The Waste Framework Directive (WFD)

For a number of years there have been differences in interpretation of the definition of waste between the Environment Agency and the UK Coal Fired Power Industry. However, after some years of work by the UKQAA, the Joint Environmental Programme (JEP) and the Association of Electricity Producers (AEP) in conjunction with WRAP and the Environment Agency (For England and Wales) , have finished working on a series of documents. These form a Quality Protocol (QP), a Technical Report and a Financial Impact Assessment. The Quality Protocol in conjunction with the other documents defines the criteria when coal fired ash products, PFA or fly ash and FBA, can be used without the necessity of obtaining waste exemptions and licences.

These documents have been through a public comment stage and will subsequently go to Europe for consideration. It is hoped the final version of the Quality Protocol will be published late summer 2010. In the interim the Environment Agency has adopted a regulatory position which assists the fly ash industry in to continue to supply without having to apply for licences and exemptions. This document is called "The regulation of materials being considered under the Waste Protocols Project" and describes the position the Environment Agency (For England and Wales) will take during the interim period.

NB: Please ensure you have the latest information on the WFD and QP by visiting the Environment Agency's web site - see http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ and carrying out a search for Quality Protocol and/or PFA. The UKQAA cannot accept any liability for any changes that may occur in the regulatory position taken by the Environment Agency - it is up to the user to ensure they have the latest information on the issue.

The Environment

Throughout the construction industry environmental and sustainability issues are increasingly important. Various documents are published by the UKQAA on these issues, click on the various Environment links to the left for a list of those documents. The use of coal fired power station ash has for many years been considered one of the most environmentally friendly materials for the following reasons;

1. Coal fired power station ash products, such as Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA - also known as fly ash) and Furnace Bottom Ash (FBA) result from the burning of coal to make electricity. The environmental impacts of burning coal are normally taken to be associated with the electricity production and the not the production of the PFA and FBA.
2. PFA and FBA are effectively zero emissions by-products (at the power station gate) and by their use in construction, they are generally displacing cement, virgin aggregates, fillers, etc that all have associated impacts and sustainability issues. For information about the various applications see the menu on the left or the related links bottom left.
3. Currently more ash is produced in the UK than sold. Therefore the use of ash in construction diverts materials from landfill.
4. In some circumstances the green house gas emissions of using PFA may be less than the emissions associated with the disposal operations.
5. PFA and FBA usually substitutes for virgin aggregates, thereby reducing the environmental impacts of winning those aggregates.
6. In many applications PFA partially substitutes for Portland cement as a pozzolana, resulting in large reductions green house gas emissions.
7. The impacts associated with the use of PFA and FBA have been independently assessed by BRE during 2007 and Eco point Certificates are available.
8. The UKQAA members are working on a PFA/FBA specific Responsibility Sourced Materials scheme in conjunction with the precast and ready mixed concrete industries (See below).
9. All UKQAA coal fired power stations are ISO 14001 approved and operate to the highest standard of environmental protection feasible.
10. There are large stockpiles of material available, supplying those sites that need large quantities of material. Wherever possible materials are supplied using rail transport for such contracts, thereby reducing emissions, conserving fuel and removing vehicles from the roads.

For information about the current savings in green house gas emissions, please go to our Environmental Summary page and see Datasheets 8 series, where the various benefits are discussed in detail as follows.

Datasheet 8.0	PFA and the Environmental. (498KB)
Datasheet 8.1	Environment and Sustainability (483KB)
Datasheet 8.2	Sustainability using Fly Ash in Concrete (248KB)
Datasheet 8.3	Embodied CO2 of UK cement, additions and cementitious material - a joint Datasheet / fact sheet produced by the BCA, CSMA and UKQAA
Datasheet 8.4	Embodied CO2 of factory-made cements and combinations - a joint Datasheet / fact sheet produced by the BCA, CSMA and UKQAA

 

Sustainability & Responsibly Sourced Materials

Sustainability is generally defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The use of coal ash in construction exists solely because of the combustion of coal. Therefore, while it is necessary to produce electricity from the combustion of coal, the resulting ash is an important mineral reserve for both the current and future generations. There exists some 55,000,000 tonnes of PFA on stockpiles and landfill sites that could be exploited both now and in the future, which are being added to annually in excess of 2,000,000 tonnes. If we exploit PFA fully now it will leave virgin aggregates for future generations.

While the use of coal ash products is generally considered to be a 'win-win' scenario in replacing Portland cement and virgin aggregates in a wide range of applications, however how these materials are produced, controlled, etc is also very important for the future.

In response to the concrete industry initiative being developed by The Concrete Centre, The British Cement Association and the British Precast Concrete Federation, the UKQAA has, like other material suppliers, agreed to work alongside the various concrete schemes being developed. The aims of the concrete industry scheme are as follows (July 2008 version):

1. To launch an Annual Sustainability Performance Report for the UK Concrete Industries commencing in March 2009
2. To set targets for Performance Indicators (KPIs) by the end of 2009
3. To establish a Joint R&D Programme to reduce CO2 and other impacts
4. To establish a Joint Skills Transformation Programme aimed at positioning the industry to play a leading role in the challenge of sustainable construction
5. To provide clients with industry data for LCA (life cycle analysis) models
6. To develop ‘Sustainable Construction’ solutions
7. To provide clients with the knowledge and tools to adopt new solutions
8. To demonstrate the benefits of concrete in the built environment

The UKQAA initially felt is was unable to sign up to all these commitments, in particular numbers 3 & 4, as these are open ended. A detailed explanation is given in our Press Release. A small association like the UKQAA does not have the staff or finances to enter into such commitments without specific limits being defined. Subsequently the wording was altered and the UKQAA was able to commit fully to the process at the Master Class signing day.

