Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Management of Waste from Extractive Industries in accordance with Directive 2006/21/EC

This document, Best Available Techniques Reference Document for the Management of Waste from Extractive Industries, in accordance with Directive 2006/21/EC, abbreviated as MWEI BREF, is a review of the Reference Document for Management of Tailings and Waste-Rock in Mining Activities (MTWR BREF). This review is the result of an exchange of information between experts from EU Member States, industries concerned, non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection and the European Commission. The reviewed document presents up-dated data and information on the management of waste from extractive industries, including information on BAT, associated monitoring, and developments in them. It is published by the European Commission pursuant Article 21(3) of Directive 2006/21/EC on the management of waste from extractive industries. This document presents data and information on the following: - General information and key figures on extractive industries in Europe, extractive waste generation, extractive waste facilities and key environmental issues (Chapter 1). - Applied processes and techniques for the management of extractive waste (Chapter 2). - Emission and consumption levels resulting from the management of extractive waste (Chapter 3). - Techniques to consider in the determination of Best Available Techniques (Chapter 4). This includes generic management and waste hierarchy techniques, risk-specific techniques to ensure safety, techniques for the prevention or minimisation of water status deterioration, techniques for the prevention or minimisation of air and soil pollution and other risk-specific techniques. - Best available techniques conclusions (Chapter 5). - Emerging techniques (Chapter 6). This includes techniques that were reported at different levels of technology readiness. - Remarks and recommendations for future work (Chapter 7).JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi

Monitoring impacts from Council Regulation (EU) No 333/2011: End-of-waste criteria for Al/Fe scrap

On 9 October 2011, Council Regulation 333/2011 came into force establishing criteria by which scrap from iron and steel, aluminium and aluminium alloys could cease to be regulated as waste. This study examines the impacts of the Regulation on scrap availability, trade flows, prices, administrative requirements and environment or human health incidents. Because no data currently distinguishes between waste and end-of-waste compliant scrap, information was collected from the EU Competent Authorities and industry using detailed surveys. Across Europe, approximately 250 companies provided responses to the industry survey (representing approximately one quarter of the membership of the scrap industry associations), with a further 15 submissions from industry associations and 25 from Competent Authorities, although the survey responses were notably skewed towards Italy. The results of the study show that more than 1,100 scrap industry companies are already using the end-of-waste criteria across Europe. Uptake is most pronounced in Italy, where over 1,000 scrap companies generate end-of-waste compliant scrap. This rapid uptake in Italy is due in part to a specific legal framework on secondary raw materials already in place before the introduction of the end-of-waste criteria. In the rest of Europe there are a further 100 scrap companies active in end-of-waste scrap. In terms of the quantity of end-of-waste compliant scrap available on the market, this study estimates that, as a lower bound, at least 15% of EU scrap steel and 10% of EU scrap aluminium is compliant. Importantly, this study has found almost no evidence that end-of-waste has caused any negative impacts on the market, whether that be to scrap quality, availability/trade or on the environment. On the contrary, quite a number of the survey participants, both from industry and Competent Authorities highlighted the perceived benefits of the introduction of end-of-waste for metal scrap. These perceived benefits include: creating a simplified regulatory framework and offering companies greater flexibility and legal certainty. Some companies identified improved scrap quality and increased sales prices. At the expert workshop participants debated several ideas for a future monitoring system. One key conclusion was that there is no urgent need to revisit monitoring in the near future, due to the relatively modest rate of uptake outside Italy and the very few, if any, negative impacts observed so far. A repeat of the industry and authorities’ surveys in 2-3 years times was deemed to be the most appropriate way to monitor end-of-waste for scrap metal, and copper scrap could be added to the scope of that exercise.JRC.J.5-Sustainable Production and Consumptio

Technical proposals for the safe use of processed manure above the threshold established for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones by the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)

