Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bad Homburg Room, Civic Centre, Paris Street, Exeter. View directions

Contact: Jo Quinnell, Assistant Member Services Officer  Telephone 01392 265197 or email  jo.quinnell@exeter.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Rob Sargent, J L Thomas, and Councillor Ruffle.

 

2.

Notes of meeting held on 28 November 2012 pdf icon PDF 54 KB

Minutes:

The notes of the meeting held on 28 November 2012 were agreed as a correct record.

3.

Revised Terms of Reference and Constitution pdf icon PDF 32 KB

Minutes:

The revised Terms of Reference and Constitution were agreed.

4.

Review of Odour Control

Minutes:

As agreed in the improvement programme, the Company had to supply two reports; firstly detailing how fugitive emissions from the effluent treatment plant could be reduced, and secondly a report considering the potential use of a biofilter to treat process room air.  These reports were submitted to the Council on 28 March 2013.

 

Impact review of Effluent Treatment Plant

 

The report found that:

 

  • It was not possible to upgrade the Effluent Treatment Plant in its current configuration and location while maintaining production.  This option was therefore dismissed.
  • A replacement Effluent Treatment Plant would need to be located outside the main processing building.  This option was also dismissed as not feasible as there is insufficient space for such a facility.
  • The only feasible option is thermal oxidisation of process vapour, therefore removing the need for an activated sludge treatment plan.
  • Two types of thermal oxidation were considered – regenerative and recuperative.
  • Regenerative was dismissed due to experience at the Torrington plant and that this technology is not recognised as best available technology for rendering vapour.  No other rendering plant within the UK are known to use this.
  • The report therefore concludes that the Company propose to install a Recuperative Thermal Oxidiser.
  • This is subject to planning permission and approval of an investment report to be submitted to the PDM/SARIA Board.
  • Subject to approval, installation will be commissioned in Summer 2014.

 

Environmental Health Technician (AB) informed the Group that this system should be more effective, although it is difficult to quantify the odour benefit at this stage. 

 

Biofilter Review

 

The report found that:

 

  • SARIA Industries (PDM Group majority stakeholder) use biofilters as their preferred technology in the majority of their continental rendering plants.
  • In theory it would be feasible to install a biofilter unit on the former garage area at the south end of the site.
  • An extraction of 25,000 m3/hr combined with press room air extraction of 15,000 m3/hr provided by the Thermal Oxidiser would provide approximately the same level of extraction as the small Flakt tower.  In theory, this could replace the small Flakt tower.

 

The Council had accepted the principles of the two proposed changes, and had put some questions to the Company for further clarification.  It would not make sense to implement both changes at once.

 

The Chair asked the Company to give consideration to releasing a press release prior to any application going to Planning Committee.

5.

Process update

Minutes:

Nick Parsons reported that the volumes of raw material remain stable and are very similar to 2012.  Annual production is forecast to be at around 70,000 tonnes.

 

There are no significant changes to the processes.

 

Nick Parsons informed the Group that a new Raw Material Handling System would be installed in July 2013.  This is anticipated to take approximately five days to install, and the factory cannot operate during this time.  A preliminary meeting had already been held with the City Council to agree how the outage can be managed and to minimise the environmental impact.  It is not anticipated there will be any significant problems, and raw material will be diverted away from the site during the install period.  The existing system would be pressure washed within the factory when extracted as it would be engrained with odour.

6.

Complaints received since the last meeting pdf icon PDF 33 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

An additional report was circulated at the meeting which detailed two further complaints since the agenda was distributed, complaints summary, number of complaints received by complainant and road, days on which there were more than one complaint, and other issues.

 

There had been nine complaints in total since the last meeting.  Two complaints had been received on the same day, but no process problems had been identified.

 

Some noise complaints had been received since the last meeting, all from the same complainant.  As detailed in the additional report, the first complaint relating to a new fan motor had been resolved, and a temporary measure had been put in place to reduce the noise from boiler until this is fixed next week.

7.

Any other business

Minutes:

There was no other business.

8.

Date of next meeting - Wednesday 9 October 2013 at 2pm

Minutes:

The date of the next meeting was noted.