Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018: ​Proposed Standard Conditions for Registration level activities

Standard conditions

Below is the list of core and activity-specific standard conditions for anaerobic digestion of less than, or equal to, 100 tonnes of biowaste per day.

1. The authorised person must have a written management system in place to ensure compliance with the conditions of this authorisation.
    
2. Only the authorised wastes listed in Table 1 can be accepted at the Authorised Place.
    

   Table 1. Waste codes for biowaste

   Waste Code	Authorised Wastes
   02 01 01	Sludges from washing and cleaning - vegetables, fruit and other crops
   02 01 02	Animal tissue waste
   02 01 03	Plant-tissue waste
   02 01 06	Animal faeces, urine and manure (including spoiled straw)
   02 01 07	Wastes from forestry
   02 01 99	Straw, wood or paper–based bedding waste, slurry or dirty water from stables, zoos, animal parks or livestock markets
   02 02 01	Sludges from washing and cleaning, peeling, centrifuging and separation
   02 02 02	Animal-tissue waste
   02 02 03	Materials unsuitable for consumption or processing
   02 02 04	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
   02 03 01	Sludges from washing, cleaning, peeling, centrifuging and separation
   02 03 04	Materials unsuitable for consumption or processing
   02 03 05	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
   02 04 01	Soils from washing and cleaning beet
   02 04 03	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
   02 05 01	Materials unsuitable for consumption or processing
   02 05 02	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
   02 06 01	Materials unsuitable for consumption or processing
   02 06 03	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
   02 07 01	Wastes from washing, cleaning and mechanical reduction or raw materials used in the production of beverages (except coffee, tea and cocoa)
   02 07 02	Wastes from spirits distillation
   02 07 04	Materials unsuitable for consumption or processing
   02 07 05	Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
   03 01 01	Waste bark and cork
   03 01 05	Sawdust, shavings, cuttings, wood
   03 03 01	Waste bark and wood
   04 02 10	Organic matter from natural products (e.g. grease, wax)
   07 01 08	Glycerol waste from bio-diesel manufacture from non-waste vegetable oils
   15 01 01	Paper and cardboard packaging
   15 01 02	Compostable or digestible plastics only
   15 01 03	Wooden packaging
   15 01 05	Compostable or digestible composite packaging only
   15 02 03	Absorbents, filter materials and cloths made from compostable material only
   16 10 02	Untreated wash waters from cleaning fruit and vegetables on farm only
   16 10 02	Milk and dairy waste milk from agricultural premises only
   16 10 02	Liquor and leachate from a composting process
   19 02 06	Sewage sludge which has been previously pasteurised and stabilised only
   19 02 10	Non-hazardous Glycerol
   19 06 03	Liquor from anaerobic treatment of municipal waste (from a process that treats wastes listed in this table)
   19 06 04	Digestate from anaerobic treatment of municipal waste (from a process that treats wastes listed in this table)
   19 06 05	Liquor from anaerobic treatment of animal and vegetable wastes
   19 06 06	Digestate from anaerobic treatment of animal and vegetable wastes
   19 08 09	Grease and oil mixture from oil and water separation containing only edible oils and fats
   19 08 12	Sludges from the biological treatment of industrial waste water (from a process that treats wastes listed in this table)
   20 01 01	Paper and cardboard
   20 01 08	Biodegradable kitchen and canteen waste
   20 01 25	Edible oils and fats
   20 02 01	Biodegradable waste
   20 03 01	Separately collected biodegradable wastes
   20 03 02	Biodegradable waste from markets

   
    
3. All waste entering the Authorised Place must be inspected to ensure it meets the types and quantities authorised.
    
4. Waste with the following characteristics must not be accepted at the Authorised Place:
   
   a. waste significantly contaminated with non-compostable or digestible materials;
   
   b. waste containing post-consumer wood, treated wood, wood-preserving agents or other biocides;
   
   c. waste containing Japanese Knotweed or any other invasive non-native plant species; or
   
   d. pest infested waste.
    
5. All potentially odorous materials must be stored within suitable closed containers or covered to prevent odour.
    
6. All storage and processing of feedstock, digestate and effluent must take place on an area with a sealed drainage system.
    
7. All liquid feedstock, digestate and effluent must be kept within a liquid storage and management system.
    
8. The liquid storage and management system must be designed, constructed, maintained, managed and of sufficient capacity to prevent any emissions.
    
9. The liquid storage and management system must be constructed as detailed in the liquid storage and management system engineering plans.
    
10. Liquid digestate storage lagoons with walls made of earth must not be filled to a level that results in less than 750 millimetres of freeboard.
     
11. Liquid feedstock, digestate and effluent storage lagoons with walls made of earth must:
    
    a. be lined with an impermeable sheet material; and
    
    b. have suitable leak detection.
     
12. The impermeable liner at the mixing and filling zones of any earth-banked liquid feedstock, digestate or effluent storage lagoons must be protected with a layer of concrete.
     
13. Liquid digestate storage tank(s) must not be filled to a level that results in less than 300 millimetres of freeboard.
     
14. Non-liquid feedstock must not be stored above the height of the container it is stored in.
     
15. Any gas engine and/or combined heat and power (CHP) plant stack height associated with the authorised activities must be:
    
    a. greater than or equal to 3 metres above the roof ridge height of the building on which it is located; or
    
    b. greater than or equal to 3 metres above the ground if it is located separate to any building; and
    
    c. greater than or equal to the height of any part of a building which is located within a distance of 5 times the uncorrected stack height.
     
