CEN/TR 15569:2009
(Main)Solid biofuels - A guide for a quality assurance system
Solid biofuels - A guide for a quality assurance system
This guide has been developed to provide information about the solid biofuel Quality Assurance and presents a methodology that helps operators in the solid biofuels industry design an appropriate Quality Assurance system according to their demands. It acts as a supporting document for the application of the CEN/TS 15234 developed by CEN/TC 335.
This guide is applicable for all operators dealing with solid biofuels within the scope of CEN/TC 335 from the following sources (CEN/TS 14961):
- products from agriculture and forestry;
- vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry;
- vegetable waste from food processing industry;
- wood waste, with the exception of wood waste which may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment with wood preservatives or coating, and which includes in particular such wood waste originated from construction and demolition waste;
- 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 heat generated is recovered;
- cork waste.
Feste Biobrennstoffe - Leitlinie für ein Qualitätssicherungssystem
Biocombustibles solides - Guide pour un système d'assurance qualité
Le présent guide a été développé pour fournir des informations relatives à l'assurance de la qualité pour les
biocombustibles solides et présente une méthodologie qui aide les opérateurs de l'industrie des
biocombustibles solides à concevoir un système d'assurance de la qualité approprié en fonction de leurs
besoins. Il sert de document support pour l'application de la CEN/TS 15234 développée par le comité
technique CEN/TC 335.
Le présent guide est applicable à tous les opérateurs concernés par les biocombustibles solides rencontrés
dans le cadre du domaine d'application du comité technique CEN/TC 335 et qui proviennent des sources
suivantes (CEN/TS 14961) :
⎯ les produits de l'agriculture et de la foresterie ;
⎯ les déchets végétaux de l'agriculture et de la foresterie ;
⎯ les déchets végétaux de l'industrie agroalimentaire ;
⎯ les déchets du bois, à l'exception de ceux qui peuvent contenir des composés organiques halogénés ou
des métaux lourds à la suite d'un traitement avec des conservateurs ou un enduit du bois et cela inclut en
particulier les déchets du bois provenant des déchets de construction et de démolition ;
⎯ les déchets végétaux fibreux issus de la production de pâte vierge et de la production du papier à partir
de pâte s'ils sont co-incinérés sur le site de production et que la chaleur générée est récupérée ;
⎯ les déchets de liège.
Trdna biogoriva - Vodilo za zagotavljanje sistema kakovosti
Trdna biogoriva - Vodilo za zagotavljanje sistema kakovosti
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2009
Trdna biogoriva - Vodilo za zagotavljanje sistema kakovosti
Solid biofuels - A guide for a quality assurance system
Feste Biobrennstoffe - Leitlinie für ein Qualitätssicherungssystem
Biocombustibles solides - Guide pour un systeme d'assurance Qualité
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 15569:2009
ICS:
03.120.10 Vodenje in zagotavljanje Quality management and
kakovosti quality assurance
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 15569
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
July 2009
ICS 75.160.10
English Version
Solid biofuels - A guide for a quality assurance system
Biocombustibles solides - Guide du système d'assurance Feste Biobrennstoffe - Leitlinie für ein
Qualité Qualitätssicherungssystem
This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 22 January 2007. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 335.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2009 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 15569:2009: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
Foreword .3
Introduction .4
1 Scope .5
2 Normative references .5
3 Terms and definitions .5
4 Background .6
4.1 General .6
4.2 Purpose of this guide .6
5 Quality Assurance principles .7
5.1 General .7
5.2 Comparison of Quality Control and Quality Assurance .7
5.3 Previous, Current and Following Processes .8
5.4 Quality requirements . 10
6 Designing a system for solid biofuels quality assurance . 12
6.1 General . 12
6.2 Step 1 – Description of process chain . 13
6.3 Step 2 – Description of customers requirements . 15
6.4 Step 3 – Analysis of quality influencing factors . 18
6.5 Step 4 – Identification of Critical Control Points . 20
6.6 Step 5 – Selection of appropriate Quality Assurance measures . 23
6.7 Step 6 – Routines for separate handling nonconforming materials and biofuels . 26
Annex A (informative) EN ISO 9001:2008 – Useful cross references within this guide . 27
Annex B (informative) List of CEN/TC 335 Technical Specifications . 28
Bibliography . 30
Foreword
This document (CEN/TR 15569:2009) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 335 “Solid
Biofuels”, the secretariat of which is held by SIS.
