The Industrial Pollution Control (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Chapter 3 Mineral Industries

Section 3.1 Cement and lime manufacture and associated processes

Part A

(a) Making cement clinker.

(b) The heating of calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium carbonate for the purpose of making lime where the process is likely to involve the heating in any 12 month period of 5000 tonnes or more of either substance, or in aggregate of both.

(c) Grinding cement clinker, if related to a process described in paragraph (a).

(d) Any of the following processes, where the process is related to a process described in paragraph (a), namely, blending cement, putting cement into silos for bulk storage and removing cement from silos in which it has been stored in bulk and any process involving the use of cement in bulk, including the bagging of cement and cement mixtures, the batching of ready-mixed concrete and the manufacture of concrete blocks and other cement products.

(e) The slaking of lime for the purpose of making calcium hydroxide or calcium magnesium hydroxide when the process is related to a process described in paragraph (b).

Part B

(a) Grinding cement clinker, if not related to a process described in Part A.

(b) The heating of calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium carbonate for the purpose of making lime where the process is not likely to involve the heating in any 12 month period of 5000 tonnes or more of either substance or in aggregate of both.

(c) The slaking of lime for the purpose of making calcium hydroxide or calcium magnesium hydroxide when the process is related to a process described in paragraph (b) above.

(d) Any of the following processes, other than at a construction site, namely, blending cement, putting cement into silos for bulk storage and removing cement from silos in which it has been stored in bulk and any process involving the use of cement in bulk, including the bagging of cement and cement mixtures, the batching of ready-mixed concrete and the manufacture of concrete blocks and other cement products where the process is not related to a process described in paragraph (a) of Part A of this section and is carried on at the same location as a process described in Part B of Section 3.4.

Part C

Any of the following processes, if not related to a process falling within a description in Part A or B of this Section:

(a) storing, loading or unloading cement or cement clinker in bulk prior to further transportation in bulk;

(b) blending cement in bulk or using cement in bulk other than at a construction site, including the bagging of cement and cement mixtures, the batching of ready-mixed concrete and the manufacture of concrete blocks and other cement products;

(c) the slaking of lime for the purpose of making calcium hydroxide or calcium magnesium hydroxide unless related to and carried on as part of a process falling within another description in this Schedule.

Section 3.2 Processes involving asbestos

Part A

(a) Producing raw asbestos by extraction from the ore except where the process is directly associated with the mining of the ore.

(b) The manufacture and, where related to the manufacture, the industrial finishing of the following products where the use of asbestos is involved—

• asbestos cement

• asbestos cement products

• asbestos fillers

• asbestos filters

• asbestos floor coverings

• asbestos friction products

• asbestos insulating board

• asbestos jointing, packaging and reinforcement material

• asbestos packing

• asbestos paper or card

• asbestos textiles.

(c) The stripping of asbestos from railway vehicles except—

(i) in the course of the repair or maintenance of the vehicle;

(ii) in the course of recovery operations following an accident; or

(iii) where the asbestos is permanently bonded in cement or in any other material (including plastic, rubber or a resin).

(d) The destruction by burning of a railway vehicle if asbestos has been incorporated in, or sprayed onto, its structure.

Part B

The industrial finishing of any product mentioned in paragraph (b) of Part A of this Section if the process does not fall within that paragraph.

Part C Nil

In this Section, “asbestos” means any of the following fibrous silicates—

actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite and tremolite.

Section 3.3 Other mineral fibres

Part A

Manufacturing

(i) glass fibre;

(ii) any fibre from any mineral other than asbestos.

Part B Nil

Part C Nil

Section 3.4 Other mineral Processes

Part A Nil

Part B

Any of the following processes except where—

(i) the process falls within a description in another section of this schedule;

(ii) the process is related to and carried on as part of another process falling within a description in Part A in any section of this schedule; or

(iii) the operation of the process is unlikely to result in the release into the air of particulate matter—

(a) the grading, screening, crushing, grinding or other size reduction (other than the cutting of stone) of any designated mineral or mineral product other than sand;

(b) the heating of any designated mineral or mineral product.

In this paragraph “designated mineral or mineral product” means—

(i) clay, sand, lignite and any other naturally occurring mineral other than coal;

(ii) metallurgical slag;

(iii) boiler or furnace ash produced from the burning of coal, lignite, coke or any other coal product;

(iv) gypsum which is a by-product of any process.

Part C

(a)

Any of the following processes unless carried on at an exempt location or as part of a process falling within another description in this Schedule—

(i)

crushing, grinding or otherwise breaking up coal or coke or any other coal product;

(ii)

screening, grading or mixing coal, or coke or any other coal product;

(iii)

loading or unloading petroleum coke, coal, coke or any other coal product except unloading on retail sale. In this paragraph—

• “exempt location” means—

  (i)

  any premises used for the sale of petroleum coke, coal, coke or any coal product where the throughput of such substances at those premises in any 12 month period is in aggregate likely to be less than 10,000 tonnes, or

  (ii)

  any premises to which petroleum coke, coal, coke or any coal product is supplied only for use there.

• “retail sale” means sale to the final consumer.

  (b)

  The crushing, grinding or other size reduction with machinery designed for that purpose of bricks, tiles or concrete.

  (c)

  Screening the product of any such process as is described in paragraph (b).

  (d)

  Loading, unloading or storing pulverised fuel ash in bulk prior to further transportation in bulk unless carried on as part of or in relation to a process falling within another description in this Schedule.

Nothing in this Section applies to any process carried on underground.

Section 3.5 Glass manufacture and production

Part A

The manufacture of glass frit or enamel frit and its use in any process where that process is related to its manufacture and the aggregate quantity of such substances manufactured in any 12 month period is likely to be 100 tonnes or more.

Part B

(a) The manufacture of glass at any location where the person concerned has the capacity to make 5000 tonnes or more of glass in any 12 month period, and any process involving the use of glass which is carried on at any such location in conjunction with its manufacture.

(b) The manufacture of glass where the use of lead or any lead compound is involved.

(c) The making of any glass product where lead or any lead compound has been used in the manufacture of glass except—

(i) the making of products from lead glass blanks;

(ii) the melting, or mixing with another substance, of glass manufactured elsewhere to produce articles such as ornaments or road paint;

(d) Polishing or etching glass or glass products in the course of any manufacturing process if—

(i) hydrofluoric acid is used; or

(ii) hydrogen fluoride may be released into the air.

(e) The manufacture of glass frit or enamel frit and its use in any process where that process is related to its manufacture if not falling within Part A of this Section.

Part C Nil

Section 3.6 Ceramic Production

Part A Nil

Part B

(a) Firing heavy clay goods or refractory goods in a kiln where a reducing atmosphere is essential or with a production capacity exceeding 50 tonnes per day.

(b) Vapour glazing earthenware or clay with salts.

Part C

Firing heavy clay goods or refractory material (other than heavy clay goods) in a kiln where the process does not fall within a description in Part B of this Section.

In this Section, “clay” includes a blend of clay with ash, sand or other materials;

“refractory material” means material (such as fireclay, silica, magnesite, chrome-magnesite, sillimanite, sintered alumina, beryllia and boron nitride) which is able to withstand high temperatures and to function as a furnace lining or in other similar high temperature applications.