Project

Title of the project: Sound management of HBCD in insulation products and wastes from construction and demolition in typical Asia-Pacific countries

Donor: Germany and Japan

Partners: SCRC-China

Duration: November 2016 to April 2018

Target countries: China, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Vietnam

Objectives

To support the countries from the Asia-Pacific region in eliminating HBCD in thermal insulation materials from construction and demolition (C&D) waste by providing information and recommendations on approaches that can be implemented to achieve these aims in the region.

Expected outcomes

  1. Study on the use of HBCD in insulation materials, the generation trends and disposal of insulation waste containing HBCD in Asia-Pacific countries is undertaken:
    1. Investigate historical and current use of HBCD in different types of insulation products in Asia-Pacific countries
    2. Estimate the generation trends of insulation wastes containing HBCD in the next 50 years
  2. Feasibility study on resource utilization and environmentally sound management of insulation waste containing HBCD generated from C&D waste is undertaken
    1. Investigate the treatment processes and separation techniques for insulation waste containing HBCD generated from C&D in Asia-Pacific countries
    2. Undertake an assessment of existing control schemes for the recycling and disposal of insulation materials containing HBCD in Asia-Pacific Countries and the effectiveness of such schemes
    3. Make recommendations on the sound management that can be applied to HBCD in insulation materials and wastes in Asia-Pacific countries

Activities

Through desktop research, consultation with stakeholders (e.g. Institute of Flame Retardant of Asia-Pacific Countries and EPS and XPS producing industries) and field survey, the experts gathered information on the production of HBCD and the historical and current use of HBCD in insulation materials, including the types of insulation materials, the consumption of HBCD per year, the enforcement of legal requirements, in the past 30 years in Asia-Pacific countries. The experts used a model to estimate the generation trend of insulation waste containing HBCD in the next 50 years. The experts also gathered the following information on separation technologies in use in these facilities:

  1. Criteria for separation of insulation material from C&D waste (e.g. types of insulation material, bromine content, presence of HBCD, etc.);
  2. Technologies used for treatment and/or separation of insulation material containing HBCD, their effectiveness, outputs and fate of these outputs (e.g. reuse in other products, incineration etc.);
  3. Existing control schemes for the recycling and disposal of insulation materials containing HBCD including the regulatory framework, the enforcement of legal requirements, organizational structure and infrastructure.

Based on the collected information, the experts assessed different management schemes of HBCD and made recommendations on the sound management for HBCD in insulation materials and wastes.

The consultation meeting on the HBCD project was organized as part of a parallel session of the 13th International Conference on Waste Management and Technology (ICWMT 13) on 22 and 23 March 2018 in Beijing, China. The meeting was attended by 45 participants (18 female, 27 male). The experts who conducted the investigation in those countries each presented the relevant part of the project report. Experts from Germany and Finland gave presentations via Skype, shared information on the recent studies on the management of wastes containing HBCD, provided feedback on the interim report of the project. The participants discussed the findings and lessons learned and agreed on the way forward to finalize the report.

The outcome of the project indicated that currently there was a lack of awareness among decision makers and general public on negative impacts and consequences of the use of HBCD contained products for public health and environment. For example, in Mongolia, many insulation producers nor regulators were aware about the proposed prohibition of HBCD contained insulation production by 2021. No national legislation existed to regulate HBCD containing insulation production and imports in Mongolia.

Recommendations included: establishing a uniform national approach to waste minimization; creation of building codes to mandate C&D waste management; strengthening construction waste regulation in a view on HBCD contained insulation waste separation, proper handling, storage and disposals; encouraging business entities to involve into C&D waste separation and wider application of reduce-reuse-recycle principles for waste minimization for any types of waste, including HBCD contained insulation waste; share and promote information on alternatives to HBCD.

Outputs

  1. Final report - Sound management of HBCD in insulation products and wastes from construction and demolition in typical Asia-Pacific countries
  2. Consultation meeting on the HBCD project, 22 March 2018, Beijing
    1. Overview
    2. China
    3. Mongolia
    4. Republic of Korea
    5. Vietnam

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