The UKQAA has developed a Responsibly Sourced Materials Scheme which is currently being trialled by the UKQAA full members. The following is a table of the Key Performance Indicators that it is proposed to collect and report (as of 28 July 2008):

Category 1 - Sustainable Consumption and Production
Clause	Key Performance Indicator	Information	Comment
Clause A	Environmental Management Systems	Type of EMS being operated	For example whether a ISO14001 scheme is being operated?
Clause B	Waste - type of production facility	Production facility type in operation	Various power stations have differing levels of processing capability, ranging from nothing , classification, Carbon Reduction, etc.
Clause C	Emissions to air and water	Report the number of significant dust emissions to air and releases to ground water incidents during the year.	These are related to the production and sale of ash into the construction industry.
Clause D	Communication with other parties	A =  Regular consultations with supply chain, e.g. coal buyers, power station engineers, etc. B =  Provision of data relating to the production and sale of ash products to all parties. C =  System for providing information to ash users, e.g. newsletters, meetings, etc.	Various levels of communications exist - the more the higher the score.
Clause E	Compliance with product standards	For example EN450-1, EN12620, EN13055-1, Spec. for Highway Works, etc. Choose proportion sold to standards, e.g. NOT 'run of station'.	Ash producers who fully adopt the supply to recognised product standards will receive the highest scores
Category 2 - Climate Change and Energy
Clause F	Electricity consumption for processing	Some ash processes require electricity to beneficiate the ash making it saleable in some markets, e.g. concrete and block making. These gradings are connected to the processes, see Clause B - Waste.	Processing ash usually requires some energy to be expended. However, this increases utilisation so is considered beneficial within reason.
Clause G	Transportation from production facility to construction site	Type 1 – Road transport: Type 2 – Rail transport: Type 3 – River/canal transport	Overall CO2 emissions from a Transport Calculator are computed in CO2 per tonne-mile
Clause H	Provide information on the environmental impacts of transportation to site of the ash to each contract.	A – Record delivery miles by transport mode on       delivery ticket B – Collaborate with partners in reduction of       transport impacts, by arranging return loads,       etc. C – Use alternative fuels and methods of       transport to reduce impacts, e.g. bio diesel,       canal, rail, etc.	The minimising the impact of transport systems leads to greater scores.
Category 3 - Natural Resources and Enhancing the Environment
Clause I	Annual Utilisation of PFA (fly ash)	Expressed as percentage of total annual production (dry weight) sold to the construction market.	The less material sent to land reclamation or landfill the better the score.
Clause J	Annual Utilisation of FBA (Furnace Bottom Ash)	Expressed as percentage of total annual production (dry weight) sold to the construction market.	As above.
Clause K	Complaints	Records of problems associated with the production and delivery of ash products reported by public, site staff, etc during the past year.	Obviously minimising problems is of concern.
Category 4 - Creating Sustainable Communities
Clause L	Health and Safety	Reporting of lost time resulting from reportable accidents (RIDDOR) as proportion of staff numbers.	An indication of the effectiveness of the H&S systems in place.
Clause M	Health and Safety Management Systems	To demonstrate a competent H&S management system is in operation. A = compliant with OHSAS 18001 B = RoSPA awards C = Annual UKAS compliance verification       carried out	Are these recognised H&S systems?
Clause N	Engagement with workforce	A = Investors in People B = Liaison with Trade Union or Employee       Councils C = Regular staff meetings.	Is staff involvement encouraged?
Clause O	Education and training	Investment in vocation training and/or professional education courses plus staff training and development programme in place	Are Training and professional education courses offered?
Clause P	Employment	A = Have a published equal opportunity policy B = Provide evidence of local recruitment       initiatives C = Provide evidence of established links with       local schools/colleges.	Is local recruitment encouraged?
Clause Q	Planning and design of operations in a manner that provides an acceptable quality of life for the local community	Grade 1 – Community engagement programme,                a formal system of complaints,                provision of work experience positions                 and support for community projects                including school visits Grade 2 - Community engagement programme                and a formal system of complaints, Grade 3 -  A formal system of complaints Grade 4 – No community engagement or                complaints system.	Are the local community kept informed?
Category 5 - Overall Business Responsibility
Clause R	Business in the community – The Corporate Responsibility Index	Business in the Community’s CR Index is the UK’s leading benchmark of responsible business. The Index assesses the extent to which corporate strategy is integrated into business practice throughout an organisation.	Are producers involved with this scheme?

Please note - this is a trial scheme and may be subject to significant changes following the result of the trials.

Annually, the UKQAA will report the ash industry's performance overall giving the above KPIs and National performance. Certificates will be issued to individual power stations. These will give an overall Sustainability Rating out of 100% for each station and describe the type of ash facility available.

During the early stages this scheme will be trialled by the members and refined. Thereafter, consideration will be given to 3rd party accreditation being adopted.

Conclusions

The above scheme will be operated on a trial basis until the members of the UKQAA are satisfied it is a workable, practical scheme with some realistic aims and measurable KPIs. It is hoped the first certificates for members will be produced at the end of 2008, with the scheme being fully accepted by 2009 and developed in forthcoming years.