th December. This year she understands about Father Christmas and presents, last year Santa made her cry and she was afraid of tinsel.

This year has little bit of that magic you used to get when you were young.

As for 2013 we have got so much to look forward to, the company has instigated a complete overhaul of our internal systems which should

Alex Stacey Managing Editor

Environment Magazine Limited, 254a Bury New Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 8QN

Alex Stacey Tel: 0161 3410158 Fax: 0161 7668997 Email: alex@environmentmagazine.co.uk

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 Environment Magazine Limited. Environment Industry Magazine welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to Environment Magazine Limited unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |3|

36 Conservation 38 - 40

The GB Non-Native Species Information Portal - Dr Helen Roy

4 News News

32 - 33

Tales from the Watercooler

34

Jason Drew Column

35

Steve Grant Column

Contents

6 - 31

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42 Energy 44 - 45

Green Deal – Greg Barker

46 - 47

Smart Working - Angela Needle

48 - 50

All I want for Christmas is… consistency from Government on energy policy - Gaynor Hartnell

52 - 55

European Commission’s Energy Roadmap - Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes

56 Food, Agriculture & Packaging 58 - 59

A Sustainable Food System: we’re all in this together - Mike Gidney

60 - 63

How climate change alters the food security debate… - Alice Bows

64 Green Building 66 - 69

A lesson in sustainability - Sarah McCarrick

70 - 72

REPLACEMENT PUMPS – ENERGY SAVING OPTIONS THAT GET OVERLOOKED - Gary Wheatley,

74 - 78

State of the Art Heating for New Build School - Graham Temple

79 - 81

RETROFITTING: THE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION? - Paul Joyner

82 Labs & Testing 84 - 86

‘MCERTS’ event expanded to become ‘AQE 2013’

88 Land & Management 90 - 92

The Changing Face of Remediation – Sustainable Solutions in Recessionary Times – Phil Crowcroft

94 - 96

Brownfields Briefing Awards Ian Grant

98 - 101

Incorporating Sustainability into a Large-scale In-situ Remediation Project - James Baldock,

Lucy Chesher, Kathryn Johnson, Rebecca Niven, Donald Reid, Anna-Maria Sexton, Alan Thomas and Simon Tillotson (ERM UK) and Jay Dablow (ERM US)

102 - 103

104 - 106

Injectable in situ Remediation – a Cost Effective Remedial Solution for a Variety of Challenging Settings ARCADIS design and implementation of a site investigation: Investigation of halogenated hydrocarbons in a heterogeneous

108 Timber 110 - 112

Out of the Woods – Rupert Oliver

114 - 115

Collaborative project will gather necessary data to specify Wood First. Data must be free to use to grow market – David Hopkins

116 - 121

Wood Modification – a Promising Route towards Enhanced Carbon Storage - Dr. Pablo van der Lugt

122 Transport 123 - 125

Tyre Efficiency – Ian Featherstone

126 Waste

Management 128 - 131

Cantilever racking for car storage – making more of your site – OHRA

132 - 133

Batteries should be top of the list for recycling – Michael Green

134 - 136

The Year WEEE Change – Dr Philip Morton

138 Water 140 - 141

Water and innovation – Rodger Smith

142 - 144

Environmental threat of misconnected drains – Malcolm Dunk

146 - 149

Any Sewer is a Sewer – isn’t it? – Jim Ward

150 - 152

What neutrons can show us about treating water - Dr Gabriel Cuello

153 - 155

EU Water Blueprint - Sarah Bogaert

156 Miscellany 157 - 159

Hong kong moves towards a greener future - Elizabeth Block

160 - 161

Product Guide

162 - 164

Consumer confidence is a key to a greener Britian – Cathryn Hickey

165 - 167

Large-Scale Mapping- Dr Seppe Cassettari Case Studies

168 - 169

Remote-control boat speeds reservoir surveys

170

KNAUF MARMORIT REFORMS THE TOWER

171

Accoya® Wood Helps Restore Historic Israeli Windmill to Former Glory

172

REDWAVE - SEPARATION OF TRANSPARENT AND WHITE HDPE

173 - 174

Famous Last Words Polly Higgins ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |5|

News 6 - 31

News

32 - 33

Tales from the Watercooler

34

Jason Drew Column

35

Steve Grant Column

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |6| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

UK Bird Population Declines by 44 Million! But Birds Thriving on Brownfield Land A shocking report announced that the UK’s bird population has declined by 44 million since 1966. However, there is cause for hope as national charity the Land Trust has found that many rare and threatened bird species are thriving on its former brownfield sites.

The alarming decline in the country’s bird population was revealed in the ‘State of the UK's Birds 2012' report, which was carried out by experts from organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the British Trust for Ornithology, using data compiled from volunteers' observations of birds since the 1960s. The report found there are an estimated 166 million birds nesting in the UK compared with 210 million in 1966.

Yet the Land Trust, a charity which owns over 50 open spaces around the country, has found that bird numbers on the majority of its spaces are very healthy.

Simon Pile, the Trust’s estates manager comments, “What might surprise people most is that it’s our former brownfield sites which show the most diversity of species.

Indeed, there’s been a number of rare species spotted in recent weeks; there is currently a little bunting at Elba Park which is a former coking work near Sunderland and six short eared owls are fascinating visitors to Rabbit Ings Country Park, which is a former colliery tip in Barnsley. A few months ago a red backed shrike was seen at a former colliery site in Staffordshire, where only a few weeks previously an osprey had been spotted. Bitterns can be heard booming on other former brownfield sites, whilst in spring and summer the alarming decline of the skylark is well and truly bucked as a host of these iconic birds fill the skies.”

Bird populations are considered to be a good indicator of the broad state of wildlife because birds occupy a wide range of habitats and tend to be near or at the top of food chains. So a healthy bird population is a good indicator of biodiversity.

Simon continues, “Although not as rare as the little bunting, bitterns or short eared owls it’s the skylark which really demonstrates the importance of brownfield land. Experts believe the decline overall of bird numbers is largely down to changes in landscape providing less habitat in which birds can feed and nest.

One such change would be the way land is farmed and, as such, birds that are reliant on farmed land, such as skylark, lapwings, cuckoos and turtle doves, have seen a significant decrease in numbers, according to the study. However, reclaimed brownfield land is providing a viable alternative home for these birds. One small reserve in Derbyshire on a former coking works has 32 bird species classified as either Red List or Biodiversity Action Plan species (meaning they are endangered or threatened).”

“There are three key reasons why former brownfield land and in particular the Trust’s sites are rich in biodiversity.

Firstly, brownfield land, because of its former use can often provide diverse typographies such as shallow pools, margins, hedgerows, meadow or wetland. Secondly, nature is an innate regenerator, it often needs only the lightest of restoration touches to allow nature to thrive. Thirdly the Trust provides sustainable management and takes an informed approach that enables the preservation of existing habitats and the creation of new ones.”

Simon concludes, “Perhaps the most important message is that if we want to save our much loved bird population we need to challenge our obsession with greenfield and the green belt and look seriously at the ecological value of restoring and managing brownfield land .”

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Military technology introduced to save the African Rhino at Kruger National Park Ichikowitz Family Foundation donates aircraft to stop surge in illegal rhino poaching Military technology is being introduced to combat a surge in rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, where the world’s largest concentration of rhinos lives.

The Ichikowitz Family Foundation, led by South African philanthropist Ivor Ichikowitz, has donated a $2.5m state-of-the-art aerial surveillance aircraft equipped with infrared detectors, similar to those used in unmanned drones, to help fight the poachers. Since 2010, 760 rhinos out of a total of 1,269 in the Kruger National Park have been killed by illegal poachers selling their tusks to traders in Asian countries, such as China and Vietnam, where the horn is prized. The Seeker Seabird aircraft is equipped with advanced thermal imaging technology that means it can identify poachers from the air, and then send in police units to makes arrests on the ground.

Ivor Ichikowitz, chairperson of the foundation and chair of Paramount Group, Africa's largest privately held defence and aerospace company said: “Poaching gangs have become more and more sophisticated and well-resourced.

You have to fight fire with fire. This is the first time thermal imaging technology has been used to monitor poaching in Kruger National Park. It will deliver greatly enhanced and powerful observation capability to the park’s rangers, making it difficult for poachers to hide. Our world-class electronic systems technology and advanced visual reconnaissance, including the use of an FLIR Ball infrared detector on the aircraft, will provide game reserve rangers with better than ever intelligence in their tireless mission to confront poachers. Attitudes about the importance of wildlife in South Africa are changing. The grim realities of environmental crimes committed against wildlife and rhino’s in particular are being recognised with calls for tougher law enforcement and penalties.

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Earlier this month Magistrate Prince Manyathi handed out a stiff 40-year sentence to self-confessed rhino trader and smuggler, Thai national Chumlong Lemtongthai in the Kempton Park Magistrate Court. Dr David Mabunda, CEO of South Africa’s National Parks, congratulated the South African Justice system for the tough stance it’s taken against poachers, adding that he hoped it acted as a serious deterrent to future perpetrators. Speaking at the unveiling, Dr David Mabunda said: “The environment is in the news and does not make for good reading. The mindless slaughter of rhino’s in the wild has called for a multi-pronged strategy. We are actively enlisting and broadening our engagement with the private sector to protect and conserve wildlife. The strategy is to reach out to a new set of stakeholders that would complement and fundamentally strengthen existing efforts. We believe there is no single strategy to effectively curb the scourge of poaching, and engagement with the private sector through the development of partnerships is one of the most important tools. We are very happy to announce that the Ichikowitz Foundation and the Paramount Group are taking a greater role in conservation in the Kruger National Park for the benefit of wildlife.

Dr Mabunda added that while arrests of poachers were certainly on the increase, the country still had a long way to go before rhino poachers would be eradicated entirely. By 27 November this year a total of 246 arrests had been made during 2012 with more than 640 arrests made since January 2010. “SANParks are entrusted with protecting our wildlife heritage. They are at the forefront of saving the rhino,” said Ivor Ichikowitz. “Paramount Group is in the business of developing state of the art defence technology, technology which, through the Foundation, we intend placing in SANParks hands in the fight against poachers.”

For images of the Seeker please see: https://twitter.com/ search?q=%23RhinoSky&src=hash

European retail embarking on ‘Save Our Soils’ campaign World Soil Day: Degrading International Concern

Soil

Growing

After carbon footprinting and fairtrade schemes, saving and restoring soils might well become the new sustainable trend hitting European retail shelves. On 5 December, World Soil Day, Nature & More launched an awareness campaign on the theme of soil degradation, in alignment with WWF and FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Nature & More Save Our Soils campaign (www.saveoursoils.com) invites consumers to become urban farmers and buy organic food. Nature & More has teamed up with various European partners and retailers to bring the message to the general audience.

Sustainability experts, Planet Positive, have developed an exciting new partnership with Sustain, a leading resource efficiency company. Together they will provide a product life cycle assessment, validation and certification service allowing manufacturers to identify suitable areas for efficiency improvements and communicate their carbon credentials with integrity. The new Certification is robust, cost effective and will help attract new business from an ethically motivated market.

The service benefits from Sustain’s QuickSteps methodology, a streamlined approach to product carbon footprinting that is aligned with the framework and principles of the UK’s standard, PAS 2050. A number of manufacturers have already benefited from using QuickSteps to identify carbon intensive hotspots within their supply chain, enabling them to reduce the carbon burden and cost of their product.

Planet Positive provides businesses with an independent validation of their lifecycle assessment, ensuring that it is comprehensive and credible, and Certification allows businesses to display the Planet Positive mark, demonstrating their positive action. Planet Positive’s experience in enhancing brand identity through communications will create a distinct competitive advantage for certified products.

The first business to benefit from this joint venture is Gardman, the UK’s leading supplier of gardening and wild bird care products. Gardman have used this service to help support their action to reduce the environmental impact of their Fat Snax product.

”If we don't protect the basis of our food production and our ecosystems - which is soil - we will have a big problem in the future,” says Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General of the FAO. Publications from the United Nations and the European Commission indicate that every minute the equivalent of 30 soccer fields of fertile soil is being destroyed, mostly due to irresponsible farming techniques. As a result, we are losing 10 million hectares of farmland every year. Today ¼ of the earth’s soils are highly degraded, according to scientists.

The Save Our Soils Campaign will run from December 2012 until December of 2017, the International Year of Soils. The campaign points to organic farming as the "soilution" and encourages consumers to buy organic food or get involved in urban farming. Marc Swilling, professor of Sustainable Development at Stellenbosch University, supports the claim that organic farming is a major key: "Our planet now has 720 million hectares of lightly degraded soils, which can readily be restored by using sustainable and agro-ecological farming techniques."

Volkert Engelsman, founder of Nature & More and initiator of the Save Our Soils campaign, explains why the campaign is focussed on consumers, rather than institutions: “Consumer decisions can shape the world. Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want. We find that the link between healthy food and healthy soils is surprisingly obvious to consumers. Living soils are not just the foundation of our food chain, but of our civilization in general. The condition of our soil affects every other possible aspect of sustainability: climate change, pest & disease resistance, nutritional value of our food and many more. So we're thrilled that our retail partners are enthusiastic and ready to address this issue.”

WWW.SAVEOURSOILS.COM ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |9|

GOVERNMENT MAKES SINGLE EU ETS REGULATORY INSTRUMENT TO REDUCE ‘RED TAPE’ Government has made a single regulatory instrument for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which will be laid in Parliament this week.

These regulations are available at http://www.legislation. gov.uk/. Government has published on the DECC website the Government response to the consultation carried out on these proposals and details of an ‘opt-out’ scheme for small emitters and hospitals. http://www.decc.gov.uk/ en/content/cms/consultations/trans_eu_dir/trans_eu_ dir.aspx These regulations simplify the legal requirements for UK EU ETS participants and replace 13 previous sets of EU ETS regulations with a single instrument.

Small emitters and hospitals have been given the opportunity to ‘opt-out’ of the EU ETS from 2013 into a lighter touch alternative scheme, which will address the disproportionately higher administrative costs faced by these installations.

The UK will also move to an enforcement system comprising solely of civil, rather than criminal, sanctions.

This is the first major change to legislation by DECC as a result of the ‘Red Tape Challenge’ environment theme.

For the UK the EU ETS remains the primary means by which we will meet our ambitious carbon emission reduction targets in the EU, and will help deliver two-thirds of required emissions reductions after 2012.

Greg Barker, Minister of State for Climate Change, said: “By simplifying the regulations for Phase III of EU ETS, we will save companies money and time, while still allowing them to meet environmental goals.”

“This will mean that smaller businesses, who experience higher costs from complying with the current regulations, that chose to will also be opted out of the system from 2013.”

The new EU ETS regulations will come into force from 1 January 2013, the start of Phase III of the EU ETS.

NUCLEAR TO BRING JOBS AND GROWTH BOOST The Government has published Nuclear Supply Chain Action Plan and according to Energy Minister John Hayes and Business and Enterprise Minister Michael Fallon the nuclear industry will play a major role in securing the nation’s energy supplies and driving economic growth.

The comments come as a campaign is launched to fill around 500 skilled jobs at the Sellafield nuclear site in West Cumbria. The roles will include operations and maintenance staff, engineers, project managers and backoffice functions. They will be filled by a mixture of apprentices, graduates, and trainees, and ex-military personnel will be specifically targeted in the recruitment process.

The Government’s Supply Chain Action Plan – developed with the nuclear industry – contains actions designed to ensure that the UK supply chain is competitive and ready to deliver. Key actions include: • Establishment of the Nuclear Industry Council – which will hold its first meeting in the first quarter of 2013; • Establishment of working groups of major companies from each sub-sector to identify challenges and the joint actions to improve readiness for new build; • Advice from the Nuclear Manufacturing Research Centre to help small to medium businesses bid for big contracts in the nuclear supply chain; • Addressing key skills shortages through targeted interventions that attract new people to the sector, including redeployment of existing skills and drawing in relevant skills from related industries (up-skilling where needed); • Development of a coordinated nuclear export strategy with agreed market priorities and the development of specific campaigns, to enhance the nuclear industry’s understanding of, and access to, export opportunities.

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Retailers Adopt BBC Apprentice 2012 Candidate’s BoxGarment Solution BoxGarment – an innovative new online retail packaging solution invented by BBC Apprentice 2012 Candidate, Stephen Brady – is due to be trialled by major retailers in the run-up to Christmas.

The re-usable box was soft-launched in September of this year and has already been adopted by a number of high-end Savile Row bespoke tailors. An updated version of the box was unveiled at the ECMOD Direct Commerce Conference in London and will be trialled by a number of UK retail chains over the busy Christmas shopping period.

‘Tis the Season to Return Things Returning Cost Savings for Retailers and Convenience for Customers BoxGarment has been specifically designed to reduce return rates by delivering garments in pristine condition ready to wear out of the box. It sits within the dimensions of all parcel carriers in the UK and internationally, is 100% recycled to reduce carbon footprint, and allows for the despatch of multiple types of item within a single box to reduce retailer costs and consolidate orders. For customers, the reusable box means that items can be returned directly to the retailer in saleable condition without the need for additional packaging.

“BoxGarment is a solution that will benefit retailers and customers alike,” said Stephen Brady, founder of BoxGarment. “We spoke to a number of major UK and international retailers about areas of improvement within their current logistics set-

ups, and the one thing that kept coming back to us was ‘returns’. Particularly at Christmas, online retail return rate can be significantly higher than in-store, due to customers being unable to physically try on garments before they buy.

With BoxGarment, items arrive un-creased and in pristine condition, delivering that all important high street shopping experience through the online channel. This – coupled with the box’s ability to be reused by customers directly for returns – removes the headache of garment returns on both sides, and that of course is particularly useful at this busy time of year.”

Click and Collect Points Provide Multiple Options for Delivery & Return The BoxGarment solution provides maximum fulfilment of orders to customers depending on their delivery preference, whether that be to their home address or a convenient collection point. This multi-channel customer experience fits within all ‘Click and Collect’ models to allow customers to collect and return goods from all available locations including home, work, high-street, newsagents, smart-lockers, and the retailer’s own store.

This is particularly important because the fulfilment of goods remains the biggest inhibitor to online retail purchasing. A 2012 OnePoll Research Study for delivery specialist DPD found that 73% of the 2,000 Britons surveyed said they had abandoned a purchase at the checkout stage because the delivery options were too restrictive or expensive. Home delivery only options are particularly limiting. BoxGarments distribution infrastructure makes deliveries and returns as flexible as possible, again enhancing the customer experience to deliver greater sales.

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University’s electric vans helping the environment Buckinghamshire New University has taken delivery of a pair of electric vans as part of its commitment to helping the environment. The two electricallypowered Renault Kangoo vans have replaced two of the University’s existing fleet of three diesel-powered vans.

The new vans will generate just 1g/ km of CO2, compared to 189 g/ km with the existing diesel vehicles, representing a carbon footprint saving of 1.1 tonnes per year, per van.

The University, based in Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, is working to reduce its carbon footprint and is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2020. It has so far reduced its emissions by 43% since 2005.

Ian Hunter, Director of Estates, said: “The use of electric cars is testament to the lead we are looking to take in the way we use alternative energy and the investment we are making in the renewable energy market.

British Airways has signed a $500m deal to purchase renewable jet fuel from a plant being developed by Solena in the UK. If approved, the GreenSky London project will convert 500,000 tonnes per year of landfill diverted waste into 50,000 tonnes of jet fuel and 50,000 tonnes of biodiesel, bionaptha and renewable power.

Solena’s plasma gasification technology involves heating organic materials, such as domestic, agricultural and industrial waste, to around 5,000 degrees Celsius. The technology produces synthesis gas (syngas) which is then cleaned and converted to synthetic kerosene using a Fischer-Tropsch process. The firm has previously claimed its method of producing bio-jet fuel provides greenhouse gas savings of up to 95% compared to fossil-fuel derived jet kerosene.

Earlier this year, Solena signed a deal to use Fischer-Tropsch technology developed by Oxford Catalysts. US engineering firm Fluor began pre-front end engineering and design for the project, which is expected to create 150 permanent jobs and around 1,000 construction positions. Last year, Solena was reported to have signed a deal to supply its renewable jet fuel to a group of airlines including American Airlines, United Continental Holdings, Alaska Airlines, FedEx, JetBlue Airways, US Airways, Air Canada, Frontier Airlines and Lufthansa.

The project has been previously stated to cost around £200m (US$310.6m) and is scheduled for completion in 2015. Barclays has been hired to help secure funding through Export Credit Agencies.

Shhhhhh…MILLBROOK INTRODUCES UK’S FIRST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ISO 10844:2011 SPECIFICATION NOISE SURFACE Millbrook Proving Ground, one of Europe’s leading test and development facilities for whole vehicles, systems and components, has become the first site in the UK to offer a commercially available noise surface that conforms to requirements of the newly introduced ISO specification. Always keen to offer its customers the most advanced facilities for testing and development, Millbrook has made the new surface available far in advance of the new ISO standards mandatory introduction into legislative type approval requirements for ECE Regulation 51, which is not scheduled to be published until 2014. Millbrook hopes that this new facility will offer its customers superior control of mean noise testing levels, as well |12| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

as less surface-to-surface variability when compared to other test facilities.

Legislation on pass-by noise levels (through the changes in ECE Regulation 51.02 and beyond - and due to general vehicle developments) means that future noise testing will be driven equally by the need to understand both the contribution to overall noise levels from tyre noise, as well as from Powertrain derived noise. The new noise surface further strengthens Millbrook’s test facilities and capabilities, and will enable Millbrook’s engineers to help customers understand both the legislative compliance of vehicles and help to isolate key areas of concern, relating to noise generation, quickly and accurately.

Importantly, the physical changes to the effective length of the noise site itself will enable engineers the ability to extend Millbrook’s testing capabilities to help manufacturers conduct the newly introduced “off-cycle” higher speed testing requirements, which will soon be mandated into future versions of ECE Regulation 51. The new ISO specification mandates very stringent requirements for the quality and composition of the top surface of the site, whilst allowing a degree of flexibility in the construction of the tracks substrate. This freedom has allowed the new noise site to be constructed so that even the heaviest of road legal vehicles can be tested. Tests can therefore be carried out on every type of vehicle, from cars and trucks to motorbikes and buses.

Plastics associations report progress on global marine litter commitments The world’s leading plastics associations launched a Progress Report on the Global Declaration of the Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter originally announced in March 2011 at the 5th International Marine Debris Conference. The Progress Report identifies more than 140 projects to prevent marine litter that are completed, underway or planned – a substantial and significant increase from the 100 projects announced in Dubai in November 2011. In addition, the Progress Report provides case studies and detailed insights into preventing marine litter that can be expanded in other regions.

Ashfield Solutions launches new waste advisory service A leading advisor in land, waste and water has launched a new service to ensure its clients understand their liabilities surrounding on-site waste. Landowners and developers could face hefty fines if they do not adhere to the latest waste legislation, and Ashfield Solutions aims to address this with its new service.

In March 2011, leaders from plastics associations across the globe announced the Global Declaration, a public commitment by a global industry to work with partners to tackle a global problem: plastics in the marine environment.

“The plastics industry is firmly committed to the principle that plastics do not belong in the world’s oceans and should not be littered -- plastics should be responsibly used, reused, recycled and finally recovered for their energy value. I’m pleased that actions taken in 2012 and planned for 2013 greatly exceed our commitments from November 2011”, said Wilfried Haensel, Executive Director of PlasticsEurope. “This report reflects the determination of our industry to shape solutions in partnerships with others,” added Steve Russell, Vice President Plastics at the American Chemistry Council.

The signatories of the Marine Litter Global Declaration identified six areas of engagement aimed at contributing to sustainable solutions, focusing on public private partnerships to prevent marine litter, research, public policy, sharing best practices, plastics recycling/ recovery and plastic pellet containment.

Subsequently, the signatories identified 100 specific actions designed to fulfil the declaration, and they agreed to track and report progress.

Additional associations subsequently signed the Declaration, and today there are more than 140 projects completed, underway or planned. The projects vary widely, from education to global research and eco-efficient waste management and litter prevention. For more information on the Global Declaration, please visit: www. marinelittersolutions.com

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Richard Newis, director at Ashfield, said: “Even if a landowner or developer does not create or handle the waste themselves they will still have a responsibility according to the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 as they may be considered to be secondary owners of the waste. Whether you are dealing with someone else’s waste on your land or your waste on someone else’s land, you have a liability to dispose of it legally, otherwise you could be seen to be profiting from the proceeds of crime. In these challenging times, there is a marked increase in the number of tenants who are becoming insolvent and leaving waste liability to a landlord or developer. A recent case brought by the Environmental Agency saw a landlord fined around £250,000 for allowing an illegal waste recycling company to operate on his land. Also on the increase are companies offering services to manage or dispose of waste but not undertaking works within agreed legislation. As a result, there have recently been a number of arrests of high profile companies within the industry.”

Ashfield, which has offices in Cardiff, Exeter and Belfast, works with clients spanning commercial and industrial, banks, law firms, energy, residential developers and regeneration organisations.

H&M first fashion company to launch global clothes collecting initiative H&M is the first fashion company to launch a clothing collecting initiative worldwide. From February 2013, customers will be able to hand in used garments in H&M stores in all 48 markets.

Sustainability is an important part of H&M’s offering, and H&M strives to reduce the environmental impact of clothes throughout their lifecycle.

“Our sustainability efforts are rooted in a dedication to social and environmental responsibility. We want to do good for the environment, which is why we are now offering our customers a convenient solution: to be able to leave their worn out or defective garments with H&M,” says Karl-Johan Persson, CEO H&M.

Center Parcs rewards employees for saving energy at home Home Energy Savers scheme launched marking further business commitment to reducing energy consumption In an industry first, Center Parcs has today announced the launch of its Home Energy Savers scheme, designed to encourage its employees across the UK to reduce the amount of energy they use at home.

The scheme, which was the brainchild of Center Parcs Chief Executive, Martin Dalby, will reward employees by matching in cash any savings they make on their gas, electricity and water usage over the next 12 months. The employee who reduces their energy consumption the most will be awarded £7,000 to spend on home improvements related to sustainability.

H&M will be the first fashion company to roll out clothes collecting in selected stores worldwide. Through the global initiative H&M’s customers can save natural resources and contribute to reduced environmental impact by avoiding textile waste. Any pieces of clothing, from any brand and in any condition are accepted. In return, the customer will receive a voucher for each bag brought. The collected clothes are then handled by H&M’s partner, I:Collect, which provides the infrastructure in which consumer goods are repeatedly reprocessed and made available for new use.

Every year tonnes of textiles are thrown out with domestic waste and end up in landfill. As much as 95% of these clothes could be used again - re-worn, reused or recycled - depending on the state of the garment. Long-term, H&M wants to reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout the lifecycle and create a closed loop for textile fibres. The aim is to find technical solutions to reuse and recycle textile fibres on a larger scale, which is why H&M has set up its Conscious Foundation: to support innovation on closing the loop on textiles and social projects along H&M’s value chain.

Martin Dalby, Chief Executive, Center Parcs UK, said: “Protecting and enhancing the environment in which our business operates has been part of our ethos since the very beginning.

We’ve now taken this one step further and extended it beyond our four UK villages to give our 6,000 employees the chance to do the same in their own homes and be rewarded for it.

“Over the past few years we’ve been working hard to educate staff about how they can change their behaviour at work to help us achieve the business’ carbon reduction target of 20% by 2020, and I’m confident

this knowledge will be invaluable in reducing their energy consumption at home too.”

The Homes Energy Savers scheme is available to all employees and is being piloted for a 12 month period.

In 2011 Center Parcs was one of the first companies to introduce a financial bonus to all staff based on carbon savings, alongside its already existing bonus scheme. In the last 12 months, the business has reduced its carbon emissions by 7%, and in 2011 was named joint first in the Carbon Reduction Commitment League table.

Staff who opt-in to the scheme will be given an electricity smart meter to record electricity consumption, whilst gas and electricity will be monitored by them submitting photographs of meter readings. Employees can choose whether to monitor all three utilities or to focus on one.

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GT Trax Joins the Construction Recycling Alliance GT Trax the Hertfordshire based supplier of crane outrigger pads, temporary roadways and access solutions to the UK construction industry has joined the Construction Recycling Alliance (CRA). The CRA is an umbrella organisation that represents companies within the construction industry who are dedicated to reducing, reusing and recycling unwanted material. The CRA said that GT Trax Ltd’s excellence in the field of using recycled material to manufacture their hire-fleet of walkways, roadways, ground protection mats and outrigger pads was cited by the CRA as key in awarding the company ‘Approved Supplier’ membership.

CRA Director David Barnes commented: “GT Trax Ltd has proved beyond doubt its commitment to reducing, reusing and recycling unwanted materials. The company’s ability to consistently divert waste material from landfill and transform it into usable products is second to none. We look forward to working closely with a company who is clearly determined to reduce waste, safeguard the environment and provide durable products to the construction industry.”

Graham Crisp, the GT Trax financial director added, “We take our responsibility to wider environment very seriously - we strive to only select equipment that is made from recycled and recyclable material and work hard to ensure that our operations are kept in keeping with modern practises. We hope that our endeavours go towards helping our clients to reduce their own carbon footprint whilst they work on their individual contracts.”

GT Trax hires temporary roadways manufactured in the EU from recycled heavy-duty HMPE plastic and site walkways made from recycled PVC. In addition, the company cleans and prepares the equipment using an individually designed automatic cleaning machine that operates from recycled rainwater. Residual mud and debris is disposed of properly and in an environmentally safe procedure using only accredited waste disposal contractors. GT Trax has been supplying a range of HMPE plastic temporary roadways and PVC walkways to the UK construction and industries since 2005.

Users of GT Trax equipment encompass major civil engineering firms to utility contractors and general construction organisations. They also have for hire cable and hose protection ramps and the unique Trenchlink system that allows for free moving traffic during road works in urban areas.

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Major school event at easyJet’s Headquarters – London Luton Airport

Solar Impulse inspires 150 students The school event “Solar Impulse – Around the World in a Solar Airplane”, which took place at easyJet’s Headquarters at London Luton Airport, UK, was a huge success. The two-hour visit brought together young students from local schools, experts from the aircraft and plastics industry and the local MP Gavin Shuker. Adrian Whyle - PlasticsEurope - and Richard Thommeret - Solvay - shared their expertise on materials and energy efficiency with around 150 students and their teachers.

When asked about the pedagogical value of such an event, Charity Yearwood, Head of Science at Stopsley High School Luton, said: “Events like Solar Impulse are the driving force behind how science works. This event is an excellent opportunity that allowed our students to experience the scientific concepts learnt in the classroom, nurturing their curiosity and wetting their appetites for all that Science has to offer and inspiring them towards future careers in Science."

Her colleague Natasha Cole, Science Teacher of Ashcroft High School, added: “Through this type of event pupils get an overall impression of the plastics industry and its applications. It has also allowed students to understand more about the science behind flight in an industry we are fortunate to have in our town. With Solar Impulse and its use of photovoltaic application, students have become aware of the necessity of energy efficiency, for a sustainable future. This opportunity has helped raise the students' aspirations while providing real life motivational examples of science within a European context.”

The show ended with a special highlight for the students: easyJet raffled two free four-person tickets for a flight to a destination of their choice.

For both winners, it will be the first flight of their life. easyJet’s Communications Director, Paul Moore, said, “easyJet is proud to be headquartered in Luton, and so we’re delighted to be able to play our part in showing young people aviation of the future. easyJet is a pioneering airline, and since we launched our first flights from Luton just 17 years ago, we have transformed the way people travel across Europe. We hope that today’s event has inspired the young people to consider a career in aviation”.

GAS WILL SUPPORT DECARBONISATION OF THE ELECTRICITY MIX Barriers to investment in new gas will be addressed as the Government confirmed the major role gas will continue to play in supporting significant decarbonisation of the power sector by 2030.

The Government confirmed a number of steps that would be taken to stimulate investment in gas generation in its Gas Generation Strategy today.

New gas-fired power stations (which emit half the CO2 of coal) will need to be built over the next two decades to replace retiring coal, older gas and nuclear power stations.

Gas will also be required to support a low-carbon electricity sector, providing the flexibility to balance out increasing amounts of wind and nuclear energy.

Secretary of State Edward Davey said: “We have always said that gas will have a significant role in our electricity mix over the next two decades – this is not new.

“Gas will provide a cleaner source of energy than coal, and will ensure we can keep the lights on as increasing amounts of wind and nuclear come online through the 2020s.

“The strategy we set out today follows extensive consultation and is consistent with meeting our legislated carbon budgets and with significant decarbonisation of the power sector.”

Up to 26GW of new gas generating capacity could be required by 2030.

The bulk of this will be used to replace retiring coal, nuclear and older gas capacity, so it is expected there will be a net increase of around 5GW. This is consistent with significantly reducing emissions from the power sector in order to meet Carbon Budgets.

Gas could play a more extensive role, with higher load factors, should the 4th Carbon Budget be revised upwards after the Committee on Climate Change has provided advice on this in 2014.

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The Government has announced measures to provide market certainty for gas investors and to ensure fair competition including: • Powers in the Energy Bill to introduce a Capacity Market, allowing for capacity auctions from 2014 for delivery of capacity in the winter of 2018/19, if needed, to help ensure the lights stay on even at times of peak demand.

• Bringing forward proposals to improve the planning regime in each part of Great Britain, by introducing greater flexibility and clarity for existing consents, and by looking at reducing the amount of preplanning work required.

• Backstop powers are being taken under the Energy Bill to allow Government to step in if necessary to improve liquidity and competition in the market.

• Government will support Ofgem’s work with industry to look at the case for interventions to enhance gas supply security in the market.

• Government will look at further measures to encourage gas storage, and will publish findings on this in spring 2013.

• DECC will establish an Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil, which will join up responsibilities across Government and provide a single point of contact for investors and streamline the regulatory process.

• The Government has signalled that shale gas is potentially an exciting new prospect for diversifying our energy supplies. Any development will have to meet high standards of safety and environmental protection. A decision on whether to permit Cuadrilla to recommence fracking will be announced by the Secretary of State shortly.

• HMT is consulting on an appropriate fiscal regime for shale exploration, and DECC will consult on the terms and duration of licenses, and on an updated Strategic Environmental Assessment for future onshore licensing.

• The Gas Generation Strategy also confirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the development and commercialisation of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, which will help to decarbonise gas, as well as coal, in future.

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) has announced the expansion of membership to include four additional cities from around the world – Oslo, Vancouver, Venice, and Washington, DC – bringing the total number of current C40 members to 63.

government stall or delay, cities like Vancouver are taking action on climate change and showing that we can reduce our carbon pollution while growing our economies. We're looking forward to sharing our knowledge while learning the lessons from other cities."

"Cities are leading by example when it comes to climate change, and these local actions are having a global impact," said C40 Chair, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

"The four new members that are joining us today have demonstrated their commitment to addressing climate change, and we are excited to welcome them into our global network. Together, we will continue making a real difference in the future of our world."

Venice, Italy (Europe)

Oslo, Norway (Europe) The City of Oslo is recognized as one of Europe's greenest capitals, proud of its innovative solutions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Direct GHG emissions in the city are already low at 2.3 tons of CO2 per capita, but the Oslo City Council has set up targets to halve GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, and to be carbon neutral by 2050. To this end, an integrated set of policies focus on energy efficiency and the use of local energy resources: CO2-free heating, and a long-term transition towards CO2 free transport.

"We respond to climate change by making a global commitment and by taking local action. Our vision is to move Oslo from a low carbon city to one that has zero emissions, and we are committed to achieving a long term and continuous transformation towards this goal. Cities will play a crucial role in achieving substantial greenhouse gas reductions. It is important for Oslo to take part in the C40 network to exchange experiences and learn from other cities that show leadership and are willing to stand up against global warming. We wish to contribute actively to the network with our knowledge and experience," says Governing Mayor, Stian Berger Rosland.

Vancouver, Canada (North America) The City of Vancouver has set the bold goal to be the greenest city in the world by 2020, and currently has the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in North America. Recent initiatives include approving a neighbourhood energy strategy that will see the conversion of an existing steam heat system to low carbon energy sources; launching city-wide food scraps recycling for 100,000 single family and duplex homes, which will reduce 3,000 tonnes of carbon pollution per year; and the unanimous adoption by City Council of a Climate Adaptation Plan.

"We're very excited that Vancouver is one of the newest cities to join the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group," said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. "While other levels of

Venice is an incubator for sustainable policies that lead to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including an effort to expand urban green space to achieve a ratio of 75m² per inhabitant (the largest effort in Italy); and an integrated project on sustainable mobility that builds upon the city's already low motorization rates, broad pedestrian areas, and high number of passengers in public transportation. Venice also has implemented their Action Plan for Sustainable Energy that goes beyond the objectives set by the Covenant of Mayors.

