Webinar on Best Available Techniques (BAT): Insights from the Cement Production and Waste Incineration Sectors - OECD

This webinar is the third in a series on industrial pollution prevention and control. It explores how Best Available Techniques (BAT) are used to reduce industrial emissions in the cement production and waste incineration sectors. Drawing on cross-country insights from OECD reports, Activity 6: Cross-Country analysis of selected sectors for comparison and Activity 7: Cross-Country Analysis of selected BREFs for Iron-Steel, Paper-Pulp and Waste incineration sectors, the webinar sheds light on significant environmental challenges, highlights shared and sector-specific emission control techniques and discusses the potential for harmonising BAT implementation globally. The findings are based on reviews of BREFs from the European Union, the United States, China, India, Korea and the World Bank. Watch the replay: https://www.oecd.org/en/events/2025/09/best-available-techniques-for-industrial-emission-prevention-and-control-insights-from-the-cement-production-and-waste-incineration-sectors.html

1. Thank you to everyone for joining today's OECD webinar.
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This webinar will be recorded and will be made available afterwards at:
https://www.oecd.org/en/events/2025/09/best-available-techniques-for-industrial-
emission-prevention-and-control-insights-from-the-cement-production-and-waste-
incineration-sectors.html

3. SESSION 1.
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

4. OECD’S BEST-AVAILABLE
TECHNIQUES (BAT)
PROJECT
4

5. •Exchange best practices across countries that already have a
BAT-based permitting system
•Provide guidance to countries that seek to adopt a BAT-based
approach for the first time
•Achieve progress towards the SDGs, notably Target 12.4 on the
environmentally sound management of chemicals
5
Objectives of the BAT project

6. •Established in 2015 –increased tenfold in size
since
•162 members from 40+ countries and
organisations
The OECD Expert Group on BAT
6
© Photo credit: Oleksandra Klestova/Shutterstock.com
•One face-to-facemeeting and one webinar
per year, plus frequent exchanges by
email/phone
•10th meeting of the Expert
Group on BAT
13-14 November 2025, Seoul, Korea
45%
13%
3%
3%
10%
14%
6%
3%
3%
Expert Group on BAT Composition
OECD Member
governments
Non-member
governments
Key Partner countries
Accession countries
IGOs
Industry Associations

7. 7
Deliverables of the OECD’s BAT project (2016-2024)
Phase I
(2016-2018)
Act.1-Policies on BAT
Across the World (2017)
Act.2 -Approaches to
Establishing BAT
Around the World
(2018)
Act.3 -Measuring the
Effectiveness of BAT
Policies (2019)
Phase II
(2019-2021)
Act.4 -BAT guidance
document (2020)
Act. 5 -Study on value
chain aspects of
determining BAT (2021)
Act. 6 -Cross-country
comparison of selected
BREFs (2022)
Phase III
(2022-2024)
Act. 7 -Cross-country
comparison of selected
BREFs (2024)
Act. 8 -Capacity
building workshops
(2025)
Act.9 -Identifying
innovation and ETs for
potential BAT
determination (2025)
Phase IV
(2025 –2027)
Act.10 –Role of BAT in
Hydrogen Production
Act.11 –Recovery of
secondary raw materials
(SRM)
Act 12 –Capacity
building workshops

8. List of BREFs webpage

9. CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS OF
BREFS FOR
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
CEMENT
TEXTILES

10. •Five BREFs/BREF-like
✓Different countries develop, structure and
implement BREFs
10
Activity 6 –Cross-country analyses of selected BREFs
Thermal Power
Plants
Cement Textiles

11. 11
Objective
•Analyse industrial pollution prevention and control
techniques across countries
➢BAT and BAT-AELs for selected sectors and their key pollutants
➢Facilitate harmonisation of BAT-AELs across countries

12. Global Importance of Portland Cement
•Most widely used worldwide
•Used in construction: buildings, bridges, infrastructure
•Energy Intensive
Environmental Impact
•Significant GHG and air pollutant emissions.
–CO₂: ~5–7% of global anthropogenic emissions
–Particulate Matter (PM), SOₓ, NOₓ, Hg
Cement production sector

