A detailed emergency response plan for the
operation of the biodiesel plant will be developed after the completion of the
detailed design of the plant. The
following sections outline the general requirements of the plan respect to
prevention and management of the risk of pollution and will form the basis for
the development of the detailed plan.
Loading and unloading of materials should
be carried out by trained personnel of the biodiesel plant and in accordance
with the operational procedures established by plant manager.
The operator at the jetty should closely liaise
with the operator on the barge to ensure that all the connections are secured. The operators should closely monitor the
loading and loading operation to ensure no spillage or leakage of material
during the operation. Should there be a
leak, the operator at the jetty should immediately press the emergency stop of
the pumps and close the valve to minimise the leak.
The operator should check the joint
connection of the discharge pipe of the grease trap waste (GTW) tanker and the
reception pipe of the unloading station to ensure that it is properly connected
and secured. The operator should closely
monitor the loading operation to ensure no spillage or leakage of material
during the operation. Should there be a
leak, the operator should instruct the driver of the tanker to close the
discharge valve of the tanker to stop further leak. The spill should be cleaned up immediately by
washing down to the drainage system. The
wastewater will be pumped to the wastewater treatment plant for treatment.
All
storage tanks should be hydro-tested with water (according the designed test
pressure) before used. The tanks should
be provided with a leak detection system.
The integrity of the tanks should be inspected regularly in accordance
with the requirements of the relevant Building Regulations.
Bund wall
should be provided in the tank farm (including the storage tank of the raw
materials/products) and the process tanks within the
The bunded area should be provided with a sump pit(s) with a
manually controlled valve/penstock which should normally be closed. All surface water discharged from the bunded area should pass through an oil interceptor. No surface water will be automatically
drained from the bunded area. The plant operator should check the
valves/penstocks on a daily basis to ensure that they are closed. The operator should also check that the
valves/penstocks are closed before the tank is receiving stock. The water level within the interceptor should
be inspected regularly to ensure that oily water cannot pass directly to the
outlet. During each regular check, the
operator will turn the interceptor outlet valve to confirm that it operates
easily and can be shut tight when necessary.
During
rainstorm, the operator should observe the rainwater collected within the bunded and will manually open the valve of the sump pit of
the bunded area to allow an appropriate flow to pass
through the oil interceptor.
The sump
pit should also be equipped with a level switch instrument to detect the water
level. The sensor should be connected to
an alarm of the PCS-system. Spill/leak
within the bunded area should be cleaned up
immediately. If a large spill/leak is
detected, the materials should be pumped out and reuse, where appropriate. Otherwise the material should be disposed of
as a chemical waste to the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre. If the leak is from the GTW and Waste Cooking
Oil (WCO) storage tanks, the materials will be pumped to other GTW storage tanks
or to the on-site wastewater treatment plant for treatment.
After
installation, the pipelines should be tested (pressure test with water). The pipes on the pipe bridge should be welded
so that there will be no connection (eg flanges and
valves) on the pipe bridge outside the bunded area. Flanges and valves should only be located
within/above a bunded area (eg
To
prevent the pipe bridge against any traffic collisions, the bottom line of the
bridge should be at least 4.5m above ground level. At the site entrance, a “height
check/control” should be installed to ensure that vehicles taller than 4m will
not been allowed to enter the site unless it is escorted by senior site
operator to ensure that the vehicle will not drive near the pipe bridge. The columns of the pipe bridge at the street
level should be protected by barriers and sufficient clearance from the road.
At the
loading and unloading stations, the following control measures should be
implemented:
·
Dry couplings should
be used to connect the pipes with the truck or barge;
·
The GTW
unloading area should be paved with concrete and the drainage should be
separated from the stormwater drainage system. The drainage should be connected to the on-site
wastewater treatment plant. For the
unloading area at the jetty area, the gate valve of the sump pit of the bunded area should be closed to ensure any spillage will be
contained and collected. This avoids
direct discharge of any spill to the stormwater
drainage system.
·
Emergency stops
of loading and unloading should be installed at all stations.
·
The loading and
unloading operation should be carried out by trained operators.
The water
discharged from the oil interceptor will be checked to ensure that the effluent
comply with the discharge standards prior discharge to the stormwater
system.
The
quality of the effluent discharge from the terminal manhole of the site to the
public sewer of the TKO Industrial Estate will be monitored in accordance with
the requirements of the Water Pollution
Control Ordinance Licence.
The following
marine pollution equipment will be maintained at the jetty area.
·
Boom: the total length of the boom will not be less
2.5 times the maximum length of the marine vessel delivering the raw materials
and exporting the biodiesel;
·
Ancillary equipment necessary for the proper
deployment of the boom; and
·
Appropriate absorbent materials for the PFAD, methanol
and biodiesel.
There is potential
for spillage of biodiesel, PFAD and methanol during the loading/unloading
operations at the jetty area. Dry
coupling should be used to connect two loading/unloading pipes or a flexible
hose to a transfer pipe in order to avoid any leakage of the materials at the
joint. The loading/ unloading area should
be surrounded by covered surface channel to contain any potential spillage of
materials. In addition, the operations should
be undertaken at the paved loading/ unloading station and should be manned by trained
staff and closely monitored with flow control equipment. Any spillages should be contained and the
spill be absorbed by appropriate absorbents.
The area should be properly washed and the wastewater should be conveyed
to the on-site wastewater treatment plant for treatment.
For accidental
spills that could occur during transportation of biodiesel from the site,
retainer booms should be used to create a warp around the barge and the
contaminated areas to prevent the spillage spreading. The spill should be absorbed by appropriate
absorbents. If there is leak of the
methanol, it should let the methanol to vapour as quickly as possible so that
the vapour will be diluted below the flammable concentration.
Induction training for all site personnel will
include the emergency contingency plan of the site. Refresher training will be provided to the key
operation staff on an annual basis.
The training will include all possible risks, which
can be occurred when handling different materials (eg
methanol, acids and bases, biodiesel, etc), health and safety measures and the
necessary clean up procedures. Training
will make reference to the MSDS (Material safety data sheets) so that the staff
will be fully conversant with the potential risks and environmental
implications associated with spillage of materials.
The training will also include the operation of the
clean up equipment.
The detailed emergency response plan
should include the contact person, telephone numbers and addressed of the
following organisation.
·
Plant
Manager;
·
Regional
Office (East), Environmental Compliance Division of EPD;
·
TKO Ambulance/Fire
Station;
·
TKO
Police Station;
·
Marine
Department;
·
Manager
of the TKOIE, Hong Kong Science and
·
Sai Kung District Office.