CEN/TR 14980:2004

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2007
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Solid recovered fuels - Report on relative difference between biodegradable and biogenic
fractions of SRF
Feste Sekundärbrennstoffe - Bericht über den relativen Unterschied zwischen biologisch
abbaubaren und biogenen Anteilen von festen Sekundärbrennstoffen
Combustibles solides de récupération - Rapport portant sur la différence relative entre
les fractions biodégradable et biogene des combustibles solides de récupération
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 14980:2004
ICS:
75.160.10 Trda goriva Solid fuels
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

TECHNICAL REPORT
CEN/TR 14980
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
December 2004
ICS 75.160.10
English version
Solid recovered fuels - Report on relative difference between
biodegradable and biogenic fractions of SRF
Feste Sekundärbrennstoffe - Bericht über den relativen
Unterschied zwischen biologisch abbaubaren und biogenen
Anteilen von festen Sekundärbrennstoffen
This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 29 October 2004. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 343.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2004 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 14980:2004: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword.3
Introduction .4
1 Scope .6
2 Normative references .6
3 Terms and definitions .6
4 Definitions on biodegradable, biogenic and biomass .6
4.1 Biodegradable.6
4.1.1 Preferred definition of biodegradable .6
4.1.2 Other definitions on biodegradable.6
4.2 Biogenic.6
4.3 Biomass .7
4.3.1 Preferred definition of biomass.7
4.3.2 Other definitions on Biomass.7
5 Determination of biodegradable and biogenic fractions of waste .8
5.1 General.8
5.2 Biodegradable fraction.8
5.3 Biogenic fraction.8
5.4 Available test methods.8
5.5 Conclusion on number of test methods needed .9
Bibliography .10

Foreword
This document (CEN/TR 14980:2004) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 343 “Solid
recovered fuels”, the secretariat of which is held by SFS.
This document has been prepared under the Mandate M/325 to CEN on Solid Recovered Fuels [1] to provide
the European Commission with a report on the relative difference between the biodegradable and the biogenic
fraction of waste in order to decide whether there is a need to develop two different standards or only one.
Introduction
In a long term perspective of Sustainable Development, it is crucial to use resources as efficiently as possible.
Natural, as well as financial, resources’ use should be optimised to limit as far as possible the effects on
human health and on environment, while creating wealth more easily accessible to all fractions of the world
population. In a medium term perspective, climate change effects due to greenhouse gas emissions from
human activities should be properly addressed. Shorter term issues such as energy security of supply remain
a permanent concern as well.
Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF) are fuels prepared from non hazardous waste to be utilised for energy recovery
in waste incineration or co-incineration plants regulated under Community environmental legislation [1].

SRFs play an important role in the EU Community energy policy (see CEN/TR 14745:2003 [2]). The cost
benefit analysis has shown that the use of SRF contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases. The use of
SRFs is particularly important in sparsely populated areas. It also serves a means to meet the targets of the
Landfill Directive [3] by reducing landfilling of biodegradable waste.
Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF), by replacing e.g. fossil fuels and limiting the volumes of waste sent to landfills,
can contribute to increasing resource efficiency. If based on biomass, their use will prevent emissions from
fossil carbon into the atmosphere and decrease correspondingly greenhouse gases emissions from
anthropogenic activities; biomass-based SRF is a source of storable solar energy. The Commission Decision
of 29/01/2004 establishes guidelines for monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to
Directive 2003/87/EC (7).
Due e.g. to the existence of legislative measures in favour of electricity based on renewable resources, there
is a need for clear commonly agreed terminology and test methods for SRF.
To be able to make any decisions on test methods needed for the determination of the biodegradable fraction
and the biogenic fraction of solid recovered fuels it is necessary to have clear definitions on these terms. The
terms biodegradable and biogenic do not mean the same thing. Biodegradable relates to the degradation of a
material, while biogenic relates to its formation and origin.
Definitions in relevant EU directives have been taken into consideration and are listed in Chapter 4
"Definitions on biodegradable, biogenic and biomass". In EU directives 2001/77/EC [4] on the promotion of
electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market (RES-E), biomass is
identified as a renewable energy source and is defined as the “biodegradable fraction of products, waste and
residues from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries, as well as
the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste”. As this definition concerns only the degrading of
biomass an additional clarification concerning its short-cyclic origin was needed.
The term biogenic is used in the context of the Kyoto protocol.
Requirements on the definitions:
a) The definitions need to be as clear as possible.
b) The definitions need to comply with the difference between short-cyclic organic matter such as wood and
long-cycle carbon based organic matter such as coal and petroleum based plastics. When the