13. 13
Environmental scope
ThermalPowerPlants
Coal & gas-fuelled
Air emissions
NOx
SOx
Hg
Dust/PM
Cement
Portland (+clinker)
Air emissions
•NOx
•SOx
•Dust/PM
•CO2
Textiles
Water releases
AOX, BOD, COD
pH
Metals
Processes
Pre-treatment
Dyeing

14. 14
Cross-country analysis of BAT
•Scope –e.g. capacity
•Types –min. stand or guidance, incl. legal
status
•Technical depth –single or multi media releases
•Production/update
Higher BREF-issues
•General BATs
•BATs used for selected pollutants
BAT approaches
•Emission & performance levels specified for the
selected pollutants
•Associated conditions, e.g. averaging periods
where given
BAT-AE(P)Ls

15. BREFs for Cement production

16. Cross country BAT Frameworks
Country/OrganisationType of BREF Focus
China GATPPC; Minimum standard Technical BAT, emission limits
EU EU-BREF; Hybrid BAT & BAT-AELs
India MINAS; Minimum standard
Emission limits, no prescribed
techniques
US Regulatory performance standardsELVs, supporting tech documents
World Bank Guidance Technical BAT recommendations

17. BAT Approaches for Cement production
General BAT
Good
environmental
practices
Key
Environmental
Indicators
(KEIs) specific
Pollutant
specific
Environmental
media
(air)

18. General BAT
ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
(EMS)
NOISE REDUCTION
TECHNIQUES
KILN PROCESS
STABILISATION
RAW MATERIAL & FUEL
SELECTION

19. KEI specific BAT approaches

20. BAT for PM/DustEmissions in Cement Production
China
•ESPs,
•bag
filters
EU
•Enclosed
operations,
•Fabric
filters
India
•ESP,
•Filter bag
US
•Fabric
filters,
•ESP,
•gravel bed,
•cartridge
World Bank
•Fabric
filters,
•Enclosed
storage

21. BAT for SOxEmissions in Cement Production
Input control:
low-sulfur raw
materials/fuels
Process
optimisation&
burner design
End-of-pipe:
absorbent
injection, wet/dry
scrubbers

22. BAT for NOxEmissions in Cement Production
Primary:
low-NOx burners,
flame cooling, process
optimisation
Secondary/end-of-
pipe:
SNCR, SCR
Cost considerations:
Low-NOx burners
(high capex, low
opex),
SNCR (cost-effective)

23. BAT for CO2 Emissions in Cement Production
Vertical mills,
waste heat
recovery
Optimized kiln
operations &
fuel
substitution
Carbon
capture,
utilization,
storage (CCUS)
EU roadmap:
carbon
neutrality by
2050

24. Cross-Country Comparative Insights
HARMONISED
PM AND NOX CONTROLS
VARIATION
SOX AND CO2
MITIGATION
REGULATORY
APPROACHES
-PRESCRIPTIVE (CHINA,
WORLD BANK)
-PERFORMANCE (INDIA,
US)
-HYBRID (THE EU)

25. Quantitative BAT : BAT-AE(P)Ls

26. CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS OF
BREFS FOR
IRON & STEEL
PAPER & PULP
WASTE INCINERATION

27. 27
Objective
•Analyse industrial pollution prevention and control
techniques across countries
➢BAT and BAT-AELs for selected sectors and their key pollutants
➢Facilitate harmonisation of BAT-AELs across countries

28. •Six BREFs/BREF-like
✓Different countries develop, structure and
implement BREFs
28
Activity 7 –Cross-country analyses of selected BREFs
Iron & Steel Paper & Pulp
Waste
Incineration

29. •Essential for modern life & key part of integrated waste
management
•Incineration: reduces volume and recovers energy
–But generates harmful air pollutants
•BAT ensures:
–Complete combustion
–Controlled emissions
–Safe energy recovery
Waste Incineration

30. Environmental Issues in the Waste Incineration sector

31. Waste Types and Processes

32. Scope for Waste Incineration sector
Iron and Steel
Sinter Plants
Dust,
NOx,
SOx,
Hg,
dioxins
Blast Furnace
Dust
Electric Arc Furnaces
(EAF)
Dust,
Hg,
dioxins
Paper and pulp production
Kraft Pulping
(Recovery boilers)
Dust,
NOx,
TRS
Paper manufactured from
recycled paper
TSS
COD
AOX
Tot-N
Tot-P
Water consumption efficiency
Waste incineration
Municipal Solid
Waste Incineration
•Dust,
•NOx with NH₃ slip,
•Heavy metals (Hg, Cd,
tot-metals),
•Dioxins and Furans
(PCDD/F)
•Acid gases (HCI, HF,
SO2)

