DANCEE
DRAFT 1
Good Environmental Practice Note for Sawmills and Wood Preservation installations in Estonia
August 2004
DANCEE
Good Environmental Practice Note for Sawmills and Wood Impregnation installations in Estonia
August 2004
Report no. 1
Issue no. 1
Date of issue August 2004
Prepared kap
Checked
Approved
6
Good Environmental Practice for Sawmills and Wood Impregnation in Estonia
Table of Contents
1 Background 3
2 Introduction 5
3 Sawmills 6
3.1 Process description 6
3.2 Sawmills covered by this note 7
3.3 Environmental scope 8
4 Wood preservation installations 10
4.1 Process description 10
4.2 Wood preservation installations covered by this note 10
4.3 Environmental scope 11
5 Provisions and good environmental practice 12
5.1 Sawmills 12
5.1.1 Noise 12
Practical guidelines 13
Minimum environmental provisions: 14
5.1.2 Air pollution 14
Estonian regulation 14
Minimum environmental provisions. 16
5.1.3 Waste water 17
Minimum environmental provisions. 17
5.1.4 Waste 17
Minimum environmental provisions. 18
5.2 Wood preservation installations 19
5.2.2 Noise 19
Minimum environmental Provisions 19
5.2.3 Air pollution 19
Minimum environmental provisions 19
5.2.4 Waste 19
Minimum environmental provisions 19
5.2.5 Soil and water pollution 20
Minimum environmental provisions 20
1 Background
As part of the Latvian Branch Regulation Project a seminar was held in Estonia 13 April 2004 to explain about the concept of branch regulation and the Danish/Latvian experiences.
At the seminar significant interest for the concept was expressed, although it was also recognized that it will not be possible to immediately issue branch regulations in Estonia since these need legal mandates, thorough discussions etc.
It was agreed that it could be a good beginning to elaborate a "good practice" document for one sector, i.e. wood processing as a first step towards ensuring less administratively heavy and more coherent and unified regulation of the sector.
As the Latvian branch regulation project has some (limited) funding available it has been approved by DEPA that the project team, in co-operation with Estonian partners, will elaborate a first draft of such a good practice document. The document will be given to MoE, Estonia, which it self will decide how to disseminate, use, or further elaborate the document, and perhaps eventually develop it into a full-fledged legally binding branch regulation.
Two outputs were agreed to be prepared:
1) A brief environmental practice document for the Estonian wood processing sector in English. The document will describe "good environmental practice" on a sawmill including planing, drying, sanding and preservation taking place on the sawmill. Other parts of the sector will not be included. Logging is not considered as part of the sector. The document will be based on the experience gained within the Latvian Branch Regulation Project and to the extent possible adapted to Estonian circumstances.
2) A brief note describing relevant references as well as some considerations made in relation to the content of the above good practice document.
Inputs are provided from:
COWI by:
Jacob Ulrich (Project Manager, Branch Regulation Project)
Klaus Pedersen, (Environmental Regulation Specialist, Branch Regulation Project).
Silvija Sile, (Environmental Regulation Specialist, Branch Regulation Project).
Elle, Tallin by:
Anne Vahter (title)
Toomas Pallo (title)
2 Introduction
The "Good Environmental Practice" Note contains legislation obligations, recommendations and practical advice envisaged for relevant permitting and inspection authorities, operators of saw mills and responsible service employees maintaining the equipment at the sawmill.
The information in this "Good Environmental Practice" Note is intended to be used as a tool to assist in determining the "good practice for an operation in this sector and should not be taken to be a definitive authority on the regulation of this sector. The Note shall not be considered as a legal document.
This "Good Environmental Practice" Note comprises five main sections. Following this introduction, Section 3 is covering saw mill processes, the activities for sawmills covered by this note and the environmental scope for sawmills. Section 4 covers process description for Impregnation, processes covered by the note and environmental scope for impregnation facilities. Provisions and good environmental practice is given in Section 3, which is divided into two parts: 5.1.for saw mills and 5.2 for impregnation facilities.