Long C-cycle takes thousands of years to close the loop C back to C (fossilisation).
regeneration of a fuel takes thousands of years it cannot be considered as participating to the short C-
cycle and is therefore no longer short-cycle carbon based .
c) The results of the definitions need to be manageable in practical situations such as laboratory analyses.
In Chapter 4 “Definitions on biodegradable, biogenic and biomass”, definitions for the purpose of this report
are given. With these definitions as a base, different methods of analysis are discussed. To be suitable in
practice a method has to give a good approximation of the biodegradable and/or the biogenic fractions, be
reasonably fast and not too expensive in order to define the biomass content of SRFs.

Short C-cycle take a few years (one to a few hundreds of years) to close the loop (short term renewable resources)
1 Scope
This document considers the relative difference between the biodegradable fraction and the biogenic fraction
of solid recovered fuels prepared from non-hazardous waste for energy recovery and whether there is a need
to develop two sets of standards or only one set for the determination of these fractions in order to define the
biomass content of SRFs.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
00343001 , Solid recovered fuels – Terminology, definitions and descriptions.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in 00343001 apply.
4 Definitions on biodegradable, biogenic and biomass
4.1 Biodegradable
4.1.1 Preferred definition of biodegradable
(Material) capable of undergoing biological anaerobic or aerobic decomposition under conditions naturally
occurring in the biosphere
NOTE This definition is in line with the Landfill Directive with the addition of a description of the environment for
decomposition and clearly stating that it is to be a biological activity involved.
4.1.2 Other definitions on biodegradable
Definition of biodegradable in the directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste:
(Material) capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition
NOTE Using the definition of the Landfill directive [3], the firing of coal in a power plant also meets the definition.
4.2 Biogenic
(Material) produced by living organisms in natural processes but not fossilised or derived from fossil resources
NOTE The term biogenic is used to denote CO -neutral material when degraded under aerobic conditions. Examples
are: plants, wood waste, forestry residues

To be published.
4.3 Biomass
4.3.1 Preferred definition of biomass
Material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formation or transformed to fossil
NOTE This definition is very close to the definition in CEN/TC 335 Solid Biofuels [5] with the only difference that coal
found on the surface of the Earth is clearly excluded. For further clarification definitions on fossil and geological formation:
Fossil
The remains or traces of a plant or animal life embedded in geological formation from a previous geological period and
transformed to a stable material for the conditions of its present location
Geological formation
Material formed by consecutive natural depositions of different materials in a certain geological period
The present geological period, Quaternary Period, started approximately 1,64 million years ago. It is divided in the
Pleistocene and the Holocene. Pleistocene ended approximately 10 000 years ago, and the Holocene, which is also called
the Post-glacial period, continues.
4.3.2 Other definitions on Biomass
There are definitions on biomass to be found in CEN standard on Solid Biofuels and in several EU directives:
 Definition of biomass in CEN/TC 335 Solid Biofuels – Terminology, definitions and descriptions [5]:
Material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and transformed to
fossil;
 Definition of biomass in the directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable
energy sources in the internal electricity market (RES-E) [4]:
The biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture (including vegetal and animal
substances), forestry and related industries, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and
municipal waste;
 Definition of biomass in the directive 2001/80/EC on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into
the air from large combustion plants [6]:
Products consisting of any whole or part of a vegetable matter from agriculture or forestry which can be
used as a fuel for the purpose of recovering its energy content and the following waste used as a fuel:
a) vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry;
b) vegetable waste from the food processing industry, if the heat generated is recovered;
c) fibrous vegetable waste from virgin pulp production and from production of paper from pulp, if it is co-
incinerated at the place of production and the heat generated is recovered;
d) cork waste;
e) wood waste with the exception of wood wa
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