Amendment of the TA Luft

The TA Luft is the central set of rules for reducing emissions and pollutants in the atmosphere.The technical instructions are aimed at the approval authorities for industrial plants and are of importance for all operators of plants subject to approval according to the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). The most recent version of the TA-L has been in use since 2002.The new version is an adaptation to the current state of the art. Furthermore, many of the changes are EU requirements that have now been implemented into national law.

The amendment to the Technical Instructions for Air Cleanliness (TA Luft) came into force on December 1, 2021. In the TA Luft, approval requirements for industrial plants are regulated, which should reduce the emission of pollutants such as volatile organic substances (VOC) and odors and protect the environment.

The TA Luft of 2002 regulated around 50,000 plants from the chemical industry, metal production, the cement industry, food production and processing, as well as waste treatment. With the new version, the scope of application is extended to plants from other areas.

The TA Luft 2021 now also includes new nationwide regulations for the protection of residents from odor nuisances and for biogas, wood pellet production, and shredding plants.

So far, odour nuisances have been assessed according to the Odour Emissions Directive (GIRL), whose long title is "Determination and assessment of odour emissions,"  the provisions of which vary slightly from state to state.

Supplementation and reintroduction of pollutants

The TA Luft is the central set of rules for reducing air pollutant emissions and immissions from approved installations.With the new version of the TA Luft, several regulations from EU law have now been transposed into national law.

This includes, among other things, conclusions on the best available techniques (BAT conclusions) based on the Industry Emissions Directive (Directive 2010/75/EU).

New requirements have also been included for odor pollution caused by plants, limits for ammonia and fine dust emissions from the exhaust air of large animal husbandry plants, and specifications on how nature conservation requirements should be taken into account when approving plants.

Apart from the newly regulated areas of application, the biggest impact for the industry will be the addition or reclassification of pollutants.

In the previously valid TA Luft from 2002, limit values were set, among other things, for dust, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, hydrofluoric acid, and other pollutants.

In the meantime, however, additional pollutants have been discovered and investigated, and new information is available on the environmental and health effects of already known pollutants.

Although the general emission limit values of 50 mg/m3 and 0.50 kg/h in the TA Luft 2021 remain unchanged, stricter limit values for carcinogenic, highly toxic, or difficult to degrade pollutants will be introduced. Thus, the mass concentration of class I substances must not exceed 20 mg/m3 or the mass flow of 0.10 kg/h. A list of the substances can be found in Appendix 3 of the amended TA Luft.

uviblox exhaust air purification and consulting

As a system operator, you may be wondering whether your exhaust air purification still meets the new requirements. uviblox is already helping many customers reduce their exhaust air emissions and comply with the limit values of TA Luft. If your company is affected by the innovations in the TA Luft, we will be happy to advise you on the possibilities to meet the new requirements.

With our pilot tests and measurement campaigns, we offer an examination of the initial situation of your plant and advice on necessary measures.

For the elimination of odors, we offer the innovative process of UV photooxidation, a process that is also successfully used for the degradation of VOCs.

At higher concentrations, our catalytic oxidation systems are used. In addition, uviblox provides traditional activated carbon filters for exhaust air purification.

Get in touch with us.