33. BAT Approaches for MSWI
•Good environmental practices General BAT
•Pollutant specific
•Environmental media
KEI specific

34. BAT for Air Emissions from MSWI

35. BAT for Air Emissions from MSWI
NOx & NH3
•Primary:
optimised
combustion, flue-
gas recirculation
•Secondary:
SNCR, SCR,
catalytic filter
bags
•Wet scrubber
with NH₃
recovery (where
feasible)
Dust/PM
•Bag filters (fabric
filters) →gold
standard
•Electrostatic
precipitators
(ESP)
•Cyclones (mainly
pre-separators)
•Dry sorbent
injection, wet
scrubber,
adsorption beds
Heavy Metals
•Primary: waste
segregation
(avoid Hg, As-
rich wastes)
•Secondary: bag
filters, ESP,
sorbent injection,
scrubbers
•Specific Hg
control: activated
carbon injection,
boiler bromine
addition
Dioxins &
Furans
(PCDD/F)
•Primary: good
combustion,
waste feed
control, boiler
cleaning, rapid
cooling
•Secondary: dry
sorbent injection,
adsorption beds,
SCR, catalytic
filter bags,
carbon sorbent in
wet scrubbers
•EU BAT 30:
combine primary
+ at least one
secondary
Acid Gases
•Techniques: wet
scrubber, semi-
wet absorber, dry
sorbent injection
•Boiler sorbent
injection, direct
desulphurisation
(fluidised beds)
•Only in EU BREF

36. •Combustion optimisation (temperature, oxygen,
residence time)
•SNCR & SCR for NOx control
•Fabric filters & electrostatic precipitators for dust/metals
•Activated carbon injection for Hg and dioxins
•Dry/wet scrubbers for acid gases
Common BAT Techniques Identified

37. Quantitative BAT : BAT-AE(P)Ls

38. Cross-country Analysis for Waste Incineration BREFs
Legal status of BREFs
(binding vs guidance)
Technical & economic
feasibility
Age of facilities (new
vs existing)
Local environmental
priorities
Data availability &
monitoring
infrastructure
Geographic
differences shape
pollutant priorities in
BREFs (e.g., NH₃ in
EU, HAPs in the US

39. CROSS COUNTRY ANALYSIS FOR
CEMENT AND WASTE INCINERATION
SECTORS
CONCLUSION

40. Regions Reviewed -China, EU, India, Korea, US,
World Bankguidelines
Cross-Country BAT and BAT-AEL Analysis
Key Findings
Common Techniques Identified
•Shared use of effective techniques for air emissions control
•Shift from purely end-of-pipe to hybrid strategies
(e.g., process optimisation+ targeted treatment)
Differences Influenced by:
•Legal status of BREFs (binding vs. guidance)
•Economic and institutional context
•Specific environmental priorities

41. Cross-country Analysis of BAT frameworks
Challenges
•Lack of harmonisedBAT-AEL
measurement conditions
•Legal and institutional variability across
countries
•Limited comparability due to
inconsistent documentation
Opportunities
•Standardisingmonitoring and assessment
methods
•Expanding international collaboration and
data sharing
•Aligning environmental performance
benchmarks globally

42. PANEL DISCUSSION

43. QUESTIONS
Please send your questions via email:
[email protected]

44. CLOSING REMARKS

45. Activity 7: Cross Country Analysis of
selected BREFs for Iron-Steel, Paper-
Pulp and Waste incineration sectors
(2024)
Industrial Pollution Control Webinar Series
Activity 6: Cross Country Analysis of
selected BREFs for Thermal Power
plants, Cement and Textiles sectors
(2022)
Webinar series on BAT
TPP
(Act.6)
& IS
(Act.7)
13
June
TXT
(Act.6)
& PP
(Act.7)
3
July
CMT
(Act.6)
& WI
(Act.7)
24
Sep.
45

46. Visit our website:https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/monitoring-and-
preventing-industrial-pollution.html
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