All you need to know about the new STS emission limits

In the EU, more than 500,000 companies are using solvents to paint or coat the surfaces and/ or to clean the surface before the actual painting/ coating. Therefore, operations active in the following activities should look closely into the new BAT Conclusions:

• Communication (printing);

• Decoration;

• Prevention of corrosion and/or decay of surface or product;

• Product preservation and delivery, such as food and drink containers, aerosol cans, toiletries;

• Application of a functional layer like electrical insulation, abrasion prevention, adhesion.

If your operation is sized larger than below thresholds, you may expect communication from your local authority on the new BAT Conclusion elements which may have to be implemented into your operation permit.

• Surface treatment of substances, objects or products using organic solvents (consumption capacity greater than 150 kg/h or 200 tonnes/year), specifically for:

     - Sizing;

     - Dressing;

     - Cleaning, degreasing, or impregnating;

     - Printing (e.g., heatset offset web, flexography, etc.);

     - Painting & Coating (e.g., vehicles, specific metal and plastic products, etc.);

     - Adhesive application (e.g., the manufacture of abrasives and adhesive tapes);

     - Other coatings (e.g., water-repellent, anti-corrosion, waterproof protective coatings).

• Preservation of wood and wood products with chemicals (production capacity higher than 75 m³/day).

Adsorption on activated carbon (AC) is among the emission control techniques recommended by the BAT Conclusions. For instance, this purification route can be used to remove a series of contaminants from emissions generated by:

• Wood preservation using creosote (e.g. VOC, condensate);
• Storage and venting of chemicals (e.g. solvents);
• Scrubber effluents (e.g. COD);
• Wastewater from degreasing, cleaning, and surface treatment (e.g. AOX).

DESOTEC has decades of experience in VOC, COD, and AOX removal in the aforementioned industries. Here are a few examples:

- VOC removal from air emissions generated by the manufacture of wood furniture, solvent-based coatings, and coated steel;

- COD removal from wastewater generated when washing steel or plastic.

After efficiently removing these pollutants, activated carbon can be reactivated at DESOTEC facilities. This closed-loop approach reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of the abatement, thus being more climate-friendly than thermal or advanced oxidation processes.

On top of that, thanks to their plug-and-play design, our sustainable mobile filtration solutions can easily and quickly adapt to changing needs and can also be used as add-on treatment to your existing purification system. For instance, this comes handy when regulators tighten your permit emission level below the capacity of your current unit.