As it relates to adaptation to climate change Venice has been declared a "UN Champion" for cultural heritage protection in the UN office for disaster risk reduction (UNISDR) campaign "Making My City Resilient."

"Venice is not only a living testimony to man's greatness in culture and art – to which the whole world looks with admiration and respect – but also a hub of modernity which enables it to look confidently at a future of continuing environmental social and economic vibrancy," said Mayor Giorgio Orsoni.

Washington DC, USA (North America) As the capital of the United States, Washington DC has demonstrated a commitment to climate-friendly infrastructure, including green building practices and renewable electric power purchasing. It also boasts the nation's first largescale bike-sharing program and a world-class public transit system with the second highest percentage of public transit commuters in the United States. Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced plans to adopt an assertive Climate Action Plan later this year.

"The District is proud to join this network of global cities taking real action to combat the impacts of climate change," said Mayor Vincent C. Gray. "The efforts of our local government and partners in the private sector are already bearing fruit.

We have substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions while growing our economy and population. The District is proving that we can build a thriving city and economy while reducing our environmental footprint."

Chairman Bloomberg noted that Vancouver joins as an Innovator City; Washington, DC as a Megacity; and Oslo and Venice join with Observer status until all year-one participation standards are met. For more information on membership guidelines please go to www.C40.org.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |19|

City & Guilds Approves New 6151 One Day Tunnelling Course From Total Protection UK The announcement came as Brian Eldridge from Tunnel Skills emphasised the need for an induction course for all workers within the industry to have a generic understanding of tunnelling procedures and good safety practice.

The new 6151 One Day Tunnelling Course will take place at the all new Total Protection training centre located on Hawley Road in Dartford, which

currently hosts a range of courses including courses in new roads and street works, in addition to City & Guilds confined space 6150 courses, along with trench safety courses.

The new centre boasts two specially constructed simulators including one for confined spaces and the other for training in trench safety and collapse, and was seen as the ideal venue by Tunnel Skills.

Deryck Wicks, Managing Director of Total Protection (UK) Limited, said: "We are delighted to be given approval for our new City and Guilds Tunnelling

course and to make this a reality we have observed a close working relationship with both Crossrail and Tideway Tunnel. This important breakthrough will standardise such details as the awareness of gas types and correct protection and monitoring, and also the use of escape Rebreathers."

For more information on training courses available, please visit the Total Protection UK site at http://www. totalprotectionuk.com.

Alternatively please email chris.jenkins@ totalprotectionuk.com

Green growth taking root in the desert

Innovative partnership

Yara, Qafco and The Sahara Forest Project creates an oasis of environmental technologies

In 2011 The Sahara Forest Project AS entered into cooperation with Yara International ASA, the world’s largest supplier of fertilizer and the Qatari company Qafco, the world’s largest single site producer of urea and ammonia.

After successfully completing a comprehensive feasibility study on Qatar, the parties signed an agreement to build the first fully operational Sahara Forest Project Pilot Plant in Qatar.

The first cucumbers grown in the desert using seawater and solar power were served to participants at UN Climate Negotiations in Doha. After a ten-month intense construction period, invited guests enjoyed the first tours of the Sahara Forest Project pilot facility, realized by Yara, Qafco and The Sahara Forest Project.

The Norwegian Minister of the Environment, Bård Vegar Solhjell, was among the first guests at the pilot facility inside Measaieed Industrial City in Qatar.

The Sahara Forest Project is a new environmental solution to produce food, water and energy in desert areas. “It is designed to utilize what we have enough of to produce what we need more of, using deserts, sunlight, saltwater and CO2 to produce food, water and clean energy,” says Joakim Hauge, CEO of The Sahara Forest Project.

“This is a fascinating project,” states an impressed Norwegian Minister of the Environment. “It's almost like you cannot believe it until you see it. Here they use what there is abundance of to create what there is the least of,” says Bård Vegar Solhjell, The Norwegian Minister of the Environment.

“Qafco and Yara are sponsoring this Environmental Project to be executed by Sahara Forest Project in a pilot scale to demonstrate the potential of the Green Technology in arid regions like Qatar using seawater and solar energy for future larger scale research and commercial platform in the area of Horticulture, Freshwater generation, Energy Production, Algae Production,” says Khalifa A. Al-Sowaidi, CEO of Qafco.

"The Sahara Forest Project collaboration is a perfect fit to Yara's agenda of developing sustainable solutions, creating value for us as a company as well as to society. We have to accept that businesses have to operate in a more sustainable way, and I believe innovative partnerships such as the one with The Sahara Forest Project are vital to trigger this development," says Ole Jørgen Haslestad, CEO of Yara International ASA.

Commercialization of green technology The Sahara Forest Project combines already existing and proven environmental technologies, including saltwatercooled greenhouses, concentrated solar power (CSP) and technologies for desert revegetation around a saltwater infrastructure. The synergies arising from integrating the technologies improve the performance and economics of the system compared to those of the individual components.

Through establishing new vegetation in previously barren land the system also offers the potential to store considerable amounts of CO2 in new plants. |20| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

ISO14001 the world’s most successful environmental standard - 6% growth during 2011 with over 267,000 organisations worldwide certified across 158 countries ISO14001, the global environmental management systems standard, is the world’s most successful voluntary approach to improving environmental performance in businesses and public sector organisations. Over 267,000 organisations in 158 countries are now certified against the standard’s requirements.

is excellent news for UK plc as companies are using ISO14001 to maintain competitive advantage, cutting costs, enhancing their reputation and winning new business,” said Martin Baxter, Executive Director, Policy, IEMA. “ISO14001 presents a fantastic opportunity to influence over a quarter of a million companies in the world. During this time of economic uncertainty, this continued growth in the number of companies that are now certified demonstrates that investing in environmental measures plays a fundamental role in helping companies and economies build a sustainable future,”

“Growing at a rate of 6% during 2011, ISO14001 has proved both popular and effective at providing a global framework through which organisations across the world manage their impacts on the environment. With the UK maintaining its position as one of the top 5 countries globally this

During 2011 the top five countries holding the highest number of certificates were China, Japan, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The top six countries maintaining the highest levels of growth in certificates were China, Italy, France, Romania, Republic of Korea and the UK.

UK in top five countries globally

Summary statistics Top 10 countries for ISO 14001 certificates - 2011 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CHINA JAPAN ITALY SPAIN UNITED KINGDOM REPUBLIC OF KOREA ROMANIA FRANCE GERMANY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

81,993 30,397 21,009 16,341 15,231 10,925 9,557 7,771 6,253 4,957

Top 10 countries for ISO 14001 growth - 2011 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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CHINA Italy France Romania Republic of Korea United Kingdom Singapore Canada USA Thailand

12209 3945 2520 2139 1244 885 684 550 550 465

International tourism hits one billion

Regional overview - total number of certificates held in each region during 2011 Africa

1,740

Central / South America

7,067

North America

7,465

Europe

106,700

East Asia and Pacific

137,335

Central and South Asia

4,725

Middle East

2,425

Total = 267,457

Annual growth by region during 2011 - % Africa

4%

Central / South America

1%

North America

18%

Europe

3%

East Asia and Pacific

9%

Central and South Asia

8%

Middle East

-4%

Total overall % growth = 6%

Annual growth by region during 2011 - absolute figures Africa

65

Central / South America

68

North America

1,163

Europe

3,574

East Asia and Pacific

10,784

Central and South Asia

345

Middle East

-90

Total overall regional growth = 15,909

One billion tourists have travelled the world in 2012, marking a new record for international tourism – a sector that accounts for one in every 12 jobs and 30% of the world’s services exports. On the symbolic arrival date of the one-billionth tourist (13 December 2012), UNWTO revealed the actions tourists can take to ensure their trips benefit the people and places they visit, as voted by the public.

International tourism has continued to grow in 2012, despite global economic uncertainty, to reach over one billion international tourist arrivals.

The figure cements tourism’s position as one of the world’s largest economic sectors, accounting for 9% of global GDP (direct, indirect and induced impact), one in every 12 jobs and up to 8% of the total exports of the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Recalling the positive impact even the smallest action can have if multiplied by one billion, UNWTO launched the One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities campaign to celebrate this milestone, showing tourists that respecting local culture, preserving heritage or buying local goods when travelling can make a big difference. The public was asked to vote for the Travel Tip that would have the greatest benefit for the people and places they visit and to pledge to follow that tip when traveling.

The winning tip, revealed on the arrival date of the one-billionth tourist, was Buy Local, encouraging tourists to buy food and souvenirs locally, or hire local guides, to ensure their spending translates into jobs and income for host communities. A close second, Respect Local Culture calls on tourists to learn more about their destination’s traditions, or some words in the local language, before leaving home.

“Today, we welcome the symbolic arrival of the one-billionth tourist” said UNWTO SecretaryGeneral, Taleb Rifai. “Your actions count. That is our message to the one billion tourists. Through the right actions and choices, each tourist represents an opportunity for a fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable future.”

As it is impossible to know exactly where the one-billionth tourist arrived, many countries are celebrating the occasion by welcoming tourists arriving on 13 December. UNWTO is celebrating in Madrid, Spain, home to its headquarters, by welcoming the symbolic one-billionth tourist in the Museo del Prado, Madrid’s most-visited tourism attraction, together with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain.

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KEY MILESTONE FOR SMART METERS ROLLOUT Plans for the installation of smart meters for millions of homes and businesses in Great Britain took a step forward today with the publication of Government decisions on rules for consumer engagement, privacy, and security.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Baroness Verma said: “The introduction of smart meters nationwide is of course an enormous challenge, representing a vast upgrade of our energy system, but with huge potential benefits for millions of homes and businesses and for Great Britain as a whole. Let me be clear: the consumer comes first. That’s why we are tackling issues such as privacy, security, consumer protection and communications now, working with industry and consumer groups to make sure we get this right ahead of the mass rollout. Today marks an exciting step forward in delivering the smart meter programme, as we finalise the work needed to achieve the benefits we believe consumers should receive.”

The Government’s vision is for every home in Great Britain to have smart energy meters, with business and public sector users also having smart or advanced energy metering suited to their needs. The roll out of smart meters will play an important role in Britain’s transition to a low-carbon economy and help us meet some of the long-term challenges we face in ensuring an affordable, secure and sustainable energy supply.

Consumers will have near real time information on their energy consumption to help them control their energy use, and avoid wasting energy and money. Smart meters will also provide consumers with

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more accurate information and bring an end to estimated billing, helping them to budget better.

Energy suppliers will be responsible for replacing over 53 million gas and electricity meters, involving visits to 30 million homes and small businesses. The mass roll-out of smart meters will start in late 2014 and to be completed in 2019. The majority of consumers will receive their smart meters during the mass roll-out.

Key conclusions set out today include: • consumers will have choice on how often their energy supplier can access their energy consumption data; • suppliers will not be able to use energy consumption data for marketing purposes unless they have explicit consent; • suppliers will be required to give their customers reminders about the choices they have made and how they can change their minds; • the Government will request annual reports from all larger energy suppliers setting out their plans and progress with the rollout; and • a new Central Delivery Body will help consumers to use smart metering to better manage their energy consumption and expenditure.

The proposals set out in these series of publications will make sure that consumers and suppliers can use the energy data provided by smart meters in the best way possible, at the same time as making sure consumer rights are protected.

NEW CONTROLS ANNOUNCED FOR SHALE GAS EXPLORATION Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey has announced that exploratory hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas can resume in the UK, subject to new controls to mitigate the risks of seismic activity.

Mr Davey said: “Shale gas represents a promising new potential energy resource for the UK. It could contribute significantly to our energy security, reducing our reliance on imported gas, as we move to a low carbon economy. My decision is based on the evidence. It comes after detailed study of the latest scientific research available and advice from leading experts in the field. We are still in the very early stages of shale gas exploration in the UK and it is likely to develop slowly. It is essential that its development should not come at the expense of local communities or the environment. Fracking must be safe and the public must be confident that it is safe. We are strengthening the stringent regime already in place with new controls around seismic risks.

And as the industry develops we will remain vigilant to all emerging evidence to ensure fracking is safe and the local environment is protected. The new Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil, led by DECC, will be able to focus regulatory effort where necessary to meet the needs of future production. Emissions of methane – which is a potent greenhouse gas - are already subject to control, but I am today commissioning a study of the possible impacts of shale gas development on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.”

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To date there has been no commercial shale gas production in the UK. Exploratory fracking has been suspended since May 2011 after two small seismic tremors were detected near the country’s only fracking operations in Lancashire.

Following a detailed study and further analysis by an independent panel of experts commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, with feedback from a wide public consultation, and the benefit of the report by the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, the Government has concluded that the seismic risks associated with fracking can be managed effectively with controls.

• New controls to mitigate seismic risks announced today include: • A prior review before fracking begins must be carried out to assess seismic risk and the existence of faults; • A fracking plan must be submitted to DECC showing how seismic risks will be addressed; • Seismic monitoring must be carried out before, during and after fracking; A new traffic light system to categorise seismic activity and direct appropriate responses.

A trigger mechanism will stop fracking operations in certain conditions.

These controls, along with the rest of recommendations in the independent report into seismic activity and fracking commissioned by the Government

and published in March this year, have been accepted by the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State has also accepted all the recommendations of the Royal Society report which are relevant to Government. (One further recommendation is being considered by the Research Councils.)

The study of the possible impacts of shale gas development on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change will consider the available evidence on the lifecycle of greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas exploitation and the need for further research.

New technology turns waste into energy to offer a cleaner and lower cost alternative to incineration

A new compact energy from waste solution, which turns clinical, hazardous and troublesome waste streams into heat, has been unveiled by green technology specialists DPS Global. The pioneering development offers a commercially viable and an environmentally sustainable alternative to incineration and landfill.

The ST Series technology involves staged and separated pyrolysis and gasification of industrial, clinical or hazardous wastes to produce small amounts of ash and heat. This enables hospitals, commercial operations and industrial plants to utilise their waste as a substitute for fossil fuels thereby reducing CO2 emissions and heating bills by as much as £100,000 per annum, dependent on feed volumes.

The technology also significantly reduces the cost of waste disposal by diverting it from landfill or incineration and through its capability to be positioned close to the source of waste. Destroying waste through incineration can cost between £300-£400 per tonne for contaminated waste, and as much as £1,000 per tonne for the collection of clinical waste. Comparatively the ST series technology treatment cost is much lower, around £150-250 per tonne for all wastes. Pyrolysis, which involves the thermal decomposition of organic material by the action of heat alone, separates the energy rich carbon and hydrogen from the waste. This is achieved by feeding the waste through a tube which is externally heated using exhaust gases from the later stages of the process. The heat decomposes the waste to form a synthetic gas (syngas), similar to the natural gas used by a domestic boiler.

Additional syngas can be produced from some of the carbon left in the waste (known as char) after pyrolysis.

This is achieved through gasification, using a small amount of air and steam to release the carbon from the waste.

Finally, the syngas can be combusted with a controlled amount of air reaching a temperature of 1150°C, as hot as flowing volcanic lava. This ensures that any small pollutant particles, which make their way down the process, are destroyed. Carbon monoxide emissions, which can lead to smoke and soot, are extremely low.

The latest electric, zero emissions sweeper technology has hit the streets of Bury to help keep town centre pedestrian areas clean and tidy.

As well as giving out zero emissions, the sweeper uses less water and, with no diesel engine, it’s extremely quiet, fume-free and public-friendly.

Partly funded via Bury Council’s Carbon Management Fund, the Green Machine 500ZE is the second electric vehicle to join the council’s fleet.

The other electric vehicle, a Megavan Tipper, is used to collect litter from town centre on-street bins.

The 500ZE uses 12.7 tonnes less carbon per year – the equivalent of that used by 34 standard diesel cars. Its running costs are really low at just £3 per day compared with £40 per day for the equivalent diesel vehicle and it can operate non-stop for up to eight hours. It then only takes four hours to re-charge.

Councillor Gill Campbell, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and regeneration, said: “All in all, the vehicle is a great asset to our street cleaning team who are really happy to be doing their bit to help reduce C02 emissions in our pedestrian areas.”

The Green Machine 500ZE has been supplied to the council by Specialist Fleet Services, via Green Machines, part of the Tennant company, who will maintain the vehicle for the duration of the five-year contract. The power source for the 500ZE is lithium ion batteries. It also has an aluminium hopper to prevent rusting.

Designed in Britain, the 500ZE is the first lithium ion powered suction sweeper in the world. It was designed to create a cleaner and quieter sweeping solution for town and city centre areas. It can also be found cleaning streets in Paris, Rome and Amsterdam.

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Evance installs 1,500th small wind turbine Evance R9000 small wind turbine to provide green energy for Bodmin Moor residents Wind power to help local Cornish business be sustainable for the future Evance Wind Turbines, has announced the installation of its 1,500th small wind turbine.

The turbine has been installed at the family run smallholding of Wallhouse near Blisland, on the edge of Bodmin Moor, where the renewable energy generated will provide electricity for the owner’s home as well as two holiday cottages.

Alison Bulley owner of the 1,500th Evance turbine, said: “A few years ago the family diversified into letting holiday accommodation to maintain a sustainable business and also to bring tourists into the area, so contributing in several ways

to the local economy. In order to sustain Wallhouse in this current economic climate costs needed to be reduced, and with the rising cost of energy we looked at ways of being more energy self-sufficient. We chose the Evance R9000 turbine as it has a reputation for reliability and performance, also it is small and unobtrusive, so will have very little effect on the surroundings. The turbine should cover a substantial part of our electricity requirement supporting our business and local economy for the future,“ Collectively 1,500 Evance turbines will generate approx. 17,100MWh of electricity annually(i) - enough to power over 3,560 homes(ii) . Also the will save over 8,950(iii) tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to taking around 3,940(iv) cars off the road.

Celtic celebrates its 20th year of delivering cost-effective remediation solutions Celtic Technologies Ltd (“Celtic”), a leading ‘design and construct’ remediation specialist, is proud to announce their 20th year of operation delivering cost-effective remediation solutions.

The company was incorporated by the Directors at the time, Barry Ellis and John Rees, on 27th March 1992 in Cardiff and three members of staff. Today, the number of staff has increased to over 50 specialist professionals operating across the UK from four regional offices in Reading, Cardiff, Warrington and Solihull.

Celtic has dealt with over a 1000 contaminated sites in the UK in a wide range of commercial sectors such as house builders, utility companies, petro-chemicals, land asset managers, and local councils.

Over the years, Celtic has continued to be a UK leader with some of the first ever UK applications of air sparging, multiphase extraction (MPE) groundwater treatment, stabilisation, catalytic oxidation and biotreatment and was the first company in the UK to hold a Mobile Treatment Licence.

In March 2008, Celtic were acquired by EnGlobe Corp., a leading international integrated environmental services company specialising in the management of organic based waste streams and contaminated soils. |28| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

WaterWorld Middle East 2013 to Capitalise on Mounting Demand, Opportunities and Challenges Qatar continues to lead the Middle East as one of the fastest growing markets for water development, with estimates suggesting 44 power and water projects in the GCC worth US$31.9bn are already underway or due to begin in 2013.

Hosts of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is expected to spend US$10bn on water infrastructure alone over the next decade. In light of this WaterWorld Middle East 2013 conference and exhibition will bring the water sector together at the Qatar National Convention Centre, Doha, Qatar, from 4-6 February 2013.

Organised by PennWell in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Works – Ashghal – as platinum sponsor, WaterWorld Middle East 2013 will showcase Qatar and the region’s biggest opportunities.

The strategic and technical conference will feature Mr. Nasser Al Kuwari, Manager of the Drainage Projects Department at Ashghal, delivering a presentation on Qatar’s IDRIS (Inner Doha Resewerage implementation strategy) Programme.

The IDRIS programme is designed to provide new municipal drainage and wastewater treatment for the Doha South area and is set for completion in 2019.

Other event supporters will include the Arab Countries Water Utility Association (ACWUA) and industry analysts, Frost & Sullivan, as the Knowledge Partner.

The conference and exhibition will see over 50 speakers and eminent chairs and speakers from 20 countries around the world deliver presentations and panel discussions in response to the opportunities and challenges in water supply and sanitation in the MENA region.

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Top speakers across two conference tracks will include presentations by Dr Corrado Sommariva, president of the International Desalination Association, Khalil Atasi, chief executive officer of CDM-Arabia, Prof. Thomas Missmer from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Dr Ilham Kadri, general manager MEA, Dow Water and Process Solutions, UAE. Key conference topics to be discussed at WaterWorld’s Middle East will include Utility Management; Water Resource Management; Wastewater Reuse; Industrial Water Treatment; Technology Debate; Wastewater Options.

Not to be missed is the panel debate entitled: “Desalination’s Changing Landscape – Thermal to RO”. This exciting new session will bring together representatives of thermal, membrane, hybrid and forward osmosis desalination to discuss the latest projects, results and technologies in lively comparative debate.

Tom Freyberg, Conference Director of WaterWorld Middle East, said: “A clear technology shift is being witnessed in the conversion of seawater to potable, drinking water. For decades Qatar and other Middle Eastern nations heavily relied upon giant thermal desalination facilities. Yet increasing water scarcity and lower cost membranes are meaning large scale, plants are coming online.

“As well as a concerted effort on renewing and installing new wastewater capacity in the Middle East, drinking water needs to continue to increase.

Many countries in the region have renewable freshwater sources less than 1000 cubic meters per person – a level which defines 'water scarcity'.”

For further information about WaterWorld Middle East 2013, visit www.waterworldmiddleeast.com

Tales from the Watercooler

Pete Robinson to head up AnescoMeter BRC APPOINTS NEW POLICY LEADS ON ENVIRONMENT AND FOOD SAFETY The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Food and Sustainability team has appointed two new policy advisers to drive forward work on the environment and food safety.

Alice Ellison is the BRC’s new Environment Policy Adviser. She was previously a Policy Manager on transport and environment issues for London Councils, the representative body for London’s 33 boroughs, where she led work on local environmental quality, waste, aviation and rail policy. Alice will now lead on the development and delivery of policies relating to a wide range of environmental issues including climate change, packaging, food waste, the On Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) and resource efficiency. She will also oversee A Better Retailing Climate, a sector-wide voluntary initiative setting goals to reduce the environmental impact of the sector in the run-up to 2013.

The team also appointed Elizabeth AndohKesson as a Food Policy Adviser. She is responsible for policy negotiations on food safety including microbiological safety, food contaminants and contact materials and food incident management. Elizabeth will lead work with the Food Standards Agency on retailers’ commitments to reduction of campylobacter in poultry and assist the formulation of guidance/ consumer information to promote food safety.

She will also engage in the development of target setting for articles and substances coming into contact with food. Prior to joining the BRC, Elizabeth was Legislation and Technical Manager at the British Meat Processors Association and lobbied government on issues including salt reduction in meat products, labelling and hygiene controls.

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Anesco has strengthened its senior team with the appointment of Pete Robinson, who joins to head up the firm’s pioneering AnescoMeter service. Readingbased Anesco works with local authorities, businesses and homeowners looking to reduce their carbon emissions. The company provides organisations with a comprehensive energy service, from audits through to recommendations, installations and capital funding plans. The firm is on target to hit £100 million turnover in 2014, as demand for its services continue to rise.

For more details visit www.anesco.co.uk

Wolseley UK awarded Van Excellence Wolseley UK has achieved Van Excellence accreditation for its high standards of van operator compliance.

Van Excellence, an industry-led initiative run by the FTA (Freight Transport Association), celebrates the very best in fleet standards and driver excellence, with those accredited meeting a strict set of standards.

Wolseley UK, one of the first companies in the building services industry to receive Van Excellence status, has met these standards by implementing regular and documented van maintenance programmes, driver logs, daily inspections of vehicles and regular driver training. It also passed a rigorous independent audit, which saw auditors visit 10 of its branches at random and examine 10 driving licences and training records of employees. Mark Cartwright, FTA’s Head of Vans and Light Commercial Vehicles, said: “The benefits of achieving Van Excellence accreditation are manifold. Not only are Van Excellence accredited fleets more economical, which means they are kinder to the environment, they ultimately reduce operating costs.

Xylem appoints UK Marine and Coastal Director Water monitoring specialist Xylem Analytics UK is pleased to announce the appointment of David Goldsmith as Director of Marine and Coastal Business. David has extensive experience in marine technologies, having worked closely with AADI for many years in the oceanographic sector. He will be responsible for bringing the YSI, SonTek and AADI brands together under the Xylem Analytics umbrella and says "This is an exciting opportunity because each of these three brands is a major player in the oceanography market and the new division will therefore provide a broader capability to meet the marine monitoring requirements of our customers."

ACO Water Management has appointed David Smoker as a new Business Development Director for the UK To support customers with implementation of the 2010 legislation on floods and surface water management, David’s work will enhance the continuing focus ACO has on developing and providing solutions to address the challenges the industry is facing today. ACO is a leading designer and supplier of innovative surface water management solutions. It provides efficient and sustainable drainage solutions (SuDS), including individual products and complete systems, to protect structures and the environment now and for the future.

Navetas named one of the UK’s Future 50 companies for its work to empower consumers Energy management specialist Navetas has been voted as one of the most exciting companies in the UK by Real Business and the Wonga Future 50. The Future 50 awards aim to discover the bold, disruptive new generation of entrepreneurial businesses that are triggering change in their market, naming 50 young, disruptive firms as the businesses of the future.

Navetas was selected as a “force to be reckoned with” with the potential to transform the energy market due to its unique energy disaggregation technology and other innovative products, which empower individuals, utilities, manufacturers and businesses to reduce and manage their energy consumption and minimise their environmental impact.

ICF Honorary Fellowship Awarded to Dr Sophie Churchill The Chartered Institute of Foresters (ICF) is delighted to announce that Dr Sophie Churchill, Chief Executive of the National Forest Company, has been made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute for outstanding services to the forestry Industry.

The award of Honorary Fellow is not made lightly. The last award was given in 2010 and only 11 other members hold this prestigious title.

Dr Churchill is also only the second woman to have achieved this.

As the Chief Executive of the National Forest Company, Dr Churchill was charged with creating a new forest across 200 square miles of the Midlands. Since 2006 she has overseen the continuing creation and management of the forest, including ensuring its economic and social benefits. She was awarded an OBE for services to the environment in 2011.

M&C Scoop Two Major Awards for Excellence in Energy Management M&C Energy Group, world leading energy consultants, was announced as winner of two major industry awards at the Energy Awards 2012 prestigious gala dinner in London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Over 500 of the energy industry's key players were there to see M&C pick up the awards for Excellence in Carbon Reduction and Excellence in Water Management. M&C was shortlisted for four entries, a total unprecedented in the history of these awards.

M&C Chief Executive, Mark Dickinson, said: “We are delighted to be a double award winner in an awards scheme so highly regarded throughout the energy industry. We are particularly proud of the categories. It clearly shows that energy management isn’t just about gas and electricity procurement, it is about showing clients how to be smarter about how we use all commodities and making them efficient and cost effective.”

RECYCLING GURU CHRIS WHITE JOINS CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING UK recycling industry stalwart Chris White has joined Closed Loop Recycling as commercial manager ahead of an exciting year for the innovative Dagenham-based recycling company.

Chris White is a well-known and highly respected personality in the recycling industry, thanks to his 41 years at Aylesford Newsprint where he held numerous roles including most recently that of commercial manager. In recent years, Chris has become well known for his views on quality and is an advocate of high quality sorting at materials recycling facilities. His new role at Closed Loop Recycling will see him overseeing the company’s partnerships with its key customers including Veolia Environmental Services, with whom Closed Loop recently agreed a new deal to supply its state of the art facility with PET and HDPE. ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |33|

JASON DREW COLUMN

Other companies still stuck in industrial revolution thinking are unlikely to be ‘legislated green’. We are still pushing tobacco products around the world 30 years after we became aware of the damage it was doing to human health. Such is the power of the profit motive for companies and the politicians they lobby to their causes.

We need to recognize and enter onto the statute books a new crime. UK Lawyer Polly Higgins proposed to the United Nations that Ecocide be recognised as an international Crime Against Peace alongside Genocide, Crimes of Humanity, War Crimes and Crimes of Aggression, and triable at the International Criminal Court. The definition proposed is:

As we move into the 21st century we have plenty of regulation but few values. If you don’t stand for something you are liable to fall for anything. We need to be clearer on our values as regards the environment and we must support the introduction of the crime of ecocide for when those values fail. Let me explain.

Green tape, as it is being called, is the result of governments bringing out ever more environmental legislation. The most heavily regulated industry in the world is that of financial services. That regulation did not prevent the global financial crisis (GFC) nor will current legislation prevent the looming global environmental crisis (GEC). Whilst our leaders may have had excuses for missing the signs of the GFC they have none for turning a (corporately influenced) blind eye to the looming GEC. As consumers, we cannot shop the planet green. We must understand that we have to break the consumption and waste cycle. Our industrial design is quite capable of breaking that cycle – whilst Mercedes gave up making cars designed to last for decades others are re-inventing the old Mercedes mantra – built to last. Consumer goods carry an energy efficiency rating but not one for durability. Most of a product's carbon emissions come from its manufacture not its use. During the lifetime of a car well over half the CO2 emissions will have come from its manufacture, not the fuel burned in driving it. It is at the concept stage that we need to design out environmental damage.

Companies like Samsung are engineering out obsolescence – not profitability – in their new SMART TV series. The screens are designed to last for decades, the software can be updated on-line, and when the hardware is no longer latest generation they will sell you a new plug-in module – not a whole new television. Clever business values for the 21st century, making customers, the environment and shareholders winners. |34| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Ecocide: the extensive destruction, damage to or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been severely diminished.

The term refers to the large-scale destruction of the natural environment, its ecosystems or the over consumption of non-renewable resources. Where such destruction is deliberate, reckless or negligent and cause lasting damage this forms the basis of Ecocide. Examples include major oil spills, rain forest destruction, aquifer depletion or the overfishing and collapse of a fishery such as that of cod. It was first mentioned in the 1960’s when it was described as the murder of the environment.

Individuals, companies and politicians would not be able to hide behind their veils of incorporation or a defense of acting within their then mandate or then law of the land at that time. This personal accountability may drive some positive change in behaviour.

As consumers and shareholders we need to become activists – demanding durable upgradable recyclable products – not joining the queues both at IKEA and the dump.

Lets get busy repairing the future.

Jason J Drew

STEVE GRANT COLUMN

Whilst sitting and enjoying a coffee, a snack and a little mindless TV as one does from time to time, one of those heart-wrenching ads featuring a series of starving, desperate infants came on, complete with suitably evocative music and a steady, conscience-torturing voice asking for the equivalent of the price of a pint a month to help. Then, with the snatched ten-minute break completely ruined and images of diseased toddlers at front of mind, the catch-line comes up: 'no child born to die'.

You feel a palpable and lingering sense of guilt if you don't pick up the phone there and then and make your pledge.

If you do the guilt isn't allayed - you simply transfer it up a gear by feeling that you really should be giving more. But to what end? There's a great deal to be said for such palliative donations, but the root of the problem is that these poor mothers are little more than baby machines trapped in a social and religious culture that insists on adding to the weight of abject misery by having more and yet more children who are born to die – and to endure suffering beyond comprehension in their pitifully short lives.

The fact is that as a great many of us give a donation each month, a great many others are wandering around Africa telling people that if they use contraception of any kind, they will burn in hell. The Christian hell or the Muslim hell or any one of a number of equally unpleasant versions of eternity await anyone of childbearing age (many of whom are only children themselves) who would dare to seek some respite from the cycle of pregnancy and childbirth in an environment where there is not enough to eat or drink.

The mission of religious leaders is to swell their congregations and to exert influence and control over as many people as possible. Nowhere is this more easily achieved than in the third world, and nowhere are the terrible results of medieval religious teaching more easily seen. The infallible pontiff of the Roman church maintained until very recently that condoms only made the problem of HIV in Africa worse – something that outraged the health agencies and volunteer workers who were dealing with the consequences on a day by day basis. A year later, he announced that condoms were a 'lesser evil' than HIV. They are still evil, you understand, but not quite as evil as a rubber.

The muslims too, ban birth control – but do at least allow the use of condoms if the wife agrees. This is 'mukrah' frowned upon - but not actually banned. “This goes against the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad and if not done for medical reasons, is usually done for vain, selfish or impractical purpose. For instance, some people have the foolish notion that the world is becoming overpopulated and the earth’s resources are running out. But Allah has made His earth bountiful, and if we trust in Him, there is certainly enough food and water and air to go around.” (from Islamic Learning Materials). “ ~ it is better for us to have as many children as Allah allows us to bear. “ So in the face of 'foolish notions' such as rampant overpopulation, ever-diminishing resources and environmental damage on an incomprehensible scale, the worlds 'great' religions are encouraging their flocks to have as many children as they can – no matter what the consequences. The various gods will provide for their flocks, and if they don't – then it's his (not her) will.

We are insistently and variously urged to help now! because a child dies every three minutes, because no child is born to die, because it is better to give – but the inescapable fact is that until the cycle of birth and death is balanced in line with the interests of the people themselves, all we are doing is alleviating a little of the suffering here and there. I don't argue for one second that we should not continue to do that, but it strikes me that one of the most effective things that could be done would be to rid the continent of these dangerous, damaging and deluded charlatans who think that facing a reality such as the shortage of potable water is nothing more than a 'foolish notion'.

If their mythical hell really did exist, I can't help thinking that they would be destined to burn in it.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |35|

News

Conservation 38 - 40

The GB Non-Native Species Information Portal - Dr Helen Roy

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |36| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

The GB Non-Native Species Information Portal Dr Helen Roy

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment published in 2005 designated invasive non-native species, alongside climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and overexploitation, as one of the main causes of biodiversity loss. Over the last century there has been a dramatic increase in the arrival of non-native species around the world as a consequence of international trade and travel.

So what are invasive non-native species and what threats do they pose?

Non-native (or alien) species are ones that people introduce, intentionally or unintentionally, to a new region of the world.

One example is the muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesi), which comes from China. This species was introduced to Woburn Safari Park in southeast England in 1894. In 1901 it was released into neighbouring woods. Muntjac deer are now widespread in central England but also occur in northern England and Wales, and have recently been reported in Scotland and Ireland. Where muntjac deer occur in high numbers they can devastate woodland plants and prevent tree regrowth. They also damage vegetables and roses in suburban gardens.

There are 1875 established non-native species in Great Britain but the number is increasing rapidly (Fig 1). |38| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Fig 1. Number of established non-native species and the number that are designated as having a negative ecological or human impact against date of first arrival

The majority of established non-native species are higher plants (1377 species). Insects are the next most numerous group (278 species) followed by non-insect invertebrates (141 species), vertebrates (50 species), lower plants (25 species) and four other species. Most (1684 species) of the documented established non-native species are found within the terrestrial environment of which higher plants (1350 species) are the largest group within the terrestrial environment.

Within the freshwater environment higher plants (23 species) and noninsect invertebrates (23 species) dominate the established species.

Non-insect invertebrates (50 species) are also the most numerous of the established non-native species within the marine environment. â–ş

Or so we think. It is extremely difficult to work out precisely how many non-native species are resident in a country and, in some cases, equally difficult to predict whether or not a particular species will be invasive, that is, have an ecological impact.

Non-native species have become such a problem that policymakers have come up with a plan of attack. The most crucial part of this plan is to detect non-native species as soon as they arrive in the country and rapidly assess the risk they pose to biodiversity.

Indeed some non-native species arrive, establish small populations and seem to be unproblematic years after arrival, but then something changes and these so-called 'sleeper species' become invasive, or a threat to biodiversity. Oxford Ragwort, Senecio squalidus, is a sleeper species with a distinguished history. It was introduced from Paris to the Duchess of Beaufort's garden at Badminton between 1700 and 1702. Sometime before 1719 it was transferred from Badminton to the Oxford Botanical Gardens. It was then recorded as an 'escapee' from the gardens in 1794 and noted only at a scattering of localities in Oxford until 1850.

detect non-native species as soon as they arrive in the country and rapidly assess the risk they pose to biodiversity. Although Britain has well-established monitoring schemes for many taxonomic groups (many coordinated through the Biological Records Centre within the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), non-native species tend to be under-recorded in part because native species are the primary interest of most recorders.

Coordination of data collection and data-holding mechanisms for non-native species is a high priority and this is where the GB Non-Native Species Information Portal comes in. â–ş

By 1879 Oxford Ragwort reached the Oxford railway and from there it spread rapidly across the rail network. This species grows on the soils derived from volcanic ash on Mount Etna in Sicily and the railway system provided a perfect substitute.

Fortunately Oxford Ragwort is not considered to be an invasive species because it is a benign addition to the British landscape.

