ENERGY RECOVERY FACILITY KINGSWOOD, CANNOCK AIR QUALITY – TECHNICAL APPENDIX 6/1 ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION MODELLING SLR Ref: 402.0034.00320 July 2010 SLR Ref: 402.0034.00320 SLR Biffa Waste Services Limited i 402.0034.00320 Kingswood ERF: Technical Appendix 6/1 July 2010 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Scope ................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Structure of Report ........................................................................................... 1 2.0 POLICY, LEGISLATION AND RELEVANT GUIDANCE .............................................. 2 2.1 Ambient Air Quality .......................................................................................... 2 2.2 Environmental Permitting Regulations ........................................................... 4 2.3 Regulation of Industrial Processes ................................................................. 6 2.4 Impacts on Sensitive Ecosystems ................................................................... 7 3.0 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY.............................................................................. 10 3.1 Dispersion Modelling ...................................................................................... 10 3.2 Assessment of Impacts on Human Receptors ............................................. 11 3.3 Assessment of Impacts on Vegetation and Ecosystems ............................. 11 4.0 BASELINE ENVIRONMENT ...................................................................................... 14 4.1 Site Location ................................................................................................... 14 4.2 Existing Local Sources .................................................................................. 14 4.3 Local Air Quality Management ....................................................................... 15 4.4 Background Levels and Predictions ............................................................. 16 4.5 Baseline Monitoring ........................................................................................ 19 4.6 Summary of Applied Background Concentrations ....................................... 21 4.7 Sensitive Receptors: Human ......................................................................... 22 4.8 Sensitive Receptors: Ecological .................................................................... 22 4.9 Meteorological Conditions ............................................................................. 25 4.10 Topography ..................................................................................................... 26 5.0 QUANTIFICATION OF EMISSIONS TO ATMOSPHERE .......................................... 27 5.1 Sources of Emission ...................................................................................... 27 5.2 Concentration of Emissions .......................................................................... 27 5.3 Process Conditions ........................................................................................ 28 5.4 Applied Emission Rates ................................................................................. 29 5.5 Dispersion Model Set-up ................................................................................ 29 6.0 PREDICTION OF IMPACTS ...................................................................................... 33 6.1 Predicted Short-term Impacts ........................................................................ 33 6.2 Predicted Long-term Impacts......................................................................... 35 6.3 Results –Sensitive Ecosystems ..................................................................... 37 6.4 Plume Visibility ............................................................................................... 40 7.0 DISPERSION MODEL SENSITIVITY ......................................................................... 41 7.1 Stack Height Variation .................................................................................... 41 7.2 Atmospheric Chemistry.................................................................................. 42 7.3 Typical MSW ERF Emissions ......................................................................... 42 7.4 Accident Scenarios (Abnormal Events) ........................................................ 43 7.5 Annual Operating Hours ................................................................................. 47 7.6 Assessment of Model Sensitivities ............................................................... 47 8.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ........................................................................................... 49 8.1 Four Ashes (W2R) EfW ................................................................................... 49 8.2 Poplars AD Facility ......................................................................................... 50 8.3 Poplars LFG Utilisation Plant ......................................................................... 51 8.4 Road Traffic: Cumulative Impacts ................................................................. 52 SLR Biffa Waste Services Limited ii 402.0034.00320 Kingswood ERF: Technical Appendix 6/1 July 2010 TABLES Table 2-1 UKAQS Air Quality Standards (Human Health) ................................................ 2 Table 2-2 Additional Air Quality ‘Target Values’ ............................................................... 3 Table 2-3 WID Emission Limit Values ................................................................................ 5 Table 2-4 Relevant EALs (µg/m3) ........................................................................................ 6 Table 2-5 Critical Levels For The Protection Of Vegetation And Ecosystems ................ 7 Table 3-1 Applied Deposition Velocities .......................................................................... 12 Table 3-2 Applied Deposition Conversion Factors ......................................................... 12 Table 3-3 Applied Acidification Conversion Factors ...................................................... 12 Table 4-1 Existing Local Emissions within surrounding 1km grid squares of the Proposed Development (2007) ........................................................................ 14 3 Table 4-2 Automatic Monitoring Data: Annual Mean (µg/m ) ......................................... 16 3 Table 4-3 Automatic Monitoring Data: Annual Mean (µg/m ) ......................................... 16 Table 4-4 17 3 Table 4-5 Heavy Metals Monitoring Data Walsall Centre (annual average g/m ) ........ 18 3 Table 4-6 Annual Mean Concentrations of HCl (µg/m ) at Sutton Bonington ............... 18 Table 4-7 Monitoring Calendar for Year 2009 ................................................................. 19 Table 4-8 Location of Diffusion Tubes for Baseline Assessment .................................. 19 3 Table 4-9 NO2 Diffusion Tube Monitoring Results (µg/m ) ............................................. 20 Table 4-10 Baseline Diffusion Tube Monitoring Results (µg/m3) ................................... 20 Table 4-11 Applied Background Concentrations ............................................................ 21 Table 4-12 Designated Sites within Zone of Influence of the Study Area ..................... 22 Table 4-13 Existing Levels of Deposition at Ecological Receptors (source: APIS) ...... 23 Table 4-14 24 Table 4-15 26 Table 5-1 Emission Characteristics from Stack .............................................................. 28 Table 5-2 Emission Rates from Kingswood ERF (per line) ............................................ 29 Table 5-3 Met Data Preparation – Applied Surface Characteristics ............................... 31 Table 6-1 Predicted Short-term Process Contributions PC (µg/m3) ............................... 33 Table 6-2 Predicted Short-term Predicted Environmental Concentrations (PEC) (µg/m3) .......................................................................................................................... 35 3 Table 6-3 Predicted Long-term Process Contributions (µg/m ) ..................................... 35 3 Table 6-4 Predicted Long-term Predicted Environmental Concentrations (µg/m ) ...... 36 3 Table 6-5 Predicted Nitrogen Oxide Impacts on Sensitive Ecosystems (µg/m ) .......... 37 3 Table 6-6 Predicted Sulphur Dioxide Impacts on Sensitive Ecosystems (µg/m ) ......... 37 3 Table 6-7 Predicted Ammonia Impacts on Sensitive Ecosystems (µg/m ) .................... 38 3 Table 6-8 Predicted HF Impacts on Sensitive Ecosystems (µg/m ) ............................... 38 Table 6-9 Predicted Acid Deposition on Sensitive Ecosystems (kgeq/hr/yr) ................. 38 Table 6-10 Predicted Nitrogen Deposition on Sensitive Ecosystems (kg/hr/yr) ........... 39 Table 7-1 Typical ERF Emission Rates ............................................................................ 42 Table 7-2 Plausible Abnormal Emissions from an ERF .................................................. 45 Table 7-3 Short-term Impacts Resulting from Plausible Abnormal Emissions (µg/m3) 45 Table 7-4 Long-term Impacts Resulting from Plausible Abnormal Emissions (µg/m3) 46 Table 7-5 Results of Model Sensitivity Assessment ....................................................... 47 Table 8-1 Emissions from the W2R Facility....................................................................