Additional Information submitted during the information exchange on ...

This document has not been fully peer reviewed and <strong>the</strong> <strong>information</strong> within is not validated nor endorsed by <strong>the</strong> TWG
on LVIC-S or by <strong>the</strong> European Commission, it is meant for <strong>information</strong>, only
The production of sodium sulphate should itself be considered as a pollution control process, as
<strong>the</strong> waste stream would o<strong>the</strong>rwise go to effluent [64, CEFIC-SSPA, 2004]. The quantity of <strong>the</strong>
sodium sulphate by-product depends on <strong>the</strong> production capabilities of <strong>the</strong> primary product and,
in principle, all <strong>the</strong>se processes use Glauber’s salt as <strong>the</strong> raw material. The calcination of
Glauber’s salt, followed by <strong>the</strong> crystallisation and drying of <strong>the</strong> sodium sulphate always
depends on <strong>the</strong> individual layout and technical arrangements of <strong>the</strong> installations, as well as
linkages to various sources of energy. Pollution of <strong>the</strong> environment <strong>during</strong> <strong>the</strong> production of
sodium sulphate from Glauber’s salt is very low.
It should be noted, however, that <strong>the</strong> six main process routes for Na2SO4 production which have
been formerly described as ‘Techniques to consider in <strong>the</strong> determination of BAT’ in <strong>the</strong> LVIC-S
BREF section on sodium sulphate, have, in principle (with some exception regarding <strong>the</strong>
Mannheim process), <strong>the</strong> same environmental benefit (i.e. <strong>the</strong>y use a by-product Na2SO4 which
o<strong>the</strong>rwise would have to be discharged to waste waters). This means that <strong>the</strong>y reduce <strong>the</strong>
environmental impact of <strong>the</strong> industries in which Na2SO4 is formed as a waste (or by-product)
stream.
They are, <strong>the</strong>refore, techniques to consider in <strong>the</strong> determination of BAT for <strong>the</strong> industries in
which Na2SO4 is formed as a waste stream. They do not reduce <strong>the</strong> emission and energy
consumption levels of <strong>the</strong> Na2SO4 production processes <strong>the</strong>mselves (as given in <strong>the</strong> ‘Current
emission and energy consumption levels’ Section above) and, <strong>the</strong>refore, <strong>the</strong>y are NOT
techniques to consider in <strong>the</strong> determination of BAT for <strong>the</strong> production of sodium sulphate.
As no clear BAT conclusions could be drawn for <strong>the</strong> production of sodium sulphate, it was
considered reasonable to remove <strong>the</strong> six ‘Techniques to consider in <strong>the</strong> determination of BAT’
from <strong>the</strong> BAT Reference Document on LVIC-S, and to move <strong>the</strong> whole section on sodium
sulphate from <strong>the</strong> BREF on LVIC-S to this “<strong>Additional</strong> <strong>Information</strong> <strong>submitted</strong> <strong>during</strong> <strong>the</strong>
<strong>information</strong> <strong>exchange</strong> on Large Volume Inorganic Chemicals – Solid and O<strong>the</strong>rs Industry”
document, which is associated with and closely related to <strong>the</strong> BREF on LVIC-S.
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