There are a number of non-native species that have restricted distributions because climatic constraints limit their population growth. For example, an isolated colony of the Mediterranean termite, Reticulitermes grassei, was found in Devon in 1994 behind some skirting board. Thousands of individuals were present which suggested the colony had been thriving for some years but had failed to spread from the house. It is widely accepted that climate warming could help termites and many other species currently limited by British temperatures spread.

Non-native species have become such a problem that policymakers have come up with a plan of attack. The most crucial part of this plan is to ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |39|

What is the Portal?

The portal, commissioned by Defra, essentially contains information on all the non-native plants and animals in Great Britain. For each we are gathering as much information as possible: How did it get here? When did it arrive? Where did it come from?

What do we know about its ecology?

Of course, we don't always know the answers to these questions. Some species (especially the very small ones) just appear mysteriously, and no one knows how they got here.

Spread of the harlequin ladybird over time

For 300 species, detailed information, pictures and distribution maps are available through the portal. Some non-native species will be deemed to require particularly close surveillance and monitoring and accordingly designated as 'alert' species. Alert species include: highrisk invasive species not yet present in Britain but which might enter in the future; sleeper species; invasive and non-native species for which there is a special concerted effort to provide better quality distribution information, particularly if direct action is being taken to control the species.

One of the current alert species is the Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, which is a highly invasive non-native species that could threaten the community of pollinating insects including honeybees. It has spread rapidly through France but so far has not reached Britain.

Many people have been providing reports (including photographs) of suspected sightings to the alert e-mail address (non-native_alert@ ceh.ac.uk) of the Asian hornet but all have been native species such as the European hornet. Even more people have been reporting sightings through the Recording Invasive Species Count initiative (www.nonnativespecies. org/recording) – a partnership project with the National Biodiversity Network. The enthusiasm of people for this important surveillance and monitoring is inspirational – a fantastic example of the huge value of citizen science in action. |40| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

How is information in the Portal used?

Anyone wanting to know about a particular non-native species can access information through the portal. This comprehensive resource is primarily designed to help policy-makers take a coordinated approach to non-native species. However, it will also provide a powerful tool for many others including environmental practitioners.

There is no doubt that invasive non-native species pose a considerable threat to biodiversity. The portal is a core element of the non-native species surveillance strategy in Great Britain and provides a dynamic interface to other initiatives across Europe and beyond. The accurate and detailed information it contains provides a foundation on which to base decisions, and will ultimately contribute to safeguarding biodiversity - whether it be non-native or native. â–

+ For More Information Non-Native Species Secretariat: http://www.nonnativespecies.org/ Recording Invasive Species Counts: www.nonnativespecies.org/recording Planet Earth On-line: http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/blogs/story.aspx?id=641

News

Conservation

Energy 44 - 45

Green Deal – Greg Barker

46 - 47

Smart Working - Angela Needle

48 - 50

All I want for Christmas is… consistency from Government on energy policy - Gaynor Hartnell

52 - 55

European Commission’s Energy Roadmap - Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |42| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Green Deal Greg Barker

The UK has a huge opportunity to lead the world on energy efficiency.

A transformation in the way energy is used across our economy could help boost growth and jobs, with the potential to save 22 power stations-worth of energy by 2020.

Energy efficiency can also cut bills for households and businesses, which is vital in a world of increased pressure on resources and rising prices. And homes and businesses across Britain are wasting energy and money – buildings in the UK are among the least efficient in the world and account for 43% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Millions of homes do not have full double-glazing. More than half do not have enough insulation or an efficient condensing boiler.

Most do not even have proper heating controls. Despite this, demand for energy efficiency measures remains remarkably low.

This is where the Green Deal will come in. It will remove the biggest barriers to demand for energy efficiency, opening up the market and giving people more choice. From 28th January 2013, homes and businesses will be able to make energy saving improvements such as double glazing, underfloor heating and cavity wall insulation, and pay for some or all of the work done from expected savings on their energy bills. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO), a subsidy from energy suppliers, will provide extra help for those most in need and for properties that are harder to treat. |44| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

All Green Deals will have to pass the ‘Golden Rule’, which limits the amount of Green Deal finance that can be offered by a provider to the estimated energy bill savings likely to result from the installation of new measures. This means that customers will get a good deal.

The first step is get a Green Deal Assessor to come to your home, talk to you about your energy use and see if you could benefit from making energy efficiency improvements.

Your Assessor will recommend improvements that are appropriate for your property and indicate whether they are expected to meet the Golden Rule and pay for themselves through reduced energy bills. Green Deal Providers will then quote for the recommended improvements. You can get as many quotes as you like, and you do not have to choose all of the recommendations made to you.

Once you have chosen a Green Deal Provider, they will write up a Green Deal Plan. The plan is a contract between you and the Provider – it sets out the work that will be done and the repayments, including the fixed interest rate. Once you have agreed to a Green Deal Plan, your Provider will arrange for the improvements to be made to your home by a Green Deal Installer. Your Green Deal repayments will be automatically added to the electricity bill for the home.

We have put in place a number of important consumer protections, such as the Green Deal Quality Mark (which all authorised organisations involved in the Green Deal will have to display), so that people know exactly who to trust and what is happening at every stage. The Green Deal Oversight Body will carry out spot checks on all authorised

Green Deal organisations, and permission will have to be sought in writing before any Green Deal work is done.

The Green Deal is a fantastic opportunity to improve the look and feel of your home or business, plus save energy and money. Currently, 45 different energy efficient improvements qualify for the Green Deal, ranging from solid wall insulation to heating controls and solar devices.

And we have recently announced that hundreds of pounds of cash back will also be available to householders in England and Wales who make energy saving home improvements under the Green Deal from 28th January 2013. Households quick off the mark could get as much as £1,000 cash back.

The Green Deal Cashback Scheme is a first-come, firstserved offer, and the more work households have done, the more cash back you could receive.

The key to getting the cash back is to have a Green Deal assessment carried out on your property, then install some or all of the improvements recommended. A total of £125m is up for grabs so hundreds of thousands of people could qualify. Community minded households will have the option of donating some or all of their cash back to registered charities and Community Interest Companies who have signed up with the scheme administrator.

This really is a fantastic offer and I would encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of it – the more work you have done, the more energy you stand to save and the more cash you can receive. It is a win-win situation!

The Coalition Government is absolutely determined that the Green Deal is a success and we are working around the clock to make this happen. We have given seven cities across England a share of £12m to help them kick-start

the Green Deal in their regions. This will include retrofitting properties across whole communities to raise awareness of the Green Deal.

The Green Deal is a fantastic opportunity to improve the look and feel of your home or business, plus save energy and money.

We are also giving a further £10m to councils in England to help them develop a variety of schemes aimed at promoting the Green Deal, from whole house retrofits to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency to local residents, to community engagement events to raise awareness of what can be done.

I am incredibly excited by the Green Deal and its huge potential, which could see British homes and businesses save enough energy to power 1 million homes in 2020.

The Green Deal will empower consumers by giving them new ways of funding home improvements, and empower businesses by enabling them to compete for energy efficiency opportunities in new and innovative ways. It will boost the low carbon economy by supporting up to 60,000 jobs in the insulation sector alone by 2015, up from around 26,000 today.

The Green Deal will play a central role in transforming our buildings, improving energy efficiency and helping us reach our ambitious low carbon targets. ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |45|

Smart working: how smart meters can save business time and money Angela Needle, Head of Energy Consultancy, British Gas

5 8 7 2 2 After a few tough years, the future is starting to look a lot better for UK businesses. In November, Office of National Statistics confirmed that the UK economy has returned to growth. Britain might have avoided a triple dip recession, but the latest Gfk Consumer Confidence index released in October shows consumer confidence still remains low. In the current climate, businesses still need to maintain a sensible approach to their own recovery and growth, by controlling their costs and managing cash flow. |46| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

We know that for most small and medium sized businesses, energy accounts for over 10% of their overheads - a significant cost businesses don’t often feel they can control. As an energy provider, it’s up to us to help our customers understand the options available to help decrease their energy spend.

And this doesn’t have to mean additional expensive investment as there are lots of simple, free ways that businesses can make a big difference in this area. The installation of a smart meter can play a central role in helping businesses monitor and control their energy consumption.

Smart meters are the next generation of energy meters, and use the same technology as mobile phones. They remotely send meter readings to energy suppliers. A smart meter can provide businesses with accurate

3 4

readings to replace their usual estimated bills. It can be installed at the businesses’ convenience and they’ll never need to manually take and send a meter reading to a supplier again.

As well as accurate bills, customers can get an accurate display of their energy consumption via an online source which they have access to twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

The installation of a smart meter alone can help businesses make instant energy savings by making them aware of the energy they are using and when they are using it.

These savings can be accelerated once energy consumption data is turned into useful insights, such as understanding trends on where energy is being used and wasted.

Businesses that can see exactly how much they use can then use that information to see where energy is being unnecessarily consumed, or if equipment might not be performing optimally enables them to put measures in place to rectify this and save money.

To help with this, we recently launched the British Gas Business Energy Insight (BEI) service earlier this year. BEI is a free smart-meter based online service that enables small and medium sized businesses to see their electricity usage via a live dashboard. This dashboard shows hourly, daily, weekly and monthly electricity usage which is then analysed and summarised for customers every month in the form of a simple energy report.

The service also includes access to free advice from British Gas Account Managers who are on hand to help customers understand and interpret the data from the online dashboards and energy reports, and how to effectively implement energy measures.

It is often the simplest of actions that deliver the most immediate financial and energy savings - like installing sensors to turn off lights in rooms that aren’t being used or by putting heating on a timer. For example, a British Gas customer recently saved over by £1,200 simply switching off car parking lights at the weekend when they weren’t needed. And the owner of a pub in Dorchester significantly cut his business’ overheads by just switching off fruit machines that aren’t in use during working hours. These small changes make big differences.

With more smart meters on the walls than our competitors, we’re able to paint an accurate picture of the benefits of smart meters for businesses. And using this depth of information, we can look into ways to better understand our customers to help them control their energy consumption and costs.

A British Gas customer recently saved over by £1,200 simply switching off car parking lights at the weekend when they weren’t needed.

Why are we leading the way in installing smart meters into our customers’ businesses? It’s simple.

At British Gas we want to build strong, loyal relationships with our customers. We know that they’re expecting more from the service they receive from their suppliers. Helping put businesses in control and reduce their energy use, through leading the field in smart metering technology, is just one of the ways we are doing this. ■

+ For More Information www.britishgas.co.uk/business

British Gas recently worked with Oxford Economics on a report looking at the value of smart metering to the UK economy. It showed that small and medium sized businesses can expect to see savings of at least £230 on their annual energy bills simply by installing a smart meter.

Through the report, we discovered that UK businesses have the potential to save around £31m worth of time by installing a smart meter and cutting out the need for estimated bills. Time is one of the most valuable assets to a business, so the more time a business can save by not having to deal with meter readings and estimated bills the better. Time saved can be reinvested back into the business, helping them remain profitable.

Smart meters can have a positive effect from an environmental perspective too. Lower energy demand from smart metering reduces the amount of energy generated and overall consumption in Britain. For businesses in the UK, this equates to £631m from generation related savings.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |47|

All I want for Christmas is… consistency from Government on energy policy Renewable Energy Association

REA Chief Executive Gaynor Hartnell calls on Environment Industry readers to help reset the energy debate

Where are we now?

It might not look like your standard Christmas wish, but I bet that Government clarity on energy policy is right at the top of the list for literally thousands of boardrooms across the country, in energy and beyond. If we get it, then billions of pounds of investment should be unlocked.

As several newspapers have remarked, the current situation in energy policy is unprecedented in the history of UK politics.

Armando Iannucci said he deliberately held off making a fourth series of The Thick of It until the cracks became visible in the Coalition façade. But appear they did, and by the time the series aired this autumn, if anything the reality of politics was even more incredible than the satire!

At the time of writing, the latest episode is the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. This follows on from one energy minister’s going against Government policy to declare |48| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

“enough is enough” for onshore wind on national television, and the ‘Energygate’ scandal which saw a Conservative MP back a rival independent anti-wind farm candidate in the Corby by-election.

Speaking only six days after the Energy Bill was published, the Chancellor said: “The Energy Bill provides certainty and support for billions of pounds of investment in renewable energy. Today we publish our Gas Strategy to ensure we make the best use of lower cost gas power, including new sources of gas under the land.”

The message could not be clearer. DECC, which announced the Energy Bill, is here to support the development of the renewable energy industry and decarbonise the energy sector, whilst the Treasury is encouraging a second dash for gas.

It is easy to get carried away with the drama of this political situation, but in point of fact, the opposing sides – be they Lib Dem vs Tory, or DECC vs Treasury – are perhaps not that far apart in terms of aims and objectives.

George Osborne wants an energy policy which is costeffective, for Government, for consumers and for businesses.

He thinks that renewable energy is and will remain expensive, while gas is and will remain cheap.

It is true that most renewables need some form of financial support today to compete with fossil fuels. However, the costs of nearly all renewables are falling, while the costs of fossil fuels are destined to rise. Mainstream analysts such as Bloomberg, Ernst & Young and McKinsey have clearly documented the phenomenal cost reductions experienced in wind and solar PV, for instance.

Now let’s ask whether “gas is cheap”, as the Chancellor said in his Budget Statement back in March. Incidentally, this was the point when he announced half a billion pounds of tax breaks for oil and gas exploration – exactly (coincidentally?) the same amount which he asked Ed Davey to trim from the Renewables Obligation during the Banding Review negotiations. If gas is cheap, then one wonders why it continues to receive such generous tax relief from Treasury…

Although the cost of generating electricity from gas may be cheaper than any other power generation technology, gas will not remain cheap, and prices are inherently unstable.

DECC’s green policies – especially renewables, and especially wind farms – are often fingered in the media for increasing consumer energy bills. But the fact is that both Ofgem and the Committee on Climate Change have categorically found that volatility in world gas prices has been the major cause of energy bill increases in recent years.

Although renewables do have higher build costs (for now), they have very low (often zero) fuel costs. So while it makes sense for gas to replace old coal plant, it does not make sense for gas to displace new renewable plant. That’s true whether you’re talking about costs or carbon. It is very short-termist to discount the future costs of gas and climate change so much as to prioritise building gas plant over renewable plant.

The wild card is shale gas. All the scientific evidence urges caution in its exploitation; it is no silver bullet and is unlikely to send energy prices tumbling in the UK as it has in the USA. The REA is not against shale gas per se, and if it can deliver cost relief for consumers while meeting our carbon budgets, then it could have a role to play. But like conventional gas, it must support, rather than undermine, investment in renewables.

Even if shale gas did send prices tumbling, a mad dash for it would not make strategic sense for the UK. We should not squander our last remaining valuable finite resources in one last hurrah for the fossil fuels industry. We must use it carefully, so that it can play a supporting role in balancing the energy mix well into the future.

Renewable Energy Association “A report by SKM in May found that fully exploiting the UK’s deep geothermal resource could supply around 20% of our electricity demand as well as heat for millions of homes.”

Gas does have great benefits in terms of its dispatchability and flexibility, which are valuable in complementing renewables. Let’s make sure the gas doesn’t run out before the UK has invested in a high renewables energy mix which will keep us competitive and provide ever-lasting energy security. Of course, storage, reduction and management of demand and smarter grid interconnectivity should also be priorities for Government in balancing the energy mix.

But, to reiterate one final time, the role of gas – shale or otherwise – has to be limited, because although it is lower carbon than coal, it is not genuinely low carbon in the same way as renewables. The Committee on Climate Change has made it plainly clear that gas can only play a supporting role in the UK energy mix going forward, but the Gas Strategy failed to acknowledge this.

Ultimately this isn’t about meeting carbon budgets or renewable energy targets. We often invoke these terms as an end in themselves when in fact they are only the means to an end. The end objective the country must be working towards is the continued security and prosperity of its people and businesses. That is why we must do all we can to prevent dangerous climate change and to ensure the security of our energy supply, insulating it against shocks caused by overseas socioeconomic events over which we have no control, and climatic events which we can, and must, prevent.

Where do we go from here?

There is so much confusion about the direction of Government policy. Science and fact have given way to politics and strategy. This is no way to conduct a debate about such a serious issue. And if we cannot have certainty on decisions with a 2020 time horizon, how on earth can we have any confidence in the direction of travel to, say, 2050? ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |49|

Renewable Energy Association “Renewable gas, from anaerobic digestion and gasification technologies, did not get a mention in the Gas Strategy, even though it could supply a quarter of our domestic heating requirement.”

Here at the REA, we have not lost sight of the bigger picture, and we have a fairly good idea of what a positive energy future would look like, and the benefits it would bring. So in March next year, we are hosting a symposium called ‘Energy, Security and Prosperity’ at the Royal Institution in London.

By taking a 2050 perspective, we want to share with you our vision of the future.

We have identified several themes in the current energy debate which we feel present obstacles to the achievement of this vision, and these will underline and inform the talks that our invited speakers will present. These include: • The imbalance between high levels of public support for renewable energy and high levels of bias against renewables in the national media; • The imbalance between the high level of coverage for the power sector in the decarbonisation debate when heat and transport account for 75% of GHG emissions in the energy sector;

• By expanding the debate to cover, for instance, resource conflicts, sustainable design and planning, we hope to get to grips with the role of energy in building sustainability into society, beyond simply keeping the lights on.

In order to ensure that speakers are free to say what they really think, and that the audience are free to ask what they really want, all the sessions will be held under the Chatham House Rule. This will make for a truly unique event, and a must-attend for those looking to stay ahead of the curve on energy and sustainability.

I will be giving a talk myself, but we also have a host of big name speakers from energy and beyond, such as Rear Admiral Chris Parry, former BP CEO Tony Hayward, for Chief Scientific Advisor Sir David King, and sustainability champion Jonathon Porritt, to name but a few.

• The imbalance between the representation of climate change as a “soft”, “luxury” or “nice to have” area of Government policy when it is in fact a grave threat to the health and prosperity of UK people and businesses.

Our speakers will cover themes as diverse as technological change, climate uncertainties, green architecture and city design, future fuels, sustainable finance and education and the media. I really do hope you will be able to join our fantastic speakers, as well as my colleagues and I, for a day of first class debate. Needless to say, the catering and networking opportunities will be first class too!

But it’s not simply a renewables advocacy event. What we are aiming for is a day of frank, open and honest debate, not just the renewables industry talking among themselves, but engaging with other sectors which interact with our own, and our critics too.

We need all areas of Government to get on the same page on energy and sustainability, but we can’t do that when our public debate is stuck in a rut. This event will help get it moving again, so if you care about energy and sustainability, we need to hear what you think. ■

For instance: • By taking a 2050 perspective, we hope to rise above party politics, prevarication and point scoring and get to the heart of the issues; • By looking at fossil fuels and nuclear energy, we hope to give a broader view on how renewables fit in to the energy landscape; |50| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

+ For More Information www.regonline.com/reasymposium2013

European Commission’s Energy Roadmap Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, EREC President

As the evidence in favour of a new energy system, based on renewable energy sources and technologies, grid enhancement and smart grids, and energy efficiency continues to grow, countries who act on this evidence will reap the rewards, while others will lag further and further behind. As the European Commission’s Energy Roadmap 2050 clearly shows, all decarbonisation scenarios will have to be built around very high shares of renewables.

The Renewable Energy Directive (RES Directive) in 2009 set a binding target of at least 20% of the EU's energy consumption to come from renewable energy sources by the year 2020. This breaks down into national targets of varying size and ambition for each and every Member State. Looking at the state of play today, twenty one Member States were already above their 2011/2012 interim targets in 2010 and seemingly well on track for reaching their 2020 goals, including Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, even Poland. Six Member States, however, are below their interim targets - Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands and notably the UK. As we know, the European Commission (EC) starts to report every two years (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) on progress made in reaching the RES |52| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Directive’s objectives. It may propose corrective actions where it feels these are necessary, as long as it does not undermine the 20%-target and the ability of Member States to remain in control of their support policies. The European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) is therefore waiting with quite some interest for the upcoming "progress reports" from the EC expected in January 2013.

In the meantime, it would seem relevant to cast a discerning eye on the outcome of the Doha summit which concluded early December and where the critical importance of domestic climate change legislation and regulation was highlighted. As a global agreement on a framework for tackling climate change when the Kyoto Protocol (now extended until 2020 instead of 2012) runs out is not expected before 2015, national, regional and local level action, particularly the successful development and deployment of renewable energy, must continue at the rapid pace with which we have seen it develop over the last decade or so, both in developed and developing countries.

This way the momentum could be kept, as peoples around the world prepare for the impacts of climate change and realise that it is in their interest to do so ahead of typically slow global decisions processes.

The Renewables Obligation (RO) is the main financial mechanism which Government uses to incentivise large scale renewable projects in the electricity field.

Let us take the example of a recent domestic action at the level of the European Union and which pertains to renewable energy, which is portrayed as the main solution for greening the energy sector and reducing its CO2 balance, alongside energy efficiency measures: the UK's energy bill, unveiled by the Government on 29th November 2012 and swiftly followed by the gas strategy on 5th December, as part of its Autumn Statement. Several measures are included in the bill, the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) being one of them. As explained by DECC (Department of Energy & Climate Change), the UK is at a critical juncture in the way it generates electricity, as a fifth of its available capacity in 2011 is set to close over the coming decade (this is mainly old coal and nuclear plants), while demand is predicted to continue to rise. As we know, the UK's overall renewable energy target for 2020 is 15%, and the UK is far from reaching it. At least 30% of Britain's electricity is to come from renewable energy by then, if the target is to be reached. and again this is not in sight with the policies decided so far. The Renewables Obligation (RO) is the main financial mechanism which Government uses to incentivise large scale renewable projects in the electricity field.

The EMR is now preparing the ground for a move to the new support mechanism, Contracts for Difference (CfD), with fixed price certificates, which will be set by the Secretary of State. Unfortunately the UK is widely devaluating and even counterbalancing the good idea of fixed floor prices by including unsustainable and inflexible coal (CCS) and nuclear among the potential beneficiaries. In addition to this extremely critical flaw, the Parliament's Energy and Climate Change Committee received the bill with scepticism, fearing that the new contract system may well reinforce the unchallenged dominance of the "Big

|54| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Six" energy companies and further prevent new players competitively entering the electricity market, notably small-scale independent energy companies, many of which are active in renewables. This would mean that community owned energy projects and small independent generators would be at risk of being squeezed right out of the market, according to MP Tim Yeo, Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee. Furthermore, the bill could have contained incentives for power companies to reduce energy demand but this did not materialise into the final document.

According to the Renewable Energy Association (REA), representing renewable energy producers in the UK, investment in renewables is already in decline "owing to prolonged instability in the policy framework" and the EMR still presents barriers to renewables which need to be addressed . As pointed out by REA, the gas strategy should complement and not compete with the 30% target for renewables in electricity, and not form a second 'dash for gas', controversially shale gas.

However, REA was quick to react the following day when Chancellor George Osborne announced the gas strategy, stating that it appeared to sideline renewables in favour of gas, even going as far as pushing for the exploitation of shale gas through tax breaks and the setting up of a new regulatory outfit, the Office for Unconventional Shale Gas (Ofshag) . The Solar Trade Association (STA) noted that it seemed as though the Government was running two parallel energy policies, and one might add that contradictory policies are unlikely to result in investor confidence, even more so in the current economic climate.

To end this chapter on the UK situation at the end of 2012, I would like to point to the fact that according to a

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new YouGov poll, 54% of the public agree that "we can save the planet and the economy both at the same time by investing in green technologies", compared to just 29% who think that environmental protection is unaffordable in tough economic times.

Also, 57% of the public, and even 53% of the Tory voters, support the idea that a majority of the UK’s electricity could come from renewable sources by 2030.

It is important to not advance blindfolded and to realise that today's energy decisions will shape one country and Europe's supply system for at least the next 50 years. In view of the fundamental transformation needed to ensure a sustainable future, a fundamental structural change towards a renewables based and flexibility driven energy system is needed. As investments in the energy sector are of long-term nature, the decisions we take today will have an impact on the energy system of tomorrow. And wrong decisions of today will result in critical and expensive lock-in of unsustainable energy sources.

There is a far reaching agreement that Europe’s energy system must undergo radical change. This is seen as the key element for fulfilling the European Union’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 in order to avoid the most serious effects of climate change for the well-being of our societies.

In 2004, the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) called for a legally binding EU target of 20% renewable energy by 2020, a claim which has been supported by various stakeholders and finally enshrined in law with the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive. Now it is time to take the next step and lift up our ambitions for the post-2020 decade.

EREC is calling on the European Commission, Member States and the European Parliament to deliver on the European Union’s long-term climate commitment by proposing and endorsing a legally binding EU target of at least 45% renewable energy by 2030 . This would provide a clear guidance for the regulatory framework needed for the post-2020 period. Investors need this – the sooner the better. A country without a stable and reliable framework for the development of renewables takes the risk of being off the map for investors for years to come.

In the current economic climate and scrutiny of public balances as well as household bills, transparency on subsidies is needed to avoid the current unfair naming and shaming of renewables for increasing energy prices.

According to the recently released World Energy Outlook 2012 from the IEA, global fossil fuel subsidies totalled $523bn in 2011, almost 30% higher than in 2010, while financial support to renewable energy, by comparison, amounted to only $88bn in 2011. It is time to redefine policy goals and assess the best framework for reaching them, and I would encourage a much more open debate on this matter over the coming months, aiming at removing the remaining market failures, in all EU-Member States, and in particular all direct and indirect subsidies for fossil and nuclear energy sources which represent a major element of distorted markets. With a level playing field in place and the necessary policy decisions taken, I am sure that renewables will continue to grow in Europe, to at least 45% in 2030, and become the dominant source of energy by 2050. What’s more, this will be needed to reach the decarbonisation targets we all claim to agree on. ■

It is important to not advance blindfolded and to realise that today's energy decisions will shape one country and Europe's supply system for at least the next 50 years.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |55|

News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging 58 - 59

A Sustainable Food System: we’re all in this together - Mike Gidney

60 - 63

How climate change alters the food security debate… - Alice Bows

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |56| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

A Sustainable Food System: we’re all in this together Mike Gidney

There is growing consensus that we face a crisis in our food system and that major shifts will be needed in activity and attitude. There are serious threats to the sustainability of some of our most important global agricultural commodities – particularly coffee and cocoa, but also sugar and tea. An unsustainable food system affects us all, but none more so than farmers and workers in developing countries who have to tackle a triple whammy of global economic downturn, the impact of climate change and a long history of poor prices and under-investment in their farms. Unless the major players in these commodities actively invest in sustainable supply chains and balance their social and environmental as well as their economic performance, there is a very real risk of supply shortages on the horizon in some of the everyday food categories we all take for granted.

Discussions about an impending food crisis, food security and food ethics are not new. They tend to receive more attention in times of global food price hikes (such as in 2008/09 when there were food riots around the world), but comprehensive solutions have been slow in emerging, a fact made worse by the flat-lining economy.

A 2006 UN report on global hunger calculated that half of the world’s ‘hungry populations’ were actually farmers, struggling to feed their families or make a decent living because they are not paid fairly for growing the food we use every day. In Malawi, for example, small-scale farmers produce sugar in the arid south of the country. |58| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

There, 85% of families run out of food at some point in the year. In north-east Brazil, sugar cane cutters have the lowest life expectancy and their children the highest mortality of any group in Brazil.

The fact that so many hungry people are themselves food producers shows just how out of balance our global food system has become. This is of course morally and ethically unacceptable but it also presents real practical challenges to future security of supply. It is a challenge that could affect us all and we will all need to be involved in finding a solution.

There is more interest now in a discussion about the structure of the food system as a whole, and this is encouraging.

Government, donor and private sector initiatives are recognising more and more that the problems are interconnected. There is also a growing recognition of the role of small-scale agriculture in sustainability. Rather than being criticised as being irrelevant in an industrialising world, smallholders are rightly being seen as key to rebalancing global food production, where quality and availability do not come at the cost of environmental degradation and exploitation. In 2011 the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Kanayo F. Nwanze, said, ‘It is time to look at poor smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs in a completely new way – not as charity cases but as people whose innovation, dynamism and hard work will bring prosperity to their communities and greater food security to the world in the decades ahead.”

This approach – tipping trade on its head, working from the bottom up – is at the heart of Fairtrade. Fairtrade is an example of an approach that aims to shift the way that the food system operates, based on an intervention that links nearly every part of the system – combining strengthened producer organisations, creative value chain approaches, consumer power and a broad public movement for change.

It is this sense of partnership, of everyone pulling together, that has given Fairtrade real momentum in the past few years. More than three quarters of the UK population now recognise the Fairtrade Mark and an incredible 90% of people trust it to deliver a better deal for farmers and workers in developing countries – those often most vulnerable to the impact of an unsustainable food system, and too often at the sharp end of the supply chain. This in turn has created a growing market for Fairtrade – annual sales in the UK are running at nearly £1.5bn and all the evidence indicates that consumers have not traded down on their values in the recession. As the market has grown so the range and quality of Fairtrade products has increased – there are now 4,500 products carrying the Fairtrade Mark, from coffee and tea to ice-cream, face cream and now even gold.

The success of Fairtrade has shown that there is a business case for companies seeking to do the right thing. Fairtrade has made real gains in the last few years, bringing lasting benefits to more than 1.25 million producers in over 60 developing countries. That is a great start, but it is not enough. Over the next few years we will be focusing in particular on smallholders, seeking to unlock the power of the many millions of small-scale farmers around the world who grow the products that we all take for granted on a daily basis for many of our basic needs. Smallholders such as the women of the Akoma Cooperative in northern Ghana, who have started producing Fairtade shea butter.

The shea nut tree is drought tolerant and an important defence against encroaching desertification of the area. By selling on Fairtrade terms the women are better equipped to manage the challenges of food security whilst contributing to the community’s social and environmental needs.

In 2013 we are asking everyone to Go Further For Fairtrade.

This will be the message during Fairtrade Fortnight (25 Feb – 10 March, visit www.fairtrade.org.uk for more information).

We want to bring the benefits of Fairtrade to more farmers

and workers, with tools that are relevant to them in today’s increasingly volatile market. That will require broader and deeper commitment from companies, sustained by strong support from the public.

Creating a genuinely sustainable food system will clearly require major changes in the way we act as individuals and the way that we relate to one another. Everyone involved in the food trade – producers, traders (processors, intermediaries, importers and retailers), consumers and government – has a role in making food work for all of us now and in the future. This sense of collective ethical responsibility is gaining ground, and that is cause for optimism. But there is also more public scepticism about company PR claims than ever before, which should strike a note of caution. Consumers and investors are too aware of the environmental and social impacts of poor corporate practice.

Open access to information on the internet has enabled more people to spot the difference between commitment and marketing spin and recent social media campaigns have demonstrated how prepared people are to show their frustrations immediately. The smart choice is for companies to embrace this change across their whole operations or risk being punished by the public for tokenism.

There is a clear opportunity for leadership here and more companies are realising the benefits it can bring. The food retail sector in the UK is of course particularly concentrated.

Four supermarkets dominate and choices made by buyers affect the lives and options of millions of farmers as well as millions of consumers. Commitment to social responsibility has been a feature of supermarket activity for a while, but there are encouraging signs that some retailers are seeking to bring environmental and social concerns into the heart of their business model. Initiatives such as Marks & Spencer’s Plan A, Sainsbury’s 20x20 and the Co-op’s ‘Ethical Operating Plan’ set new benchmarks for company performance. If they succeed they will not only have helped improve the impact of the food business on people and the planet, but they will also have refreshed their relationship with the British public.

It’s no surprise that as part of its challenging business plan the Co-Op is aiming to increase its membership from 6 million today to 20 million by 2020. The public demand for business ethics, especially in the food system, is only set to increase in the years ahead. ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |59|

How climate change alters the food security debate…

Alice Bows, Senior Lecturer in Energy & Climate Change, School of Mechanical, Civil and Aerospace Engineering, Sustainable Consumption Institute, The University of Manchester Research perspective based on ‘What’s Cooking? Adaptation and Mitigation in the UK Food System’. Available to download at: http://www.sci.manchester.ac.uk/uploads/sci-whats-cookingaugust-2012.pdf

Introduction The issue of food security stimulates familiar debates. Take population growth and the demand for food. On the one hand, it is argued that there is a need to improve production and yields to deliver adequate and culturally appropriate supplies of food for a growing population. On the other side, it is claimed that there is more than enough food produced, but that distribution, access and waste are the sticking points. The context of the food security debate can also produce divergent lines of inquiry. For instance, food systems in the richer parts of the world have waste at the consumption end of the supply chain, with discussion around the role of the consumer and food packaging high on the agenda. The problem is with a high value commodity. In poorer parts of the world, this type of waste is not the problem, rather it is low value waste within agricultural production, driven by, for example, inadequate storage environments for crops. Nevertheless, in both wealthier and poorer societies, rising food prices draw significant attention. |60| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

More recently, the climate change agenda has started to play an important role within this debate. Partly in response, “sustainable intensification” is the new term coined to address issues of food security, whilst minimising emissions and broader damage to the environment. The term itself has debatable meaning and interpretations. It can conjure images of industrial-scale farming for some, while for others it is being used to capture ways to support smallholders through best practice and knowledge coupled with new technologies to deliver significantly increased yields.

Whatever way the term is taken, the debate largely focuses on supply-side technologies, particularly genetic modification and technology-focused solutions that are more familiar in wealthier nations’ agricultural production systems. Yet if the impending scale of climate change impacts is brought into the discussion around food security, resilience becomes more of an issue for nations less financially able to adapt, and the types and levels of consumption come under the spotlight to address emission cuts in richer countries. Climate change alters the food security debate, but it is time to accept that providing certainty over the future is not an option.

Climate change – the current understanding

study on climate science itself, and on technologies and practices to reduce emissions, the reality and implications of current emission growth is frequently overlooked. Negotiating teams continue to aim to avoid 2°C of global warming, and many impact studies focus on what may occur around the world for an average 2°C rise above pre-industrial levels. Yet current trends place the world on a trajectory towards 4°C to 6°C of warming by the end of the century [1, 2]. Even the latest range of ‘plausible’ emission scenarios does not consider an emission growth pathway higher than the one we are currently on. Uncertainty surrounding future emissions lies within the decisions made regarding energy system decarbonisation, deforestation, the removal of industrial greenhouse gases and those from agriculture. But the pace of the negotiations looks hopeless for avoiding 2°C. Taking only a mildly risk-adverse approach would therefore suggest considering at least the current trajectory, if not a ‘worst case scenario’. The vulnerability of agriculture to changing weather and climate highlights a need for research to at least try to consider how systems may change in a world where average temperatures have risen by 4°C or more.

This is something the Sustainable Consumption Institute’s ‘What’s Cooking?’ scenario project aimed to address.

Research on climate change focuses on what will change, by how much, when and why. The ‘if’ question is no longer relevant. However, while there is a huge body of academic

Some within climate science may consider the statement above to be rather naive. In an ideal world there would ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |61|

►

certainly be detailed impact maps to help with future planning, but the uncertainty over, for instance, local weather characteristics, precipitation rates, and propensity for droughts associated with this level of temperature rise will be very high indeed. So how then, can future food systems be organised to improve food security? In a similar way to the debate around energy security and its infrastructure, the answer lies partly in improving resilience and building in flexibility - but does one size fit all?

Different strokes for different folks It is important to recognise the different local contexts when debating solutions to food security both in isolation and in a changing climate. Firstly, more wealthy nations tend to have large scale industrialised farming systems, whereas poorer nations rely on smallholders. The need for better access to food is relevant to some nations and not others, and over consumption linked to ill health is a problem of the rich not the poor. Climate mitigation and adaptation differ along similar lines. Industrialised nations have emission reduction targets, and in aggregate terms, the means to respond at least to current climate impacts. Emerging and industrialising economies are not currently expected to curb even the growth in emissions, and propensity to manage the impacts of climate change is much less developed.

Mitigation challenges Take the example of the UK, which maintains a commitment to avoiding a 2°C warming. To deliver on this objective, it has a legally binding target of cutting emissions by 80% by 2050 plus short-term emission budgets. Whilst it has |62| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

already recognised that it might not be as easy to reduce the emissions from agriculture compared with other sectors – adopting a 70% reduction target instead – even this is a very significant challenge. Furthermore, if a higher probability of avoiding 2°C is assumed (the UK adopts a 37% chance) and account is taken of escalating emissions associated with industrialising nations, this target, and the associated emission reductions required in the shorter-term (emissions are cumulative, therefore short-term cuts are essential), need to be even more stringent. To deliver this requires a radical shift to cut emissions in food-systems. There is already considerable knowledge regarding potentially lowemission processes such as anaerobic digestion, low-till agriculture, precision farming, nitrification inhibitors and so on. Whilst clearly there will be a learning curve fitting the most appropriate low-emission systems with the varying geographical, environmental and infrastructural conditions, learning by doing will need to take precedence over estimates of the short-term costs and benefits, as over the long-term and in the face of high levels of uncertainty, they arguably provide little in the way of guidance.

