No major investments despite stricter requirements!
The requirements of TA Luft have become noticeably stricter in recent years. For operators of composting plants, this means one thing above all: emissions must be reduced in a precautionary, permanent and verifiable manner. At the same time, many plants are faced with the question of how these requirements can be implemented without having to invest in a cost-intensive hall with complete exhaust air capture and complex exhaust gas cleaning.
This is precisely where the ACT system comes in.
Continue open composting – instead of enclosing everything
Many systems deliberately operate openly. The reasons are well known: lower investment costs, flexible operational management and proven processes. However, the stricter requirements of TA Luft are increasingly regulating precisely this open mode of operation, especially for higher throughput volumes.
In such cases, TA Luft requires effective emission reduction during the sanitizing and stabilizing treatment. For open processes, the covering of the rotting pits with semi-permeable membranes is considered state of the art.
ACT fulfills this requirement directly. Instead of relocating the entire process to a hall, the system enables TA Luft-compliant emission reduction with continued open operation.
Reducing emissions where they occur
ACT does not use a downstream waste gas purification system, but starts at the source of the emissions, directly at the rotting itself. The combination of targeted ventilation and a semi-permeable membrane cover effectively reduces fugitive emissions.
A biologically active water film forms on the inside of the membrane, in which odorous and accompanying substances are bound and returned to the biological decomposition process in the rotting material. Emissions are reduced continuously and integrated into the process without disrupting the rotting process.
ACT thus follows exactly the logic of TA Luft: take precautions instead of retrofitting.
Explicit anchoring in the TA Luft
The particular relevance of the membrane cover for open composting plants is also expressly emphasized in the TA Luft. Number 5.4.8.5 paragraph i states:
“In the case of open operation of the composting plant, the compost heaps shall be covered with semi-permeable membranes during the hygienizing and stabilizing treatment […].” (TA Luft, 2021, 5.4.8.5 i)
TA Luft thus makes it clear that the membrane cover is a key measure for reducing emissions in open operation for systems classified accordingly. This is precisely where the ACT system comes in and fulfills this requirement directly during operation.
State of the art according to BAT
The ACT system is also state of the art at European level. The BAT reference document for waste treatment explicitly describes semi-permeable membrane covers in combination with targeted ventilation as an effective technology for reducing odor and ammonia emissions.
In particular, the section “Semipermeable membrane covers with forced positive aeration”(BAT, Chapter 4.5.2.3) identifies this technology as the best available technique for near-source emission reduction in aerobic treatment processes. This means that the ACT system not only meets the requirements of TA Luft, but also corresponds to the European state of the art.
Measurable impact instead of theoretical assumptions
A central point of the TA Luft is the verifiability of the effectiveness of the measures used. Statements on emission reduction must be reliable and verifiable under real operating conditions.
With ACT.small, ACT offers a mobile test and demonstration system.(Video) This can be used directly at the respective composting plant to measure emissions during operation, even in critical phases such as intensive composting. This provides operators with concrete measurement results under their individual site and operating conditions.
These results can not only be used for internal evaluation, but can also be presented to authorities if required.
Ammonia under control – less additional technology required
In addition to odors, ammonia is also increasingly becoming the focus of TA Luft. This accompanying substance plays a particularly important role in biological treatment processes.
In our own measurements, carried out by an accredited measuring institute, a significant reduction in ammonia concentration was achieved with ACT.small. Such an upstream reduction can relieve downstream exhaust air purification systems, such as acid scrubbers, or make them superfluous.
For operators, this means: less technology, less complexity and significantly lower investment and operating costs (subject to individual assessment by the authorities).
Invest less, but still TA Luft-compliant
TA Luft requires effective emission reduction, not necessarily maximum technology. ACT offers an economical alternative to cost-intensive hall solutions. The system enables:
- TA Luft-compliant emission reduction with open mode of operation
- Technique according to “Best Available Techniques”
- Measurable and verifiable effectiveness during operation
- Reduction of fugitive emissions directly at the rotting site
- Potential for avoiding additional exhaust air technology
- Long-term investment security with increasing requirements
For system operators who want to respond to increasing requirements without having to rebuild the entire plant, ACT has been developed precisely for this situation.
Text by Jonas Schmidt