Potential exists to reconcile on-going technological and market developments for the recycling of nutrients in a circular economy with the objective of protecting water bodies against pollution originating from livestock manure. The objective of this report is to help define those harmonised criteria that could allow nitrogen (N) fertilisers, partially or entirely derived from manure through processing, to be used in areas subject to the ceiling of 170 kg N/ha/yr prescribed in Annex III of the Nitrates Directive following otherwise identical provisions applied to N containing chemical fertilisers in the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC), while ensuring the achievement the Directive’s objectives and adequate agronomic benefits. Such materials are referred to as REcovered Nitrogen from manURE (RENURE) in this report. This work combines biogeochemical modelling techniques, analytical measurements and quantitative (meta-analysis) and qualitative literature review techniques to assess use impacts of candidate RENURE materials on environmental pollution, including nitrate leaching. The results indicated that processed manure characterised by a ratio of total organic carbon to total N ≤ 3 or a mineral N to total N ratio ≥ 90% may have a similar N leaching potential and agronomic efficiency to Haber-Bosch derived and equivalent chemical N fertilisers. In particular, nitrogen-rich processed manure materials, such as scrubbing salts, mineral concentrates, and liquid digestates obtained through centrifugation and/or advanced solids removal might be able to meet these requirements. To comply with the objectives of environmental protection, it is, however, necessary to combine the use of RENURE with good management practices, including the use of living plant covers or equivalent measures, low NH3 emission application techniques and good RENURE storage conditions. Altogether, this report proposes a set of material and use requirements to enable the safe use of RENURE in areas with water pollution by nitrogen, in amounts above the threshold established by the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC). It is concluded that the possible implementation of RENURE as part of manure management systems enables a progression towards a more circular economy and an avenue for increased resource efficiency in the EU food production system.JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi

Critical Raw Materials and the Circular Economy – Background report

This report is a background document used by several European Commission services to prepare the EC report on critical raw materials and the circular economy, a commitment of the European Commission made in its Communication ‘EU action plan for the Circular Economy’. It represents a JRC contribution to the Raw Material Initiative and to the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. It combines the results of several research programmes and activities of the JRC on critical raw materials in a context of circular economy, for which a large team has contributed in terms of data and knowledge developments. Circular use of critical raw materials in the EU is analysed, also taking a sectorial perspective. The following sectors are analysed in more detail: mining waste, landfills, electric and electronic equipment, batteries, automotive, renewable energy, defence and chemicals and fertilisers. Conclusions and opportunities for further work are also presented.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Recovery of critical and other raw materials from mining waste and landfills

The transition to a more circular economy is essential to develop a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient, and competitive economy in the EU. In this context Critical Raw Materials (CRM) are defined as those which are of particularly great importance to the EU economy and at the same time there is a high risk of supply disruptions. First and foremost, improving the circular use of CRM is a key strategy in improving the security of supply and not surprisingly is an objective of various policy documents. This report delivers on action #39 of the Circular Economy Action Plan: "Sharing of best practice for the recovery of critical raw materials from mining waste and landfills". It builds on discussions held during two 2018 workshops and gathers together six examples of existing practices for the recovery of critical, precious, and other materials from extractive waste and landfills, highlighting technological innovation and contributions that have been made to a more comprehensive knowledge-base on raw materials. The report also provides various estimates of potential recovery of certain materials compared to their current demand. Lessons learnt from the practices include awareness that it is very unlikely that recovery processes can target one or just a few specific materials of great interest and disregard other elements or bulk matrixes. Especially in case of very low concentrations, most of the mineral resources and other bulk materials in which they are embedded must be valorised in order to increase economic viability and minimise waste disposal. As recovery processes can be very energy intensive, environmental and land use related aspects are also particularly relevant even though environmental gains may also occur and, moreover, land space can be liberated and reused for new purposes and services. Finally, availability of data and information on secondary materials as well as a harmonized legislative framework within the EU appear to be crucial for the large-scale deployment of recovery practices.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Verres métalliques : conception, synthèse et caractérisation des propriétés magnétiques et de transport

On one hand, this work deals with development and the characterisation of metallic glasses dedicated to magnetocaloric cooling or thermoelectric applications. These alloys have been designed and elaborated taking on board both application's criteria and criteria liked to the glass forming ability. On the other hand, this work has demonstrated that glass forming ability and glass forming range can be quite well predicted using thermodynamical data to evaluate the kinetics of crystallisation.Cette thèse porte d'une part sur la conception et la caractérisation d'alliages métalliques pour des applications dans les domaines de la réfrigération magnétocalorique ou thermoélectrique ; ces alliages ont été conçus en tenant compte à la fois des critères dictés par l'application recherchée et des critères dictés par la nécessité de vitrifier l'alliage. Dans un deuxième temps, ce travail montre qu'il est en partie possible de prédire le domaine et l'aptitude de vitrification d'un système donné par une approche thermocinétique basée sur des données thermodynamiques