Cutting emissions in less wealthy nations is not currently considered to be a realistic proposition by many. This is largely dictated by existing mitigation frameworks and has to date, been reasonable given the highest per-capita emissions are in wealthier nations. Nevertheless, within only a few years, many of these nations will need to rapidly curtail growth, and cut emissions in real terms, if 2°C remains the goal. And herein lies a further challenge: as temperatures rise, and extreme weather events become more of a concern, measures to maintain yields may necessitate additional fertiliser inputs,

irrigation or drainage, heating or cooling systems to protect crops from the elements. This can, in turn, increase the level of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. The likelihood of climate change increasing levels of emissions must be better understood for future planning purposes. Risk of crop failure due to extreme weather events points towards diversity as a route to resilience as monocultures and optimised crops will risk large-scale catastrophic failure. Non-optimal systems are more likely to protect against this risk, but research into intercropping, particularly with nitrogen fixing crops, rotation and other low-emission techniques needs to be intensified.

Guarding against an increase in emissions to improve yields in a changing climate, could also point towards zoning crops in the most emission-efficient parts of the world. But this could pose further challenges to ensuring highly productive, but low emission intensive regions are able to provide secure and culturally appropriate food supplies.

Overconsumption – an elephant in the room?

Unfortunately, limiting mitigation effort to production systems will not be sufficient for avoiding 2°C, and so attention turns to consumption. Overconsumption and particularly waste at the consumer-end of the supply chain is an issue quickly picked up by consumers when discussing food issues in richer nations. Moreover, high levels of meat consumption are directly linked to emission intensive systems. While in poor countries there continues to be malnutrition and hunger, many industrialising nations are currently seeing a rapid rise in meat consumption. Debate around food security focuses heavily on the production end of the supply chain, yet when climate change is brought into the debate, consumption becomes the elephant in the room.

There is potential for significant reductions in the consumption of emission-intensive foods and waste, yet policymakers in wealthy nations are reluctant to enter into this debate.

Dictating or guiding consumption levels and patterns would be highly controversial, although the health debate offers some in-roads here. Nevertheless, climate change poses such great challenges for society, including threats to food security, that avoiding uncomfortable issues is arguably not a reasonable approach. All solutions need to be on the table.

These are more mitigation focused in richer nations, and more adaptation focused in poorer ones. However, they are directly linked. If nations with carbon targets and high levels of consumption are not prepared to make changes or even debate contentious issues, then the climate impacts to be experienced by the most vulnerable will be greater and sooner.

Morally and practically, high emitters have a responsibility to accelerate the change, so that the low emitters have the time to adapt to the further challenges to food security on the horizon. ■

Research findings based on work by colleagues at the Sustainable Consumption Institute including Alice Bows, Carly McLachlan, Sarah Mander, Mirjam Röder, Ruth Wood, Ellie Dawkins, Clair Gough, Laura Thom and Patricia Thornley.

1.

Anderson, K. and A. Bows, Beyond 'dangerous' climate change: emission scenarios for a new world. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2011. 369(1934): p. 20-44.

2.

Peters, G.P., et al., The challenge to keep global warming below 2 [deg]C. Nature Clim. Change, 2012. advance online publication.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |63|

News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building 66 - 69

A lesson in sustainability - Sarah McCarrick

70 - 72

REPLACEMENT PUMPS – ENERGY SAVING OPTIONS THAT GET OVERLOOKED Gary Wheatley

74 - 78

State of the Art Heating for New Build School - Graham Temple

79 - 81

RETROFITTING: THE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION? - Paul Joyner

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |64| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

©limpertsacadamy.com

A lesson in sustainability Many education buildings developed under design and build contracts have cost effectively achieved impressive levels of sustainability and are enjoying wide ranging benefits as a result.

Sarah McCarrick, BREEAM education sector manager

Delivering education facilities to a high sustainability standard has been perceived by some in the industry as onerous and costly. But experience has shown that this is not the case if the sustainability strategies are well thought out and integrated into the project at an early stage.

Many education buildings – including several procured under design and build contracts – have cost effectively achieved high levels of sustainability, and been able to demonstrate this through BREEAM assessments.

BREEAM is the world’s most widely used system of rating and certifying the sustainability of buildings. It can assess – and provide guidance on improving – building sustainability at the design, construction and refurbishment stages.

BREEAM can be used on a very wide range of education buildings, from pre-schools to further, higher and vocational education facilities.

Starting early Incorporating sustainability strategies from the earliest stages of a new build or refurbishment project is key to maximising the benefits and minimising costs. Early designs that include, for example, a suitable building aspect, effective insulation and well integrated systems of lowcarbon energy delivery, generally produce the best results.

Trying to ‘bolt on’ sustainability to existing designs, perhaps by adding renewable technologies, is likely to be less cost effective and will make achieving environmental standards such as BREEAM more difficult. |66| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

This can be particularly important in design and build projects where the process of developing the concept design can be quite separate from the detailed design stage. To achieve the best outcomes, sustainability must be a key element of the concept design process, and the sustainability strategies initiated at this stage must be effectively communicated to those engaged in the detailed design.

If, for example, a wetland area is wanted in order to enhance the ecology of a new site, gain BREEAM credits and provide an educational resource, the appropriate area must be allocated and set aside at the concept stage – and the intention clearly communicated to the detailed design team.

Little or no extra cost It is not surprising that in the current economic circumstances there is a strong focus on capital costs when developing a building – and perhaps a concern that incorporating sustainability initiatives may add significantly to these. However, there is increasing evidence that this is not the case.

Research undertaken by BREEAM and Faithful & Gould, for example, has demonstrated that significant improvements to the sustainability performance of a building can be achieved at little or no additional cost. The more recent Target Zero case study for schools in the UK estimated a capital cost uplift of just 0.2% to achieve a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, and 0.7% to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’.

Added value Looking beyond capital costs, a well integrated sustainability approach can reduce the whole life cost of a building by cutting running expenses whilst keeping the amount of capital investment required to a minimum.

Buildings designed for sustainability can benefit from significantly lower energy costs through energy efficiency strategies and properly integrated renewable technologies.

Major savings on other issues such as water use and waste can also be made. And the true value of sustainability can run much deeper than cost savings. A report entitled ‘BREEAM credits – operational value to the occupier’, presented in 2012 to the CIBSE ASHRAE Technical Symposium at Imperial College concluded that: ‘In its twenty first year BREEAM has developed from an unknown environmental assessment tool for the cognoscenti only, to a mainstream accreditation which has significantly improved site practice, material specification and building design for the benefit of occupants and society.’

In education buildings, the improved design quality associated with effective sustainability can significantly enhance the learning environment, both inside – through better acoustics, lighting and air quality, for example – and outside with innovative spaces for learning and exercise.

In addition, sustainability strategies can provide important learning resources. A number of BREEAM certified education

buildings have display areas showing energy consumption and the levels being supplied from low carbon sources.

Others have open sections of wall to demonstrate the use of insulation, habitat areas and allotments to give students practical experience of land management, water recycling and reuse facilities, flood control systems and many other initiatives.

Two examples of education facilities that have achieved impressive levels of sustainability and been recognised through high BREEAM ratings follow:

Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts The Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts building at Lancaster University, was built to enable teaching and research activities in art, design, film studios, music and theatre studies.

The University has a policy that new build should gain at least a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, and major refurbishments a BREEAM ‘Very Good’. It has found that applying BREEAM can reveal the detail of utilities use, and enable this to be predicted more accurately and measured while buildings are in use. This allows the buildings to be finely tuned to ensure they operate as efficiently as possible.

The Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts achieved a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating with sustainable strategies that included: ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |67|

Heating – the building is heated by the university district heating system from a CHP plant, which is also metered through the campus-wide building management system.

Ventilation – natural ventilation is used for the majority of the building, with displacement ventilation in event spaces.

The mechanical ventilation plant is provided with 75% efficient heat recovery (thermal wheel), which is integral to the air handling unit.

Energy and water – A photovoltaic array has been installed and a rainwater harvesting system is used to flush toilets and urinals. Information on both these systems is displayed on-screen in the main entrance area so that occupants can easily see the electricity and water savings.

Materials – more than 80% of building materials were responsibly sourced, with a large proportion of the building constructed using FSC certified timber. Almost all of the materials used were A or A+ rated according to the Green Guide to Specification.

Consider constructor – the site was registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and scored 36.5, with 88% of construction site waste diverted from landfill.

Transport – showers and secure bike storage encourage students and staff to cycle to the campus. |68| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Recycling – recycling of everyday materials is in operation throughout, including an on-site composting system for organic waste from the canteen.

Impact – The design team took into account concerns regarding the surrounding woodland area by carrying out a detailed lighting design study. This showed that the external lighting would not have any adverse effects on the building’s surrounding habitat.

The project team included: • • • •

Client: Lancaster University Architect: Sheppard Robson Contractor: Morgan Sindall BREEAM Assessor: Hoare Lea

Hadyn Ellis Building The Hadyn Ellis Medical Research Facility, the first building in Cardiff University’s Maindy Campus Development, achieved an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating at the Design and Procurement stage and will house state-of-the-art facilities for university research.

The five-storey building will include an exhibition and atrium, 150-person lecture theatre, café, seminar suite, research clinic, graduate school, research support services and administrative facilities.

The design team was set the target of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ to ensure that the building would have a positive impact on the local community and stakeholders, and a minimal impact on the environment. The features that have helped the development to achieve this include:

Design: • passive design features shade the building and prevent over heating from the sun • solar panels on the roof • natural ventilation in parts of the building • energy efficient lighting and control systems • thermal modelling of the building to predict energy use and carbon emissions

the Considerate Constructors Scheme • specification of high levels of waste management and responsible sourcing

Consultation: • building users involved in writing the design briefs for the design team

The project team includes: Client: Cardiff University Estates Architect: Nightingale Associates Main contractor: BAM BREEAM Assessor: Morgan Sindall Professional Services Ltd ■

• acoustic features insulating the building from external noise • extensive landscaping accommodating a diverse range of native plant species • cycle racks and changing facilities

Procurement: • emphasis on sustainability in the tender specifications • selection of tendering companies with certification to

+ For More Information www.breeam.org www.breeam.org/case-studies breeam@bre.co.uk A full copy of the Target zero report can be found at www. targetzero.info/guidance_reports/view/school/ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |69|

REPLACEMENT PUMPS – ENERGY SAVING OPTIONS THAT GET OVERLOOKED And the option to harvest rainwater, reduces water costs from education budgets.

Gary Wheatley, Technical Manager, Wilo UK

Every building relies heavily on pumps to carry out vital work – be it circulating heating and cooling water, boosting drinking water and water for hygiene purposes to heights mains water pressure cannot achieve without a little help, or increasingly to utilise rainwater harvested from a building to reduce the reliance on potable water to flush toilets. But because they tend to be tucked away in plant rooms and in basements, pumps have a tendency to get overlooked.

There are in the UK literally tens of thousands of inefficient, elderly pumps hammering away constantly using far too much energy, when replacing them with modern replacement pumps that only operate when they are needed will save huge amounts of energy – and in many cases pay for themselves in less than two years of operation – after which it’s savings all the way.

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Perhaps it’s because for most people, pumps aren’t the sexiest things to get excited about. They tend to languish in plant rooms away from the public eye and get overlooked when organisations are looking to reduce energy usage, reduce emissions generated by the building and reduce their bills because energy bills, as we all know, only head in one direction.

Education related buildings – schools, colleges, universities – are all typical larger public buildings where pumps are vital – but hidden away! They do a great job that needs doing, but in so many applications, replacement by modern, energy efficient pumps could do the jobs they do so much better, and so much less expensively.

Wilo has led the world in high efficiency pump design for many years and offers a range of quite excellent alternative pumps utilising the most modern of technology. One such pump is the GIGA.

Wilo has launched the Wilo-Stratos GIGA, a highly efficient pump product – the first high efficiency glanded pump in the marketplace – and it offers specifiers the chance to easily optimize the energy costs and environmental balance of an educational building or for that matter any large building. With its hydraulic output and specification, the Wilo-Stratos GIGA is ideal for commercial and industrial projects. These include educational and healthcare type buildings – in essence, any new building where energy consumption and emissions need to be reduced and any existing building where the current pumps are elderly, uncontrolled pumps, consuming far more electricity than they should in the current energy climate.

It’s the first pump from Wilo’s new highefficiency series for heating, cold-water and cooling applications, and it’s targeted at projects where energy saving pumps will pay significant dividends over a typically fifteen year lifecycle.

Due to the combination of new hydraulics with a new highly efficient drive concept (HED – High Efficiency Drive) the WiloStratos GIGA offers major energy saving benefits. Specifying the GIGA for your projects will result in a saving of emissions amounting to approximately 8,000 kg CO2 per year as well as saving up to £70,000 in electricity costs per pump installed over a 15 year lifecycle, compared to conventional uncontrolled pumps (based on the Blue Angel load profile). The new GIGA has a typical payback period of less than two years, which highlights the benefits and value of installing high efficiency Wilo pumps.

For the first time glanded pumps are driven by highly efficient energy-saving EC motors and the pumps' hydraulics are optimally adjusted to the motor technology.

According to Wilo, GIGA pumps can claim particularly high total efficiency based on a motor efficiency of up to 94% at a nominal motor power of 4.5kW. The motor's energy efficiency is based on a new high-efficiency drive concept, the High Efficiency Drive (HED) from Wilo and even outclasses the limit of efficiency class IE4 (acc. to IEC TS 60034-31 Ed.1) outlined under the new

and far reaching ErP Directive for energy related products. On the basis of optionally available IF-Modules that can be integrated, different interfaces for Bus communication can be utilized – including PLR, LON, Modbus, BACNet and CAN - making external devices redundant.

That’s a look at one of the modern pumping alternatives to the old fashioned, energy guzzling pumps that continue to work day in day out in educational buildings helping to run heating and cooling systems in the main.

Are there any additional ways in which pumps and pumping systems can save money and add to the environmental benefits available to those responsible for funding educational buildings? Well rainwater harvesting is an interesting option. …and rainwater harvesting offers further impressive savings..

For many years, Wilo has been at the leading edge of the development of systems to harvest rainwater and reduce the use of potable water where expensively cleaned water is not really required. It’s clear we have to think very carefully about the value of using expensive drinking water to flush the loo.

Water conservation has always been a higher priority in mainland Europe, than it has been here in the UK, where we have always thought – with some justification in the past – that we get more than our fair share of rain each year. But with climate change, both the amount of rain we get at one time and the regularity with which we get it, is clearly changing, and with some parts of the country experiencing droughts far more often and for longer, rainwater harvesting has become a simple matter of common sense.

Water saving goes hand in hand with energy saving, sustainability and reducing carbon emissions – all key elements of Wilo’s environmental policy. With the population of the UK set to increase markedly in the next decade, we will clearly need significantly more water. It makes good common sense therefore, to gather, store and utilise the water we get for free to use for watering the garden, cleaning cars, flushing toilets ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |71|

and the like – in fact anything that doesn’t involve cooking and personal hygiene.

Wilo rainwater harvesting systems harvest the rainwater that falls on roofs, makes its way through rainwater systems and fine mesh filters, into a tank, usually underground, and then pump it from that tank to be used in a number of non-potable applications. This can reduce the demand on the potable water supply provided by the water companies significantly – by up to 50%. It can reduce water costs – particularly if you have a metered water supply of course – and can show a significant reduction in the volume of ‘clean’ water used.

Wilo was selected to supply the project’s pumping hardware for contractors the Harvey Group after a competitive pitch, through merchant BSS in Belfast. Wilo was proud to supply all the key pumps for the project including those for the heating and air conditioning systems, the potable water pressure boosters and a rainwater harvesting system that ensures the toilets flush throughout the building, utilising the huge quantities of rainwater that are captured from the roof of the building, stored underground in collection tanks and pumped around the building to save using expensive drinking water to flush the loos.

Wilo is seeing massively increased interest in rainwater harvesting across the board and its Rainsystem solutions offer the perfect solution for domestic and commercial applications. The vast expanses of roof area in many educational buildings make them ideal gatherers of rainwater and several sizeable projects have been successfully completed across the UK. Amongst these, Wilo was recently responsible for the impressive rainwater harvesting system at Belfast Metropolitan College – part of the excellent Titanic Quarter development.

In summary, modern pumps and pumping systems have a huge amount to offer educational building projects – whether they are new build projects or as is the case in many projects , refurbishments of older buildings that need a facelift. Full details of the modern pumping options available to specifiers, architects and building designers these days can be found at www.wilo.co.uk. Alternatively you’ll get a warm welcome by calling Wilo on 01283 523000.For further info, contact Steve Paddock, Market Link PR – 01905 726 575 ■

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Woolley Wood School July 2012

State of the Art Heating for New Build School Graham Temple, Marketing Manager for Mitsubishi Electric Commercial Heating Systems Division

RENEWABLE SOLUTION PROVIDED

The time is right for commercial heat pumps Heating accounts for over half the energy used in the UK’s buildings so finding a way to reduce energy consumption here can lead to real improvements in both fuel bills and carbon emissions.

If this heating can also be supplied by a renewable technology, it can also help buildings achieve renewable energy targets and meet building regulations.

In an ideal world this technology would be low maintenance, fairly straightforward to install and would also be able to work alongside existing equipment.

Air source heat pumps are classified as renewable technology by both the EU and UK Governments and modern, inverterdriven systems can satisfy all of the requirements for scalability, reliability and year-round performance.

The Ecodan® CAHV system from Mitsubishi Electric is fully scalable from 43kW up to 688kW and is increasingly being used and specified in commercial properties such as schools, showrooms and office developments.

The monobloc water and space heating system is ideal for both new-build and retro-fit properties in the commercial and residential sectors. |74| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Ultra efficient, sustainable, heating and hot water system that complies with stringent planning regulations

The factory-sealed unit allows for straightforward installation without the need for any refrigeration work on site. Built-in weather compensation enables better control and increases the efficiency to deliver year-round high performance.

Ecodan can operate effectively with outdoor temperatures as low as -20°C and will work independently or alongside other heating systems.

The range has been designed to allow the majority of buildings to achieve renewable energy targets with more ease, reliability and flexibility than any other technology.

Ecodan is now being specified into more and more commercial projects from schools, such as the Woolley Wood example on the subsequent pages, to agricultural showrooms and homeless centres. It is also being used for community heating schemes and is quickly gaining a reputation for its versatility as well as its reliability.

+ For More Information The full Ecodan range is available at:

www.commercialheating.mitsubishielectric.co.uk.

Woolley Wood School July 2012

The uneven approach to its main entrance and narrow, congested corridors, often obstructed by essential equipment due to lack of storage space, made getting around difficult for some pupils. Also, a dining room separated from the main body of the school, combined to make the old building no longer suitable.

To solve this problem Sheffield’s local education authority called upon Kier Sheffield LLP to create a new fit for purpose school building. Kier works in partnership with Sheffield City Council providing repairs and maintenance to council homes and municipal buildings, and forms part of the services division of Kier Group, managing and delivering a range of specialist services to both public and private sector clients, complemented by specialist businesses.

To fulfil their brief for the new school Kier contacted West Yorkshire-based M&E Consultant, Thornley & Lumb Partnership Ltd, to design and specify the building services required within it.

Air to water heat pumps have been discreetly sited on the roof of the new school building.

The new, cost-effective design complies with strict city council planning regulations, which call for at least 10% of the building’s energy needs to be met by renewable or low carbon energy. It also requires a 20% reduction in the predicted carbon emissions.

Working in conjunction with Thornley & Lumb and Turn Key AC Ltd, value added reseller, PACAIR helped to design the new system to ensure it met all relevant criteria. “Supplying air to water heat pumps is the latest addition to our growing business and a logical next step for PACAIR, as it builds on the expertise the company already has in air conditioning and building services,” said Nigel Palmer, PACAIR’s, Managing Director. “We’re looking forward to the opportunities and challenges this will bring and helping to design a new system for the school has got us off to a great start.”

The new heating and hot water system uses six Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan® CAHV-P500YA-HPB monobloc air source heat pumps to serve the new underfloor heating. This has eliminated the need for wall mounted radiators and conserved valuable space. The units also provide heating and hot water for the school’s hydrotherapy pool.

The Ecodan CAHV from Mitsubishi Electric is a unique solution to the challenge of providing renewable heating to commercial buildings. The heat pump boiler can provide all a building’s heating and hot water requirements, either by itself or in conjunction with alternative systems. ► At standard conditions of 7°C, the CAHV unit will achieve a COP of 4.13 at a flow temperature of 35°C

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |75|

Woolley Wood School July 2012

Air source heat pumps are classified as renewable technology by the EU and the UK Government because they harvest renewable energy from the air to maximise efficiency and minimise energy consumption.

For every 1kW of electricity consumed, an average of 3.2kW of usable heating energy is generated and supplied to the building - a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 3.2.

The Ecodan CAHV system comes in units of 43kW and offers space heating and sanitary hot water up to 70°C. It is also available with multiple unit control of up to 16 units to provide a maximum of 688kW of renewable heating. The unit can operate effectively in ambient temperatures of -20° to 40°C making it ideal for use all year round.

Before leaving Turn Key’s manufacturing site the units were pressure-tested and an electricity supply incorporated.

“With large scale construction projects such as a school, the heat pumpbased heating systems are frequently located on the roof. Traditionally, builders have constructed plinths for this equipment which then need to be lifted onto the roof before the system can be installed and integrated into the building,” said James Forster, a Consultant for Thornley & Lumb.

“The process of getting equipment onto a roof can take time and involve several engineers working at height, often around other construction workers, which increases the potential for accidents and the risk of damage to the equipment itself. In order to help avoid these issues, I challenged the installers, Turn Key, to come up with a solution to this issue.”

Turn Key’s answer is a bespoke solution which packages the units onto specially constructed skids for transportation to the building site. Designed on a 3D-CAD system, the skids offer far less risk of equipment damage as they are delivered on a Just-In-Time basis, thus avoiding the need for other specialists to work around the plant.

Before leaving Turn Key’s manufacturing site in Tyne and Wear, the CAHV units were pressure-tested and an electricity supply incorporated.

This off-site manufacturing process reduced the install time by 75%, as the work that would normally have been carried out on the roof was completed before delivery to the site. This meant the installation took just hours rather than the usual two weeks and the whole process was safer and quicker, and eliminated the cost of constructing a roof plinth.

Installing the CAHV equipment on pre-manufactured skids reduces installation time to hours rather than weeks.

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Turn Key located the skids directly onto anti-vibration pads, ensuring that the footprint stayed within the stipulated maximum loading as dictated by the structural engineer. The new plug and play solution meant that once in place, the system just needed to be connected up to the water and electricity supplies and was then ready for commissioning. ►

Woolley Wood School July 2012

“The CAHV product is an ideal heating solution for large scale underfloor heating applications such as Woolley Wood,” said Mitch Swirles, Managing Director of Turn Key AC Ltd. “And coupled with our new off-site construction option if offers a safer, more cost-effective installation too.”

The new Ecodan air source heat pump boiler system provides high levels of efficiency and helps the new school building to achieve its renewable energy targets. From the developer’s own SBEM calculations the solution delivers a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions, far exceeding the minimum target. Cutting both running costs and CO2 emissions it is ideal for new-build and retro-fit and can work particularly well with community heating schemes. ■ The new heating and hot water system uses six Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan® CAHV-P500YA-HPB monobloc air source heat pump boilers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Application type: School heating scheme -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Installation Summary

Product: 6 x Ecodan CAHV heat pump boilers -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Capacity: 258kW at -3°C ambient -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Heat delivery method: Underfloor heating and hot water -----------------------------------------------------------------------

+ For More Information Thornley & Lumb: www.thornleylumb.co.uk PACAIR: www.pacair.co.uk Turn Key AC Ltd: www.tkac.co.uk Ecodan heat pump boilers: www.heating.mitsubishielectric.co.uk

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RETROFITTING: THE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION?

Sustainability is a prerogative for many UK construction companies, with retrofitting offering a cost-effective method of improving efficiency. Backed by the Government’s flagship energy efficiency initiative, the Green Deal, will the retrofit market continue to see an increase in demand? Paul Joyner, Director of Sustainable Building Solutions (SBS), part of Travis Perkins Group, offers his insight into the retrofit market and its potential for the UK construction sector. ►

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The UK’s ageing housing stock is currently in a precarious position. It has been allowed to deteriorate and as a result, it is currently responsible for an unacceptably large percentage of the country’s carbon emissions. The situation drastically needs bringing in line with European standards in terms of improving the nation’s overall energy efficiency and reducing household emissions.

However, due to the economic turbulence of recent years, customers are, understandably, wary of the potentially costly nature of facing up to these issues. Yet, for those keen to improve the long-term sustainability of their home or business, retrofitting has emerged as an attractive proposition. With the Government recently launching the Green Deal, with a view to tackling and updating the ageing housing stock situation through significant financial investment, the new legislation can also provide an ideal platform for the retrofit industry to really thrive.

The Impact of the Green Deal

Retrofitting as a unified process

Through the Green Deal and its qualified providers, home owners can commission a household energy assessment.

This takes into account the property’s age, number of tenants and current energy saving methods; and allows the owner to choose the refurbishments they would like to make to improve energy efficiency, most of which will be retrofit solutions. The scheme is financed by private investment, with energy companies expected to contribute up to £1.3 billion.

The Government will then offer loans which cover the cost of the installation. This is paid back through small additions to energy bills. However, those additions will theoretically be outweighed by the savings made through decreased energy consumption. This has been termed the ‘golden rule’. The refurbishment costs will also remain with the house, so the repayments stay with the property and not the homeowner if they decide to move on.

In my opinion, the retrofit market has always needed some form of standardised assessment to give the industry a more robust and professional feel, and alongside an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), the Green Deal assessment can provide this. The assessment allows for a thorough understanding of a building’s current energy efficiency, with concrete, quantifiable metrics. This type of data is absolutely necessary to ensure the most effective refurbishments are made. In order to really reap its rewards, a retrofit project must be treated scientifically, as a united project rather than a series of odd jobs. By doing this, the entire system can work together to provide a consistency in approach and, ultimately, a warmer building.

This process is highly important for installers operating in the retrofit market as funding and incentives are also available to contractors working with Green Deal providers. This can be a major competitive advantage for securing future business, as it enables them to offer retrofit services at a heavily discounted rate compared to those who are not accredited and do not have access to the funding. |80| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

With regard to the technical options and building materials available to those looking to offer retrofitting services, and those customers looking to reduce their household emissions, I do think there is a refurbishment hierarchy which should be used to prioritise the most effective works.

I believe it should always be insulation, boiler, controls, draught proofing and then the more marginal fittings such as windows and doors. A fabric first approach is essential, as the fabric really needs to be correct, in order to maximise the effectiveness of any additional investment in renewables. ►

For example, installing an energy efficient boiler – or if you’re really keen on reducing your carbon emissions, an air source heat pump – is a great way of improving household efficiency. Although there’s no point in installing an air source heat pump if you haven’t got an adequately insulated building and a correctly sized radiator system in place, as you will only end up having to create more heat to compensate, ultimately costing you more money.

Industry support In order to support the retrofit market, SBS has launched its own range of standard construction drawings for retrofitting.

Installers can log on to our website and use this interactive resource to easily access detailed information regarding the importance of retrofitting for each section of a building. The interactive guide offers tailored, in-depth technical advice; hints and tips; relevant regulation information; related data sheets and services, as well as recommended products which can be installed as part of a Green Deal assessment and refurbishment programme.

It was important for us to do this, putting words into action and going the extra mile to give installers the knowledge and tools to make specification and installation as simple as possible. This is the role that merchants now need to play.

The retrofit guide compliments a set of thermally-modelled standard construction drawings, designed to provide a cost-effective solution for anyone building new homes, which were launched by SBS earlier in 2012.

The drawings are aimed at maximising the contribution of the new home fabric under SAP and minimising thermal conductivity.

All are based on standard building materials and only require very small simple changes to standard building methods.

This is a chance for installers and the market as a whole to become more professional and raise the credentials of the sustainable building industry.

Conclusions

Retrofit is no longer just about the nuts and bolts of going around doing odd jobs. It’s now about being in a marketplace where there is ready access to funding and incentives.

I believe that the market needs to wake up to this and organise itself to take advantage of the opportunities the Green Deal can provide. This is a chance for installers and the market as a whole to become more professional and raise the credentials of the sustainable building industry. Whilst the Green Deal has its critics, those working in the retrofit market are in a position to really benefit from it and be able to offer their services to a wide audience. ■

+ For More Information www.sustainablebuildingsolutions.co.uk sustainablesolutions@travisperkins.co.uk

This is backed by Travis Perkins Group’s strategic alliance with Toriga, designed to provide an integrated Green Deal proposition. From specification through to finance, assessment and installation, it provides an end-to-end Green Deal solution, for both consumers and the trade. Supported by training through our partner PPL, it is the responsibility of merchants to offer these resources to push the Green Deal and the retrofit market.

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News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing 84 - 86

‘MCERTS’ event expanded to become ‘AQE 2013’

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |82| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

fenceline monitoring etc. So it makes a lot of sense for all of this to be brought together under one umbrella – AQE 2013.”

‘MCERTS’ event expanded to become ‘AQE 2013’ The organisers of the highly successful MCERTS conferences have announced that the format of the next event will be considerably expanded. The focus on testing and monitoring will remain, but ambient air quality will be addressed in addition to environmental emissions and workplace exposure. As a result, the theme of the first day of the conference will be ambient air quality monitoring and the theme of the second day will be industrial emissions to air.

AQE 2013 (Air Quality & Emissions Show 2013) is the seventh in a series of specialist air monitoring events and will take place at the International Centre in Telford, UK, on 13th and 14th March. In common with the previous MCERTS events, AQE 2013 will also include 70 free walk-in/walk-out workshops and an exhibition featuring over 70 of the world’s leading organisations in air quality and emissions monitoring products and services.

Visitors to AQE 2013 are likely to come from a wide variety of sectors including central government, local authorities, process operators, test houses, consultants, researchers, academics and anyone with a professional interest in air quality. |84| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Event organiser Marcus Pattison believes that the expanded remit for the event is a logical progression.

“The need to produce accurate, reliable emissions monitoring data is the same whatever the industrial process,” he says. "Furthermore, the technologies are invariably the same and the people responsible for emissions are often also responsible for all aspects of environmental monitoring, including workplace monitoring, ambient monitoring, leak detection, fugitive emissions,

The Source Testing Association (STA) established the original MCERTS event with Environmental Technology Publications in 2002 and has organised every event since.

The STA’s Dave Curtis is pleased with the plans for AQE 2013. He says, “The MCERTS events were ultimately about the protection of air quality, so it makes sense for AQE 2013 to have an expanded remit to include everybody with an interest in air quality and emissions monitoring.”

Emissions monitoring will remain one of the event’s central themes, but the addition of other applications for gas and particulate monitoring will substantially increase the scope and size of the event. For example, whilst the MCERTS events addressed the needs of those affected by the Environmental Permitting Regulations (large and/or complex industrial processes), AQE 2013 will also meet the needs of Local Authorities for ambient monitoring and for the many thousands of industrial processes that Local Authorities inspect and authorise.

AQE 2013 will also hold great appeal for international visitors, because in addition to an update on EU regulations, it will also provide an opportunity to see all of the latest technologies in air quality and emissions at one specialist event.

AQE Partner: Environmental Protection UK (EPUK) EPUK aims to improve environmental quality for everyone in the UK. It seeks to bring together environmental professionals, industry, policy makers, academics and members of the public to inform debate and influence changes to policy and practice in areas such as air quality, and since monitoring is an important part of this EPUK shares many of the core objectives of AQE2013.

EPUK President Prof. John Murlis believes that, as air quality monitoring plays such an important part in the work of EPUK members, AQE2013 will provide an ideal opportunity to meet air monitoring professionals and to take advantage of the many facilities that AQE has to offer. “It is extremely important to be able to understand the factors that affect air quality, so accurate, reliable monitoring has a vital role to perform,” he says, adding: “Regulations are often improved or

developed as a result of advances in monitoring technology, so I hope that a good number of our members will be able to attend AQE 2013. It will provide them with the latest information on both regulatory and technological developments, whilst helping them to understand better what is now possible in determining the relationship between emissions and ambient air quality.”

AQE 2013 Conferences Reflecting the objective of the European Commissioner for the Environment, the AQE conference theme will be ‘2013 – Year of Air’ and many of the sector’s leading authorities on air quality have agreed to speak at the conference.

Day 1: Ambient Air Conference, 13th March (*approved by IAQM for CPD) Brian Stacey, an air quality expert from Defra will outline EU and UK air quality policy, followed by Prof. Frank Kelly from King’s College London, who will then discuss the future of air quality monitoring. He will discuss recent advances in sensor, data storage and communication technologies which have led to an expanding range of time resolved mobile sensors for air pollution, and how these sensors present an

opportunity to make a step change improvement in the quality, accuracy and scope of reliable exposure metrics for use in population studies, thereby helping to establish a more robust and targeted link between air pollution and negative health outcomes. Prof. Roy Harrison from Birmingham University will deliver a presentation in which he will explain how to gain added value from monitoring data by understanding air pollution processes. He will illustrate some of the scientific advances which have been derived from the analysis of routinely collected data and will cite examples including explanations of relative nitrogen dioxide and NOx concentrations, ultrafine particle emissions, sulphate concentrations and PM10. Emily Jarvis from SIRA will outline the role of instrument equivalence and MCERTS certification of continuous ambient air quality monitoring systems (CAMs), and a speaker representing local authorities will explain how Section 106 agreements have successfully enabled air quality monitoring programmes to ensure that development does not have a detrimental effect on air quality. (*This conference has been approved by the Institute of Air Quality Management for Continuing Professional Development) ►

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Day 2: Process Emissions Conference, 14th March Richard Vincent, Head of Industrial Pollution Control at Defra will explain the significance of the Industrial Emissions Directive with particular reference to the Directive’s prescriptions concerning best available techniques and their use in environmental permitting. Other speakers, including Rod Robinson from NPL and Carsten Roellig from TÜV will also cover European legislation, monitoring methods and standards, with particular emphasis placed on critical aspects such as uncertainty calculation, maintenance interval, correlation coefficient and assessment of changes to certified monitoring systems. Paul Wiggins, from the Environment Agency will then discuss Operator Monitoring Assessment (OMA), which provides a systematic tool for auditing the monitoring provisions required by an operator’s permit by scoring the degree of risk. Odour is an increasing concern in many areas and Nana Ampomah, also from the Environment Agency, will explain the role of odour management plans.

International Exhibition The AQE 2013 exhibition (www.

AQEshow.com) will be larger than previous events, with the inclusion of regulators, accreditation organisations, |86| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

instrument manufacturers and software developers, test houses, laboratories, consultants, calibration gas providers and abatement equipment providers. In combination, the exhibitors, which will come from all over Europe, North America and Japan, will provide a comprehensive view of the latest products and services in the air quality sector.

Many of the exhibitors will launch new products at AQE 2013. For example, DustScan will launch a PM10 sampler which is a low-cost, battery-powered, gravimetric filterreference device, and Air Monitors will launch two new technologies that Managing Director Jim Mills says will change the face of air quality monitoring: “A new ambient monitoring technology AQMesh, will fill in the gaps that cannot be addressed by larger conventional stations, providing real-time spatial coverage over a wide area.

“We will also launch a new particulate monitoring technology ‘FIDAS’, which will complement the FDMS technology (which has recently passed TÜV tests proving EU equivalence for PM10 and PM2.5).

FIDAS offers additional information on particle size distribution from 0.18 – 30 microns and particle number and mass in each size range.”

AQE Workshops Over 70 workshops will be available during the event and whilst visitors will not have to reserve places, they will have to plan their visit carefully in order to ensure that they attend the most relevant workshops and conference presentations, whilst also allocating time to visit the exhibition. The workshops are designed to provide an informal environment in which environmental practitioners are able to share information, much of which involves practical case studies.

The workshop programme will cover a broad spectrum of subjects relating to the measurement of gases, volatiles, particulates and heavy metals within industrial processes, stack emissions and the ambient environment. The workshops will address the monitoring of every important parameter and new technologies will be described for a wide variety of monitoring applications.

For visitors that pre-register at www.

AQEshow.com, entry to the exhibition and workshops is free of charge, and also includes complimentary parking, food and refreshments.

