Discharge & Emission Standards — Compliance Targets for Tyre Pyrolysis
The 10 specific discharge and emission compliance targets that every tyre pyrolysis plant must maintain — covering water effluent, stack air, ambient air, and noise, with the monitoring method and penalty trigger for each parameter.
| Pollutant | Limit Value | Source Standard | Monitoring | Penalty Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water — pH | 5.5 to 9.0 (inland surface) | Effluent Discharge Standards | Periodic SPCB sample | Excess triggers consent cancellation |
| Water — Biochemical Oxygen Demand | 30 mg per litre (inland) | Effluent Discharge Standards | Periodic SPCB sample | Excess triggers consent cancellation |
| Water — Chemical Oxygen Demand | 250 mg per litre | Effluent Discharge Standards | Periodic SPCB sample | Above 250 triggers tertiary-treatment directive |
| Water — Oil and Grease | 10 mg per litre (inland) | Effluent Discharge Standards | Periodic SPCB sample | Excess triggers cancellation |
| Air — Stack Particulate Matter | 150 mg per Normal cubic metre | General Emission Standards | OCEMS where applicable | Excess triggers consent cancellation |
| Air — Ambient PM10 (annual) | 60 micrograms per cubic metre | National Ambient Air Quality Standards | Periodic ambient monitoring | Persistent breach triggers SPCB action |
| Air — Ambient PM2.5 (annual) | 40 micrograms per cubic metre | National Ambient Air Quality Standards | Periodic ambient monitoring | Persistent breach triggers SPCB action |
| Noise — Industrial Zone (Day) | 75 dB(A) Leq | Noise Pollution Rules 2000 | Periodic measurement | Violation triggers EP Act penalty |
| Noise — Industrial Zone (Night) | 70 dB(A) Leq | Noise Pollution Rules 2000 | Periodic measurement | Violation triggers EP Act penalty |
| Noise — DG Set up to 1,000 kVA | 75 dB(A) at 1 metre | Noise Rules — DG sets | Manufacturer certificate plus site verification | Installation without integral acoustic enclosure is non-compliant |
Beyond definitions
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How to read this table
- Rows grouped by medium: water (rows 1–4), air stack and ambient (rows 5–7), noise (rows 8–10)
- Limit Value column shows the compliance ceiling — values must stay below (or within range for pH) at all times
- Monitoring column indicates whether the operator self-monitors (OCEMS), is sampled periodically by SPCB, or must provide manufacturer certification
- Penalty Trigger column identifies the regulatory consequence of exceeding the limit — consent cancellation is the most severe; some limits first trigger a remediation directive
About this table
A tyre pyrolysis plant operating in India must maintain continuous compliance with discharge and emission standards set by CPCB and MoEFCC. Unlike the CTE/CTO fee formula (which is calculated once at renewal), these limits apply every day the plant operates — and breaching any one of them can trigger penalties or consent cancellation by the SPCB. This table consolidates the 10 most operationally relevant compliance targets into a single reference.
The water effluent limits are the most commonly tested parameters during SPCB inspections. pH must stay between 5.5 and 9.0 for any discharge route. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is limited to 30 mg/L for inland surface discharge — the tightest limit in the table. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) must stay below 250 mg/L; exceeding this triggers a directive to install or upgrade tertiary treatment rather than immediate consent cancellation. Oil and grease must not exceed 10 mg/L, which requires an oil-water separator in any process water stream that contacts the pyrolysis condensate circuit.
For air emissions, stack Particulate Matter (PM) is capped at 150 mg per Normal cubic metre — a limit that requires a functional baghouse or wet scrubber on the furnace exhaust at all times. Where plant capacity requires it, Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) must be installed. The ambient air quality around the plant must also stay within National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): PM10 below 60 µg/m³ and PM2.5 below 40 µg/m³ annually in an industrial zone. These ambient limits are a condition of the consent, not just a goal — persistent breach triggers SPCB action independent of the stack emission performance.
Noise in an industrial zone is capped at 75 dB(A) Leq during the day and 70 dB(A) at night. DG sets up to 1,000 kVA must not exceed 75 dB(A) at 1 metre from the enclosure — and the critical point is that a DG set installed without an integral acoustic enclosure is non-compliant from the moment of installation, not just from the moment noise is measured. Equipment procurement specifications should always include acoustic enclosure as a mandatory item.
Key insights
- COD exceeding 250 mg/L triggers a tertiary-treatment directive rather than immediate consent cancellation — one of the few limits where there is a remediation window before the worst penalty
- DG set non-compliance begins at installation if no acoustic enclosure is fitted — not at the point of noise measurement, making equipment specification the compliance trigger, not operations
- Ambient PM10 and PM2.5 NAAQS limits apply to the area around the plant, not just the stack — meaning even a compliant stack can result in SPCB action if surrounding background pollution is high
- BOD limit for inland surface discharge (30 mg/L) is over 11 times stricter than the sewer discharge limit (350 mg/L) — discharge route selection fundamentally changes effluent treatment requirements
- OCEMS (Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System) is mandatory for plants above specified capacity — it is not optional even if SPCB does not actively request it
Methodology & sources
Limits compiled from CPCB General Emission Standards, Effluent Discharge Standards, NAAQS notifications, and Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 as applicable to Red/Orange category tyre pyrolysis and recycling units in India. Monitoring requirements (OCEMS vs periodic) depend on plant capacity and SPCB state-level guidance — verify the threshold for mandatory OCEMS with your state SPCB. Penalty triggers are indicative of typical SPCB enforcement practice; actual enforcement may vary.
Related data tables
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