CBI Pro-Akademia

The paper presents a methodology for evaluating the Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Costs (BATNEEC) options for the management of by-products from biomass combustion - ash. Biomass ash BA was collected from Green Energy Block in Połaniec (Poland). Four variant of BA disposal were analysed: 1st - the storage of BA on conventional municipal waste landfills; 2nd, 3rd, 4th - use of BA for fertilisers production (2nd – 70% of BA, 3rd - 45% of BA, 4th - 90% of BA). Technical, environmental and economic consequences of the actions in the field of waste management technology were considered. BATNEEC evaluation indicated that the collected BA on dump (1st variant) is technical, environmental and economic inefficient, this solution has received lowest score - 29 points. The 2nd,  3rd  and 4th variants have received 124, 113 and 30 points, respectively. This indicates that there are quantitative restrictions on substitution of nutrients in mineral fertilisers. Due to the possibility of secondary pollution during waste usage in agriculture, the use of BA in fertiliser products requires compliance with environmental rules - only the nutrient rich and rather heavy metal poor fractions of BA shall be used for fertilising and soil improvement purposes.