Entrance to the AQE 2013 conferences will cost £55 per day or £100 for both days. ■

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |87|

News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management 90 - 92

The Changing Face of Remediation – Sustainable Solutions in Recessionary Times – Phil Crowcroft

94 - 96

Brownfields Briefing Awards - Ian Grant

98 - 101

Incorporating Sustainability into a Large-scale In-situ Remediation Project - James Baldock, Lucy Chesher, Kathryn Johnson, Rebecca Niven, Donald Reid, Anna-Maria Sexton, Alan Thomas and Simon Tillotson (ERM UK) and Jay Dablow (ERM US)

102 - 103

Injectable in situ Remediation – a Cost Effective Remedial Solution for a Variety of Challenging Settings

104 - 106

ARCADIS design and implementation of a site investigation: Investigation of halogenated hydrocarbons in a heterogeneous

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |88| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

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The changing face of remediation – sustainable solutions in recessionary times Phil Crowcroft, Partner ERM, Chair SiLC Register Limited

My first gas works investigation and remediation took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It felt like we were breaking new ground.

For the first time in my experience, a geotechnical specialist teamed with an analytical laboratory and consulting chemist to jointly investigate a London gasworks site. The first Interdepartmental Committee on the Redevelopment of Contaminated Land (ICRCL) guidance documents were being published. The Building Research Establishment in Watford was active in helping people understand how to use assessment criteria, but the approach was nevertheless simplistic. Results of chemical testing were being compared to whatever criteria were available, and we swooped with delight on the first ICRCL numbers, which seemed clearly to be a step forward over previous criteria developed for waste disposal purposes. 1979 was a good year for beginning to understand the significance of chemical contamination in ground.

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Remediation in the 1980s was straightforward. Tar tanks and spent oxide beds were excavated and sent to inexpensive landfills and groundwater was only treated where impacts affected an abstraction.

Remediation was simple and relatively low cost, albeit with the benefit of hindsight, it would probably need to be done again when the landuse changed in the future. The first attempt at true remediation of a gasworks came in the mid-1980s, when in-situ bioremediation was proposed at Blackburn, and a brave attempt was made to treat tarry soils by enhancing naturally occurring bacteria and aerating the soil.

This, and other early forays into treating soils, comprised the start of what was to become a high technology industry, with ever more sophisticated methods of treating soil and groundwater to remove or reduce contamination.

As time progresses, the approach to treatment is now evolving quickly into a more holistic process, whereby broader sustainable principles are adopted throughout

the entire process of dealing with land, from initial decisions about land use through characterisation, risk assessment and remediation to final approaches to land management. SURF UK has led the way in developing the UK approach to sustainable remediation and is looking to drive application of the philosophy and approach through the remediation industry, the Regulators and problem holders.

The remediation of contaminated land in 2012 presents a range of challenges that have the potential to impact the overall cost of the works.

The Regulatory Framework in which we operate has a fundamental effect on the degree to which risk assessment can influence the outcome of the works. Risk assessment itself is seen as a fundamental part of deciding what remediation needs to address, either for existing or future proposed use, but the risk assessment is only as good as the information it is based on. The competence of professionals undertaking risk assessment and remediation is also

â–ş

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key, and initiatives such as the SiLC Register have come forward to support improving standards in the industry.

The UK has adopted a risk-based approach to land contamination and assessment for many years, but this approach has been tempered by a conservative approach to the risk assessment process overall.

Typically, the key input parameters to risk assessments, such as the toxicity of substances, or the duration of exposure of people to the substance, have been set at the conservative or minimal-risk end of a range of possible values. This has led to delivery of very protective remediation schemes, but at a cost which has been potentially excessive and wasteful of resources. In the last year, a change in philosophy has been developed

by Government in the UK, and there has been wide consultation with public and private sectors about the changes. There has been some resistance to change, but the Government has driven through the changes, and these are now in place and operating.

In the last year, a change in philosophy has been developed

by Government in the UK, and there has been wide consultation with public and private sector about the changes.

The technical implications of the changes are that a site-specific assessment is encouraged at each site which may require remediation (whether through the planning or Part 2A regimes), and should aim to deliver more cost-effective remediation. The former reliance on generic assessment criteria nearly always led to excessive remediation as the input assumptions are designed to cover a diverse range of situations, not the particular conditions at a particular site.

So the good news is that sustainable remediation should also lead to more cost-effective remediation, and there have been a number of examples cited in the recent Brownfield Briefing Remediation Innovation Awards, where this is clearly demonstrated. The application of more detailed risk analyses has certainly played its part, but so too has the deployment of optimum combinations of technologies that can save both time and money. As always, good site characterisation is essential in delivering a good outcome for any form of treatment.

The change in approach in the UK has thrown a focus on developing methods to understand the ground and the contaminant impacts in more detail. It has always been the case that the more detailed a site investigation, in terms of the number and spacing of boreholes, the breadth of suite of laboratory testing and the number of samples tested, the more likely we are to define the extent and true nature of ground or groundwater contamination. However, conventional investigation techniques constrain our approach to data |92| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

acquisition and our ability to understand what is happening in the ground. The main shortfalls are: • Lack of sampling sophistication in conventional borings; • Constraints in obtaining discrete water samples from precise depths; • Time delays in obtaining test results; • Challenges in understanding the behaviour of soil and rock strata.

The Triad approach, which comprises the three principles of systematic planning, a dynamic work strategy and real-time data gathering can be adopted to address these constraints. A recent project undertaken by ERM, and described by Baldock et al in a parallel paper, undertook a fresh approach to a project where investigation and remediation costs had been estimated by a previous consultant at £11m with a project duration of many years, using a pump and treat/barrier approach. After a detailed site characterisation in 2011 involving the modified Waterloo Profiler, Gore Sorbers TM, rock coring, Discrete Fracture Network assessment and onsite GCMS laboratory analysis, an entirely different approach to remediation was adopted, which led to an out-turn delivered cost of £2.5m in a period of about 18 months. Clean up comprised a combination of steam-enhanced vacuum extraction followed by in-situ bioremediation using emulsified vegetable oil injection to enhance bacterial activity.

Sustainable remediation is not just about using “green” technology – it's about ensuring the full scope of the process from deciding on a future land use, through planning and characterisation to implementation of clean-up technology, and recognising the need to balance social, environmental and economic issues to achieve an appropriate outcome for all.

Thirty years of developing our approach to land remediation has led to huge changes in approach and understanding. In recessionary times, it is good news that sustainability and cost control are compatible bedfellows! ■

Ian Grant

Brownfields Brie fing Awa rd s

Brownfield Briefing’s tenth Remediation Conference and eighth annual awards provided an opportunity to look back. And although the subjects look similar, the level of sophistication and scientific and technical advancement is phenomenal.

What makes it all the more remarkable is that all this has been achieved against the background of relative policy stasis.

In terms of awards trends (see box), the level of characterisation work has increased dramatically, along with analytical screening methods. Triad principles are having an influence. The number of technologies and methods applied together is increasing rapidly.

Reduction of waste is a major theme in some of the winning entries, with emphasis not only on reducing costs, but also Corporate Social Responsibility and reducing CO2 through reduced transport miles.

The advancement of measurement techniques and monitoring software is having a huge effect. For example in the Best in-situ category High Resolution Site Characterisation combined with near real-time analytical techniques, on-site to provide a solution.

In terms of the conference, the talks showed the industry’s response to the economic conditions, with a range of sophisticated measuring and monitoring devices and software.

The conditions were mirrored by Defra’s David Middleton who stressed that the cost savings from the revised Part 2A Statutory Guidance were estimated at £140m per annum. He added that current SGV/GACs replaced with more pragmatic (but still strongly precautionary) Category 4 Screening Levels represented a higher simple test for deciding that land is suitable for use and definitely not contaminated, and will help to realise a large majority of the estimated monetised benefits of the new regime. These ‘benefits’ were to be reviewed after April 2013 ►.

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HCA’s Dr Richard Boyle outlined the drive behind the changes to the planning regime - removal or simplification of ‘unnecessary regulatory burden’; passing from Big Government to Big Society and the promotion of growth.

On the new Part 2a statutory guidance he stressed the clear separation between planning and Part 2a and said the category splits are not as clear-cut as divisions shown - they could be wide or tight spacing.

Dr Boyle concluded that impacts haven’t yet sunk in and other initiatives/sectors haven’t caught up with the speedy and dramatic changes in planning.

He said Local Plans and Neighbourhood Development Plans will be central to realign and refocus brownfield development. And added that all sectors need to reassess the importance of brownfield redevelopment priorities and what we want as a nation/society.

Jennie Daly, MD of Harrow Estates showed some graphs which outlined the dramatic gap between new houses being built and rising demand, and the alarming drop in liquidity and mortgage availability. She said that the various parties involved in brownfield development had to speed up the time it takes to get sites developed. Time is money, she re-iterated.

Landfill update Giving an update on the recent changes to landfill, Jon Owens of Biogenie pointed out problems arising from the Qualifying Materials Order which originally stipulated “naturally occurring rocks and soils”. Now, he said, it stipulates ‘subsoil’ rather than soil, and he asked: what kind of subsoil isn’t naturally occurring? What level of disturbed ground, demolition soil, construction soil? What levels non-qualifying wastes in soils are ‘incidental’?

He said that these issues have been the Achilles heel of the landfill tax since day one. Following the loss of exemptions in April 2012 there was confusion from May after first HMRC statements using terms such as ‘construction soil’.

Owens said this is likely to have impact on projects where time and space does not allow on-site treatment or a surplus exists, particularly made ground where soil is mixed with non-qualifying wastes and sites with hazardous soils.

Asbestos in soils On asbestos in soil, Seamus Lefroy Brooks of LBH Wembley Geotechnical & Environmental said there are many factors affecting the exposure model for asbestos in soil, so that a meaningful generic figure (or figures) will probably not emerge. It may be that having identified the presence of asbestos in soil, it will be a matter of simple control and management rather than quantitative risk assessment.

Cluster update In his update on the Cluster project, Ged Duckworth said preliminary draft figures on the National Grid’s Partington multiple Cluster were that 16,000m3 have been treated, with 9,700m3 of potentially hazardous waste not sent to landfill. There has been selective excavation, ex-situ bioremediation, onsite stabilisation and volume reduction, along with 97,000 reduced lorry movements, net 109t CO2e emission reduction and a 30% cost saving compared with each as a standalone remediation project.

National Grid’s Frank Evans in his talk on developments in Sustainable Remediation said that embedding sustainability has to be supported by a process that is intuitive, resilient and simple.

The creation of a Tier 1 baseline position/ minimum standard is an efficient approach since it invests time at one stage only. Tier 1 minimum standards help manage stakeholder expectations (e.g. Planning, EIA, ISO14001, Definition of obligations (FRS12), tenants/ developers). Resilience is enhanced if subsequent tiers support decisionmaking using Tier 1. ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |95|

The winning companies are: Best Use of a Combination of Remediation Techniques – Sponsored by Landmark WINNER: Arcadis & Vinci - Remediation of a Historical Chemical Landfill Highly commended: Glasgow City Council, Grontmij & VHE - Remediation of the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village Best In-Situ Treatment – Sponsored by Clarendon Group WINNER: ERM & QDS - Project Shale Highly commended: Hydrock - Helpston Contaminated Land Project: Source Removal of Mecoprop Best Conceptual Design Sponsored by Envirolab WINNER: Glasgow City Council & Grontmij - Remediation of the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village Highly commended: Arup - King’s Cross Central Remediation of Zone B Best Scoping or Operation of a Site Investigation WINNER: Arcadis (UK) Ltd - Investigation of Halogenated Hydrocarbons in a Heterogeneous Aquifer Highly commended: RSK - Carrington Site Investigation Best Project Closure/Verification Process WINNER: Leap Environmental & Cognition Land and Water - Land Adjacent to Former Ascham Street Works Most Sustainable and Low Carbon Remediation Project – Sponsored by CampbellReith Highly commended: Balfour Beatty Major Civil Engineering - A46 Improvement Scheme Highly commended: Staffordshire County Council - A515 Draycott-in-the-Clay, Highway Resurfacing Scheme Best Public Participation WINNER: Harrow Estates, Atkins & Vertase FLI – Former Agrochemical Manufacturing works Highly commended: National Grid, Celtic Technologies – Substantial Remediation of Former Hempstead Gasworks Best Re-Use of Materials – Sponsored by Tamdown WINNER: National Grid & WSP Environment and Energy - London Power Tunnels Highly commended: Ecological Restoration Consultants - New Cut Canal and Urban Ecology Park Best Scientific or Verification Advancement WINNER: Parsons Brinckerhoff, National Grid Property and University of Strathclyde - Application of Environmental Forensic Methods for the characterisation of Coal Tars and Coal Tar Related Contamination Highly commended: Scott Brownrigg - Sustainability Appraisal for Land Development (SALD) Young Brownfield Professional WINNER: Paul Freeman, Arup (Accepted on behalf of Paul by Richard Owen) Special Award: Best Contribution by an Individual to the Sector

+ For More Information

WINNER: Phil Crowcroft

www.brownfieldbriefing.com

Beautiful Brownfields photography competition WINNER: Chris Thompson, Peak Environmental Solutions, for his photo The Green Room ■ |96| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Incorporating Sustainability into a Large-scale In-situ Remediation Project James Baldock, Lucy Chesher, Kathryn Johnson, Rebecca Niven, Donald Reid, AnnaMaria Sexton, Alan Thomas and Simon Tillotson (ERM UK) and Jay Dablow (ERM US)

Introduction A programme of intrusive investigation had identified the presence of soil and groundwater impact at an 8 hectare industrial facility from chlorinated solvents (mainly trichloroethene (TCE) and its degradation compounds cis 1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride), and a remedial strategy based on pump and treat for a number of years was envisaged. The Conceptual Site Model (CSM) at this stage was incomplete and Environmental Resources Management (ERM) was retained to refine the CSM to develop a robust sustainability-led approach to remediation in accordance with UK and European guidance.

The Sustainable Remediation Forum UK (SuRF UK) framework incorporates a two stage approach to apply to sustainable remediation decision making, either at the land use planning design stage and/or the remediation implementation phase (see Figure 1). ERM has adopted a similar life cycle approach for this project (see Figure 2) where sustainability has been an integral consideration from the initial review of the preliminary remedial strategy through to additional site investigation and implementation of remediation, within the boundaries of the overarching client objectives. â–ş |98| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

FIGURE 1. The Surf UK Framework.

FIGURE 2. ERM’s integrated approach to sustainable site investigation and remediation.

In the context of this site a number of environmental economic and social indicators were identified, and throughout the investigation and remediation phases, the environmental footprint was quantified. The metrics recorded were travel to and from site, energy use, materials used, waste generation and disposal route, water use and details of wastewater production and disposal.

High Resolution Site Characterisation The site investigation was completed using Triad principles to complete two phases of works via sequential application of dynamic High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) techniques in near surface superficial alluvial deposits and underlying weathered and fractured shale bedrock, the latter including use of a Modified Waterloo Profiler (Figure 3) and ground-breaking Discrete Fracture Network assessment techniques that included on-site extraction and analysis of pore water within fractured rock.

FIGURE 3. Modified Waterloo Profiler Investigation, showing GeoprobeTM and field sampling equipment.

The adoption of HRSC was instrumental in refining and developing a rigorous CSM for the site and enabling the extent of source zones and mass fluxes to be evaluated. The HRSC also minimised waste generation, eliminated the need for multiple phases of investigation and reduced the carbon footprint of works (it is estimated by circa 13.5 tonnes CO2e compared to a similar scope undertaken using traditional technologies).

Refined Conceptual Site Model The use of the HRSC significantly enhanced the understanding of the site beyond that which was apparent from the conventional site investigation. The subsequent understanding of site geology, contaminant distribution and chemistry provided a sound, technically defensible platform from which to define remedial objectives and is considered a key element of the sustainability led approach shown in Figures 1 & 2.

The revised CSM is presented below (Figure 4). The results indicated the presence of two TCE source zones (one originating via migration through the underlying aquifer, the other caused by preferential flow through drainage runs).

Of particular note is the correlation between presence of solvents within the matrix of the weathered shale and absence of solvents within the fresh fractured shale.

FIGURE 4. Geological cross section/contaminant distribution (scale: approximately 100m from left to right). The primary TCE source zone is shown near to investigation location DFN-07.

The use of the HRSC significantly enhanced the understanding of the site beyond that which was apparent from the conventional site investigation Risk Assessment Additionally, the HRSC data was used to accurately define site specific contaminant bulk attenuation factors as part of the development of risk based remedial target criteria.

The results provided a significantly less conservative but defensible assessment of contaminant attenuation than typical half-life values obtained from literature would provide, with the HRSC data-set providing sufficient regulatory confidence that application of a site specific bulk attenuation rate was justified, minimizing remediation extent and enabling the works to focus on the areas of greatest impact.

Remedial Options Appraisal/Design Given that chlorinated solvent distribution and mass had been clearly defined on the basis of a micro-scale understanding of the geological, hydrogeological and geochemical conditions beneath the site, the remedial strategy was revised from the previously designed long term containment and mass removal approach to one based on focused source reduction. â–ş ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |99|

The HRSC data not only enabled the volume of the originally defined treatment zone to be significantly reduced from that originally anticipated (Figure 5 - The difference in area between the actual treatment zone (blue polygon) and the red rectangle shows how the treatment zone has been minimised post-HRSC), but also identified that a majority of the contaminant mass was present within the bedrock matrix, with 80% of the total contaminant mass in an area representing approximately 40% of the overall treatment zone.

FIGURE 5. Remedial Treatment Zones showing how the HRSC data enabled the overall treatment volume to be reduced and targeting of appropriate techniques relative to mass distribution.

This area was addressed using in-situ steam injection combined with Dual Phase Vacuum Extraction (DPVE), i.e. an approach of using a short-term relatively energy intensive technology in the source zones (initially envisaged to be using surplus steam from factory operations). The area containing the remaining 20% of the contaminant mass (plume) will be treated using biological substrate injection to address mobile contaminants and form a reactive zone downgradient of source zones in the event of any residual impact migration post source treatment. Figure 7 shows the installed remediation system.

The carbon footprint was one of the key environmental indicators for the project

Figure 7: Treatment Equipment

Remediation Optimisation During the operational phase of the works, thermocouple data was interpreted spatially using PC based software, which together with real time VOC quantification facilitated reaching the endpoint more rapidly, hence reducing CO² emissions.

The thermocouple data collected was regularly inputted into the thermal model to verify and if required further refine heating duration prediction.

The data was also used to determine which steam injection wells should be switched on at a given point in time, therefore improving efficiency/carbon footprint reduction of the works undertaken (targeting cooler areas and maintaining minimal injection in warmer areas).

Carbon Footprint of the Works The carbon footprint was one of the key environmental indicators for the project. ERM collected data on materials used, fuel, travel etc. throughout the lifecycle of the remediation works to provide input data and then calculated the carbon footprint using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software package Simapro and Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data from the Ecoinvent 2.2 database for all materials, fuels and processes.

ERM then calculated the carbon footprint of the initially proposed pump and treat scheme and compared this to the thermal project actually undertaken.

The results are shown in Figure 8. â–ş

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The carbon footprint for the thermal remediation system was 1,611 tonnes CO2-eq to remove circa 1,100kg of mass. It is considered unlikely that a conventional pump and treat system would have removed >50kg, with the the carbon footprint for this approach estimated to be significantly higher at 2,496 tonnes CO2-eq.

The majority of the carbon footprint for the thermal system was from the production of steam from the site boiler accounting for 88% of the total carbon footprint.

Conclusions This case study illustrates the benefit of the development of rigorous CSMs early in the life cycle of remediation projects in order that risks can be more clearly understood, the remediation can be undertaken in a sustainable manner from design to implementation, and resources not be wasted through inefficient application of remediation technologies.

Sustainability was considered at every stage of the project but ultimately had to work within the context of overarching project requirements and boundaries.

This case study illustrates the benefit of the development of rigorous CSMs early in the life cycle of remediation projects in order that risks can be more clearly understood

Following the application of HRSC, the remedial solution was agreed with regulators and delivered for a cost of <£2.5m (compared to previous estimate of £11m), meeting the expectations of all stakeholders.

Whilst several projects have been undertaken in the UK that demonstrate ‘green remediation’ approaches, this project demonstrates that the greatest opportunity to reduce carbon footprint for remediation projects is at the project planning, site characterisation and risk assessment stages. ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |101|

Injectable in situ Remediation – a Cost

Effective Remedial Solution for a Variety of Challenging Settings Introduction Injectable in situ remediation (the onsite/underground destruction or immobilisation of hazardous chemicals and metals) has moved from the fringes to the mainstream of contaminated land remediation. Since 1994, Regenesis has pioneered the development and manufacture of innovative injectable in situ products with a wide range of technologies able to remediate most contaminants.

Regenesis was pleased to participate in the 2012 Brownfield Briefing Risk and Remediation Conference, both as a primary sponsor and in delivering a key presentation of three case studies demonstrating in situ technologies’ capability in successfully remediating contaminants in a variety of challenging settings.

Residential Areas Injectable in situ substrates do not require the installation and prolonged operation of above ground equipment, such as physical removal pump and treat/vacuum extraction systems. When considering remediation within residential areas this is a significant benefit, as installed equipment not only often results in restricting access, but unattended operational equipment may present health and safety hazards, not forgetting a source of ongoing nuisance noise and disturbance.

Regenesis met these challenging conditions when remedial works were required at an occupied residential area impacted with hydrocarbon groundwater contamination from a neighbouring site that was formerly a Petrol Fuel Station (PFS). Despite initial spill response measures being taken when an underground storage tank (UST) leaked over a decade ago, groundwater contamination remained under the neighbouring properties, manifesting as a persistent hydrocarbon odour present in private properties and even evident on the street. It was determined that the groundwater needed to be remediated in order to eliminate the odours and human health exposure risks.

RegenOx PetroCleanze®, a new technology developed to enhance the physical removal of contamination by enhancing the desorption of soil contamination, was injected into the contaminant plume. The desorbed LNAPL (light non-aqueous phase liquid or free product) and highly impacted groundwater was then removed using vacuum tankers. Once the LNAPL was removed, ORC Advanced® was applied using direct push injection rigs to

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remediate the dissolved phase plume. The remedial works achieved a 99.5% reduction in plume concentrations and successfully eliminated the hydrocarbon odour.

Remediation works took just six months from start to finish.

Large Scale Chlorinated Solvent Contamination One of the main challenges in dealing with chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination (CHC’s) is the vertical and lateral extent to which they can spread. Treatment of CHC plumes using pump and treat (P&T) is ineffective due to rebounding concentrations on switch-off, and enhancement of physical removal can often be too expensive to use on large plumes. Regenesis’ Hydrogen Release Compound® (HRC) family of products have been relied upon to remediate chlorinated solvent contaminated plumes across the globe for almost 15 years and the latest member of the family has been designed specifically with large-scale sites in mind. 3-D Microemulsion® has been engineered to self-distribute once applied to the subsurface, which dramatically increases the radius of influence from each injection location. This reduces the number of injection points required to remediate a given area, significantly reducing cost and disturbance. Fewer injection points means less time is needed for site work – which can be particularly significant when dealing with large sites.

A site approximately the size of two and a half football pitches (14,000m2) was due for redevelopment, but was impacted with CHC’s in the saturated gravels beneath the surface. 3-D Microemulsion was applied to the site in order to provide a remedial option that was economically feasible for the development project.

Typically, injectable substrates that have not been engineered to self-distribute require an injection grid of approximately 3m by 3m (even less for some products), which for a 14,000 m2 would have resulted in the need for 1,560 points. However, 3-D Microemulsion was applied using a 10m by 10m grid, consequently only requiring 126 points, treating the whole site in just 12 days at a cost of £230,000, or £6/m3.

Treatment at an Active Industrial Site Historic spillages of PCE at an operational industrial dry cleaning facility resulted in considerable chlorinated solvent contamination, including DNAPL (dense nonaqueous phase liquid) to depths of 10 mbgl and dissolved phase concentrations up to 300,000 µg/L. Monitoring indicated no sign of natural attenuation and so the original remediation plan was to excavate the contaminated soil at a cost of several million pounds. This would have also caused significant disturbance to day-to-day site activities and the need to underpin operational buildings.

An alternative was provided using Regenesis’ HRC family

of products. This proved significantly more attractive, not only in terms of vastly reduced remediation cost (ÂŁ170,000 total project), but also minimizing disturbance to ongoing site activities, not to mention reducing the risk of incident and improving the safety of both works and buildings.

A short programme of injection works was completed, with indoor injection being carried out during the evenings and weekends, causing no disruption to site activities. Following this, no active equipment was required onsite, with only monitoring of the groundwater required for the remainder of the treatment.

Conclusion In situ remediation using injectable substrates is now an established remedial option for a wide range of sites and contaminants. Applications in a variety of challenging conditions demonstrate that the technology can be safely used in both occupied residential settings and active industrial sites, whilst causing minimal disturbance to residents and site activities. In situ substrates employ chemical and biological process which can remediate NAPL all the way down to target concentrations, often in the order of micrograms per litre. Furthermore, in situ remediation is a highly cost-effective remedial solution, making the clean-up of very large sites more economically feasible.

Regenesis technologies are supported by the highest level of scientific research and technical support available for the lifetime of each project. With over 18,000 projects worldwide and applications taking place most working days in the UK, Regenesis is proud to be able to offer injectable substrate solutions for even the most challenging projects. â&#x2013;

+ For More Information www.regenesis.com bathoffice@regenesis.com

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |103|

ARCADIS design and implementation of a site investigation: Investigation of halogenated hydrocarbons in a heterogeneous aquifer

Background Preliminary investigations had been undertaken at a former manufacturing facility in the centre of England during 2010, which had identified the presence of significant contamination of the subsurface by halogenated hydrocarbons (“chlorinated solvents”). The site occupies an area of approximately 8,200 m2 and previously was used for the manufacture of electrical components. It was planned for redevelopment as a commercial property. It is bound by sensitive receptors, including a school premises, community hall and residential properties. The preliminary investigations focused on the boundaries of the site, due to the ongoing presence of the manufacturing buildings in the centre of the site. The geologic conditions comprised complex, interbedded sand-rich lenses but the bulk of the geology was clay-rich. A clear groundwater flow direction to the southeast was identified, with groundwater present in a clay-rich aquifer with sand-rich lenses. Following the preliminary investigation, it became apparent that remediation works would be required, due to the presence of trichloroethene at concentrations exceeding 1g/L in groundwater. The initial dataset highlighted a number of areas of particular concern: • Geologic conditions which did not match that expected from the regional geologic map; • Significant variability in the contaminant concentrations both laterally and vertically; • Concentrations of contaminants in soils did not appear to provide a good correlation with contaminants identified in the underlying groundwater; • A lateral contaminant distribution which appeared contrary to the groundwater flow direction; and • Elevated concentrations of trichloroethene close to the site boundary. |104| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Objectives The challenge was to design and implement a more detailed phase of site investigation which would fulfil multiple requirements, retreiving accurate and relevant information in a cost effective but safe manner to: • enable a robust conceptual site model (CSM) to be developed; • the potential risks to human health and controlled water receptors to be evaluated; and • a remediation strategy be compiled.

The assessment was voluntary in nature, but liaison with the local regulatory authorities was anticipated; given the range of potential stakeholders involved, it was clear that effective information presentation would be a key component of the investigation strategy.

Investigation Design The detailed investigation design recognised that a single form of investigation tool would not be able to address all the areas of concern identified as a result of the preliminary investigation. The design considered multiple forms of investigation tool which could be employed during a single phase of investigation to provide the data needed to meet the data quality objectives. The toolkit compiled to complete the investigation is summarised as follows:

Figure 1: Representation of vertical extent of trichloroethene in groundwater (single cross section)

Toolkit Investigation technique --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mechanical drilling rigs Membrane Interface Probe (MIP) Cone Penetration Test (CPT) Progression of boreholes, soil sampling Field screening soil samples at 0.5m interval Installation of dedicated near-source soil gas monitoring points and sampling Installation of multi-level groundwater monitoring wells, groundwater sampling and groundwater pumping tests _________________________________________________ Handheld drill Installation of sub-slab soil gas monitoring points and sampling

Area of concern

Stakeholder Involvement The investigation extended beyond the western and southeastern boundaries of the site, onto neighbouring land.

This required liaison with the local regulatory authorities and the landowners. The works were completed quickly, with minimal disruption to the landowners, primarily due to the choice of investigation technique, and to the satisfaction of all involved.

Findings Each investigation location was located using a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), and the data stored and evaluated within a Geographic Information System (GIS).

The data presentation assisted all stakeholders in quickly understanding the nature of the contamination issues (including absence of contamination in key locations).

Critically, all the aims of the investigation were met, to the satisfaction of all stakeholders involved, summarised below:

Findings of Investigation

Geologic conditions which did not match that expected from the Sufficient information, from CPT investigation and soil cores to regional geologic map confirm that the regional geologic map was incorrect, resulting in re-interpretation as to the site sensitivity to satisfaction of all stakeholders (Secondary A rather than Principal Aquifer).

Significant variability in the contaminant concentrations both 3D geologic representation which identified the presence laterally and vertically of a clay-rich zone directly beneath the site, but still with interconnected sand bands. Conceptualised as the initial route for DNAPL migration, followed by sorption to the adjacent clay deposits. No DNAPL identified, but desorption of the contamination from the clay continues to occur.

Concentrations of contaminants in unsaturated soils did A recognised difficulty with chlorinated solvents (unreliability of not appear to provide a good correlation with contaminants soil data in inferring contaminant distribution), the MIP dataset identified in the underlying groundwater confirmed the absence of distinct unsaturated soil source zones. The soil gas datasets provided a clear indication of the underlying groundwater quality, and was used to help guide the investigation design.

A lateral contaminant distribution which appeared contrary to The 3D geologic model provided a clear understanding of the groundwater flow direction the potential routes through which DNAPL has historically preferentially migrated, explaining the north-east/southwest distribution contrary to the south-east groundwater flow direction.

Elevated concentrations of trichloroethene close to the site boundary adjacent to a school premises and community hall.

The MIP dataset, soil gas dataset and groundwater monitoring data combined allowed a quantitative risk assessment to conclude no significant risk to either property, due to a dramatic attenuation of contaminant levels. Further, the down-gradient, multi-level groundwater dataset provided real confidence that the dissolved phase plume had not migrated more than 20m from the down-gradient site boundary. â&#x2013;ş ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |105|

Figure 2: 3D Geologic Model (Screen Shot)

A final phase of investigation is currently being completed with remediation planned as the next step. As a result of the robust, multi-technology investigation, a detailed quantitative risk assessment has been based on empirical rather than purely theoretical data, significantly constraining the area of the site requiring remediation works. This has implications on the sustainability of the works going forward, from an economical, social and environmental perspective.

Best Practice, rather than Good Practice Good practice has typically involved the excavation of trial pits and/or drilling of boreholes to obtain data which provides a lateral and vertical understanding of the ground conditions. Best practice is moving towards the use of a wider toolkit, including real-time, in situ probes which can be used to provide a greater density of sampling locations and result in cm-scale understanding of the ground conditions. The use of the MIP and CPT supported by the standard practice of a reduced number of boreholes / monitoring wells for the purposes of verification is considered representative of best practice. Given the concern associated with the vapour intrusion pathway, the installation of dedicated nearsource and sub-slab soil gas monitoring points, sampled using vacuum canisters following appropriate QA/QC testing (installation leakage testing, above ground equipment leak testing, purging etc), is considered best practice for collection of data for use in the detailed quantitative risk assessment. The use of soil gas data to help delineate dissolved phase chlorinated plumes has also been well documented in literature, and is considered best practice when the soil gas points are appropriately targeted, as was the case for this investigation.

The retrieval of accurate and relevant information for effective risk assessment The use of the MIP and CPT allowed real time collection of unbiased / accurate data rapidly across the entire site, allowing subsequent sampling exercises to be focused and targeted in necessary areas. The use of a limited number of boreholes to verify the findings of the MIP and CPT investigation helps to ensure that the in situ data are |106| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Figure 3: Visualisation of Groundwater Drawdown

interpreted appropriately. The MIP and CPT datasets were of particular assistance in confirming the absence of an unsaturated zone source, and identifying which horizons to screen for subsequent groundwater monitoring. This allowed a more accurate assessment of the potential risks to controlled waters to be completed. Finally, the quantitative soil gas dataset enabled potential uncertainty associated with modelling of partitioning from the source zone to soil gas to be reduced, resulting in a more accurate and relevant risk assessment.

Most effective information presentation to the client and/or regulators The use of the GIS framework enabled the information to be presented effectively, including the development of a 3D geologic model which was of particular interest to the local Environment Agency representative. Examples of the methods of data presentation are shown in Figures 1 to 3.

Cost-effectiveness against investigation methods/scoping

alternative

Through application of the MIP and CPT in place of a traditional drilling rig, an estimated 10-fold increase in productivity per day was achieved based on these difficult ground conditions. This resulted in a significant reduction in costs against standard investigation methods. The MIP data also allow subsequent groundwater monitoring well installation to be targeted (laterally and vertically), reducing the number of locations and analytical costs.

Compliance with health and safety, and use of registered operatives All works were completed under a full Health and Safety plan, with investigation locations subject to robust utility screening prior to drilling. This included cable avoidance, ground penetrating radar and review of utility plans. All site operators were involved in daily tool box talks and encouraged to come forward with health and safety suggestions for improvements, reinforcing the behavioural based, continual improvement system in operation. â&#x2013;

News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber 110 - 112

Out of the Woods – Rupert Oliver

114 - 115

Collaborative project will gather necessary data to specify Wood First. Data must be free to use to grow market – David Hopkins

116 - 121

Wood Modification – a Promising Route towards Enhanced Carbon Storage Dr. Pablo van der Lugt

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany |108| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

T OF THE WOOD OUT OF THE WOODS

How the American

Hardwood

Export Council’s project with the Royal College of Art puts credibility into

sustainability Rupert Oliver Forest Industries Intelligence Limited

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The concept of sustainability has become one of the great buzzwords of the new millennium. The word has become so universal that in 2009 a report on contemporary newspeak by the Centre for Policy Studies claimed it had become "heavily used and abused" and branded it "potentially dangerous and vacuous".

the capacity of the planet to satisfy these needs over the long-term. The problem is not so much in the word itself, but in the fact that sustainability is so often poorly understood and rarely applied with rigour. Policy-makers and practitioners have also often lacked the tools necessary to put genuine sustainability into practice.

According to the report, sustainability is now linked to anything from development to transport, housing or communities and is “a word whose very looseness and lack of clarity makes it a perfect prefix for any activity where approval is being sought”.

But there is a growing band of people determined to change that. Many of these people are involved with wood. In the timber industry sustainability has an added meaning because foresters need to sustain forests in order to keep themselves in business, and it is no overstatement to say that the forestry sector invented the very idea of sustainability. The concept of sustainability originates in forest management methods pioneered in Germany over two hundred years ago.

There is truth in these assertions. But sustainability remains a hugely useful concept. It is a complex idea about meeting needs – for food, materials, and social welfare – without damaging

In 1804, the German forestry lecturer Hartig described sustainability (which he referred to as "Nachhaltigkeitsprinzip") in the following way: "Every wise forest director has to have evaluated the forest stands to utilize them to the greatest possible extent, but still in a way that future generations will have at least as much benefit as the living generation".

Since then, foresters have gained a deep understanding of natural eco-systems garnered from experience of active management – both good and bad – over many generations.

One key lesson from this experience is that managing human interventions with nature involves trade-offs.

If you set aside all your forest for wildlife, you reduce availability of land for food or building materials. If too much timber is taken from a forest, you damage soils, waterways and biodiversity.

Another lesson is that everything depends on context.

Nature is enormously variable and managers have to work with this variability and not against it. Some forests and soils are resilient and lend themselves to intensive management. Others are fragile and may be better left untouched. Many of the greatest environmental disasters (the US dust bowl, cattle farms in the Amazon) have come about from attempts to apply practices successful in one region to a different environment elsewhere.

The final lesson is that managing this complexity requires information – a combination of accurate data (on forest dynamics, soil types, human needs etc.) and appropriate tools to ensure this is readily accessible to managers and practitioners.

For wood professionals, sustainability is a concept that is ripe with meaning, supported by increasingly clear definitions and standards, information and decisionmaking tools. It’s a concept that needs to be nurtured, developed and explained. It’s also a concept that can be usefully applied to other sectors and industries. In recent years, great strides have been made in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the scientific analysis of the full environmental impact of products and materials from cradle to grave.

Nature is enormously variable and managers have to work with this variability and not against it.

