BEST AVAILABLE TECHNIQUES

European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association members are strongly committed to environmental protection. They operate using state of the art technology and the operational practices are continuously improved. As a result, the emissions to air and water have decreased and the energy efficiency of their processes enhanced to be amongst the best in the world. 

In 1993, EFMA volunteered, as the first industry association, to co-operate with the EU Commission to establish documentation on Best Available Techniques (BAT) for pollution prevention and control for the fertilizer industry. Eight BAT publications for different fertilizer production processes were published in 1995, in parallel with the EU Commission’s drafting of the IPPC Directive. 

The publications describe the production processes; give state of the art techniques for pollution prevention and control and emission levels that are achievable for older existing plants and for modern new plants. A second revised edition of the 8 publications was issued in 2000. The European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association’s BAT booklets have been used as important input material for the EU BAT Reference Document; Ammonia, Acids and Fertilizers (BATREF AAF). This reference document will be used as a guidance document by local authorities for setting permits to operate as from October 2007. 


The BAT booklets have been requested by fertilizer companies and regulatory authorities worldwide. This confirms the need to establish common uniform standards on a global basis.