16. All biogas condensate must be:
    
    a. collected and contained; or
    
    b. recirculated back to the digester.
     
17. The pressure in the biogas system must not exceed 3.2 millibar.
     
18. All pressure relieve valves (PRVs) in the biogas system must be linked to an alarm system(s) which must be connected to telemetry 24 hours a day to monitor and record, as a minimum, temperature and pressure within the PRV system.
     
19. Emissions of unburned biogas and the operation of the auxiliary flare must be minimised.
     
20. The activation of the following must be recorded as an event:
    
    a. the flare; or
    
    b. the PRV(s).
     
21. All releases to the air from the authorised activities during normal operation, other than condensed water vapour, must be free from visible emissions.
     
22. Whenever any flare is in use to combust biogas, it must operate at a minimum temperature of 1,000^oC.
     
23. Point source emissions to air from the authorised activities must only be made from the gas engine and/or the combined heat and power (CHP) plant stack(s).
     
24. Emissions of substance(s) to the air from the gas engine and/or CHP plant stack(s) must not exceed the specified emission limit value specified in Table 2.
     
25. Air must not be added to dilute emissions in order to achieve emission limit values specified in Table 2.
     
26. The emission of any substance, not specified in Table 2, from the authorised activities must not cause environmental harm.
     

    Table 2. Emission limit values from gas engine and/or CHP

    Substance	Emission Limit Value
    Dust	50 mg/m³
    Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)	190mg/m³
    Sulphur Dioxide	15 mg/m³
    Total Volatile Organic Compounds	20 mg/m³
    Carbon Monoxide	1,000mg/ m³

    
     
27. Monitoring of emissions of substances to air must be undertaken at the gas engine and/or CHP plant stack(s) at the sample port, frequency and using the monitoring standard specified in Table 3.
     
28. Sample points must be installed, maintained and appropriately identified so that representative samples may be safely obtained.
     
29. Monitoring must be undertaken:
    
    a. during normal operation;
    
    b. under stable conditions; and
    
    c. at a representative, even load.
     
30. The first monitoring of emissions must be undertaken within four months of the start of operations.
     

    Table 3: Monitoring requirements for gas engine and/or CHP

    Parameter	Emission Point Reference	Monitoring Frequency	Monitoring Standard
    Dust	Sample port determined in accordance with BS EN 15259	Manufacturer’s guarantee or Annually	BS EN 13284-1
    Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)	Sample port determined in accordance with BS EN 15259	Annually	BS EN 14792
    Sulphur Dioxide	Sample port determined in accordance with BS EN 15259	On commissioning of new plant OR a new feedstock is introduced to the process	BS EN 14791
    Total Volatile Organic Compounds	Sample port determined in accordance with BS EN 15259	Annually	BS EN 12619
    Carbon Monoxide	Sample port determined in accordance with BS EN 15259	Annually	BS EN 15058
    Biogas flare temperature (oC)	Sample port determined in accordance with BS EN 15259	Continuous	BS EN 16911-2

    
     
31. Measures must be taken to prevent, or where that is not practicable, minimise:
    
    a. odour;
    
    b. noise;
    
    c. dust;
    
    d. litter;
    
    e. bioaerosols; and
    
    f. the presence of vermin;
    
    arising from the authorised activities.
     
32. Offensive odours from the authorised activities as perceived by a SEPA Officer must not be emitted beyond the boundary of the Authorised Place.
     
33. Noise from the authorised activities, which has a significant impact on the environment, people or property, must not be emitted beyond the boundary of the Authorised Place.
     
34. Dust from the authorised activities, which has a significant impact on the environment, people or property, must not be emitted beyond the boundary of the Authorised Place.
     
35. Litter from the authorised activities, which has a significant impact on the environment, people or property, must not be emitted beyond the boundary of the Authorised Place.
     
36. Waste must not be burned at the Authorised Place.
     
37. SEPA must be notified via its pollution hotline contact telephone number as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours of identification of an event, of any of the following:
    
    a. an event that has caused or could cause adverse impact to the environment or harm to human health;
    
    b. an event that results, or could result, in an emission to the environment that is not authorised;
    
    c. an event that has caused a breach of a condition of this authorisation.
    
    In this condition, the meaning of ‘event’ is as defined in the Interpretation of Terms of this authorisation.
     
38. All measures that are reasonably practicable must be taken to stop an event and to minimise its effect on the environment.
     
39. Within 14 days of an event a report must be submitted to SEPA detailing:
    
    a. the reason(s) for the event;
    
    b. the action(s) taken to stop the event and minimise the impacts; and
    
    c. the action(s) taken to prevent the event from recurring.
     
40. All information recorded, kept or submitted to SEPA in accordance with a condition of this authorisation must be:
    
    a. true and accurate;
    
    b. kept for a minimum of six years; and
    
    c. provided to SEPA upon request.
     
41. Records must be kept of all monitoring results and verification of compliance with the emission limit values specified in Table 2.
     
42. For each calendar year the information detailed in Appendix 1 must be submitted to SEPA on or before 28 January in the following year.
     
43. The information detailed in Appendix 1 must be submitted to SEPA via email, in the excel spreadsheet supplied by SEPA, to waste.data@sepa.org.uk.
     
44. The results of the monitoring of emissions, as described in condition 26, must be submitted to SEPA within eight weeks of the date the monitoring took place via email to registry@sepa.org.uk.