Care for the environment
Overall environmental permit renewal brought forward at own initiative
The translation of Sustainable Development “Duurzaam ondernemen” is the Dutch interpretation of our company name Proviron, as well as our company philosophy. The internally executed environmental audit, determined by decree, holds all environmental parameters and was validated externally. Within the scope of the benchmarking agreement, the results proved levels of CO2 emissions per tonne end product to be comparable with the very low levels of the previous year.
kg chemical waste/tonne end product
Waste treatment
kg COD/tonne end product
Waste
The quantity of waste per tonne end product has slightly increased but that is owing to a clearance of some residual waste substances. The sulfur silan unit which was brought online and which produces additives for environmentally friendly car tires has been adding to the amount of waste.
The soil remediation of certain site plots remained on schedule. The applied technology, which uses subterranean pipes, drains and cleans the soil by removing both liquid and gaseous pollutants. The result is positive and we started tackling other plots with the same technique. In total, four times the surface is being remediated now.
We have also organised a special facility to store the polluted soil temporarily before thermal processing.
Permits
On our own initiative and based on positive cooperation with the authorities concerned we drafted and handed in the necessary reports (external safety and environmental impact) in 2007 in order to obtain a new environmental permit for the whole of the Proviron site in 2008. This was not yet legally required at the time but the site history had brought about a jumble of permits so the authorities couldn’t see the wood for the trees anymore.
Waste water treatment
The year 2007 proved trouble-free for the waste water treatment. Aquafin was able to process the Proviron waste water optimally. Its nature and chemical composition provides for an optimum mix when combined with household waste water, enhancing the efficiency of the treatment unit. We treat all soil remediation related pumped up water and polluted air in an in-house treatment unit. The biological water treatment with bio rotor, and air treatment with bio filter and active carbon work excellently. Results are regularly communicated to the authorities.
Informing the local community
Proviron is an important part of the local socio economical fabric and suitable communication in this field is properly maintained. E.g. we informed neighbourhood councils of Zandvoorde and Bredene about the biodiesel project and the in-house H2S production. Civil servants of the Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij OVAM (Public Waste Agency of Flanders) came in to check the efficiency of the soil remediation project.