Metallic glasses: conception, synthesis and magnetic and transport properties characterisation

Cette thèse porte d'une part sur la conception et la caractérisation d'alliages métalliques pour des applications dans les domaines de la réfrigération magnétocalorique ou thermoélectrique ; ces alliages ont été conçus en tenant compte à la fois des critères dictés par l'application recherchée et des critères dictés par la nécessité de vitrifier l'alliage. Dans un deuxième temps, ce travail montre qu'il est en partie possible de prédire le domaine et l'aptitude de vitrification d'un système donné par une approche thermocinétique basée sur des données thermodynamiques.On one hand, this work deals with development and the characterisation of metallic glasses dedicated to magnetocaloric cooling or thermoelectric applications. These alloys have been designed and elaborated taking on board both application's criteria and criteria liked to the glass forming ability. On the other hand, this work has demonstrated that glass forming ability and glass forming range can be quite well predicted using thermodynamical data to evaluate the kinetics of crystallisation

Metallic glasses: conception, synthesis and magnetic and transport properties characterisation

Cette thèse porte d'une part sur la conception et la caractérisation d'alliages métalliques pour des applications dans les domaines de la réfrigération magnétocalorique ou thermoélectrique ; ces alliages ont été conçus en tenant compte à la fois des critères dictés par l'application recherchée et des critères dictés par la nécessité de vitrifier l'alliage. Dans un deuxième temps, ce travail montre qu'il est en partie possible de prédire le domaine et l'aptitude de vitrification d'un système donné par une approche thermocinétique basée sur des données thermodynamiques.On one hand, this work deals with development and the characterisation of metallic glasses dedicated to magnetocaloric cooling or thermoelectric applications. These alloys have been designed and elaborated taking on board both application's criteria and criteria liked to the glass forming ability. On the other hand, this work has demonstrated that glass forming ability and glass forming range can be quite well predicted using thermodynamical data to evaluate the kinetics of crystallisation

Management of waste from extractive industries: the new European reference document on the Best Available Techniques

The impacts from an inappropriate management of extractive waste may endanger the environment or human health and even result in disasters. The Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Management of Waste from Extractive Industries provides up-to-date information and data on the management of extractive waste and a list of BAT to prevent or reduce any related adverse effects on the environment and human health. The elaboration of BAT constituted a major challenge due to the vast diversity in extractive waste activities, sectors, geography, climatic and site specific conditions in Europe. These all influence the resulting emissions to soil, water and air. The application of a risk-specific approach has enabled reflecting this diversity and adapting the deployment of techniques according to an evaluation of the environmental risks and possible impacts. Based on this evaluation, generic and/or risk-specific BAT are identified as cornerstones for setting performance objectives and managing risk. A key priority for this reference document was safety. On the one hand, this was addressed by risk-specific BAT on structural stability, including approaches for design for closure and integrated design. On the other hand, BAT were identified to help ensuring the physical and chemical stability of extractive waste and the reduction of dangerous substances. The re-use and recycle of excess water and waste hierarchy principles were also analysed as central elements towards a circular economy. The monitoring of this reference document implementation will support the continuous learning and the international developments in extractive waste management and related BAT.JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi

Transport, magnetic and thermal properties of amorphous and crystallized Ce2Ni2Ga ternary gallide

Ce2Ni2Ga has been prepared in both amorphous and crystallized form. The first one has been obtained by melt-spinning process. Electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and Seebeck coefficient measurements have been carried out on these two forms. A valence transition from intermediate valence (IV) behavior (crystallized) to a trivalent (Ce3+) behavior (amorphous) of the cerium have been pointed out in this study. Actually, the atomic disorder induces a valence transition visible in magnetic, calorimetric and thermopower measurements. This observation tends to show that the local environment of cerium is changed