A COLLABORATION WITH THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART As a preliminary demonstration of the power of Life Cycle Assessment, a dozen Royal College of Art students were recently set the task of designing a seat with “sustainability” established as a key design requirement at the very start. Then they manufactured a prototype at Benchmark Furniture’s workshop in Kintbury, recording precisely the amount of material and energy used. This data was entered into a computer modelling system and combined with a vast amount of other data systematically gathered by PE and AHEC on the environmental impact of all the materials and energy required.

Finally, the computer modelling system generated a comprehensive environmental profile of each seat measuring environmental effects across a range of “impact categories”. The most familiar of these is Global Warming Potential, often referred to as carbon footprint. But the model also measures the potential of each seat’s design to increase damaging acidification in the environment, eutrophication (excess run-off of fertilisers which degrades rivers and streams), and levels of so-called “photochemical smog” which blights many urban areas.

The result was a comprehensive environmental profile of each seat measuring environmental effects across a range of impact categories. All the prototypes, together with the environmental profiles, were put on display in a major exhibition, ‘Out of the Woods’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum during the London Design Festival in September 2012.

The significance of the AHEC/RCA “Out of the woods” project is in the fact that it brings the knowledge of sustainability inherent to the wood sector together with the latest scientific understanding of environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the skills of the design community. It makes use of innovative new information systems so that a vast amount of data relating to the environmental impact of design decisions can be assessed even before a product makes it to market.

It begins to show how genuine sustainability can be assessed in real time. ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |111|

Achieving this requires collaboration across a range of disciplines not often seen working together. The AHEC/RCA project brought together the sustainable forestry and technical knowledge of wood products inherent to AHEC and Benchmark, the knowledge of art, culture and design inherent to the Royal College of Art (RCA), and the knowledge of environmental LCA and computer modelling inherent to PE International.

The RCA students came to the project with a lot of assumptions about the best way of incorporating “sustainability” into their designs. Normally these assumptions would have to be accepted at face value by manufacturers and consumers. However, the computer modelling system allows much more rigorous assessment of the validity of the sustainability claims. It shows how designers in the future will be able to amend designs so that they produce genuine sustainability gains before they go into mass production.

In approaching sustainability, some of the students sought to revert back to nature, using unprocessed wood to reduce energy inputs. Some increased their reliance on recycled materials or the waste products of other processes, such as woodchips and off-cuts. Some focused on creating classic relatively simple and durable products with a 'timeless' feel. They reasoned that these are more likely to be kept for a long time, even as tastes and fashions change, thereby reducing disposal and the need for regular replacement. Others took an opposing view and worked towards dematerialisation, creating products that contain more air than matter. While not necessarily durable, these products can be disposed of regularly without creating much waste.

The environmental profiles generated for each design suggest that none of these strategies is perfect. As with sustainable forestry, there are always trade-offs and the most appropriate balance depends entirely on context. Recycling may be best if there is a reliable and good supply of recycled material close to hand, but not if huge amounts of energy are required to separate out and transport this material to the manufacturer. Dematerialisation may be suitable for light-weight fashion items or cheaper furniture, but is hardly appropriate for products like benches that need to be weight bearing or around for many years.

The AHEC/RCA project deliberately did not set out to make environmental comparisons with products from other materials. Comparing environmental performance will come later as more industries create LCA tools in response to “green” policy development.

But we have been able confirm the potential for wood to play a very positive role and to specifically inform the debate about how to measure accurate environmental profiles for designs in American hardwoods. This valuable information will now be taken forward to the wider industry as an indicator of just what can be achieved with relatively simple modelling, provided accurate LCA data exists for the primary raw material. This design project was only possible because it was able to draw on brand new, ISO conformant LCA research into 19 American hardwood species (to view the final published report visit www.americanhardwood.org).

AHEC plans to build on what has been learnt in the “Out of the Woods” project to help refine sustainability tools for the design community. The project has provided a valuable starting point and put hardwood at the front edge of the emerging debate on “green” design to deliver products with a positive environmental profile. The journey has begun in a most creative and exciting way and there is no doubt it has informed and benefitted all the designers and partners involved. What happens now will depend on the will of the design community and their manufacturers to embrace the challenge and start to deliver environmentally positive products that consumers can have confidence in while retaining the need for them to be attractive, functional and cost effective.

A technical publication and iPad App about the project are available on AHEC’s website www.americanhardwood.org. ■ |112| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Collaborative project will gather necessary data to specify Wood First Data must be free to use to grow market David Hopkins

As regulatory and legislative frameworks for construction and manufacturing get ever tighter, environmental impacts, alongside cost and performance, are going to be key customer drivers for the foreseeable future throughout the construction products sector.

This in turn means that there will be increasing demand from clients in the construction and manufacturing industries for robust, accessible data showing measurement and assessment of supply chains, performance of products in design, construction, whole-life assessment and end-of-life considerations among other factors.

Many other industries, including competing material sectors, have already recognised the importance of these changes and have been taking the lead in promoting the positive information to their target audience.

The timber industry – long criticised for its track record on data production – needs to do the same. Without it, specifiers and buyers will have no comparable information with which to make a decision. They will therefore choose the products and materials for which clear data exists and ignore those which cannot back up their claims.

With this in mind, Wood for Good, the timber industry sustainability and promotion campaign, has announced the start of a multi-stakeholder collaborative research and development project: Wood First Plus! |114| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Many other industries, including competing material sectors, have already recognized the importance of these changes and have been taking the lead in promoting the positive information to their target audience.

The aim of the project is to create a central point of information, or online hub, containing all of the data necessary to robustly promote timber and timber products as first choice, primary and preferred construction materials, along with a PR and marketing programme to communicate this data to key audiences.

This process of data collection combined with public communication should also help improve on current industry sector performance in a number of key areas.

Wood First Plus – named after Wood for Good’s “Wood First” campaign and designed to help support its objectives – is targeting three areas key to specification and design with timber:

1. Carbon: to provide clarity on the often-disputed carbon credentials of timber products; 2. Lifecycle Assessment: this aims to gather the data and communicate the environmental impacts associated with timber through lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology, provide a system to develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for products and identify areas of significant environmental impact to aide supply chain improvements and efficiency; 3. Engineering & performance: this will focus on the requirements of, and compatibility with, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and structural analysis software, ensuring that the necessary data is available to enable the design and specification of timber in one easily accessible place.

With both the carbon and LCA workstreams, data will be presented to take into account the carbon sequestered during the growth phase of the tree, as well as that produced during processing and manufacture. It has long been a bugbear of the timber industry – the only mainstream building material which has been alive – that lifecycle assessment starts at the point of death! The Wood First Plus study will be overcoming this to present data from the life, as well as post-life journey of timber products.

With such an array of timber products available, we have broken the study into priority areas for data gathering as follows: Sawn Timber: this includes Planed timber products, Fresh sawn softwood, Kiln dried softwood sawn timber, Kiln dried hardwood sawn timber Panel Products: Veneer plywood, Chipboard/particleboard, Melaminecoated particleboard, Oriented strand board (OSB), Medium density fibreboard (MDF), High density fibreboard (HDF)

Engineered Timber: Glued laminated timber, Laminated beams, LSL, LVL, PSL, Cross laminated timber(CLT), Brettstapel, Timber frame: open, closed and hybrid, Structural insulated panels (SIPs), Trussed rafters Proprietary products: Metal hangers, plates and joist webs, fixings, adhesives and dowels The project is an ambitious undertaking and involves a multi-stakeholder funding and operations team of Wood for Good, Timber Trade Federation, Forestry Commission Scotland, and other industry bodies. It will also involve consultation and input from wider timber industry organisations as well as extensive engagement and input from external stakeholders, including contractors groups, architects, professional institutions and many others.

The final data for each workstream will be housed in its own easily accessible website – managed by Wood for Good. In addition, Wood for Good will be forming small teams of marketing professionals from across the industry to promote the results of each product area as they become available. Invitations to join these marketing groups will be sent out once the project begins in earnest.

Crucially, all of the information gathered will be free to access so that there are no barriers to use. Costs for information, however small, still act as a barrier and impede the use of timber.

Each of the activities and sets of data is designed to help promote and grow the market for timber products. As an industry we have to understand that our customers have pressures brought to bear on them which they will pass on down the supply chain. If we wish to grow our share of the market we have to make sure that we have all the necessary tools and data to make choosing our products easier and more appealing. Ultimately, we want specifiers to choose Wood First.

This study will take one step closer to making that happen. ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |115|

Wood Modification – a Promising Route towards Enhanced Carbon Storage Cradle to Gate Carbon footprint of Acetylated Wood Example Dr. Pablo van der Lugt Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Design for Sustainability, The Netherlands.

Wood and its Impact on Global Warming During growth, trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, while producing oxygen in return (photosynthesis, see also figure 1) and store this in durable wood products throughout their lifespan, acting as temporary carbon sinks and therefore as brakes on the greenhouse effect. As explored in a previous

article in this magazine “Carbon Storage Utilising Timber Products” (p76-80, issue 76), forests and wood products may therefore have a significant influence on global warming either in a negative manner (deforestation) or positive (afforestation or increasing application of timber in construction projects).

Figure 1: the carbon sequestration process in wood

However, whereas in temperate regions (Europe, North America) total forest surface area is growing, the area of tropical forests is still decreasing steadily because of deforestation, resulting in a net decrease in carbon storage in forests worldwide of 0.5Gt (source: FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010). Besides the conversion of forests to agricultural land or for development of infrastructure, one of the main causes of deforestation in tropical regions is illegal logging of tropical hardwood, |116| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

which is high in demand worldwide because of the superior performance over softwood in terms of durability, hardness and sometimes dimensional stability. Because of these characteristics tropical hardwood is often chosen as preferred material in outdoor applications. Although the amount of sustainable sourced and certified tropical hardwood on the market is increasing - also because of the European Timber Regulation becoming obligatory in March 2013, banning all illegally sourced wood - demand is still higher than supply.

Wood Modification – Enabling of Temperate Wood Species From the above it becomes clear that the real challenge for wood products to make a difference in the global carbon cycle lies in enabling abundantly available wood from temperate regions to substitute tropical hardwoods. A promising route to improve the performance of abundant low performance woods to a level similar or better than tropical hardwood is wood modification. Instead of impregnating with a toxic chemical, this method modifies the wood at molecular level, to significantly improve the stability and durability as well as imparting other beneficial property improvements.

There are a variety of wood modification techniques available, which can be divided into thermal modification (treatment under high temperature at low oxygen levels) and chemical modification (reacting the wood molecules with a chemical to permanently change the composition) of which acetylation is most likely the best known method. This process, which has been known and studied for over 80 years, involves the reaction of wood with acetic anhydride, through which the free -OH (hydroxyl) groups – causing the shrink and swell

Figure 2: the chemical reaction occurring during acetylation

of wood and the susceptibility to decay - within the cell wall are replaced by more stable and hydrophobic acetyl groups.

These non-toxic groups are naturally present in all woods but the acetylation process increases the acetyl content to a much higher level. As a result, the stability and durability of the wood significantly increases. For example durability is typically improved to the highest class possible (Class 1 in EN 350). The co-product of this process is acetic acid, otherwise known as vinegar in its dilute form, which is reused in a wide range of industries.

Figure 3: Batch of Radiata pine ready to be acetylated at the production plant of Accsys Technologies, Arnhem, the Netherlands

These properties make acetylated wood a promising alternative in exterior applications where tropical hardwood is typically used such as external joinery, decking, cladding, and even structural applications.

Acetylated wood has been developed to commercial scale by the UK based company Accsys Technologies under the brand names Accoya (acetylated wood) and Tricoya (acetylated wood elements for products such as exterior MDF). At the moment Accoya is made by acetylating Radiata pine, a fast growing plantation grown pine species which is abundantly available on the market and due to the open cell structure very suitable for acetylation.

Recently Accoya has also become available made from the harder wood species Alder and successful tests have been performed on Scots pine as well.

Although acetylation may sound like a solution to improve the carbon storage potential of the high annual yield of temperate forests in durable products, this benefit may be compromised if the acetylation process relates to a disproportional release of greenhouse gas emissions during production and thus bears review.

Cradle to Gate Carbon Footprint of Acetylated Wood The commonly used method to measure the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) during the production, use and disposal of products over their life cycle is known as a ‘carbon footprint’, measured in kg CO2 equivalent (in short CO2e).

Recently a carbon footprint, following the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocol of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and World Resource Institute (WRI) was executed for acetylated wood based on a cradle to gate scenario, thus excluding the use and end-of-life phase. The results of the assessment are presented and analysed below. For detailed information and calculations please refer to the original report (Accoya wood 2012 cradle to gate carbon footprint update, Verco). ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |117|

Input materials For a carbon footprint the exact amount of raw materials, including their transport distance and production details (embodied energy) needs to be determined, as well as the utilities consumed during the acetylation process (see figure 4).

Figure 4: Diagram of the acetylation process from cradle to gate for the Radiata pine scenario.

As becomes clear from figure 2, there are three key ingredients that have the largest impact on the carbon footprint results for acetylated wood: the input timber and acetic anhydride, and the co-product acetic acid.

Four realistic wood sourcing scenarios (including harvesting, processing at a saw mill and transport) were assumed for the carbon footprint analysis of acetylated wood: Radiata pine from New Zealand, Alder (either from EU or USA) and Scots pine from Sweden.

Acetic anhydride, a commonly available chemical, is a key ingredient in the acetylation process. There are two major production methods for this chemical, each significantly different to the other: i) methyl acetate carbonylation and ii) cracking acetic acid to ketene. In terms of GHG emissions the carbonylation route is over four times more

efficient than the ketene route. As a result, Accsys decided to solely produce Accoya by using acetic anhydride made through carbonylation. This also shows the value of carbon footprinting as a tool to pinpoint the production activities with highest impact on the environment and develop an improvement policy as a result.

Acetic acid is produced as a co-product of the acetylation process, which after refinement is sold to a wide range of industries including the food and chemical industry, and therefore replaces merchant acetic acid on the market. As such the allocated greenhouse gas emissions of acetic acid are deducted from the emissions relating to the acetylation process, which is in line with PAS 2050:2011 requirements, one of the leading protocols for assessing GHG emissions developed by the British Standards Institute.

Results The table below presents the results of the cradle to gate carbon footprint for acetylated wood.

Wood sourcing scenario

Embodied emissions acetylated wood

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Scots pine (520 kg/m3)

140 kgCO2eq/m3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Radiata pine (470 kg/m3)

342 kgCO2eq/m3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alder - EU (495 kg/m3)

204 kgCO2eq/m3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alder - USA (475 kg/m3)

293 kgCO2eq/m3

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As the difference between the density of the chosen wood species is not very high, see table (12% MC), the difference in the associated acetic anhydride consumed and acetic acid produced is low.

The difference in the results is mainly caused by the larger transport distance for Radiata pine and USA sourced Alder.

An interesting note is that although Scots pine is sourced further away, it’s emissions are lower than the Alder sourced from Germany and Latvia as a large portion of the distance was covered by sea freight, which according to Defra (2012) is over four times more efficient per ton.km than truck transport.

Figure 5: the embodied energy of several building materials per cubic meters based on a cradle to gate scenario (University of Bath 2011, Ecoinvent 2012)

Cradle to Grave Analysis It is important to understand that the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint per cubic meter provides limited information for a realistic comparison with other materials since additional use and end-of-life phase related aspects are not yet included.

For a complete “cradle till grave" assessment the carbon footprint results per cubic meter need to be ‘translated’ to an application in which the following aspects will prove to be of importance:

For acetylated wood these aspects could provide additional benefits in comparison with other materials because of the high strength to weight ratio and the low maintenance requirements, but especially because of the increased carbon sink potential through the increased durability and the good recyclability during End of Life. ►

• Material properties such as density or strength, which determine the volume of material required • Durability of the material (lifespan) • Maintenance (frequency and materials used) • Carbon sequestration potential (renewable materials) • End of Life scenario: landfill, incineration or recycling ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |119|

Carbon Sequestration Potential Leading carbon footprint and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standards such as ILCD, PAS 2050:2011 and the EN 16449 norm under development provide so-called credits for carbon sequestration and, for example, the production of electricity (substitution of fossil fuels upon incineration) in the end-of-life phase.

As an example, PAS 2050:2011 allows for the carbon sequestered in the wood to be included as a negative CO² value with respect to the embodied emissions, which can be deducted from the overall embodied emissions.

A higher negative CO2e value is allocated if the life span of the wood in-use is longer, which is beneficial for durable wood species and modified wood due to the predicted longer useful life.

To make this more credible, figure 6 shows a real life project in which acetylated wood has been applied structurally. The shown bridge in Sneek, the Netherlands, is the first ever heavy traffic road bridge with a wooden load bearing structure, with an anticipated lifespan of 80 years. Following PAS 2050:2011 methodology (formula in annex E), the carbon sequestration credit can be calculated.

Figure 6: Heavy traffic road bridge in Sneek, the Netherlands, made from Accoya wood

CO2 sequestered in the Sneek bridge [1]

Density of wood (kg/m3 based upon radiate pine at 12% moisture content)

450

[2]

Assumed carbon content of wood

50%

[3]

CO2 sequestered excluding PSA 2050 weighting (kgCO2/m3) [1] x [2] x 44 / 12

825

[4]

Expected lifespan of the bridge (years)

80

[5]

CO2 sequestered including PSA 2050 weighting (kgCO2/m3) [3] x ( [4] / 100 )

660

[6]

CO2 emitted during production (Acetylated Radiata pine)

-342

[7]

Total: CO2 sequestered during production and use (kgCO2/m3) [5] - [6]

318

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Figure 7: Avoided CO2 emissions in case of new sustainably managed forests being established for manufacturing durable products (adapted after Building with Wood = the active form of climate protection, Technical University Munich, 2012)

Although the above gives a rough indication that acetylated wood could even be carbon negative over the full life cycle following PAS 2050:2011, this conclusion may only be drawn if a full cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis is executed that includes other use-related aspects such as maintenance (e.g. coating) and the end of life scenario.

Nevertheless, the results are very promising, and it seems that modified wood technologies such as acetylation could potentially play a huge role globally in carbon storage in wood products made from abundantly available, high yield wood species from temperate regions. This approach fits perfectly in strategies for increasing carbon storage through

wood products (see figure 7), and at the same time may provide a valuable substitute for tropical timber helping to avoid deforestation (and subsequent CO2 emissions).

Finally, because of the improved performance characteristics of acetylated wood and acetylated wood panels, it may be used in applications where even tropical hardwood was not practical before, the bearing structure of the Sneek bridge being an excellent example. This provides an additional benefit from a climate mitigation perspective in terms of avoided CO2 emissions in case traditional non renewable carbon intensive materials such as plastics, concrete and metals are replaced. â&#x2013; ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |121|

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Transport 123 - 125

Tyre Efficiency â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ian Featherstone

Waste

Water

Miscellany |122| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

When fleets think about how to reduce fuel consumption and cut carbon emissions, they often think of the same common solutions: choose efficient vehicles and drive fewer miles.

These are both important aspects of running a sustainable fleet, but there are other ‘quick wins’ that organisations should be capitalising on. And for one of these areas, making the efficient (and low carbon) choice has just been made much easier.

e r y T y c n e e i r c y i ffT

Tyres are responsible for up to 30% of a vehicle’s total fuel consumption, so there is significant potential for saving money by choosing the best product. Continual technological developments over the years have led to prodigious improvements in the quality of tyres being manufactured. However, lower quality tyres were still being produced and sold, making it difficult for businesses to select the most efficient and safest tyres for their drivers. However, this is set to change, as new EU legislation introduced on 1 November 2012 requires manufacturers and retailers to provide information on tyre efficiency, wet grip and noise, to make driving cheaper,

E

y c n cie

i yre f T f E

safer and quieter.

Rolling resistance and fuel economy Fuel economy is directly proportional to a tyre’s rolling resistance

Efficiency e

rston

athe

e Ian F

(assuming that no other factors such as air resistance apply). All tyres on sale in the UK must now display a label indicating their rating from A to G on this criterion. The difference in efficiency between the worst and the best tyres available can reduce vehicle fuel consumption by up to 7.5% over the tyres’ lifetime. To put this into context, if you drive 20,000 miles on a set of tyres in a car achieving 45 mpg, and pay £1.40 per litre (excluding VAT) for fuel, this equates to saving more than £210 (excluding VAT) over the tyres’ lifetime. Depending on the vehicle, this saving could pay for two or more tyres.

The Energy Saving Trust has estimated that if the tyres on 50% of the UK’s company vehicles were changed from the least to the most efficient grade, they could reduce fuel costs by up to £500m per year. Additionally, this would reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than one million tonnes. This estimate is likely to be at the high end of the position across the UK car fleet, but for most cars the improvement in fuel economy should be around 0.5 mpg for each band. Our research has also suggested that choosing more efficient tyres does not necessarily mean a higher purchase price. However, fuel economy is the result of a complex mix of variables - carefully tested lab figures can become something else entirely in the real world. For example, the ► label does not include tyre wear rates, which will have an impact on overall costeffectiveness.

Wet grip Of course, it’s crucial that fleets remember their duty of care responsibility to their drivers.

Around one in three company cars are involved in an accident each year so if you have a fleet of 30, that’s ten of your cars that are likely to have an accident by this time next year.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |123|

The new tyre label will help organisations

choose

safer

tyres too.

Safety is assessed in terms of braking distance in wet conditions.

The difference between each wet grip grade, starting from A, is an additional three to six metres stopping distance in a straight line from 50 mph on a wet surface, equivalent to one or two car lengths. And at motorway speeds, the difference between the highest and lowest-rated tyres will be even greater. So even if the best tyres do cost slightly more to buy, considering the accident statistic above, increased safety is priceless.

Noise It’s also worth mentioning that the tyre labelling regulations include external noise. Above 30mph, the majority of the noise you hear from a car driving along is from its tyres. Prolonged exposure to traffic noise has been found to cause high blood pressure in children and has been associated with hypertension and heart disease in adults. Although the measures on the labels are for external noise, quieter tyres will also improve driver and passenger comfort.

Correct inflation At the Energy Saving Trust we welcome this new legislation as it will benefit drivers and other road users, help reduce costs

At motorway speeds, the difference between the highest and lowestrated tyres will be even greater.

for fleet managers and contribute to cutting the UK’s transport carbon emissions. However, the labelling won’t help check your drivers’ tyres to ensure they have sufficient tread and are inflated correctly. For a number of years, Michelin have run a tyre checking and advice campaign called ‘fill up with air’. In the survey conducted in 2010, they discovered that of 4,500 vehicles checked, two thirds had underinflated tyres. Even worse, 38% had tyres that were dangerously underinflated (8 to 13 psi – 0.6 to 0.9 bar – below the recommended pressure) or very dangerously underinflated (14 psi – 1 bar – or more below the recommended pressure). Recommended tyre pressures for your vehicle can often be found inside the driver or passenger door shut, and in the manufacturer’s handbook.

In addition to affecting vehicle handling and increasing the chance of a puncture, underinflated tyres can increase wear and fuel consumption. A tyre underinflated by 25% (for example 24 rather than 32 psi; 1.7 rather than 2.2 bar) increases vehicle fuel use by around 2%. To help company car drivers keep their tyre pressures in check, organisations with a fleet of cars in one location might consider investing

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►

in a tyre pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter. They cost around £30, and could be a worthwhile investment, as then there is really no excuse for driving on under-inflated tyres. Ensure your employees are aware of the simple ‘20p test’ for checking tread depth. Simply place a 20p coin vertically into the tyre’s tread at the centre. If the outer rim of the coin is exposed, the tyre is not safe or legal.

Alternatively, the Energy Saving Trust transport advice line has a limited number of free tyre depth gauges available – call 0845 602 1425 to speak to one of our transport advisors.

Drive smarter In addition to ensuring tyres are correctly inflated, there are a number of items your drivers should be aware of to help them maximise their fuel economy. Remove racks, roof boxes and bike carriers when not in use as they significantly increase air resistance and fuel consumption at higher speeds. Once the journey is underway, there are four core tips we emphasise for reducing fuel consumption.

•

Drive smoothly, anticipating situations and the actions of road users as far ahead as possible to avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and maintain a greater distance from the vehicle in front so that you can regulate your speed when necessary without using the brakes.

•

Step off the accelerator when slowing down or driving downhill, while remaining in gear. In most situations and for most vehicles this will activate the fuel cut-off switch, reducing fuel flow to virtually zero.

•

When accelerating, shift to a higher gear early, usually by around 2,000 to 2,500 rpm, and skip gears when appropriate. ►

•

Avoid excessive speed, as high speeds greatly increase fuel consumption: for example, fuel consumption in a van is 37% less at 60mph than at 75mph.

By coaching drivers in these techniques, our in-vehicle Smarter Driving training reduces fuel consumption on the day by an average of 15%. A realistic long

A tyre underinflated by 25% increases vehicle fuel use by around 2%.

term goal for a fleet might be around half of that figure, i.e. a reduction in fuel consumption of 7 or 8%.

Conclusion The EU hopes that the labelling will contribute to the target of reducing total energy consumption by 20% in 2020. At the Energy Saving Trust, we certainly hope that fleets make the most of this new information provision. So how should organisations integrate the label into a wider tyre policy? Any policy should include a mandatory interval for checks such as tyre pressure and tread depth. These should take place around every two weeks depending on mileage. A procurement policy should set a minimum efficiency grade, ideally A or B, together with a single sound wave to ensure consistent high standards and future-proof your policy for the 2016 noise limits.

To learn more about the fuel efficient tyres and the new tyre labelling regulations, contact the Energy Saving Trust advice line on 0845 602 1425, or email transportadvice@est.org.uk ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |125|

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Food, Agriculture & Packaging

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Timber

Transport

Waste Management 128 - 131

Cantilever racking for car storage – making more of your site – OHRA

132 - 133

Batteries should be top of the list for recycling – Michael Green

134 - 136

The Year WEEE Change – Dr Philip Morton

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“I have plenty of space, what do I need racking for, where’s my benefit?”

Cantilever racking for car storage making more of your site

Whereas technical equipment such as depollution plants, dismantling systems or crushing units are undoubtedly indispensable equipment for car recyclers, racking is often seen as nice to have, and the benefits unclear, so what do recyclers need racks for?

To find the answer, we have to ask ourselves the fundamental question: What are racks used for?

Racks create space, provide an infrastructure for efficient stockholding and selective access to goods stored. Intelligent racking systems reduce operational handling costs and damage to goods. Certified designs provide for safety at work reducing accidents and compensation claims.

So the decision for racking is pure economics. It’s not a subjective question of wanting racks or not, but down to a simple objective analysis, applicable to all businesses: how can racking work for you in the recycling business?

1. Space saving: 2 major factors have to be taken into account – car footprint and aisle width.

• Looking at a typical yard with 200-300 ELV vehicles without racking each car will take up approximately 90 sq.ft. floor space per car, or 18,000 sq.ft. in total, without considering the space needed to manoeuvre a forklift. That space requirement in sq. ft. diminishes the higher up you go: ►

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2 cars = 45, 3 cars =30, 4 cars 22.5, 5 cars = 18 sq.ft. – thus saving up to 80% floor space

67% When handling with a front-loader forklift truck the average working aisle width will be approximately 4.5 metres. Using a standard 4 directional truck will reduce the working aisle by up to 30%, 45% if using a rail-guided truck.

2.

Saving picking time – the sum of travel, orientation + picking duration.

• Be honest, how much time do you lose moving cars around, and do you have warehouse management software? Depending on whether or not the car is in the front row of 2 or 3 stored back to back, you could be looking at 5-10 minutes wasted at least, not to mention the time lost looking for the car.

• Taking a 3 car example from above with a front loader fork truck your most tangible savings will be travelling– 66% less, neglecting any improvements in orientation time achieved by structuring your storage space. This can be improved again by increasing car density by stacking higher and choosing alternative handling equipment.

3.

Operational cost savings

• A reduction of travelling distance directly equates to truck operation duration.

• The reduction of truck operation time directly equates to a reduction in personnel costs.

• The reduction of truck operation time directly equates to a reduction in maintenance cost. ►

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4. Damage savings - increase profits and fulfil the 85% recycling quota

• New yard surfaces can be planned based on the car capacity necessary and expanded as required.

• In a number of recycling plants it is still accepted that concessions have to be made in terms of the number or completeness of parts which have reached the plant in perfect condition. Over the course of time the vehicles stored suffer damage or parts are lost so that they can no longer be used. Metal parts or external components are often made unusable as a result of impact damage.

With the implementation of a racking system every vehicle entering the recycling plant is allocated a specific location where it remains permanently. As a consequence, all parts remain untouched until needed.

If according to the stock management database a door for model “A” is available, then it is certain that the part will be in impeccable condition when needed – helping to meet the legally prescribed quota for the recycling and re-use of ELVs.

• Defunct space can be sold off or reused for other purposes.

• The economic consequences for the recycler are positive - losses due to damaged or lost parts are a thing of the past. The latest generation of OHRA racking systems currently being installed can be equipped with cantilever arms which deflect on impact minimising potential damage to parts and rack.

5.

Storage areas and plot size – pay for what you need, not what you have.

• 2000/53 EC - A reduction in storage space footprint equates directly to reduction of concreted impermeable surfaces necessary.

6.

Eurocode rack design which to satisfy the HSE is

• Compliant with all current European and UK legislation.

• Purpose built - provides verifiable secure storage.

So the way we see it is that the car recycling business is subject to the same drive for efficiency as all other industry sectors. It’s all about the bottom line, that’s your benefit.

Like all investments, it will cost you money at the outset, but take your example from industry: the aim is to plan your warehouse from the inside, not to build first and then think about racking. Racking deserves as much of your attention as the purchase of the next piece of machinery, and has to be amongst your top considerations to be made if you are looking for a new site. If you have an existing site and you have no space, then contact one of our racking specialists to see what we can do for you. ■

+ For More Information www.ohra.co.uk www.cantilever-racks.co.uk info@ohra.net ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |131|

Batteries should be top of the list for recycling Michael Green, Managing Director G&P Batteries

Consumers are becoming far more responsible when it comes to recycling over the festive period.

With facilities now available to recycle Christmas cards, wrapping paper, the Christmas tree and even the turkey bones, it’s possible to have an indulgent Christmas and still do your bit for the environment.

But one area where there is major room for improvement is the recycling of used batteries. Of all the products that should be recycled, it is arguable that they should top the list due to the environmental impact they can have in landfill. Some batteries contain heavy metals which can contaminate the soil and water courses. Many of them contain chemicals that are harmful enough to classify them as hazardous waste, yet all too often old batteries lurk in the back of drawers for months, even years, or worse still, end up being thrown out in the general household waste.

Legislation to improve the collection of portable waste batteries to reduce the volume ending up in landfill was introduced two years ago. Before then, it was common knowledge in the waste industry that for every 100

|132| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

portable batteries sent for recycling, nearly 5,000 more ended up in landfill. Although those figures are now starting to be reduced, a large percentage of the general public is still unaware that batteries should be recycled and that facilities to do so are widespread.

In the run up to Christmas, a massive percentage of purchases are battery powered to some extent, whether they are the remote control for the new TV, the latest hand held device or even the scales to weigh the turkey. It is estimated that 40% of portable battery sales take place in the last quarter of the year.

Many of the most popular children’s toys are battery powered and as youngsters play with their latest gifts, piles of spent batteries will mount up as the New Year looms.

And yet, despite other widely publicised recycling initiatives, such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees, the promotion of battery recycling remains the poor relation.

Any retailer selling batteries now has an obligation to provide a recycling facility for old batteries but these can be hidden away in obscure corners of the store. Many civic amenity sites also offer a service, as local authorities are keen to do their bit.

In spite of this low awareness, the UK looks set to achieve its 2012 EU target for collecting 25% of portable batteries placed on the market for recycling. But behind the statistics is a major conundrum facing the waste industry.

“Whilst that figure in itself is pleasing, it masks a far more complex issue about how batteries are classified and exactly what kind of batteries are being collected,” says Michael Green, Managing Director of G & P Batteries, the UK’s leading waste battery collection and recycling

company. He believes that there needs to be a reassessment of how batteries are classified and a major campaign of awareness for the UK to meet the spirit of the law as well as the letter of the law.

“If we are to achieve the major uplift in collections necessary to meet the 45% EU target looming in 2016, we need to be taking some important steps now,” he asserts. “Close examination of the figures highlights a need to change some important definitions about what is a ‘portable’ battery.”

Industry experts suspect that the achievement in portable battery collection the UK has made so far in 2012 is based largely on the reporting of portable lead acid batteries. These account for more than 80% of the batteries collected, yet they only represent 10% of the portable batteries put on the market.

“Remarkably, the portable lead acid battery collection rate is running at something like 350% this year!

Clearly something is wrong here,” comments Michael Green.

Lead acid batteries in general have had an extremely high collection rate for many years due to the commercial value they can attract.

Many of these are automotive waste batteries, which in the UK have achieved an average 98% recycling rate and have contributed to a closed recycling loop in the lead acid battery market. Michael Green believes that the portable lead acid batteries now being reported were already being collected before these regulations came in. “It was recognised by the UK government when transposing the EU regulations to the UK Waste Battery Regulations back in 2008 that lead acid battery collections did not need much attention as they were so effective already,” he says.

“Alarmingly, when you take the portable lead acid batteries out of the latest collection data published by the EA, there is a strong possibility that in 2012 the UK will recycle fewer

portable batteries of the Nicad and other chemistries than were recycled in 2008 – a year before the regulations were introduced! By this measure, the UK has gone backwards in recycling those batteries that the regulations were designed to increase, and has simply maintained its already good record in recycling lead acid batteries.

It is clear that the regulations are not achieving their aim of increasing battery recycling

“It is clear that the regulations are not achieving their aim of increasing battery recycling, and this is a worrying and potentially embarrassing situation for the UK. We urgently need a definition that both the waste industry and the producers can apply.”

But in tandem with the need for a clear definition of battery categories in the waste industry, is greater public awareness of the requirement to recycle batteries. There is never a better time than the New Year to let the public know that battery recycling won’t just deliver a ‘feel –good’ factor but will also remove some rather hazardous items from their homes.

• Battery recycling facilities for portable batteries are available at most retailers.

The majority of civic amenity sites dedicated battery recycling facilities for both portable and automotive waste batteries and their location can be found on local authority web sites. ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |133|

The WEEE Recast has been formally approved, and, from the point at which it was published in the OJ, Member States (MSs) were given a maximum of 18 months to transpose the Directive into National law, which makes February 14th 2014 the last day under the current regulations.

The Recast covers the current issues that need to be addressed in depth, looking at many areas of the system, but in essence, the key changes that it will make can be roughly broken down into the following key areas: the scope of WEEE; increased WEEE collection targets; the shipment of WEEE abroad; and reuse targets.

Furthermore, there is currently a huge disparity across Europe, not only in terms of collection and awareness, but also in the current WEEE systems in place. In the UK, there are certain issues with the way in which our system has been set up, which means that it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as water tight, or as efficient, as it could be.

The underlying issues

The Year

WEEE

change

We started 2012 with the introduction of the revised Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; since then, the Directive has appeared in the Official Journal (OJ) and discussions have continued to take place at a European and national level with regard to how it is transposed and implemented.

As this year draws to a close, Dr Philip Morton, CEO of Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS), Repic, discusses where the UK is up to in the transposition process and other changes planned to improve the efficiency of the current system. |134| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

To prove that WEEE has been recycled responsibly at an approved treatment plant, the UK regulations work on a system of certificates, called evidence notes. Collectively, evidence notes represent the total amount of WEEE collected in any year. One of the main issues in the UK system is that there is the potential for several parties (intermediaries) to become involved in the recycling and evidence chain and where this happens, and WEEE evidence is transferred or traded, its origin becomes untraceable and the audit trail becomes longer and less clear, which means the risk of leakage and the illegal export of WEEE increases and evidence charges become unrelated to the actual cost incurred.

A further effect of the system operating in this way, is that the cost of evidence notes becomes artificially inflated. This is because when schemes over collect WEEE (by this, I mean, collect more of the share of total WEEE than they need to directly finance their membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; obligations under the regulations), it logically means that other schemes, which do not have direct access to the WEEE that they need (either via a waste management company, or a local authority), will have to purchase the evidence notes from the schemes that are holding a surplus.

This is because the WEEE evidence notes always represent 100% of the market. Taking a look at other European systems, we can see that there are effective alternatives to this structure.

The Recast provides the UK with the ideal opportunity to conduct a full review of our system, taking into account the experience of the last few years. In the meantime though, the Government has recognised the need for change and in line with this, has started the ball rolling on a number of initiatives designed to have a more immediate impact.

Interim measures For some time it has been recognised that our current system is flawed, and in order to optimise its efficiency (and minimise the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on the environment) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) plans to address some of the key issues that are currently preventing it from working as well as it could. The UK Government has been consulting with schemes, producers, Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF) operators and others on a formal and informal basis, to understand how it can make the UK system more efficient.

