International consortium promotes REACH registration of bio ash in Europe

International consortium promotes REACH registration of bio ash in Europe

More than a decade ago, Pohjolan Voima initiated a pan-European collaborative project with the forest and energy industry to prepare the REACH registration of bio ash. Sweco supports the operations of the consortium which consists of roughly 75 member companies and aims to raise the status of bio ash from waste to a valuable circular economy product.

The European Union’s REACH regulation requires manufacturers of chemical substances to be registered in an EU database. In 2009, the Finnish energy company Pohjolan Voima Oyj joined forces with forest and energy industry companies to begin the long process of registering the bio ash generated through the combustion of biomass.

“Our network spans both the forest and energy industry, which is why it was a natural step for us to join forces to promote the registration of bio ash,” says Rea Oikkonen, Pohjolan Voima’s environmental director and steering group chair.

The members of Mixed Ashes Consortium represent power plants that use wood-based or other biomasses as fuel throughout Europe. “The consortium includes about 75 member companies, but Pohjolan Voima bears the main responsibility. Our subsidiary Kymin Voima serves as the main registrant for the consortium.”

A safe circular economy product, instead of waste

The aim of the registration process is to dispel the outdated notion of bio ash as nothing more than waste. In Finland and Sweden, for example, almost all bio ash can already be utilised for earthwork, civil engineering and forest fertilisation.

“In addition to this, we want to improve occupational safety,” Oikkonen emphasises. The product registration provides bio ash with an official material safety data sheet and handling instructions. “At the same time, this ensures that bio ash can continue to be used for fertilisation and other value-adding purposes.”

Aleksis Ahvensalmi, Sweco’s senior specialist in environmental and chemical law, finds the consortium’s efforts to be extremely important. “The consortium promotes responsibility in the forest and energy industries, as well as the European circular economy.”

Official product registration requires persistence

Bio ash generated by mixed combustion was already registered in 2010, but the REACH registration still requires some further testing. “Ash is difficult to define in terms of its chemical properties, and legislative changes and revisions made by the European Chemicals Agency ECHA necessitate further study,” Ahvensalmi explains.

Furthermore, the joint registration requires competing companies to cooperate, which is why it was an obvious decision to leave the coordination to a third party. As the consortium manager, Sweco prepares the meetings with Pohjolan Voima. “We also provide expert assistance, oversee the tests and make sure that the decisions made comply with the applicable law and the consortium agreement.”

According to Oikkonen, Sweco has offered its expertise flexibly through the more demanding phases for purposes such as clarifying the requirements of the REACH regulation, legal questions and toxicological testing. “The consortium has also gained access to Sweco’s vast networks of specialists.”

“In Finland and Sweden, almost all bio ash can already be utilised for purposes such as earthwork, civil engineering and forest fertilisation.”
– Rea Oikkonen, Pohjolan Voima Oyj