The emission limits that the Authorisation currently in force are, for several parameters among those monitored, more stringent than those established in the Legislative Decree 152/06, with the goal to maximise the environmental performance of the plant as well as environmental protection.

During the first 24 months following the start-up of the plant, which was a period designed to allow the plant to reach a steady-state operating condition (the so-called “start-up phase”), the limits imposed by the Authorization for continuously measured parameters were aligned with those required by national regulations, and discontinuous measurement was quarterly (Limit 1).

Subsequent Permit renewals introduced four-monthly monitoring and new limits for both continuously and periodically measured parameters (Limit 2, Limit 3).

Fiscal measurements

Continuous measurements are carried out with dedicated instruments that take a sample of the fumes originating from the combustion of waste, downstream of the waste purification treatment, 24/7 without interruption on each line of the plant, and return the concentration results in real time.

TRM performs this type of measurements, as established by Legislative Decree 152/06, for the following parameters:

• Total Dusts
• Organic substances in the form of gases and vapours expressed as total organic carbon – TOC
• Hydrochloric acid – HCl
• Hydrofluoric acid – HF
• Sulphur dioxide – SO2
• Nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide expressed as nitrogen dioxide – NO2
• Ammonia – NH3
• Carbon monoxide – CO
• Mercury – Hg

Periodic measurements, on the other hand, are carried out using dedicated instruments and the support of a specialised laboratory: periodic monitoring involves a sampling phase of variable duration depending on the parameter being checked and a subsequent laboratory analysis phase. The frequency of these self-checks is as established by law.

The parameters subject to periodic measurements are:

• Metals
• Cadmium and Thallium – Cd + Tl
• Mercury – Hg
• Zinc – Zn
• Sum of metals (Antimony – Sb + Arsenic – As + Lead – Pb + Chromium – Cr + Cobalt -Co + Copper – Cu + Manganese – Mn + Nickel – Ni + Vanadium – V + Tin – Sn)

Organic micro-pollutants

• Dioxins and furans – PCDDs + PCDFs
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons – PAHs
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls Dioxin Like – PCB-DL

The PCB-DL measurement is performed as of 1 January 2016, following regulatory amendments to Legislative Decree. 46/14.

Exploratory Measurements

The permit in force prescribes, in addition to the fiscal measurements, a series of measurements with the goal of achieving better understanding of the process and stronger control of related environmental effects.

The parameters subject to “additional” monitoring are certain families among the organic micropollutants, substances that are already subject to periodic fiscal control, but for which more data was deemed necessary in the authorization. For this purpose, there is a continuous sampling system for PCDDs/PCDFs and PAHs through which 28-day samples are obtained and subsequently analysed in the laboratory.

In addition, four-monthly measurements of PBDD/F (polybromodibenzodioxins and polybromodibenzofurans) are carried out.

Emission control is regulated by:

• by current environmental legislation, and in particular by Legislative Decree 152/2006, also known as the Consolidated Environmental Act, and its subsequent amendments and additions;
• by Executive Resolution No. 353-28635/2018 dated 28/11/2018, a review procedure valid as a TRM’s renewal of its Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA), issued by the Metropolitan City of Turin.

Legislative Decree 152/06 establishes the guidelines for environmental protection and in particular states that “The authorisation establishes, regarding the monitoring of emissions for which the operator is responsible, the carrying out of periodic measurements based on periodic methods or the use of monitoring systems based on continuous methods. The operator carries out the monitoring for which it is responsible […] and makes the results available to the competent authority for control according to the method indicated in Annex VI to Part Five of this Decree and in the authorisation […]”[1].

In addition to the application of the provisions of Legislative Decree 152/06, it is therefore necessary to refer to Authorization, which specifically sets out the parameters to sample, the sampling methods (continuous and periodic), the emission limits and the requirements for making the results available to the competent authorities (the Metropolitan City of Turin and ARPA).

The IPPC Permit introduces, in addition to the measurements provided for by the regulations and compared to the limits imposed (the so-called “fiscal” measurements) a series of exploratory measurements.

The current Authorization also implements the European Commission’s Implementing Decision (EU) No. 2019/2010, which establishes Best Available Techniques (BAT) conclusions for waste incineration, pursuant to Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council.

[1] Legislative Decree 152/06 article 271 paragraph 18