2.14. Pilot Project: Establishing the System of Obsolete and Banned Pesticides Destruction in the Russian Federation through Innovation Technologies

 

The Project Goal was to establish (i) the institutional capacity for the implementation of national plans and international projects related to the destruction of POPs in Russia, and (ii) a methodology for legalizing in a step-by-step way an innovative technology for POP destruction.

The Project was implemented by the noncommercial partnership “International Research Center for Environmental Impact Assessment (NP MNC OVOS).

The Project Duration                        15 June – 31 December 2010.

The Project Activities

To attain its goals and objectives, the Project:

  • Selected technologies and technical options suitable for pesticide destruction and compliant with the international requirements, and adapted to the Russian conditions;
  • Developed technological procedures in accordance with the requirements of the best available technologies for pesticides destruction and Russian regulations; establishing the “technology – equipment” package of a specific structure to be submitted to the regulatory authorities of the Russian Federation;
  • Carried out the environmental impact assessment (OVOS) of the “technology – equipment” package in accordance with the procedures as set forth by the legislation of the Russian Federation;
  • Monitored, by way of chemical analysis, the operation of the hazardous waste destruction units and equipment at various regimes of the process cycle; submitted the results of field measurements to the designated body of the Russian Federation for approval;
  • Conducted sanitary and epidemiological studies of the pesticides destruction technological process on the basis of the OVOS results and chemical analysis data;
  • Informed the public in accordance with the requirements of the Russian legislation;
  • Submitted the materials to the State Environmental Expert Review;
  • Developed specifications of (TU/Standard GOST) for pesticides destruction technologies in accordance with the Federal Waste Classifier;
  • Proved compliance of the technology and equipment with the applicable Russian regulations and requirements including TU or GOST to be developed;
  • Established the full package of documents to allow importation, transportation and operation of the pesticides destruction technologies and equipment within the territory of the Russian Federation in accordance with its legislation

The Project Outcomes
According to the POP inventory, substantial amount of obsolete and banned pesticides in the Russian Federation are stored in dilapidated premises, which are not fit for storage purposes. In most cases, the packaging of these hazardous chemicals is disturbed and does not meet the requirements of the applicable legislation. All in all Russia accumulated not less than 40,000 ton of obsolete pesticides and pesticides that are banned for application in the Russian Federation. This poses a serious environmental risk for the Russian Arctic. In the Russian Federation and in the Russian Arctic it is impossible to tackle the problem of destructing the stockpiles of obsolete and banned pesticides without establishing the obsolete and banned pesticides management system. Such a system should include the institutional and legal framework, modern equipment for the destruction of various pesticides, and a wide regional network for the collection, transportation, safe storage and destruction of pesticides.

The project screened innovative technologies and technical options for the destruction of pesticides that meet international requirements and are adapted to the local conditions.

The use of fixed pesticides destruction installations in the Russian Federation is difficult because of the geography of locations where obsolete and banned pesticides are collected and stored, and because transporting hazardous waste across the country is a complex and costly affair. In this regard, the focus of screening was to search for and identify mobile modular units.

For Russia, such a solution is an innovative approach, unparalleled in the Russian practice, and requiring certain expenditures for its implementation in the Russian market.

fig.45
Figure 45. Diagram of Mobile Modular Unit for Incinerating Solid Obsolete and Banned Pesticides


As a result of this search and analysis, the Project selected a technology of an adiabatic high-temperature thermal treatment, based on a mobile installation unit, developed by the University of Florence, and marketed by FEROtech, an Italian company. The chosen technical option makes use of a base modular unit for the incineration of toxic waste, with an add-on module for the incineration of obsolete and banned solid pesticides (SCPWmk) and other halogen-containing toxic waste. Where destruction of liquid pesticides (LCPWmk) is required, the base unit can be supplemented with a specialized module.

The Project prepared a complete set of documents (process procedures, environmental impact assessment, technical specifications, resolutions on holding and approval of the public hearings results, field tests data, a letter of submission of documents to the state environmental expert review) enabling importation, transport and operation of a technology and equipment for the destruction of pesticides in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation in its territory.
The result of the project is an institutional system of handling and disposal of pesticides, as a prerequisite for the transition to a phase associated with practical work for the destruction of obsolete and banned pesticides in the Russian Federation.

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