TA-Luft and GIRL: how modern systems for exhaust air purification help to comply with pollutant limits in industry
The requirements for immission control are constantly increasing – not least due to the amendment of the Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control (Technische Anleitung zur Reinhaltung der Luft, TA-Luft) and the legally binding and mandatory integration of the Odour Immission Directive (Geruchsimmissions-Richtlinie, GIRL) into the administrative regulation in Germany in 2021. The requirements for immission control are becoming stricter and the approval procedures more complex: complying with the requirements of TA-Luft and GIRL is an important part of environmental protection and health protection in the industry, but can also pose increasing challenges for operators of industrial plants. At the same time, the stricter regulations – that for example have reorganized pollutant limits – have set clear guidelines for modern and sustainable production. Systems for air purification and industrial exhaust air purification can help to fulfil the requirements of TA-Luft and GIRL and significantly reduce the emission of pollutants.
What is the new TA-Luft?
The Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control are a central set of regulations for immission control in Germany. It specifies the requirements of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) for plants requiring a permit and defines how emissions of air pollutants are to be minimized. The aim is to protect people and the environment from harmful effects and to improve air quality in the long term. The TA-Luft regulations are aimed at licensing authorities and define the state of the art for almost 50,000 plants in Germany that require a license.
On 1 December 2021, an amendment to the TA-Luft came into effect, making far-reaching changes for the first time since 2002. The amendment transferred numerous EU requirements into national law and made adjustments to the current state of technologies.
What has been newly regulated by the amendment to TA-Luft 2021?
- Limit values for pollutants have been tightened, especially for carcinogenic, toxic or persistent substances.
- New substances have been included in the catalogue of requirements, for example benzene, certain dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, benzo(a)pyrene and fine dust particles of the PM2.5 fraction.
- Other substances such as formaldehyde have been reclassified in terms of their hazard.
- The scope of application has been extended to include wood pellet and shredder plants as well as biogas plants.
- Emissions are now to be measured more frequently, in some cases annually instead of just every three years.
- The Odour Immission Directive GIRL has been integrated legally binding into the administrative regulation. That the already existing regulation has been mandatory since then significantly increases the influence of odour emissions on approval practice.
To whom do the requirements of the new TA-Luft apply?
Both newly planned plants and many existing plants are affected. The stricter requirements of TA-Luft must be applied to installations registered for the first time from 1 December 2021. Ongoing approval procedures for installations with a complete approval application before 1 December 2021 were still completed in accordance with the old TA-Luft 2002.
Renovation deadlines for retrofitting existing plants have also been regulated. The first deadline for retrofitting with low technical and organizational complexity has already expired. A retrofitting period of three years until December 1, 2024 applied to such plants, where the retrofitting included, for example, switching to lower-emission fuels or improving the effectiveness of existing exhaust gas treating systems. For the retrofitting of plants that complied with the previous TA-Luft standard until the new regulation, the general retrofitting period allows time until 1 December 2026 to comply with the requirements. The modernization of existing plants is necessary as the obligation under immission control law to minimize harmful environmental impacts is dynamic and the evolving technological state must be taken into account.
A wide range of industries are affected by the effects of the amendment to the TA-Luft. These include, for example, the chemical industry, energy production, metal production, biowaste treatment, the food industry, recycling centres, cement yards and livestock facilities. In addition, the affected areas have been expanded to include biogas plants, plants for the production of wood pellets and shredder plants with the amendment of the TA-Luft as described.
What does the Odour Immission Directive regulate?
The legally binding integration of the previously existing GIRL plays a central role in the TA-Luft amendment and describes how odour emissions are recorded and assessed. The reason for the new and mandatory regulation is that odour nuisance from chemical or other production plants often leads to complaints from residents and legal disputes. GIRL as a regulation had already been existing; as Annex 7 of the TA-Luft amendment, GIRL now regulates protection against industrial odour nuisance legally binding and uniformly throughout Germany. This has created uniform standards as well as increased legal certainty for operators and residents.
Modern exhaust air purification as the key to conformity with the new TA-Luft
The amendment to the TA-Luft poses challenges for many companies with stricter limit values, higher requirements and costs as well as more complex authorization procedures. At the same time, however, the new TA-Luft and the now legally binding and mandatory integrated GIRL are also an opportunity for technological change: those who implement the legal requirements and invest in modern and energy-efficient environmental technologies will benefit from increased sustainability, long-term operational safety and even economic advantages. This offers the opportunity to scrutinize existing exhaust air purification systems and replace them with modern technologies – these are not only lower in emissions, but also more efficient and future-proof.
Air purification removes pollutants directly from industrial exhaust air streams, which significantly and sustainably improves the air quality. Our modern air purification systems offer a degradation rate of over 99% for pollutants such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds). This not only prevents the release of pollutants and contributes to health and environmental protection, but also converts the pollutants into freely available heat flow.
The air purification systems for the industry from ETS Air Systems combine the advantages of thermal and catalytic exhaust air purification and can be flexibly expanded thanks to their modular design. The systems prevent the release of pollutants and reduce the proportion of pollutants in the air, which means that the limit values and specifications of TA-Luft and GIRL can be complied with. At the same time, the use of energy-efficient technology not only reduces pollutant emissions, but also lowers operating costs.
A comparison between thermal post-combustion (TNV) and the systems from ETS Air Systems shows a tenfold increase in efficiency as well as significantly reduced costs for CO2 production:
TA-Luft and GIRL: need for action with perspective
The amendment of the TA-Luft and the increased consideration of odour emissions by the legally binding and mandatory integration of GIRL in the administrative regulation mark a change in industrial immission control. Those who invest in suitable technology in good time not only protect people and the environment, but also secure their own authorisation capability and competitive position in the long term.
Modern exhaust air purification is therefore no longer just a cost factor, but part of a forward-looking corporate strategy that combines ecological responsibility with economic efficiency – and makes an important contribution to the decarbonisation of industrial processes.
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