BATAs Program

Environmental activities of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. are driven by three letters: BAT. This abbreviation stands for Best Available Technology. In late 2016, the European Commission issued an executive decision establishing BAT conclusions (guidelines) for the non-ferrous metals industry. The conclusions were introduced in order to improve the quality of air, soil and water in the territory of the European Union.

For KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. this means the necessity to modernize the infrastructure that minimizes its environmental impact. To address this need, the Company launched the BAT-As Program (“Program to adapt the technological installations of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. to the requirements of BAT Conclusions for the nonferrous metals industry and to restrict emissions of arsenic”). Under the Program, the construction of new installations and modernization of existing ones was commenced in KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.’s metallurgical plants. The Program was launched in 2017 and its completion is planned in 2023. In the Głogów Copper Smelter and Refinery and in the Legnica Copper Smelter and Refinery, the program is implemented by building new and adapting the existing technological installations. The goal of the Program is to reduce dust and gas emissions, including arsenic compounds, through the installation of modern filters and further sealing of technological processes.

Measures undertaken so far under the Program in the Głogów Copper Smelter and Refinery:

an installation feeding milled de-leaded slag into the flash furnace at the Głogów II Smelter and Refinery was built,
a warehouse and storage area for lead-bearing materials at the Głogów II Smelter and Refinery was built,
a gas desulphurisation installation from the Kaldo furnace at the Precious Metals Unit at the Głogów Smelter was built,

bypass gas pipelines for flash furnaces at the Głogów Smelter and Refinery were constructed – the installations will ensure treatment of gases in the Sulphuric Acid Plant installations in case of a failure of the flash furnaces,
an installation for removal of dust from gases from flash furnace slag and copper outfall at the Głogów II smelter was built,
desulphurisation and dust removal installation for technological gases from converters at the Głogów II Smelter and Refinery was modernized.

At the Legnica Copper Smelter and Refinery: the dust removal system for the bag filter of shaft furnace 1 and for cassette filters of shaft furnaces 2 and 3 was modernized, stage 2 of the wet dust removal on the drying plant’s dust removal installation was built in order to reduce arsenic and mercury emissions, installations to remove arsenic from gases above the TM-16 casting machines were designed and executed and stage 1 of the installation for removal of arsenic and mercury from gases at the Solinox installation was launched.

Further work in this area is planned in 2022, including, among others:

modernization of a desulphurisation and dust removal installation for technological gases from converters at the Głogów Copper Smelter and Refinery,
P-31 Modernization of the installation reducing pollutants in air emissions of process gases from Dörschel furnaces – stage 2 at the Głogów Smelter and Refinery,

building a desulphurisation and dust removal installation for gases from the granulation process at the Legnica Smelter and Refinery,
continuation of work on the installation to remove arsenic and mercury from gases at the Solinox installation at the Legnica Smelter and Refinery.

Results of investment projects completed by 2021 in KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. in The area of unit adaptation to meet the requirements of the BAT conclusions for the non-ferrous metals industry are presented in the table below:

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Name of task/initiative	Expected adaptation to BAT associated emission levels (BAT-AEL)	Task completion date Parameters achieved (in guaranteed parameter tests)	Change in hourly dust emissions hourly arsenic in dust emissions
Modernisation of the Psz.1 bag filter dedusting system and PSZ2 and Psz3 cassette filters in the Shaft Furnaces	BAT 39: Dust – 2-5 (mg/Nm3) As – 0.05 (mg/Nm3)	December 2020 Dust – below 1 (mg/Nm³), As – below 0.05 (mg/Nm³), average 0.02 (mg/Nm³)	Dust – decrease by 97% As – decrease by 84%
Construction of 2nd-stage wet dedusting system on the dryer dedusting units to reduce As and Hg emissions down to the BAT Conclusion levels	BAT 38: Dust – 3–5 (mg/Nm³), As – 0.05 (mg/Nm³) BAT 11: Hg – 0.01 – 0.05 (mg/Nm³)	December 2020 Dust – below 1 (mg/Nm³), As – below 0.02 (mg/Nm³), average 0.01 (mg/Nm³) Hg – below 0.004 (mg/Nm³), average 0.002 (mg/Nm³)	As – decrease by 84%
Design and construction of installation to eliminate arsenic from gases above the TM-16 casting machines	BAT 44: Dust – below 15 (mg/Nm³)	December 2020 Dust – below 2 (mg/Nm³), average 1.6 (mg/Nm³)	Dust – decrease by 68% As – decrease by 75%
P-1 Sealing of conveyor belt tightening stations for carrying copper concentrate and ore blending warehouse	BAT 8 and BAT 25: Specify the required means of adaptation to prevent fugitive emissions from preliminary processing of natural, primary and secondary materials and their transport, or to reduce such emissions.	October 2019 Sealed conveyor systems were applied for transport and handling of dust generating concentrates, as well as fluxes and fine materials; mounting of roofs over conveyors for handling non-dust emitting solids (compliance with BAT8a, BAT8b, BAT25)
PG Installation feeding milled de-leaded slag into the flash furnace	BAT 54: Specifies methods to reduce the amount of copper production primary and secondary waste materials to be stored BAT 90: Specifies the required means of adaptation to prevent fugitive emissions from preparation of natural, primary and secondary materials, or to reduce such emissions (for lead production).	December 2020 The installation enables air-sealed transport of the waste material, i.e. de-leaded slag, to flash furnace for metal recovery (compliance with BAT54). A pneumatic transport system applied for dust-generating materials (compliance with BAT90a).
P-31 Building a warehouse and storage area for lead-bearing materials	BAT 90 Specifies the required means of adaptation to prevent fugitive emissions from preparation of natural, primary and secondary materials, or to reduce such emissions (for lead production).	March 2021 An enclosed feed preparation building was built and the Feed Preparation Yard was equipped with water showers and an enclosed leachate collection system to reduce dust from feed preparation operations for the Lead Production Facility
P-30 Building a gas desulphurisation installation from the Kaldo furnace at the Precious Metals Plant	BAT 140: Dust- 2–5 (mg/Nm³), BAT 142: SO₂ – 50–480 (mg/Nm³),	May 2021 Dust – average of 0.6 (mg/Nm³), SO₂ – below 470 (mg/Nm³),
P-22 Building an installation for removing particulates from gases emitted from flash furnace slag and copper outlets at the Głogów II Smelter and Refinery	BAT 39: Dust – 2–5 (mg/Nm³) As – 0.007 (kg/h)	December 2021 Dust – average of 0.054 (mg/Nm³)As – average of 0.0019 (kg/h)	Dust– decrease by 88% As – decrease by 88%
P-23 Building an installation for removing dust from converter gases	BAT 39: Dust- 2–5 (mg/Nm³) As – 0.002 (kg/h)	December 2021 Dust – average of 0.067 (mg/Nm³)As – average of 0.00098 (kg/h)	Dust – decrease by 94% As – decrease by 92%

Following the implementation of the BAT-As Program, the emission of arsenic from metallurgical production by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. into the air continues to decline. The arsenic emission ratio from metallurgical production decreased by 50% in 2021 vs. 2018.