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Stay informed with our regulatory updates on Food and Industry Services

Stay informed with our regulatory updates on Food and Industry Services

Guideline Manual for Continuous (Real Time) Emission Monitoring (CEM) in industries

Issued by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the apex regulator has issued a draft guideline manual for real time pollution monitoring in industries. The draft outlines guideline for successful implementation of Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) to help industries monitor and regulate their discharge of pollutants. Here, TÜV SÜD brings you the key highlights of the draft:

 

  • Purpose

    With a view to bring transparency and industrial self-regulation, CPCB has introduced CEMS for modern and robust online monitoring of effluents and emissions in all types of polluting industries in the country.

  • Industries

    Central Pollution Control Board (vide its letter No. B-29016/04/06PCI-1/5401 dated 05.02.2014) issued directions under section 18(1) b of the Water and Air Acts to the State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees directing highly polluting industries, Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and STPs, Common Bio-Medical Waste Incinerator and Common Hazardous Waste Incinerator for installation of online effluent quality and emission monitoring systems for tracking the discharges of pollutants in a self-regulated manner. The list of industries is as follow:

    • Aluminum
    • Cement
    • Distillery
    • Dye & Dye Intermediate
    • Chlor Alkali
    • Fertilizers
    • Iron & Steel
    • Oil & Refinery
    • Petrochemical
    • Pesticides
    • Power Plants
    • Pulp & Paper
    • Sugar
    • Tannery
    • Zinc
    • Copper
    • Textile (GPI) Diary (GPI)
    • Slaughter House
  • Impact on Industries

    The draft notification highlights the need of CEMS equipment for pollutant monitoring on a real time basis and to develop a system to satisfy the data quality objectives in order to implement a more transparent mechanism of environmental pollution control. For strengthening the monitoring and compliance through self-regulatory mechanism, online emission monitoring systems need to be installed and operated by the developers and the industries on - 'Polluter Pays Principle’.

    The draft notification enlists a number of mandatory reports to be filed and records to be maintained. Any exceedance of values in the emissions over the prescribed standards or norms shall be considered as violation.

  • Criteria for CEMS Selection

    Selection of CEMS is the sole responsibility of the industry. CEMS shall be selected in light of their its suitability for respective flue & effluent matrix in terms of parameter type, ruggedness, data accuracy, precision & robustness, desired facility of data acquisition, handling and transfer to respective terminals including regulator for a smooth and tamper free data management.

    Your choice of CEMS shall have COP (Certificate of Product) from any international agency like TÜV SÜD. Indigenous CEMS without COP needs to satisfy the performance requirement at par with internationally certified products equivalent to QAL1 and QAL2 standard or EPA performance standard criteria (40 CFR Part 75 Appendix B). Thus, TÜV SÜD advises to carefully scrutinize COP of CEMS to dodge any future non-compliance. Issues in Implementation of CEMS in India.

    • Issues among the industries regarding CEMS selection
    • Hyperactive business strategy of Vendors
    • Knowledge gaps among Industries and even regulators
    • Number of Stacks to be covered
    • Presently Industries are interested to just comply with the direction by installing CEMS irrespective of fitness and performance of devices, investment is the only driving factor
    • SPCBs are putting CEMS installations in Consent conditions in addition to the directed industries
    • Most of the systems already installed are either not calibrated or wrongly calibrated
    • In absence of any guidelines and limited clarity in issued direction the selection of components for a CEMS are not holistic to satisfy the requirement of regulation
    • Competence of Vendors, laboratories, industries have not developed for calibration
    • A stakeholders’ survey conducted by CSE revealed, 15% incorrect installation and 15% equipment failure in CEMS already installed in industries. Mostly due to lack of knowledge about suitability of CEMS devices available in the market.
  • Registration Requirement

    According to the guidelines, the industry is required to supply information to the SPCB and CPCB by means of registration for a new CEMS installation and also to update the existing database with information like Name of industrial premises / Facility, installed control devices, Stack height, Stack diameter (ID), CEMS type, make, model etc., CEMS analyzer types, List of parameters monitored, Date of installation and initial calibration, etc.

    Furthermore, the operator shall provide a detailed description of all parameters to be monitored and their expected normal & maximum values to be measured.

    All industrial premises / facility that fall under the Air (1981) Act, EP (1986) Act and its revised regulations are to submit / update the database, based on individual operating consent issued by SPCBs.

 

How can TÜV SÜD help?

TÜV SÜD provides end to end solutions to industries for CEMS selection, installation, functioning and report filing. TÜV SÜD can perform an audit of the CEMS and provide a COP (Certificate of Product), as it is preferred in the process of CEMS selection to get a COP from an international agency. Also, it is mandatory to file an annual report which includes all the monthly and quarterly tasks plus third party audit report in presence of the regulator. Not only will this ensure that you adhere to the compliance but it will also help you minimize rework.

Some of our key services pertaining to specific CEMS applications are listed below:

  • QAL 1 Certification for Monitoring Equipment(COP)Assistance in device (CEMS) selection and installation.
  • Validating correct installation of CEMS as per current regulations and international best practices
  • Performing Reference Tests, Calibration checks, Variability test, Uncertainty calculations etc.
  • Performance of periodic Tests- Zero drift, Span drift
  • Annual Surveillance Tests (AST) as per QAL 2 (Calibration and functionality check) requirements.
  • AMC for Operation and maintenance of CEMS 

Benefits of CEMS

  • Provides highly accurate record of emissions on real time basis.
  • Enables transparency & enhances cost compliance.
  • Validates data - helps meet regulatory compliance and controls cost.
  • Helps optimize operations & control processes in an environmentally responsible way.
  • Regulates and minimizes inspection of industries on a routine basis.
  • Is a prerequisite to participate in Emission Trading that can earn revenue for the industry.

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