Abstract
The emissions from glass manufacturing processes are mainly gaseous. They occur from the burning of fuels to heat the batch and from the evolution of gases and particulates from the batch itself. Glass manufacturing in the UK is a prescribed process under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA90). Most glass processes are listed under Part B, that is they are prescribed for Local Authority Air Pollution Control. Under the EPA90 the secretary of state has published guidance notes setting deadlines for meeting specified emission limits. Existing processes must upgrade to meet these limits by October 2001 whilst new processes must meet the limits immediately. Other legislation which applies to the glass industry is set under the Environment Act (1995). Air Quality Standards have been set and local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the air quality within their region is kept within these standards. Industry is expected to play its role in meeting these new, stringent standards. Under the framework set by the Clean Air Act (1993), the secretary of state may, by regulations, place a limit on the Sulphur content of many types of fuel oils. Action under this framework appears to be imminent since a draft European directive has recently been released in which the sulphur content of heavy fuel oil is limited to 1%, unless it is burnt in plant with desulphurisation equipment. The greatest impact on the control of glass furnace emissions will arise from the adoption of the EC directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. The inclusion of glass manufacturing within the directive means that the UK glass industry will, for the fist time, be controlled under the concepts of IPC. The UK must adopt the directive’s legislation by October 1999, with all new furnaces meeting the requirements immediately (i.e. as soon as the UK adopts the legislation) and existing furnaces upgrading to the standards before October 2007. Under the framework of the directive, the European Commission is required to set emission limits for all listed processes. As the aim is to harmonise activities across the EC, it is likely that limits will be more stringent than those currently set in the UK, thus bringing policy in line with that set in countries such as France and Germany. With the newly elected government will undoubtedly come about a review of the current environmental legislation. Any amendments or new policies, including European developments will be discussed in future updates of this report.