Best Available Technology BAT

The best available technology (BAT) economically achievable under the U.S. Federal Act Section 304(b)(2)(B)... 

Larsen HF, Pedersen AR, Birch H, Rasmussen D, Hansen LE (1998) Evaluation of best available technology (BAT) in screen cleaning (report in Danish). Environmental Project No. 381. Danish Ministry of Environment. Environmental Protection Agency, Copenhagen... 

The Substitution Principle is closely tied to the general goal of elimination, which is manifested in Article 5. A direct consequence of the employment of the Substitution Principle is the application of best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental Practice (BEP) when dealing with unintentional sources as classified in Annex C. BAT as such also requires the use of less hazardous substances. (Annex C, part V, (A (b)) again refers to the Substitution Principle demanding in para (d) the replacement of feed materials which are POPs or where there is a direct link between the materials and releases of POPs from the source and consequently health effects and harm for humans and the environment. 

Under Section 304 of the CWA, USEPA was required to establish effluent guidelines for a number of different industrial categories by specifying the effluent limits that must be met by dischargers in each category. Two types of standards were required for each industry (a) effluent limitations that require the application of the best practicable control technology (BPT) currently available, and (b) effluent limitations that require application of the best available technology (BAT). 

Best available technology (BAT) applies to toxic and unconventional pollutants. 

MBR technology is probably the membrane process that has had most success and has the best prospects for the future in wastewater treatment. Trends and developments also indicate that this technology is becoming accepted and is rapidly becoming the best available technology (BAT) for many wastewater-treatment applications. The cost of an MBR plant for secondary treatment is still higher than that for a CAS plant, but as the numbers of MBR plants increase, and as membrane costs fall, the life cycle cost differential will soon disappear, and the process advantages should lead to rapid uptake of the MBR system by the... 

The allocation to new entrants will be based on benchmarks when these are available. When benchmarks are not available, best available technology (BAT) will be the basis for allocation of allowances. 

The methodology has advantages in terms of verification and indirectly considers early action and cleaner technologies by favourably treating cogeneration and process emissions and by considering best available technologies (BATs) in the allocation to new entrants... 

The problem is the boundary limit of the techno-economical assessment, for example, which costs are effectively considered (see also later discussion regarding life-cycle assessment). This is a moving boundary that should be determined from the best-available-technology (BAT) and the related legislative limits on emissions. However, a more advanced concept is to consider the chemical process as a component of the environment and set the local legislative limits on emissions to values that do not decrease the biodiversity in the specific area where the process is localized. There are many problems in implementing this concept which introduces the idea that emissions from chemical production (and in general from all industrial and human activities) should have a value connected to the capacity of the environment to sustain the life (biodiversity). 

---