3 Sawmills
3.1 Process description
Raw material as Logs are delivered to sawmills from the forest and stored in ponds or on land. If stored on land, the logs are usually sprayed with water to keep them moist and prevent cracking. The raw logs are debarked and then cut into cants (partially cut lumber) which are trimmed into raw lumber. As the logs are debarked, bark is used as hog fuel for boilers or sold as mulch. Shavings, sawdust and chips can also be used at paper mills and reconstituted wood panel manufacturing plants.
The cants are cut to specific lengths or finished further depending on the final destination of the lumber product. Most lumber is dried to specific moisture content through air or kiln drying.
During the humid month smaller Sawmills frequently perform surface protection operations to protect lumber against sapstaining that may occur during temporary storage and transport to end user. Sapstains do affect the surface, colouring it with dark blue or black stains. This discoloration may decrease the value of the wood and its acceptance of finishes.
Three major processes are used to apply surface protection chemicals to wood by sawmills: the dip process, the spray process, and the green chain process. Dipping is a batch process; green chain and spray operations are continuous processes. Only the dipping process is included in this Note
Saw mills and wood processing installations can include many different processes as:
· Storage and sorting of round timber
· Debarking
· Sawing
· Drying of sawn materials
· Planning
· Chipping
· Surface protection against sap-stain
· Waste management
· Maintenance of internal transport means
Figure 1Flow diagram for a sawmill[1]
3.2 Sawmills covered by this note
The following types of sawmills are included in the scope of the note:
• Sawmills processing round timber with input of more than 2.000 m3 of round timber per year,
• Other wood processing installations where sawing, planning and other cutting machinery are used for remanufacturing of timber regardless of production capacity,
• Installations for manufacture of fuels based on wood residue regardless of production capacity.
Issues not included are:
• Installations where the following activities are carried out as part of or the only activity: Production of charcoal; Installations using chemicals such as glue and lacquer such as furniture factories, etc.
• Storage of fuels for internal transport equipment heating and other purposes.
• Extraction of water and use of resources and energy.
3.3 Environmental scope
This Good Environmental Practice Note for Sawmills and Wood Preservation installations in Estonia includes the following types of pollution from sawmills:
• Noise, for example from loading and unloading of logs, debarking, internal transportation on outdoor areas, fans on cyclones and filters,
• Air pollution, for example dust from saws, planers and chippers and from boiler houses,
• Wastewater, for example from washing and high pressure washing of trucks and other transport means for internal transport of logs and timber, wastewater from sprinkling of logs,
• Waste such as saw dust and bark, sludge and waste liquid from the wood preserving process.
The environmental impacts mentioned may not be exhaustive but includes the main significant impacts.
The scope of the Note has been set after an initial survey of the technological and environmental uniformity of the branch in EU with the focus on Latvia and Denmark.
The conclusion of the survey was that the environmental aspects, the process techniques and the cleaning technology basically are the same within a very wide range of input/output capacity of the sawmills and wood processing installations where the primary process is cutting and drying and that the companies, regardless of size, can be regulated by the same standardized environmental requirements.
It was decided to exclude wood processing installations using chemicals, as glue and lacquer, since the technology here is more complicated and varies much more and also because these companies typically use large quantities of dangerous substances in the production.
By this definition the Note is covering a broad range of sawmills and wood processing companies from very small sawmills with simple machinery and few employees to very large installations with semi automatic and automatic equipment and more employees. The exact numbers are not known by the Drafting Team.
:
4 Wood preservation installations
4.1 Process description
Wood is treated with preservatives to protect it from mechanical, physical and chemical influences. Preserved wood is used primarily in the construction, railroad and utilities industries to prevent rotting when wood is exposed to damp soil, standing water or rain, and as protection against insects and marine borers. The most common preservatives include water-borne inorganics like chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate (ACZA), and oil-borne organics like pentachlorophenol (PCP) and creosote.
Preservatives are applied using similar processes. More than 90 % of the wood preservation in EU is performed using pressure treatment processes. The penetration required to adequately preserve wood can be achieved only if the wood has been conditioned properly; that is, if the moisture content of the fresh-cut wood is reduced to a point where the preservative can penetrate and be retained by the wood. Open air drying is typically used to prepare large stock for treatment with oil-borne preservatives. Other methods for conditioning wood prior to treatment with oil-borne preservatives include steaming, heating and vapour-drying. Kiln drying is used primarily for water-borne treatment. Conditioning is a major source of wastewater in the wood preserving industry.
