The Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013

CHAPTER 4 THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Interpretation of Chapter 4

1.  In Part A of the sections of this Chapter, “producing” means producing on an industrial scale by chemical or biological processing of substances or groups of substances listed in the relevant sections.

SECTION 4.1 ORGANIC CHEMICALS

Part A

(a) Producing organic chemicals such as—

(i) hydrocarbons (linear or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic);

(ii) organic compounds containing oxygen, such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, ethers, peroxides, phenols and epoxy resins;

(iii) organic compounds containing sulphur, such as sulphides, mercaptans, sulphonic acids, sulphonates, sulphates and sulphones and sulphur heterocyclics;

(iv) organic compounds containing nitrogen, such as amines, amides, nitrous-, nitro- or azo-compounds, nitrates, nitriles, nitrogen heterocyclics, cyanates, isocyanates, di-isocyanates and di-isocyanate prepolymers;

(v) organic compounds containing phosphorus, such as substituted phosphines and phosphate esters;

(vi) organic compounds containing halogens, such as halocarbons, halogenated aromatic compounds and acid halides;

(vii) organometallic compounds, such as lead alkyls, Grignard reagents and lithium alkyls;

(viii) plastic materials, such as polymers, synthetic fibres and cellulose-based fibres;

(ix) synthetic rubbers;

(x) dyes and pigments;

(xi) surface-active agents.

Part B

(a) Unless falling within Part A of this section, any activity where the carrying on of the activity by the person concerned at the location in question is likely to involve the use in any 12 month period of 5 tonnes or more of any di-isocyanate or of any partly polymerised di-isocyanate or, in aggregate, of both.

(b) The flame bonding or cutting with heated wires of polyurethane foams or polyurethane elastomers.

(c) Any activity for the polymerisation or co-polymerisation of any pre-formulated resin or pre-formulated gel coat which contains any unsaturated hydrocarbon, where the activity is likely to involve, in any period of 12 months, the polymerisation or co-polymerisation of 100 tonnes or more of unsaturated hydrocarbon.

(d) Unless falling within Part A of this section, any activity involving the use of toluene di-isocyanate or partly polymerised di-isocyanate if the activity may result in a release into the air which contains toluene di-isocyanate.

Part C

Nil

Interpretation of section 4.1

1.  In this section, “pre-formulated resin or pre-formulated gel coat” means any resin or gel coat which has been formulated before being introduced into polymerisation or co-polymerisation activity, whether or not the resin or gel coat contains a colour pigment, activator or catalyst.

SECTION 4.2 INORGANIC CHEMICALS

Part A

(a) Producing inorganic chemicals such as—

(i) gases, such as ammonia, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulphide, oxides of carbon, sulphur compounds, oxides of nitrogen, hydrogen, oxides of sulphur, phosgene;

(ii) acids, such as chromic acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, oleum and chlorosulphonic acid;

(iii) bases, such as ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide;

(iv) salts, such as ammonium chloride, potassium chlorate, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, perborate, silver nitrate, cupric acetate, ammonium phosphomolybdate;

(v) non-metals, metal oxides, metal carbonyls or other inorganic compounds such as calcium carbide, silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide;

(vi) halogens or interhalogen compound comprising two or more of halogens, or any compound comprising one or more of those halogens and oxygen.

(b) Unless falling within another section of this Schedule, any manufacturing activity (other than the manufacture of chemicals or glass or the coating, plating or surface treatment of metal) which involves the use and may result in the release into the air of any hydrogen halide or any manufacturing activity which uses, or which is likely to result in the release into the air or water of any of the compounds mentioned in paragraph (a)(vi), other than the treatment of water by chlorine.

(c) Unless falling within another section of this Schedule, any manufacturing activity, other than the application of a glaze or vitreous enamel, involving the use of any of the following elements or compound of those elements or the recovery of any compound of the following elements—

• antimony;

• arsenic;

• beryllium;

• gallium;

• indium;

• lead;

• palladium;

• platinum;

• selenium;

• tellurium;

• thallium,

where the activity may result in the release into the air of any of those elements or compounds or the release into water of any substance listed in paragraph 10 of Part 2 of this Schedule.

(d) Recovering any compound of cadmium or mercury.

(e) Unless falling within another section of this Schedule, any manufacturing activity involving the use of mercury or cadmium or any compound of either element or which may result in the release into air of either of those elements or their compounds.

(f) Unless falling within another section of this Schedule, any activity, other than the combustion or incineration of carbonaceous material, which is likely to result in the release into the air of any acid-forming oxide of nitrogen.

Interpretation of Part A

1.  “Carbonaceous material” referred to in (f) includes such materials as charcoal, coke, peat, rubber and wood, (but does not include wood which has not been chemically treated).

Part B

Nil.

Part C

Nil.

SECTION 4.3 CHEMICAL FERTILISER PRODUCTION

Part A

(a) Producing (including any blending which is related to their production) phosphorus, nitrogen or potassium based fertilisers (simple or compound fertilisers).

Part B

Nil.

Part C

Nil.

SECTION 4.4 PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS AND BIOCIDES

Part A

(a) Producing plant protection products or biocides.

(b) Formulating such products if this may result in the release into water of any substance listed in paragraph 10 of Part 2 of this Schedule in a quantity which, in any period of 12 months, is greater than the background quantity by more than the amount specified in that paragraph for that substance.

Part B

Nil.

Part C

Nil.

SECTION 4.5 PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION

Part A

(a) Producing pharmaceutical products, including intermediates.

Part B

Nil.

Part C

Nil.

SECTION 4.6 EXPLOSIVES PRODUCTION

Part A

(a) Producing explosives.

Part B

Nil.

Part C

Nil.

SECTION 4.7 MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES INVOLVING AMMONIA

Part A

(a) Any activity for the manufacture of a chemical which may result in the release of ammonia into the air other than an activity in which ammonia is only used as a refrigerant.

Part B

Nil.

Part C

Nil.

SECTION 4.8 THE STORAGE OF CHEMICALS IN BULK

Part A

Nil.

Part B

(a) The storage in tanks, other than in tanks for the time being forming part of a powered vehicle, of any of the substances listed below except where the total storage capacity of the tanks installed at the location in question in which the relevant substance may be stored is less than the figure specified below in relation to that substance—

any one or more acrylates	20 tonnes (in aggregate)
acrylonitrile	20 tonnes
anhydrous ammonia	100 tonnes
anhydrous hydrogen fluoride	1 tonne
toluene di-isocyanate	20 tonnes
vinyl chloride monomer	20 tonnes
ethylene	8,000 tonnes.

Part C

Nil