This began with the Red Tape Challenge, launched earlier this year, which gave businesses and the public the chance to have their say on some of the regulations. Through this process BIS determined that producers currently pay more than the true

costs of financing the treatment of WEEE. The outcome was announced in March, and saw BIS and Defra demonstrate a commitment to change the system, both in the short and long term.

It is important to understand that for WEEE it is not about cutting administrative burdens, it is about cutting unnecessary, artificially inflated costs.

Producers have always been, and remain committed to, properly financing and managing their end of life Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner, and everyone surely must have an obligation to do this as economically efficiently as possible.

That said, there is a general recognition that the current regulations inhibit what BIS can do in the short term, but with the WEEE Recast now officially published, the UK should focus on the future and new regulations which can, with careful thought, be developed to reflect the better state of understanding and experience of WEEE to provide a system that charges the true costs that producers should be paying.

Re-shaping the system More recently BIS has been considering specific action to change the UK WEEE system. Currently BIS is considering three main options. The first of these is a central allocation process, similar to those operating in Italy, France, Ireland and many other MSs, which would be an ideal solution to create a fair, efficient, low cost environmental solution for everyone. The remaining two ideas are a single national scheme, or alternatively, a system that would allow multiple producer schemes operating in a free market. The national scheme has gained the least traction of the three options, as most stakeholders believe that healthy competition in a free market would actually be beneficial to stimulate innovation and improve cost, quality and audit of WEEE handling. â&#x2013;ş ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |135|

The free market approach that has been put forward is a realistic alternative to an allocation process, and it could give each stakeholder protection from potential exploitation by speculation and protection from collecting too much or too little WEEE. This option represents a workable alternative to allocation, worthy of serious consideration and would be a more free market approach, giving each PCS a known WEEE tonnage target in advance to collect for the year (probably in the five collection groups we have today). In this model, a PCS could get too much or too little WEEE, so BIS has indicated this option requires a mechanism to manage this and avoid the forced trading that currently blights the UK system.

Producers would join the PCS of their choice, which would be given a known target tonnage to collect based on its market share. The current problems associated with over/under collection are addressed by removing the “must buy” market: a PCS with too much WEEE would pay for it, and one with too little would face enforcement action.

These risks could be mitigated using a “PCS take back scheme”.

All WEEE would either be dealt with by the collector, properly treated and reported into the system free of charge, the collector would keep any income/ pay any cost, or, it would be handed over free to a PCS to deal with it and finance the cost. Any WEEE collector could ask any PCS to collect WEEE free of charge and it would have to do so, so a PCS may get too much WEEE or too little.

These risks could be mitigated though through a fully compliant route using a voluntary “take back scheme” for PCSs, approved by BIS, to enable free hand over of surplus to other PCSs in the “take back scheme”, or the choice to pay a compliance fee if it is short. This prevents forced trading or any stakeholder holding another to ransom and is similar to the Distributor Take Back Scheme, where distributors have a fully compliant choice to opt- out of in-store take back and instead pay into a fund used to upgrade local authority designated collection facilities. |136| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

The fee could be paid into a fund which could then be used to pay for publicity campaigns or other means of boosting WEEE collections. This would prevent the costly practice of trading of certificates, which is currently necessary for many PCSs in order to meet their producers’ obligations.

The aim is to put the new legislation in place by January 1 2014, six weeks ahead of the February 14 deadline for the transposition of the Recast, in order to make it a smoother transition for PCSs. The measures are intended to give users of the WEEE system greater transparency, including an annual statement, which will include a summary of enforcement actions taken against compliance schemes. This will be published by the Environment Agency.

Warning signals Already BIS has implemented measures to help improve the efficiency of the system in the shortterm, while the more radical ideas to overhaul its structure are considered. Significantly, in order to ensure greater transparency from PCSs, a simple colour coded chart of each scheme’s collection and obligation data is being made available to local authorities. Previously local authorities have had no way of gauging the extent to which schemes bidding for collection contracts were over or under collecting. The simple traffic light system will effectively alert local authorities to whether a PCS has a surplus in comparison to its needs, and also, which schemes currently are not collecting enough to meet their requirements, allowing the local authorities, or other WEEE collectors, to make a more informed choice about which PCS to partner.

In summary The Recast has started the ball rolling and it is encouraging to see that the UK Government has taken a pro-active role to addressing the issues that we currently face on a day-to-day basis. The wheels for change are already in motion, however the next year will be crucial in terms of how the UK transposes the Recast into national law, as this will be critical to its success. ■

News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water 140 - 141

Water and innovation – Rodger Smith

142 - 144

Environmental threat of misconnected drains – Malcolm Dunk

146 - 149

Any Sewer is a Sewer – isn’t it? – Jim Ward

150 - 152

What neutrons can show us about treating water - Dr Gabriel Cuello

153 - 155

EU Water Blueprint - Sarah Bogaert

Miscellany |138| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Water and innovation– Necessity has become the mother of invention Rodger Smith, senior vice president and general manager, Utilities at Oracle discusses how the water industry is rapidly becoming one of the most innovative in the world.

Historically, the water industry is not one that had been synonymous with innovation. In all fairness it has not had to be: the product is constant, and as long as consumers can turn on a tap whenever they want, they have not been overly concerned with how the water gets to them. This situation is changing rapidly, however. A recent research report we conducted¹ revealed that 39% of executives in the water industry believe that demand for water will outstrip supply by 2013. This is largely driven by the pace at which the world’s population is growing – 7bn today and expected to grow by a further billion within the next 18 years – which is putting considerable pressure on what is a very limited resource. The challenge of protecting water supplies for future generations is therefore clearer than ever before; it is primarily this necessity that is driving innovation within the water industry.

Another key driver behind innovation is geographical. Certain countries such as Brazil and Russia do not have issues around the scarcity of water; if anything they have an overabundance of the resource. The challenge they, and other such countries, face is that the water is not located where it is needed. Brazil is the perfect example of this. The country has vast stocks of water, but the regions where the majority of its growth is taking place happen to be in areas of low supply. It is a similar picture in the UK where London sits in an area with less annual rainfall than Addis Ababa. These challenges may be different to those in countries that face a complete scarcity of water, but they are leading to innovative solutions that have much in common.

So how are these challenges being addressed and which innovations are making the most impact?

Taking the waste out of water The first lies in how wastewater can be more effectively reused. Where once wastewater was treated as just that – waste – today there are increasing efforts to purify wastewater and get it back in the supply. Israel is leading the world in this respect. The country has extremely limited water resources and due to this it had become a hotbed for innovation. To put this into context, Spain is the second most effective country at reusing wastewater for agriculture and it only reuses 12%.² Israel’s proficiency at reusing wastewater is also bringing about economic benefits for the country, with 200 local companies now exporting technologies and systems related to the process.³ |140| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Bringing affordability to water Another major source of innovation is the increasing use of desalination to create a clean and useable source of water.

Desalination is now used in numerous countries, including Australia, China, Japan, the United States, Spain and other European Countries, the Middle East and North Africa.

While new installed capacity has slowed in 2011-2012 (it is tied to many factors including the cost of oil, certain commodities prices and financing availability), the past five years overall have seen a 57% increase in the installed base of desalination plants worldwide to a capacity of 78.4 million cubic meters per day compared to 47.8 million cubic meters per day at the end of 2008.4

Spain is the second most effective country at reusing wastewater for agriculture Tapping into the consumer mindset Then there is the work being carried out by the water utilities and governments with regards to moderating demand and ensuring that their networks operate as effectively as possible. One such example is the wider use of water meters, which are being used to encourage consumers to moderate their usage.

Metering is the most effective means of changing consumer behaviour, with research suggesting a 10-15% drop in usage once a meter is installed.5 The ‘smarter’ the meter the better – the more information that can be provided to the consumer on exactly where they are wasting water, the more effectively they will be able to address their behaviour. Perhaps the best way of doing this is to present water wastage to the public not in terms of volumes lost, but in how much this equates to cash. Setting out the monetary loss to the customer will go a long way in persuading them to use less.

Another major source of innovation is the increasing use of desalination to create a clean and useable source of water.

Innovating the network Finally, utilities are increasingly deploying technologies within their networks to make them more efficient. To understand the performance of their assets, water utilities are increasingly implementing analytics technologies throughout the water supply chain, such as network management solutions and network meters. By placing network meters at various intervals in the supply chain, including its source and distribution points, water utilities can assess the performance of individual sections, and address leakages and faults in the network quickly and efficiently. In addition, the ability to monitor water entering and exiting the network ensures water utilities can prioritise areas to upgrade and allocate resources accordingly in their efforts to increase water conservation.

Wherever we look, the water industry is driving innovation in the way water is used, the way it is supplied and the way it is conserved. The work now lies in making sure these innovative technologies are used as widely as possible. Our research showed that this is not yet the case, with 36 % of utilities across the globe still unaware of the full range of innovation options open to them. Once these solutions are fully embraced we will be a step closer to a fully sustainable water supply. ■

Once these solutions are fully embraced we will be a step closer to a fully sustainable water supply.

References 1. Water for all? Oracle/EIU, 2012 2.

UN: Israel #1 world leader in water recycling, Arutz Sheva, March 23rd 2009

3.

Ibid

4.

Installed desalination growth slowed in 2011-2012, Desalination & Water Reuse, September 2012.

5.

Water meters help cut usage, The Guardian, 2009 ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |141|

Environmental threat of misconnected drains

By Malcolm Dunk

Thames Water customer education manager (wastewater) and National Misconnections Strategy Group chair Pollution in river catchments can originate from different sources. These include industrial discharges or individual incidents involving chemical or oil spillages. But, significantly, pollution may also arise from the sewerage network itself.

Wastewater from our homes is usually treated to a high standard at a sewage treatment works before being returned to a watercourse. In a separate foul and surface water sewerage system, surface water run-off from roads, roofs and hard standing areas, such as car parks, often flows untreated directly to rivers or streams via surface water outfalls.

But it is not uncommon for these to become polluted when foul drainage from domestic sink, bath, shower, toilet, washing machine and dishwasher waste pipes are misconnected into surface water drainage systems.

It has been estimated that 300,000 properties nationwide may be misconnected and the cumulative impact is huge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the equivalent to the sewage load from a large town or around 16 Olympic size swimming pools of sewage pouring into our rivers and streams every day. â&#x2013;ş

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These building or plumbing errors are preventable, wholly detrimental to the environment and cause significant pollution of watercourses.

Such pollution downgrades the biological, chemical and aesthetic quality of watercourses. The natural flora and fauna can be adversely affected and faecal matter, foam, scum, fats, oils and sewage-derived litter are particularly unsightly and odorous.

In most unpolluted rivers and streams the dissolved oxygen (DO) level is typically 70 to 100% saturation and would need to be above 30% to support fish populations.

Bacteriological breakdown of the organic material from misconnections can cause rapid de-oxygenation of watercourses and kill fish.

The environmental impact is most evident during dry weather or low river flow since the discharges, although intermittent, are broadly independent of weather conditions.

Investigating, identifying and rectifying misconnections can be a long, laborious and costly exercise for water and sewerage companies (WaSCs). It is also notoriously ‘low tech’ involving capturing waste materials in wire cages at locations in the network and dye testing – although efforts are being made to introduce new technology.

WaSCs work hard with the Environment Agency and local authorities to solve this problem but this can only be achieved with education.

That’s why WaSCs through Water UK have joined forces with the Environment Agency, Defra and other key stakeholders to establish the National Misconnections Strategy Group and the ‘Connect Right’ brand. Prevention of misconnections is just as important as remediation, but we are also calling on the Government to give WaSCs increased powers to tackle them.

Recently, Olympic rowing gold-medallist James Cracknell and Environment Minister Richard Benyon urged Britons to get hands-on caring for their local rivers.

The pair donned wellies before stepping into the River Chess, the stunning chalk stream at Latimer Bridge in Buckinghamshire, to join local school children in kick sampling to monitor the river’s environmental health.

Fig 1. Types of domestic misconnections

The visit in support of Defra’s ‘Love Your River’ campaign provided an excellent opportunity for Thames Water staff to discuss ways to combat misconnections, including legislation to support WaSC efforts.

Raising awareness of the issues is crucial, especially as the onus is on the householder to ‘connect it right’.

Quite understandably, if people employ professionals ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |143|

to connect white goods to their drainage system they will assume the job has been done correctly. However, recent research has demonstrated that even plumbers and builders may not understand the wastewater network and the environmental consequences of misconnections.

The education programme, therefore, needs to target not only enthusiastic amateurs but also professionals. And Thames Water has recently added a misconnections unit to their approved plumbers course and other WaSCs are set to follow suit.

The water industry has also investigated the real impact of misconnections via UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) and it is now widely recognised that this is a real problem nationwide.

We now need to move up a gear to effectively raise awareness among our customers. After all, everybody can help prevent misconnections if given the right information in the right way.

Fig 2. A PSWO discharging to an ‘open sewer’(Left) and the same outfall following remediation (Right)

‘Love Your River,’ urge Minister and Olympic rower Olympic gold-medalist James Cracknell and Environment Minister Richard Benyon urged Britons to get hands-on caring for their local rivers.

The pair donned wellies before stepping into the River Chess, the stunning chalk stream, at Latimer Bridge in Buckinghamshire, to join local school children in an activity called kick-sampling.

Kick-sampling, used to monitor a river’s environmental health, involves roughing-up a river bed with your boot and collecting the animals disturbed in nets.

The numbers of bugs, shrimps and other wildlife are counted and a monthly river-health score is calculated as each group of animals has a known tolerance of pollution.

The visit, in support of Defra’s national Love Your River (LYR) campaign, was staged by the River Chess Association (RCA) with partners Thames Water, which recycles its customers’ treated wastewater back to the Chess. |144| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Cracknell, the Love Your River campaign adviser, said: “I’m really pleased to be joining the Love Your River campaign. Going to school in Kingston, I've experienced first-hand the benefits a river can bring to a community. We’ve all got a role to play in making sure our rivers are as healthy as they can be.”

Paul Jennings, chairman of the RCA, added: “We are one of hundreds of river trusts and associations around the country, and our aim is to get local people involved in understanding and caring for their local river, particularly rare chalk stream ecosystems like the Chess.

“We are really pleased the Love Your River campaign is helping to move the need to look after the health of our rivers to the very top of the political agenda. Key issues for the Chess are reducing abstraction and improving water quality.”

Richard Benyon said: “We all love our rivers. They are the lifeblood of our country. They’ve shaped our

landscape, and our towns and cities have been designed around them.

They are vitally important for our everyday lives and our environment, and we’ve all got a role to play in making sure our rivers are as healthy as they can be.”

Richard Aylard, sustainability director for Thames Water, said: “While we may see our local river every day as we go to work or drop the children off at school, it is easy to overlook the simple fact that water from that river is what comes out of our taps and showers. Every drop we use is a drop less in the river. Love Your River seeks to remind us that using water wisely – whatever the weather – can help protect our glorious rivers.” ■

Any Sewer is a Sewer –isn’t it?

Jim Ward, Operations Manager. STS Instrument Ltd

If you were to ask the average man on the street what happened to the water that left his house via the myriad of drain pipes, overflows, soil stacks, gutters, sewer pipes etc would he really know what happened to it?

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Do consumers actually know or understand that there are different sewers running under their feet?

In an effort to control the spiralling cost of sewage plant treatment, separate storm water and foul sewers solve a huge problem for the industry by reducing the volume of water requiring treatment. However the separation also causes a huge headache for the water companies and regulators as by specifying one as “clean” and one as foul the onus is then on them to ensure that they are just that.

In theory of course it should not be a problem - every good plumber and house builder knows the difference between the two and what services from the property should be connected to which sewer. However it is not only the “good” builders and plumbers who make connections into the sewer systems. Consumers

unwittingly make misconnections by simply pushing the drain hose from the new washing machine or dishwasher into the nearest drain access – and why should we expect them to know any differently?

The odd domestic washing machine is but the tip of the iceberg.

Numerous properties have had whole extensions plumbed into the wrong sewers, baths, showers, sinks, washing machines, toilets – the works. Again if this was the odd one or two we wouldn’t all be having a debate about how to tackle the problem, but it isn’t one or two its hundreds of thousands.

"Of course one misconnection doesn't do all this, but it is death by a thousand cuts. It is a bit like having a sewage works that doesn't work. I think it is growing as a lot of people are now doing DIY and don't ►

However the ability of the public to take on-board environmental issues should not be underestimated. You have only to look at the near fanatical zeal with which the majority of householders now recycle everything in sight to realise that education and legislation can really work.

Pollution of our watercourses, particularly from urban derived sources, is a huge problem and on a scale that would surprise the majority of the public.

Currently, 27% of water bodies in England meet the standards necessary to support viable ecosystems.

know the difference between the pipe leading to the sewer and to surface water." (Source: Mark Lloyd Chief Exec Angling Trust) Thames Water alone believes that in its region – serving 14 million customers in London and the Thames Valley – one in every 10 homes now have misconnected drains.

The company says that since 2010 it has identified and put right misconnections at 3,170 properties, but that around 16 Olympic swimming pools' worth of foul waste is still entering watercourses every day. (Source: The Observer 2nd Dec 2012) The impact of misconnections is far reaching not only in terms of the impact on the environment and water quality but also the impact on the water companies and regulators who have to wage a constant battle against a problem which seems to be impossible to control. Education programmes and initiatives are beginning to have some effect but sewerage suffers from being a hidden problem - it’s never seen by the householder and they have no concept of the problems which plumbing mishaps can cause.

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“Currently, 27% of water bodies in England meet the standards necessary to support viable ecosystems. Many water body failures are due to urban and other non-agricultural diffuse pollution where we believe positive action is necessary to improve knowledge, encourage cooperation, perhaps refine regulations and plan investment. We believe cleaning-up our polluted urban rivers will deliver significant benefits by making our towns and cities more attractive, healthy places for people and wildlife and will contribute towards the Government’s growth and localism agenda.” (Source: DEFRA) The Environment Agency is keen to drive the education of consumers through working closely with the water companies and has instigated schemes such as the yellow fish scheme in Birmingham designed to educate consumers on the issues of disposing of waste down drains. Councils too have joined forces with the water companies to form dedicated teams to combat misconnections. Bristol City now has the Stream Clean Team who are tracing and rectifying cross connections throughout the city.

Water companies need to up their game on pollution, the Environment Agency has warned, after data showed they were responsible for 120 serious incidents in 2011, up from 65 the previous year.

Most polluting spills occurred in the sewer or water network, according to the agency's Sustainable Business Report published recently, with only 19 coming from permitted sites such as sewage treatment works. (Source: Utility Week Dec 2012) The physical work of tracing these connections comes down on the water companies shoulders and at no small cost. Current practices rely on teams going out and surveying hundreds of sewers and their outfalls and looking for signs of pollution.

Visual inspection forms probably 90% of the current survey methodology with very little sampling carried out except at outfalls into major watercourses.

On identification of a polluted storm

sewer, sometimes achieved by caging, the team trace the sewer back to try and reduce the number of potential inputs and conduct dye tracing of the properties discharging to that sewer. Whilst this is a system that works there are a huge number of variables which will lead to the potential cost of repeated visits.

Discharges tend to be cyclical so it is difficult to catch them in progress, access to properties for dye tracing is often very difficult as homeowners tend to be out during the working day, caging is not always effective and may lead to the assumption that the sewer is clean merely because there is an absence of rags. There is also no quantification involved- how bad is the polluting source? What is the likely environmental impact of it and what are the associated costs of tracing its source? Is there any historical data from the site to demonstrate whether it is a worsening or improving situation?

Misconnections are most certainly here to stay but there are tools to help the water companies in their battle against pollution.

Education, monitoring and control and ultimately enforcement used in the right way can resolve this.

The current emphasis in the water industry appears to revolve around sustainability and security but by not focusing on the basics we may be living with a ticking bomb that we can never control.

The government has established ConnectRight, a national advice service, for builders and homeowners with the aim of avoiding misconnections. â&#x2013;

+ For More Information www.connectright.org.uk ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |149|

What neutrons can show us about treating water Dr Gabriel Cuello

The Royal Society of Chemistry officially recognised the discovery of the neutron in 1932 and in those past 80 years who would have thought today that it would have had such a great impact on how we understand the environment and the world around us.

James Chadwick proposed the existence of these neutral particles that had the same mass as a hydrogen atom. Due to their lack of charge, neutrons are able to penetrate deeply into matter without affecting it, to reveal the structure and dynamics of materials at a similar atomic and molecular scale. Scientists from almost 50 countries across the world have brought their research for the past 40 years to the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most intense neutron source, at the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France.

With the green agenda pushing its way up the list of global issues, now is a good time to be developing research in the environmental sector. Water supplies and environmental pollution are key concerns in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society because according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) over 1 billion people globally lack access to safe drinking-water supplies. At the moment, it accounts for 14,000 deaths every day ("World Water Day: A Billion People Worldwide Lack Safe Drinking Water") and those affected can suffer from skin lesions and cancers. The contamination is brought about by chemical reactions that are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, or under a microscope. But through a process used at the ILL called neutron diffraction, a beam of neutrons is able to indicate the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material and illustrate the changes that may occur in a chemical reaction.

Mercury The world has suffered incidents with oil spills, dirty water supplies and contaminated water eco-systems. In the case of water treatment, neutron diffraction has been used by ILL scientists |150| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

to penetrate substances that have been polluted and illustrate what is occurring in the chemical reactions at a molecular level. Mercury is a real life example of a water contaminant.

An extremely hazardous pollutant, mercury is commonly used in chemical laboratories, hospitals, dental clinics and for producing light bulbs, batteries and explosives. It can be absorbed through direct contact with bare skin and even insufficiently protected skin, and exposure to its toxic compounds can cause severe poisoning. The situation is particularly prevalent in gold mining areas in French Guyana, where mercury is commonly used.

(Gold mining, French Guyana) Mercury gets into the water system when it is discharged into the rivers, and once in the ecosystem bacteria converts it to the even more toxic methyl-mercury. The water is taken up by the insects and plants, which are consumed by the fish and the humans who eat the fish. The concentration of mercury increases as it goes up the food chain. But with the help of neutrons, scientists have been able to compare how mercury bonds with water. The hydration of mercury is a crucial parameter in order to understand how it is able to penetrate living cells. By looking at the behaviour of water molecules around mercury salts such as Hg 2+, research has shown that the mercury penetrates cell membranes by mimicking the hydration of calcium (CA 2+). So, for the first time scientists have seen that when mercury enters the body the cell membranes mistake it for calcium. Cuello comments that: “Although the discoveries may appear to be small, the knowledge revealed thanks to neutron diffraction will go a long way towards developing improved water treatments.”

Clay swelling minerals In another example, neutrons have enabled scientists to investigate and understand how swelling clay materials are able to trap contaminants. Water molecules are

strongly attracted to clay mineral surfaces. By mixing clay with a small amount of water, environmental industries can use a type of mud that can be shaped and dried to form a relatively rigid solid. This property is used to produce homogeneous liners for containment of waste, where the clays are an important vehicle for transporting contaminants from one area to another.

Bentonite is one such type of clay that is a suitable buffer material for high level radioactive waste storage.

Neutrons have shown that there are instances when contaminating radio nuclide ions are hydrated with water molecules and then trapped by the Bentonite clay. This means that contaminating waste is absorbed in the clay layers and unable to pass through.

However this is not always the case, as there are other instances when contaminant ions are able to pass through and pollute the environment.

Cuello explained:”We already knew that clay could trap radioactive waste, but we didn’t really know how or why.

Before this experiment, the structure and dynamics of water molecules in between the spaces of swelling clay minerals wasn’t very well known. But now, neutron diffraction has shown us the significance of what happens within the clay layers and exactly under what conditions contaminant ions can be trapped.”

Cuello’s team found that the pollution was dependent on whether or not the ions were fully hydrated with water. If they weren’t fully hydrated, the ions were bound to the water molecules that were bound to the clay molecules and were therefore trapped. But if the ions were fully hydrated they were free to pass through the clay layers and pollute the surrounding area.

Magnetic Soaps One of the most ground-breaking pieces of research so far is the progress of scientists into the application of magnetic soaps and the possibility of developing cleaning products that can be removed after application. ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |151|

Currently polluted water is cleaned using other chemicals, such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that required nearly 2 million gallons of controversial oil dispersants in 2010. These oil dispersants are composed of two main ingredients.

First, solvents to reduce the surface tension of slicks and break the oil into droplets. The second ingredient, soap molecules coat the droplets and prevent them from clumping together again. But even these oil dispersant chemicals are known to harm the water’s ecosystem. Once added to the water, they will create an even more toxic cocktail of chemicals and can have devastating long term effects. A magnetic soap could solve this issue for the oil and chemicals industry, so that once placed into the water it can also be removed.

Scientists from the University of Bristol developed such soap and investigated the science behind its remarkable property at the ILL. They found that a soap composed of iron rich salts dissolved in water responds to a magnetic field when placed in a solution. It is the world’s first soap that is sensitive to a magnetic field. By dissolving iron in a range of inert surfactants, scientists were able to produce their magnetic soap composed of chloride and bromide |152| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

ions, very similar to those found in everyday mouthwash or fabric conditioner. It is the addition of the iron that creates metallic centres within the soap particles. Scientists at the ILL used a technique called ‘small angle neutron scattering‘(SANS) to confirm that it was this clumping of the iron-rich surfactant that brought about its magnetic properties.

Dr Isabelle Grillo, responsible for the Chemistry Laboratories at ILL: “The particles of surfactant in solution are small and thus difficult to see using light but are easily revealed

by SANS which we use to investigate the structure and behaviour of all types of materials of sizes ranging from nanometres to tenths of a micrometre.”

This year in 2012, as well as 80 years since the discovery of the neutron, the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) is celebrating 40 years of conducting research in neutron science. The centre has the most intense neutron beam in the world and the reactor housed at the ILL is used by 1200 researchers from more than 40 countries every year. Having provided such fundamental knowledge and understanding of the environment at such a molecular level, it is certain that neutrons will continue to play a vital role in major scientific research. ■

EU Water Blueprint

Sarah Bogaert

Europe’s waters are facing a number of interacting critical problems today, which are further likely to be exacerbated with a changing climate. Late November 2012, the European Commission launched the Communication of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources, which aims to tackle the obstacles hampering action to safeguard Europe's water resources. The Water Blueprint's time horizon is closely related to the EU's 2020 Strategy and, in particular, to the 2011 Resource Efficiency Roadmap, of which the Blueprint is the water milestone. ►

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The preparation of the Blueprint started with an extensive evaluation of the existing policy. One of the aims of EU water policy was to achieve good status of all EU water bodies by 2015. This deadline is approaching, however it is shown that good ecological status is likely to be achieved in only 52% of EU waters by 2015, with greatly varying results per Member State.

Starting from the analysis of the current pressures on water resources and their causes, ARCADIS together with a consortium of consultants has supported the European Commission in identifying policy initiatives that will be most appropriate to address these problems. As a support to the EC’s Impact Assessment study, the consortium assessed the socio-economic impacts of the identified actions and their environmental benefits.

The Blueprint outlines actions that concentrate on better implementation of current water legislation, integration of water policy objectives into sector policies (e.g. agricultural, industrial policy), and filling the gaps in particular as regards water quantity and efficiency.

ARCADIS finds four fields of action in the Blueprint: • Regulatory actions: new rules or better enforcement of existing rules • Voluntary measures, such as providing more guidance • Prioritizing use of existing EU funding towards better implementation of water policy

Many of the opportunities for innovative water solutions lie in developing countries or emerging economies.

• Linked to the previous point, a number of actions aim at conditionality of funding, meaning that funding is only given provided that the subsidised project leads to environmental benefits.

Steering innovation The Blueprint clearly indicates that preserving water is not only about environmental protection, health and well-being, but that economic growth and prosperity need to be ensured as well. For the EU to maximise its growth potential and to ensure that all economic sectors have the water available they need for creating growth and jobs, the Blueprint is supported by the European Innovation Partnership on Water (http:// ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/ index_en.htm). This initiative was launched in May 2012 and is aimed at both stimulating the development of innovative solutions to address water related challenges and facilitating European companies and organisations to fully exploit the commercial opportunities for these water related innovative solutions in markets both within and outside Europe. |154| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

The water sector can be considered as a risk adverse sector, not least because of the strong link with public health and safety. In addition, often there are high investments involved, especially with regard to water infrastructure. Innovations do occur in the water sector and other sectors dealing with water management, however the market is fragmented, with many small and medium enterprises often operating in a regional or national context, but not always able to seize cross-border opportunities. It is important that bottlenecks in the innovation value chain are removed, in this way decreasing the time to market innovations, creating more jobs and economic growth in eco-industries and to roll-out innovative solutions outside Europe. These developments in turn will steer research and technology development, new approaches to finance, ICT, governance, physical planning, educational, institutional, managerial or other disciplines and interaction between them. But before all this can be achieved, various enabling factors need to be addressed if market opportunities for innovative solutions want to be created, such as the identification of the barriers to innovation, public awareness and acceptance, and last but not least financing.

Many of the opportunities for innovative water solutions lie in developing countries or emerging economies. The EIP on Water can provide an integrating and co-ordination role across all priority areas to best exploit the international market. Links can be established to other innovation initiatives at the National and International level, including innovation hubs in the Far East and Australia that have a focus on particular issues and technologies.

The EIP on Water wants to facilitate knowledge sharing from these, identify gaps for innovation that Europeans can take a lead on and promote these developing innovations, making them visible and accessible to the international market and linking their commercialisation to European Funding and innovative financing.

Industrial water management Since the mid-1990s water abstraction by manufacturing industries has been falling despite continued expansion of industrial output, partly due to decline in water intensive heavy industries, but also due to efforts to reduce water costs and the introduction of more water efficient technology.

In recent years, industry has proven to be a catalyst of innovation in sustainable water management, which is recognised as a priority for several industry sectors and associations. Industrial water management has important potential for innovative solutions, primarily with regard to overall objectives of resource efficiency and to increase the efficient use of water in industrial processes, which is

strongly linked to energy as well. In this field, the European Innovation Partnership will focus on innovations in advanced cooling technology applied to water abstracted for energy production as well as use of alternative water sources for energy production.

While there have been improvements in the chemical quality of EU water bodies over the last 30 years, the Blueprint finds that the situation as regards the priority substances — which are the basis for assessing chemical status as introduced by the WFD — is below expectations. Diffuse and point-source pollution are still significant pressures on the water environment in, respectively, about 38% and 22% of EU water bodies. The European Innovation Partnership considers the prevention of pollution at source as a key area where innovative solutions can bring significant advantages, considering that demand for consumer goods is a fundamental driver of production and, therefore, of the potential release of hazardous substances to the environment. One approach to reduce such risks, is the wider implementation of “green chemistry” (developing new processes and technologies that maintain a product’s quality but reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances). Moreover, innovations are needed to improve the treatment and monitoring technologies for problematic and highly contaminated industrial waste.

addressing leakage. Other measures which should become a priority for financing under the Regional Development Funds are green infrastructure, or more specifically natural water retention measures which can greatly contribute to limiting the negative effects of floods and droughts. These measures include restoring floodplains and wetlands but also vegetation storing water in urban areas in periods of abundant — or excessive — precipitation.

aiming to reduce overall water footprint and reducing environmental impact, while saving on costs at the same time.

Urban water management Challenges in urban water management are increasing as a result of urbanisation and the effects of climate change.

Various users of water resources all have their specific demands with regard to quality and quantity. In parts of the world where household income increases, the proportion of households connected to public supply as well as the water use is also likely to increase..

The EU has invested and will invest significantly in water infrastructure. One of the highlights of the Blueprint is the problem of leakage from water distribution networks.

Although the situation is very different between and within Member States, as much as 7 to 50% (and in some cases 75%) of water abstracted by water service providers for public supply is lost through leakage from water distribution networks.

The European Commission recognises the lack of sufficient financial resources to maintain water distribution systems to the required level to address leakages. Therefore, the Commission has integrated the principle of prioritising 2014-2021 Structural and Cohesion funding towards

However, general regulations and strategic orientations of Regional Policy may be set out at EU level, but the responsibility of setting specific project priorities is at Member State level. Accordingly, the Blueprint rather aims to encourage Member States to identify leakage reduction as a priority in the Partnership Contracts that will need to be developed subsequently.

The key urban water management areas on which the European Innovation Partnership will focus, are the effective management of water resources (e.g. addressing leakage), sustainable urban drainage systems (climate-proofing of water infrastructure) and resource efficiency in water supply and sanitation (leading to co-benefits of reduced carbon emissions and energy costs).

ARCADIS is a global company of 23,000 professional staff providing consultancy, design, engineering and management services, and is the no.1 water consultant worldwide according to Engineering News Record (ENR) annual ranking in 2011 and 2012.

ARCADIS is serving many of its multinational industrial clients with the development of their global water programs, aiming to reduce overall water footprint and reducing environmental impact, while saving on costs at the same time. This involves oil & gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive and food industries. Main drivers are the support of growth, increased sustainability and compliance with regulations. But also support during mergers and acquisitions is an important driver, including assessment of sites on reliability and availability during adverse weather conditions and climate change. ■

+ For More Information s.bogaert@arcadisbelgium.be rene.hoeijmakers@arcadis.nl ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |155|

News

Conservation

Energy

Food, Agriculture & Packaging

Green Building

Labs & Testing

Land Management

Timber

Transport

Waste

Water

Miscellany Hong kong moves towards a greener future - Elizabeth Block

160 - 161

Product Guide

162 - 164

Consumer confidence is a key to a greener Britian – Cathryn Hickey

165 - 167

Large-Scale Mapping- Dr Seppe Cassettari

168 - 169

Remote-control boat speeds reservoir surveys

170 171 172 173 - 174

Case Studies

157 - 159

KNAUF MARMORIT REFORMS THE TOWER Accoya® Wood Helps Restore Historic Israeli Windmill to Former Glory REDWAVE - SEPARATION OF TRANSPARENT AND WHITE HDPE Famous Last Words - Polly Higgins

|156| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

ECO EXPO ASIA SHOW REVIEW Elizabeth Block

Hong Kong moves towards a greener future Most people would not think of Hong Kong as a centre of waste management but the fact is that the former colony’s pollution and landfill problems have finally been recognised and some efforts are being made to develop sustainable alternatives.

A new sludge treatment facility will feature a swimming pool and a spa!

Starting on 27th October 2012, the 7th annual Eco Expo Asia, properly known as the International Trade Fair for Environmental Protection, drew more than 270 exhibitors from around the world. The event was organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), with Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the world’s largest trade fair organiser, and the Environment Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) government.

The range of concerns was wide, covering nine thematic zones.

New zones this year included Air & Water Quality products and Eco-Excellence. Returning zones included: • the Business of IP • Eco-friendly Products • Energy Efficiency & Energy

To provide an idea of the interest in Hong Kong, here are the statistics: Exhibitor numbers: 271 Exhibiting countries and regions: 14 (Hong Kong, Belgium, Canada, Czech Rep, Chinese mainland, Germany, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan and the USA) Visitor numbers: 11,550, including: 6,783 locals, 4,767 overseas, with total number of visitors up more than 36% over the previous year Number of visiting countries and regions: 94 (top 10 overseas: Chinese mainland, Macau, the Philippines, Taiwan, the USA, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and Canada)

Number of buying mission: 48

• Green Building Solutions & Services • Green Transportation • Testing, Inspection & Certification • Waste Management & Recycling. ►

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |157|

Over the four days of the event, many HK and Chinese officials called for more rapid action to address environmental pollution, joined by a number of foreign academics and experts.

The Hon Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment, opened the show, calling for better air quality in HK, especially via “environmentally friendly vehicles”. He spoke of the potential for wind and solar energy. Quite significantly, Mr Wong stayed around for the public day on Sunday, an admirable effort to engage HK citizens.

Over the four days of the event, many HK and Chinese officials called for more rapid action to address environmental pollution.

Also notable, the HK Trade Development Council had a Building Fair running alongside Eco Expo Asia.

This fair included a good number of green building ideas.

Louis Chan, a past chairman of the Hong Kong Waste Management Association, was one of the speakers: “Food waste is growing in HK and now we are sending more than 13,000 tonnes per day to landfill,” he said. He pointed out that all of HK’s highly polluting incinerators were closed by 1997 and now, he said, the emphasis is on the 3 Rs: reduce, recycle and reuse.

Christine Loh, well known as a human rights activist in Hong Kong and now Deputy Environment Secretary, called for “a special relationship” with the environment.

Like several others, Chan called for immediate charging for MSW, citing Taiwan as a regional leader in waste management. He also called for public education on the issue.