After the moisture content of the wood has been reduced, the wood is preserved using either non-pressure or pressure methods. Non-pressure processes include brushing, spraying, dipping, soaking and thermal processes.
There are two basic types of pressure treatment processes, distinguished by the sequence in which vacuum and pressure are applied. These are "empty-cell" and "full-cell" or modified full cell" processes. The terms "empty" and "full" are measures of the level of preservative retained by the wood cells.[2]
4.2 Wood preservation installations covered by this note
The following wood preservation installations are covered by this note:
· Pressure preservation (high pressure impregnation),
· Vacuum impregnation (low pressure impregnation),
· Wood protection against sap-stain.
4.3 Environmental scope
This Good Environmental Practice Note for Sawmills and Wood Impregnation installations in Estonia includes the following types of pollution from wood Impregnation installations:
· Soil and water pollution, due to potential spillage of wood preservation chemicals from handling and storage of chemicals and impregnated wood
· Noise, for example from loading and unloading of logs, internal transportation on outdoor areas, motors on vacuum pumps
· Air pollution, for example Aerosols and solvents from wood preservation
· Waste, such as used liquid from wood preservation, sludge from bunded areas and empty bins and containers
The environmental impacts regulated may not be exhaustive but includes the main significant impacts. Issues not regulated are:
· Household wastewater
· Extraction of water and use of resources and energy
The scope of the note has been set after a technological survey and discussion with the branch in Latvia concerning installations in use in Latvia and the technological uniformity of the branch.
The conclusion of the survey was that the main part of the installations in Latvia use high pressure technology, while only a few installations use the solvent based low pressure technology. Further a number of installations use dipping against sap-stain with for example emulsions. Companies that carry out protection against sap-stain can be individual installations or installations connected to saw mills. It was decided to exclude companies using creosote as a wood preservative as this is expected to be forbidden in the near future and until then these installations should have individual permits.
5 Provisions and good environmental practice
5.1 Sawmills
5.1.1 Noise
Typical sources of noise in saw mills are:
· loading and unloading of logs, sawdust, bark and other goods on outdoor areas.
· debarking of logs
· internal transportation on outdoor areas
· motors and fans on cyclones and filters
· diffuse noise from windows, doors and other openings in the buildings
The current noise (immission?) limits are given in Ambient Air Protection Act (which will enter into force by the end of 2003) and its secondary acts; Public Health Act which entered into force in 1995 (RT I 1995, 57, 978) and its secondary acts. Regulation of the Minister of Social Affairs No 42 of 4 March 2002 “Limit values of noise in the living and rest places, living and joint use buildings and the methods of
measurement of noise level”
The limit values for noise are compiled in the table below. (Figures are for Latvia)
Table 1Limit values for noise
Period / Area 1Private houses / Area 2
Apartment houses / Area 3
Apartments, different functions / Area 4
Public functions, markets, shopping etc.
LAeq, dB(A), 07-23 / 50 / 55 / 60 / 60
LAeq dB(A), 23-07 / 40 / 45 / 45 / -
LAmax, dB(A), 07-23 / 65 / 70 / 70 / 70
LAmax dB(A), 23-07 / 55 / 60 / 60 / -
The contribution to the noise levels in surrounding areas can be controlled by model calculations. This gives the authority the possibility to check the noise levels and compare to Estonian limit values for noise in special problem cases where there are complaints over noise.
Practical guidelines
Loading and unloading of logs, sawdust, bark and other goods from trucks on outdoor areas contributes periodically to noise. The sources of noise are vehicles used for transport and handling of the logs and the logs being dropped on the storage area. During the Loading and unloading periods the contribution of noise can contribute substantially to the noise immission to the surroundings compared with the noise generated at the site.
Use of low noise trucks and logistical changes of the loading and unloading process can help to minimize the noise emission problems for surrounding neighbours. It is strongly recommended to limit loading and unloading to the daytime by logistic planning and agreements with external partners especially in populated areas.