Best available technology
The formulation of best available techniques (BAT, English best available techniques = BAT) means a European technology clause, which is also used internationally (for example, the United Nations Environment Programme ). The term corresponds to the concept traditionally used in Germany in the prior art ( PrA ).
The legal concept of BAT is dictated by the so-called Industrial Emissions Directive (Directive 2010/75/EU, also called " IED " ) concerning integrated pollution prevention and control of pollution in the national law of the Member States. Their precursors (Directive 96/61/EC and Directive 2008/1/EC ) introduced the term in 1996. According to the Industrial Emissions Directive, particularly environmentally sensitive industrial facilities must be approved on the basis of best available techniques in the European Union. Even older (existing ) must be operated since 30 October 2007 on the basis of BAT.
Definition
According to Article 3 paragraph 10 of the Industrial Emissions Directive, the best available techniques "means the most effective and advanced stage of development of activities and their methods of operation which particular techniques indicate the practical suitability in principle serve as a basis for emission limit values for emissions and the impact on to prevent the entire environment in general or, if this is not possible to reduce;
- Techniques ' includes both the technology used and the way in which the installation is designed, built, maintained, operated and decommissioned;
- Available ' techniques shall mean those developed on a scale which allows taking into account the cost / benefit ratio, the implementation in the relevant industrial sector, under economically and technically viable conditions, whether these techniques are used within the Member State concerned or produced as long as they are reasonably accessible to the operator;
- 'Best' the techniques for achieving a high general level of protection of the environment are most effective as a whole. "
The definition of BAT requires a development of the technology at a scale that allows an industry-specific implementation.
Categories of industrial activities
The Annex I of industrial emissions directive defines industrial sectors and activities, for which apply BAT. In the following only lists the categories without sub-items:
Determining best available techniques
The operation of a plant according to the BAT is to ensure the achievement of lowest possible fuel consumption and emission levels and are thus intended to the actual goal of the IPPC Directive, namely an integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC). What fuel consumption and emission levels are to achieve concrete in the various categories of industrial activities is of technical working groups (English: technical working groups, TWG ) is determined and in-depth documentation, the so-called BREF (Best Available Technique Reference Document, German: BAT leaflet ) shown. As the techniques are constantly developing, the BREFs are updated regularly. In addition to these so-called vertical BREFs relating to specific sectors and asset types, there are also horizontal BREFs which cut across sectors and asset types, such as the BREFs for system monitoring.