From China Liu Zhiquan, Deputy Director General, Department of Science, Technology and Standards, Ministry of Environmental Protection, said: “We want to slow down environmental damage. We’re stepping up environmental protection and we want to stimulate market demand.”

Discussing China and HK, he acknowledged that environmental protection is still in an “infant stage”, but said that progress had been made under China’s 12th five year plan.

“We have promulgated plans for water quality and environmental protection, including heavy metal pollution.” He said enforcement of sewage treatment and other pollutants was rigorous in some areas, but not in others.

“We now have the fastest growing environmental market in the world.

Industry and household pollution are priority areas for us.”

In regard to renewable energy, there is a real barrier: the local electricity generators don’t like renewables – and generally will not accept them. “The government should change this,” Chan said.

Professor Jonathan Wong, Director, Sino-Forest Applied Research Centre for Pearl River Delta Environment, HK Baptist University, complained that too much food is thrown away and that HK’s two remaining landfills will be full by 2018. He advocates AD as a method of dealing with food waste and called for mandatory policy on waste.

Among the international speakers, Greg Jeffers, Director, Green Buildings Solutions Center, Schneider Electric (China), said: “Green buildings do not have to cost more. Not if we have an integrated design approach.”

He mentioned several obstacles to “intelligent green buildings” including the perceived high investment in green buildings, traditional procurement methods, the lack of targets, and the certification process. “In energy terms, the certification process alone does not deliver superior building performance,” he said.

He called for a single IP network for HVAC, lighting, power, lifts and EMS. As a “net zero” building, he cited his company’s Horizon building in Carros, France: http:// www2.schneider-electric.com/corporate/en/group/events/institutional-news/ viewer-news.page?c_filepath=/templatedata/Content/News/data/en/local/ corporate/institutionnal/2011/12/20111207_schneider_electric_won_the_ grand_prix_simi_2011_for_its_new_building_h.xml ►

On the topic of green transport, Professor CC Chan, known as the “Father of Asian EVs”, was the founding president of the World EV Association and an unrivalled advocate of electric cars.

“We must open minds,” he said. He called for EVs to be integrated into the smart grid and said: “Smart charging requires integration of energy and information online to avoid peak periods.” He predicted that EVs could reach 15-20% of vehicles in China, which he said is the largest market.

He also called for a “new type” of liquid fuels and said he’s consulting on biofuels.

Exhibition stands – Grani Queen comes to HK The 271 stands covered every eco technology, but waste management and recycling were predominant. For example, SKK in Japan showed off Grani Queen, a highly decorative line of natural stone-like wall finishes, said to be energy savings. An Austrian company, Rubble Master, has an HK distributor, Earth Products, for its powerful machine that pulverises building waste, a huge contributor to landfill in HK. For recycling, a glass imploding machine from Krysteline in Britain is being distributed by Powerz Enterprises in HK. Franklin Zee, the General Manager, showed the “sharp free” cullet that comes out of the machine. Given the huge number of bars and restaurants in HK, one could expect that this machine will help recycle many bottles.

On the biodiesel front, ASB Biodiesel claims to be the first cooking oil enterprise in HK, though it already has projects in Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and other countries. The company is funded by a Bahrain group, Al-Salam Bahrain, and the newly arrived CTO, Roberto Vasquez, from Spain, explained that in HK and China, biodiesel companies must pay for used cooking oil. This of course adds to his costs.

biodiesel requirement for operation of buses and lorries, HK’s main diesel users. “There’s no mandate yet,” he said, though it is under discussion.

Nevertheless, his company has a US $160m plant under construction in HK. “Until this plant is completed, we are selling our waste oils in Europe,” he said. The plant is expected to open in September 2013.

In fact, the HK government has made some positive steps. For example, it is supporting Veronica Cheung, director of Fullyace Ltd, in her quest to recycle food waste and green waste, including waste wood. She has imported a decomposting machine from Belgian company Biotec and has arranged a leasing scheme with the HK government. Some local companies have bought the machine and compost is distributed free to local garden enterprises and housing associations.

Perhaps the most ambitious project of all is Veolia’s sludge treatment plant, with Arup named as principal designer.

This will be the world’s largest and will incorporate a swimming pool and a spa, in an obvious effort to improve the image of sludge treatment plants.

The plant is slated to open in 2013.

To sum up, the 7th annual Eco Expo Asia struck a highly optimistic note in a difficult market. With so many people gathering to show their eco-wares and prominent speakers calling for government support and new regulation, we may well see some progress on environmental protection in the near term. ■

More important, his task of selling biodiesel is difficult because, unlike in the EU, HK has not yet set a minimum ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |159|

Product Guide NEW WiFi Temperature Monitoring Sensors With audible alarm indicators and WiFi capabilities, the EL-WiFi range of sensors are the ideal ultra compact temperature and humidity monitoring devices. These accurate and versatile sensors will automatically transmit air temperature and humidity data without disturbing the environment in which they are placed. Temperature data is then wirelessly streamed live to your PC. No need for cables.

The free software enables the user to customise high and low alarms plus data transmission times. An audible alarm warning will indicate as soon as temperatures reach above or below the selected settings. The received data can be immediately displayed in graph format or transferred into other applications.The tough outer case is protected against dust and liquid ingress to IP55 standards and contains a re-chargeable battery. All our WiFi sensors in the range are supplied with a wall bracket, self adhesive bracket fixing, USB cable, screen protector, free temperature probe (if applicable) and a quick start guide. www.corintech.com 01425 655655

Rotork actuators on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers Hundreds of Rotork electric actuators are being installed on the Royal Navy’s giant new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, both of which will be 920ft long and weigh in at 65,000 tonnes full displacement. Each ship will be home to more than 1200 Rotork actuators, mostly operating ball and butterfly valves on duties encompassing sea water, fresh water, chilled water, fuel and fire-fighting systems.

The low maintenance demands of electric actuation made an important contribution to the contract award decision, as did Rotork’s ability to satisfy all the specified requirements with commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) products. Rotork’s ability included the provision of Profibus two-wire digital network connectivity, combined with proprietary non-intrusive configuration and data transfer technologies and the availability of sophisticated valve diagnostic information, facilitated by integral actuator data loggers.

Portable hydrogen detector protects safety of welding process A nuclear power station in Washington, USA, recently purchased a portable hydrogen analyser from H2scan for the detection of hydrogen during a cask storage welding process. The analyser is able to provide immediate indication of any hydrogen leak and as such represents a vital component of the plant’s safety strategy. The analyser, a HY-ALERTA™ 500 is highly sensitive to hydrogen and provides an almost instantaneous warning of any hydrogen leak with a unique visual LED array on the sensor probe. Readings are taken every 10 minutes for the duration of the lid to shell welding process, which typically takes 14 hours.

With two sensing elements on the same semiconductor die, the HY-ALERTA™ 500 can detect hydrogen leaks as low as 15ppm and will not saturate or be destroyed when detecting high concentrations of hydrogen up to 100%. The solid-state sensor does not incorporate any consumables or moving parts and provides a 10 year expected lifespan. |160| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Instantaneous imaging, without the need for a computer Olympus has released a new standalone controller for the 5 megapixel DP26 camera. Using the controller, it is possible to view samples and capture images directly on a monitor screen with no need for a dedicated computer. This means the system can be used to capture images in mere seconds, rather than having to start a PC. Small and lightweight, the unit can be easily transferred between laboratories, takes up very little bench space and provides intuitive control of the DP26 camera’s functions. Images can be saved to a USB memory stick via the inbuilt USB port or to a networked drive via Ethernet connection, and can be viewed using the on-screen menu. This expands the benefits of the DP26 to make it ideal for intensive or rapid sample browsing, collaborative workflows and prolonged use, especially where there is little space, need or time for running a computer system. For more information, please visit: www.microscopy.olympus.eu

NEW LED DISPLAY LIGHTING HAS TOP END SPEC Luxonic has just launched a full range of advanced LED versions of its established Alterlite display luminaires for fashion and food display lighting.

Incorporating state-of-the-art LED modules, there are six luminaires in the range with light outputs from 1000 to 4500 lumens and a choice of beam angle optics from 10° to 60°. The 10° optic provides no less than 30,000 candelas for enhanced accent lighting to draw attention and create differentiation.

Further information on the full range of LED luminaires is available from Luxonic Lighting on 01256 363090, by emailing info@luxonic. co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.luxonic.co.uk

New Generation air-to-water heat pumps Space Air, official Daikin distributors for the UK since 1980, is pleased to launch the new generation of Daikin Altherma low temperature (up to 55°C – without back up support), split air-to-water heat pump systems. The newly improved range of domestic heat pumps manufactured by the innovative renewable energy experts Daikin Europe, will provide the highest levels of comfort and energy efficiency, up to 500+% (5.04 COP) efficient, even in severe weather conditions. The new range builds on the already renowned existing technology and includes a new smaller 4kW heat pump unit designed and optimised specifically for low energy homes, which have lower heating requirements than normally insulated homes. The systems up to 16kW are suitable for both newbuild and refurbishment. This highly reliable system maintains the perfect indoor temperature and provides the necessary hot water requirements throughout the year, with hardly any need for additional back-up heater. When used in conjunction with under-floor heating or with Daikin’s own individually controlled, heat pump convector units (or combined), the Daikin Altherma heat pump can be used for both heating and cooling the home too. The split systems consist of an integrated indoor unit, an all-in-one packaged floor-standing heat pump unit including a 180 or 260L domestic hot water storage cylinder - which takes up very little space (w60 x h170 x d74cm) or alternatively when a connection to a thermal solar system is needed, a wall-hung indoor unit can be offered. The connecting outdoor unit has frost protection features designed to avoid freezing and ice build-up in severe winter conditions, so it’s guaranteed to perform even when the outside temperature is down to -25°C. www.spacealtherma.co.uk ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |161|

Consumer confidence is key to a

greener Britain

The building services engineering (BSE) sector has a key role to play in reducing the UK’s carbon footprint.

Responsible for how we heat and light our buildings, anyone involved in related industries should have made, or be making, a move into delivering renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, while encouraging customers to take a ‘fabric first’ approach to energy efficiency – an approach set to be promoted by the Green Deal.

Cathryn Hickey, executive director for the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies, explains why creating consumer confidence is imperative to the long-term success of Britain’s move to a low carbon future, plus the possible new opportunities presented by the Green Deal. |162| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Building services engineers can’t ignore the move away from fossil fuels and energy wastage to renewable and sustainable ways of heating and lighting Britain’s properties. This makes the BSE sector an exciting one to be in, but comes with it a huge amount of responsibility – the long-term success of environmental technologies is dependent on consumers having a good experience, dealing with reputable businesses which provide them with advice and confidence in their products and services.

The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies was launched to help create this reputable and knowledgeable workforce, giving consumers peace of mind and BSE companies a place to seek leading industry training that meets current and future legislation.

Approved by government, the Skills Academy started with renewables in response to Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) - and has now extended its reach to the Green Deal, a scheme set to cut energy wastage on a grand scale.

Green Deal opportunities Installers: Covering insulation, low energy lighting, double-glazing and even high-efficiency boilers, the Green Deal presents opportunities for installers across a range of building and construction related industries and for the Skills Academy inclusion of the wide range of measures that have an impact on energy effiency. Increasingly, businesses are diversifying to offer a total approach to how buildings operate - this has been spurred on by renewables which often require more than one skill-set – just being a ‘plumber’, for example, may not be a sustainable business choice in the future.

Installation companies wishing to become certificated under the Green Deal must comply with the PAS (Publically Available Specification) 2030:2012 - Improving the Energy Efficiency of Existing Buildings and the Green Deal Code of Practice.

The first step will be to contact one of the Green Deal certification bodies who will assess against Green Deal standards. Businesses will then be

assessed and inspected periodically once they have been approved.

Gas Safe Registration and MCS go some way to meeting some of the measures within PAS 2030:2012, good news for many businesses already operating in the building services engineering sector.

Advisors: Green Deal Advisors (GDAs) are needed for both the domestic and commercial sectors.

They will undertake assessments on properties and produce a Green Deal Advice Report, detailing actions that can be taken to reduce energy usage, as well as measures that can be installed under the Green Deal scheme.

Demand for such roles is expected to be high, as no property owner can access the benefits of the Green Deal without a Green Deal Advice Report, which only a certified GDA can issue.

If you are a member of an Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) accreditation scheme for Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) or Non-Domestic Energy Assessors (NDEAs), then becoming a Green Deal Advisor will complement your existing skill-set.

Anyone delivering services under the Green Deal must meet its Code of Practice, allowing them to display the Green Deal Quality Mark. Green Deal Installers, Advisors and Providers are required to pass a 'fitness test' before they can be registered as being a participant in the Green Deal. Once registered, the Code of Practice is designed to ensure that all Green Deal participants operate fairly, transparently and effectively so that consumers can be confident that they are taking part in a properly regulated scheme that will provide them with real benefits. More information about the Green Deal Code of Practice can be found here: http://www.greendealorb.co.uk/.

With a ‘fabric first’ approach presenting the best way to lowering a building’s carbon footprint, energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation, must be implemented

Anyone delivering services under the Green Deal must meet its Code of Practice, allowing them to display the Green Deal Quality Mark. to bring buildings up to a certain energy rating before renewables are installed. When it comes to the Green Deal what’s key is that any work carried out meets the ‘Golden Rule’ i.e. the expected financial savings must be equal to or greater than the costs of the improvements, which are attached to the energy bill.

Routes to being competent Green Deal Installer/Advisor Up-skilling and paying for new courses is an investment in both time and money. The Skills Academy recognises that its customers may already have knowledge and experience relating to renewable technologies or Green Deal measures so provides a number of routes, depending on a candidate’s background.

For renewable technologies, including solar thermal, solar photovoltaics and heat pumps and other Green Deal Installer energy efficiency measures, there are three routes to gaining relevant qualifications: • Assessment only: If you already have a good level of existing knowledge and skills in the installation measures then just the assessment may be needed to test and confirm competence levels.

• Top-up and assessment: If there are gaps in related knowledge then you may only require top-up training, tailored to your specific requirements, before the assessment can be completed.

• Full training programme: If you’re new to the technologies (but have a relevant background in the built environment) then full training programmes including assessment are available.

Existing domestic energy assessors wishing to become Green Deal Advisors can take a top-up course, including training. Those new to the sector, will need to take the full course. Green Deal assessment for commercial applications specifically needs Non-Domestic Energy Assessment to level 4 – this includes practical experience of property surveying.

Part of the assessment process involves candidates submitting a portfolio to the awarding body responsible for their training. This must include samples of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Green Deal Advice Reports. Training with the National Skills Academy means that full support is offered throughout the course, as well as ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |163|

►

guidance in gaining Green Deal Advisor certification and certification body registration.

Creating consumer confidence The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) and Green Deal Code of Practice go some way to instil consumer confidence – if your business has achieved these make sure potential and existing customers are aware to distinguish your company from rogue traders.

Training through the Skills Academy should also be seen as a badge of quality.

We’ve introduced a new register which consumers can use to find qualified individuals and businesses which have met Green Deal and MCS competence requirements.

Anyone who has trained through the Skills Academy is eligible to signup and therefore be found by local

|164| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

customers. In joining the register, businesses will also have access to marketing material, such as a special ‘Trained Installer’ National Skills Academy logo to use on vans, work wear and business cards.

Consumer confidence is also about ensuring everyone in your company can provide basic levels of advice on the products and services you’re offering – from the technical team through to customer services. The Skills Academy offers an environmental awareness qualification to provide this background information as well as a series of guides, which support related qualifications and provide reference material so knowledge is kept up to date.

Building services engineering is in the lucky (and unusual) position of being a potential boom industry, whilst also feeling good about

itself in terms of its assistance in preventing the continued onset of climate change. Consumers need to have confidence in alternatives to fossil fuels and, to ensure continued custom, businesses have a responsibility to create this confidence. Training is key, as well as an ongoing commitment to keeping knowledge up-to-date and providing end-users with advice and support.

The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies delivers Green Deal and renewable technology courses from more than 120 centres in England, Scotland and Wales, providing a convenient training location for businesses, nationwide. ■

+ For More Information www.nsaet.org.uk

Large-Scale Mapping Europe is mired in an extended period of economic stagnation, if not decline. Whatever the whyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and whereforeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of the politics, whatever position you take on the EU and the Euro, one thing is for certain, Europe needs to stimulate growth and reenergise its economic activity.

Talk to ten economists and you will get different answers about how best this should be done. Governments are struggling with recession, debt and the emergence of the BRIC countries. Western consumers are spending less and government incomes are in decline. The medicine of cutting spending to reduce the debt burden is a long slow road to recovery, even if you believe it is the right approach.

One option is to encourage investment in infrastructure as a prelude to stimulating growth.

New transport links, rail and road upgrades, new power generation facilities or development of the next generation telecom networks. The hope is that by investing it stimulates short term employment and provides a platform for future growth, with the emphasis on new manufacturing centres and high technology startups.

At the same time the UK has a growing population, a shortage of residential properties at affordable prices, the need for regeneration of its urban centres and a redefinition of the role played by rural communities within our society.

These are issues much debated in the media with well rehearsed arguments on both sides but to achieve any form of growth it is clear there needs to be some basic levels of government intervention and stimulus.

It is arguable that one of the basic infrastructures required for growth is large scale mapping, which forms the reference for collecting high quality information that allows appropriate planning and development. Without high quality mapping, which is well maintained and easily accessible, planning the future will be much more difficult - decisions will be based less on evidence and more on who shouts the loudest and latest.

Dr Seppe Cassettari, CEO, The GeoInformation Group

The UK has a growing population, a shortage of residential properties at affordable prices, the need for regeneration of its urban centres and a redefinition of the role played by rural communities within our society.

But the pressure on governments worldwide means that the cost of maintaining and improving their national mapping databases must be under threat. Those countries with good national mapping databases will be tempted to cut corners on quality and maintenance, and those without the basic mapping will find it increasingly difficult to make the initial investment.

That leaves national mapping agencies in a difficult position. They are shrinking to accommodate smaller budgets and therefore can do less. Some accept this position and simply shrink while others look for new models by which to generate the necessary funds to continue their mapping programmes.

Some opt for a form of pseudo commercialisation, licensing their data to their end user, both in government or the private sector.

Those well along this route already charge very high rates, capitalising on a near monopolistic position, to squeeze revenue from a growing community of potential users.

Others look for forms of commercial partnership, some with local innovators and value-added publishers, while others might be tempted to throw their lot in with the emerging global mapping organisations. Early links to those ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |165|

â&#x2013;ş

London Clutter Map Š The GeoInformation Group 2012

companies that generate in-car navigation systems or on-line mapbased web solutions have generated some short term gains, but little in terms of help to develop the most important asset â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the national large scale database.

New technology for creating the mapping databases means data collection costs are still falling and the number of potential users, especially for the most detailed level of national mapping, is still growing. While the demand grows those national mapping agencies that have already built their national databases are in a good position to exploit a growth opportunity. Those that have not progressed as far along the national mapping route are in danger of being left behind.

There is a growing market place for mapping. Better developed economies with a more open approach to national information can see how the market is expanding and that the potential demand will increase, even if it is currently stagnating. Those with a more secretive approach to mapping are finding that remote sensing sources may rapidly make their own mapping agenciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; efforts superfluous as they are able to collect what they want without the need for large teams of in-country surveyors. |166| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

All this suggests that the time is ripe for the emergence of a new wave of commercial mapping organisations who take on the role of large scale map creation at the national or regional level, exploiting the new data capture technologies and having a more open approach to licensing and customisation, and a much more competitive approach to pricing.

The GeoInformation Group would like to claim a global first with its UKMap programme which, at a nominal scale of 1:1,000, is a direct competitor to the Ordnance Survey and one which the OS clearly take seriously. But it is not the mapping per se that is important but the rich attribution which is tagged to each polygon, including land use, points of interest, address data and building height information.

The importance of the UKMap specification is its flexibility to accommodate developments as the technology evolves, such as 3D attribution for creating 3D urban land use models. Being able to move nimbly and effectively is a pre-requisite of most technology companies where innovation is the main creed, and it is a key advantage that they have over the more moribund of the national mapping agencies.

UKMap Large Scale Map © The GeoInformation Group 2012

The UK market place may be considered particularly open to this type of development but commercial partners in other countries are already considering how the UKMap data may be adopted for their own circumstances, including initial planning for a database of Paris and parts of Benelux.

This type of venture may of course fall foul of the move to more openness, with more and more information being made freely available or being collected by the ubiquitous ‘crowd’.

The problem as we all know is that free often means ‘dumbing down’.

Quality and consistency generally come at a price. No one wants to maintain an existing dataset when it is far more interesting to be out there creating something new.

Another development is the creation of national datasets by commercial companies that contain projectspecific information, collected and tailored to specific requirements. Our own telecoms clutter database used by most of the main mobile operators is a case in point. The residential buildings classification, which gives detail of age and type for millions of properties throughout the UK is another example.

The reason for mentioning these is that they provide information at a national level that stand on their own as valuable information sources but can also be merged with other

datasets, including those from the national mapping agencies. Their strength in this GIS driven age is that the composite of the various attributes leads to better information sources for all sorts of planning.

The integration of multiple map layers with address or postcode information is very powerful; it is after all the raison d’être of GIS. Experience in data modelling, integration techniques and project-customisation, together with cost-effective delivery mechanisms and business models based on payas-you-use principles, is becoming the watch word for this new wave of commercial data providers.

So what is the future? Crystal ball gazing is a fruitless task and even beyond the next year the road is pretty foggy. In some countries I suspect national mapping agencies will morph into truly commercial entities, loosing their government financial support even if that government remains a very significant client.

Others will partner with commercial organisations to gain the benefits of commercialisation. This will be done without the loss of governmental control of what many still regard a prized national asset of huge value and of great sensitivity. Some may just disappear as commercial companies, being far more creative and effective, roll on by in this new information age. ■ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |167|

C A S E

S T U D I E S

Remote-control boat speeds reservoir surveys As the regulatory requirement to assess reservoirs and lakes expands to include smaller bodies of water, HR Wallingford has developed a remote control boat which is able to collect hydrometric data quickly, simply, safely and accurately.

The ARC-Boat employs a sophisticated SonTek (a Xylem company) M9 Acoustic Doppler Profiler (ADP®) which is a 5-beam depth sounding device that scans the reservoir bed as the boat is guided across the water’s surface. Recorded data are analysed by SonTek Hydrosurveyor software to produce accurate depth measurement in addition to 3-D maps of the entire water body. With a small amount of postprocessing in GIS or 3D CAD, an accurate water volume can be determined.

Craig Goff, a reservoir Supervising Panel Engineer and dam specialist at HR Wallingford, has used the ARC-Boat in a trial project to assess five reservoirs and says “This new method offers tremendous advantages over traditional manned boat techniques because it is faster, safer, more environmentally friendly and involves fewer staff and resources. All of this combines to mean that it saves a great deal of time and money. This is particularly important because the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 will necessitate the volumetric assessment of many water bodies that have previously been below the threshold and therefore outside of the ambit of the Reservoirs Act 1975.”

Reservoir regulations As a result of residential and industrial development in recent decades, the levels of risk associated with many UK reservoirs have changed, and the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 has amended the Reservoirs Act 1975 to bring a more riskbased approach to reservoir regulation. The 2010 Act seeks to achieve this by: |168| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

1. reducing the capacity at which a reservoir will be regulated from 25,000m³ to 10,000m³ 2. requiring all Undertakers with reservoirs over 10,000m³ to register their reservoirs with the Environment Agency 3. ensuring that only those reservoirs assessed as high risk are subject to full regulation The reservoir sections of the 2010 Act are dependent upon the development of secondary legislation which is likely to specify the reservoir capacity above which water bodies will be regulated.

However, irrespective of the content of this secondary legislation, the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 has clearly generated an urgent need for reservoir assessment and the application of the ARCBoat for reservoir bathymetry is therefore propitious.

water column velocity (currents) profiling, full compensation for speed of sound (with the CastAway-CTD), and integrated positioning solution.

Trial Results

Technology The ARC-Boat has been designed with a V-shaped hull to give optimal manoeuvrability and minimal air entrainment beneath the ADP, ensuring high quality data collection.

The robust and reliable design, including grab handles fitted to the upper deck, mean that the boat can be launched from the most difficult locations and a unique detachable bow means that the ARC-Boat can easily be transported in an average sized car.

The SonTek M9 is a 9 beam acoustic Doppler profiler, using 5 beams at any one moment for depth measurements from a wide footprint on the water bed. This means that the time spent ‘driving’ the boat is minimised in comparison with single beam instruments. Importantly, the M9 is able to operate in depths ranging from 15cm to over 40m.

The boat employs industry standard remote control with a minimum range in excess of 200m and Bluetooth communications provide data transmission to an onshore laptop.

Data Management HydroSurveyor™ is a system designed to collect bathymetric, water column velocity profile, and acoustic bottom tracking data as part of a hydrographic survey. The two key components of the system are the HydroSurveyor™ Acoustic Doppler Profiler (ADP®) platform, and the powerful, yet userfriendly, data collection software.

With the HydroSurveyor™ platform, SonTek is able to offer an exclusive 5-beam depth sounding device, with built-in navigation, full

Craig Goff is extremely pleased with the results of the initial trials on five reservoirs in southern England. He says: “The M9 performed very well, running from 8am to 4.30pm each day on a single set of batteries.

We were able to conduct the surveys much faster than has ever been possible before, without the health and safety risks of putting staff over water and the environmental risks of diesel powered larger survey boats.

Most importantly, however, we were able to produce high quality accurate data for a modest price and our client was very pleased with the results.”

Applications for the ARC-Boat In addition to the smaller reservoirs that will have to be surveyed, larger reservoirs will be able to take advantage of the new technology to assist in operations such as the creation of sedimentation models. These models inform strategies to prevent capacity depletion and to extend the lives of reservoirs through flushing, excavation, dredging etc.

Similarly, ARC-Boat surveys can be employed around submerged hydropower or draw off pipe intakes to assess sedimentation levels – a vitally important role because sediment can seriously damage turbines, or influence operation of scour pipes or water supply draw off pipes from reservoirs.

Summary As a result of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the owners of small reservoirs will need to prove whether their water bodies are affected by the amended Reservoirs Act 1975, by determining an accurate volume figure for their reservoirs.

Typically, this will include landowners, farmers and organisations such as the National Trust. However, the development of the ARC-Boat with the M9 and the latest HydroSuveyor™ software mean that such work is now faster, safer and significantly lower cost. This is good news for the owners of smaller reservoirs for whom any survey cost is a new cost.

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KNAUF MARMORIT REFORMS THE TOWER

Knauf Marmorit, leaders in render and façade systems has totally reformed the look of The Tower, Salcombe in Devon.

Le Page Architects was appointed to remodel and renovate the historic fabric of the Grade II listed house. The former lookout tower and dwelling marks the gateway to the Salcombe Conservation area, and has spectacular views across the Kingsbridge estuary. The design proposed an extensive refurbishment, harmonising the existing structure to provide a foil and backdrop to the historical element.

Richard Brown Plastering Contractors was specified for the application of Knauf Marmorit’s products. Richard Brown of the firm, commented, “Knauf Marmorit’s products are great. I’ve used them for many years and will continue to do so, no other products have managed to exceed my expectations like Marmorit has.”

Used as an adhesive for Knauf Marmorit’s Warm Wall Basis system, Knauf Marmorit’s SM700 PRO was specified for the prestigious project, a multipurpose render for concrete, brickwork, existing render and approved carrier boards. This genuine multi-functional render can be used in a large range of applications. Developed with special textile |170| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

fibres, the render combines high adhesion and strength with the ability to repair existing cracked surfaces.

Basis, which is part of the Warm Wall range, is an economic solution that significantly reduces energy costs and heat loss through the external façade, in a cost-effective way.

Knauf Marmorit’s Warm Wall Basis systems are supplied in square edge expanded polystyrene and can be supplied in a variety of thickness and thermal performances.

SM700 PRO is a genuine multi-functional render that can be used in a large range of applications.

Knauf Marmorit are members of INCA, the Insulated Render and Cladding Association.

+ For More Information www.marmorit.co.uk sales@marmorit.co.uk

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Accoya® Wood Helps Restore Historic Israeli Windmill to Former Glory

Jerusalem’s iconic Montefiore Mill has been restored to full working order with the help of world-leading Accoya® modified wood.

The 19th century mill, which was the first work-place for Jews outside of the Old City of Jerusalem, had stood still for almost 100 years before its recent restoration by Bouw en Molenbouw Bertus Dijkstra joinery/ contractor in the Netherlands to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

using a proprietary non-toxic process called acetylation. Providing the same high-quality and aesthetic qualities of tropical hardwoods, it also boasts excellent environmental credentials using wood sourced from FSC certified sustainable forests and is C2C Gold accredited – while being 100% non-toxic.

Accoya was used in restoration of the iconic landmark - both in the main body of the mill, as well as in the reconstruction of the sails.

The mill will now serve as a museum and educational tourism site dedicated to the achievements of Montefiore.

The contractor/joinery company Bouw en Molenbouw Bertus Dijkstra said: “Accoya matches, and often exceeds, the properties of the tropical hardwoods. With a 50 year guarantee and superior UV resistance, Accoya serves as the perfect material to restore Montefiore Mill, which will stand as an iconic landmark in Jerusalem for years to come.”

Manufactured by Accsys Technologies, Accoya is one of the most advanced and sustainable wood products on the market today and is created using an advanced modification technology, which delivers outstanding levels of performance including stability and durability. It is created by

The Montefiore Mill was reopened by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year. Moses Montefiore, who devoted his life to promoting industry education and health in the Holy Land, originally designed the structure in Mishkenot Sha’ananim as a flour mill.

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REDWAVE - SEPARATION OF TRANSPARENT AND WHITE HDPE REDWAVE - sensor based sorting machines optimise the separation of recyclable plastic materials: Upon customer request the separation of transparent and white HDPE bottles has been realized for the first time in a sorting plant. It is a challenging task as hardly any difference can be detected in the colour spectrum between transparent and white bottles.

In spite of these challenging conditions, this type of sorting was successfully implemented with the REDWAVE sorting machines.

Customer: Hanbury Plastic Recycling Ltd. (UK) creates high quality plastic feedstock materials by sorting co-mingled commercial, industrial and post-consumer waste into separated polymer streams of high purity.

Situation: HPR Ltd. Process 40,000 tonnes/year of mixed kerbside collected plastic material.

The sorting system is designed to remove all fibre and film material, ferrous, non-ferrous and various plastics.

Solution:

The remaining material flow passes under two optical sorting units to select various plastic materials. From here the final plastic material flow is fed to a 3 way REDWAVE optical sorter, which removes natural or colour HDPE on the first ejection, natural or colour PET on the second ejection and all remaining material will pass via the third ejection to a conveyor feeding an existing REDWAVE unit to remove all plastics – leaving as a residue fibre and black plastics.

This process is already performed to the utmost satisfaction of the customer in England, HPR, Hanbury Plastic Recycling.

Mr. Rick Devine, Managing Director von HPR: „We are delighted with it!”

The system operates at approximately 5 to 6 tonnes / hour. HPR were looking for a solution to sort efficiently natural and colour HDPE along with natural and colour PET before final storage and baling.

Plastic bales are fed into a bale breaker and then onto a ballistic separator. Fines from the ballistic separator are collected and the overs are then passed under a magnet to remove all ferrous materials then over an eddy current separator to eject all nonferrous material. |172| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

+ For More Information www.redwave.at

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Polly Higgins Business is ripe for a new set of rules; law that sets a level playing field, law that creates jobs and law that prioritizes sustainable development. Profit and growth that is green; long-term investment signals and surety of government support without the threat of loss of policy when a new government steps in. Well-being of the Earth comes first.

Imagine a law that could do all of this and more.

Such is the power of law that the key can empower the new whilst enabling the old to re-invent it’s wheels. Such a law already exists , all it needs is for 81 Heads of State to agree and new rules will apply right across the world. Allow me to explain.

One law, called Ecocide, holds the key. First and foremost it prohibits mass damage and destruction. Secondly it creates a legal duty of care upon governments and business to ensure that destructive development is replaced by ecobusiness; sustainability becomes a mandatory requirement.

Thirdly investment shall by law be moved into medium and low-risk category investments - high-risk projects that cause adverse impacts will become illegal to fund. At the end of the day, this is a law that facilitates the flow of money into green business - eg, research that can take many years to get off the ground no longer gets shelved. Say the wind turbine industry is hampered by lack of funds to develop the next generation, suddenly, due to it’s low-risk profile, it shall be given the green-light. Instead of business that previously raised it’s finance on the back of high-profit per se, the number 1 test shall be ‘does this stimulate ecological well-being?’ The more likely a given business can be a player within the new rules, the more likely that investment will flow. Large businesses that are prepared to fulfill their environmental duties will find that business can grow fast - which means more jobs and more stable economies. Medium-sized industries that are already players in this field shall discover they can scale-up, creating more jobs and small businesses with big ideas shall have the backing they need. All because of one law - a law that prohibits widespread, long-term and severe damage. ► ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE |173|

Yes, the impact for some will be a challenge: but what is business without a challenge and the leaders of tomorrow can step up to the role even before the law is in place. Keeping an eye to what is fast arriving gives first mover advantage.

Those who leave facing the new for another time, or until the law is put in place, may find it more difficult to transition than those who have been preparing and aligning their businesses accordingly. Such is the power of future visioning; look ahead and you will discover that a world of new opportunities already exists, all they need is a key.

We did it before: we abolished slavery, we criminalized genocide and we brought an end to apartheid. Now it is time to end ecocide. 8 million acres of pristine Ecuadorian rainforest is threatened by bids to convert it all into a oil wasteland.

This is an example of destructive development; change the law at international level and transnational corporations will have the leverage to become clean and green.

So, ask yourself this question: what is your legacy?

At the moment we are trapped in a hermetically sealed cycle of damage and destruction. Ecocide law is a much needed intervention. Now we can draw a line in the sand and say “no more”. Ecocide is a law that does just that.

Ecocide law fundamentally shifts our understanding of what is acceptable, and what is not, by setting a standard that says ‘first do no harm'. Ask yourself this: What provisions are there in place to protect humanity from mass damage and destruction or loss of ecosystems? At the moment, the law of Ecocide has not yet been passed and destruction of our Earth continues to be the greatest challenge we face.

Like the crimes of grievous bodily harm, there is no exact parameter for what is an ecocide, but rather a set of guidance has been laid out so that an ecocide can be identified in various circumstances. It’s not about doing a little less; it’s about stopping the destruction at source by creating global governance at the very top level.

In March 2010, I submitted to the UN Law Commission a fully written proposal giving legal definition to the word Ecocide.

Ecocide is the “extensive damage, destruction to or loss of ecosystems of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished”.

There are 2 types of Ecocide. The first is man-made or ascertainable ecocide. This is ecocide caused by human agency. Here, an individual responsible for the activity which has resulted in ecocide can be identified . Usually this is ecocide which has arisen through the decisions made at board level.

The second type of ecocide is caused by ‘other causes’.

These are catastrophic events; what is referred to in law as a force majeure or an ‘act of God’, such as flooding or an earthquake. Such events can be termed ‘non-ascertainable ecocide’ as no one perpetrator can be identified. This type of ecocide cannot be stopped as it occurs naturally. However, when man-made ecocides are prohibited the knock-on impact shall be climate positive; naturally occurring ecocides that arise as an unwanted consequence of runaway climate change shall be reduced. |174| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Law is intent made manifest; when a law is passed it sometimes has the potential to shift consciousness. So, ask yourself this question: what is your legacy? We have normalized mass ecocide - witness one of the world’s largest ecocides, the Amazon. It is our choice - the world is in our hands. By making Earth our business we can change the rules once and for all. That is a legacy worth making.

Polly Higgins, world expert on law of Ecocide and awardwinning author of Eradicating Ecocide: laws and governance to prevent the destruction of our planet and Earth is our Business, changing the rules of the game.

Earth is our Business ■

References 1. see University College of London’s Institute of Advanced Legal Studies’ research paper, Ecocide is the Missing 5th Crime Against Peace. Documentary evidence provides a paper-trail of international support for a law of Ecocide during the mid-80’s to the mid-90’s. At the 11th hour it was shelved. Had it been made law, the green economy would already be our norm.

2.

Many countries in Europe are supportive of a law of Ecocide. Ecuador and Bolivia are two countries elsewhere that are placing well-being principles into their laws.

3.

Much ecocide is caused by transnational corporations, in particular the extractive industries. This is a law that challenges the existing business normative - one that is based on driving up profits without first examining the consequences. Ecocide makes it the law to examine the consequences. The burden of proof lies with business to prove that: a) the consequences are minimal impact; or b) practices will be realigned or moved into new low-risk projects; and c) business that put their ecological responsibilities first will discover a new test: First do no harm.