CEN/TC 335 has received a mandate from the European Commission (EC) to develop Standards for solid
biofuels.
The documents produced by CEN/TC 335 Solid biofuels were based on the information available at the time
when they were developed. The BioNorm project (EC part-funded) was designed to provide supporting
information to CEN/TC 335 on solid biofuels. Part of the BioNorm Project (ENK6-CT2001-00556) was
designed to fill the gaps in the understanding of Quality Assurance in this field [16].
This guide has been developed from the outcomes of the BioNorm-project by Working Group 2 of CEN/TC
335 and provides information on how to develop and implement a Quality Assurance system within the solid
biofuels industry.
Introduction
Quality Assurance is defined as the “part of Quality Management focussed on providing confidence that
quality requirements will be fulfilled” (CEN/TS 15234). To achieve this, the processes in the supply chain need
to be in control. Effective control can be achieved, if Quality Assurance is being applied by each operator in
the supply chain. A well designed Quality Assurance system for solid biofuels can contribute to a more
transparent and efficient biofuel market. Based upon the requirements of the customer, and the known
strengths and weaknesses of a raw material and a process, operators can demonstrate they have taken the
measures to provide the desired quality. This establishes a confidence in the products. In this guide “product”
refers to the solid biofuel.
Clause 4 sets out the reasoning behind using a Quality Assurance system for solid biofuels, and Clause 6
defines the intentions of this guide and its interconnection with the CEN/TS 15234, Solid Biofuels — Fuel
Quality Assurance, from now on called "CEN/TS 15234" in this guide. The terms used in this guide are set out
in CEN/TS 14588 and CEN/TS 15234.
Clause 7 sets out a step-by-step methodology to help operators within the solid biofuel supply chain to design
a Quality Assurance System. The methodologies used in this guide are compliant with the requirements of
CEN/TS 15234. However, this guide does not distinguish between different groups of operators (e.g. producer,
supplier, etc.); it provides general guidance for the Quality Assurance applicable to each group of operators.
Annex A provides some guidance on the relevant parts of ISO 9001:2008 [1] and Annex B lists CEN/TC 335
Technical Specifications and Technical Reports.
It is recommended that a company specific manual is produced to reflect the Quality Assurance System.
The guidance and instructions given in this guide are recommendations, not requirements. The requirements
to be fulfilled for Quality Assurance are set out in CEN/TS 15234.
1 Scope
This guide has been developed to provide information about the Solid Biofuel Quality Assurance, and
presents a methodology that helps operators in the solid biofuels industry design an appropriate Quality
Assurance system according to their demands. It acts as a supporting document for the application of
CEN/TS 15234, Solid biofuels — Fuel quality assurance, developed by CEN/TC 335.
This guide is applicable for all operators dealing with solid biofuels within the scope of CEN/TC 335 from the
following sources (CEN/TS 14961):
products from agriculture and forestry;
vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry;
vegetable waste from food processing industry;
wood waste, with the exception of wood waste which may contain halogenated organic compounds
or heavy metals as a result of treatment with wood preservatives or coating, and which includes in
particular such wood waste originated from construction and demolition waste;
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 heat generated is recovered;
cork waste.
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.
CEN/TS 14588:2003, Solid biofuels — Terminology, definitions and descriptions
CEN/TS 14961:2005, Solid biofuels — Fuel specification and classes
CEN/TS 15234:2006, Solid biofuels — Fuel Quality Assurance
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in CEN/TS 14588:2003 and
CEN/TS 15234:2006 (CEN—Terminology, definitions and descriptions for solid biofuels) and the following
apply.
3.1
manual
process or site specific document reflecting all activities related to the quality assurance system implemented
and applied in practise [16]
4 Background
4.1 General
The term “solid biofuel” encompasses a wide range of materials with different characteristics and properties,
as well as supply chains. Standardisation of solid biofuel properties, their sampling and test methodologies will
provide tools to facilitate the trade and use of solid biofuels within the market.
In order to increase the confidence of customers, it is essential that operators demonstrate that the specified
quality is reached, and that adequate controls are in place throughout the supply chain. The specified quality
can be influenced by a series of different factors, including technology and management of the processes.
Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of variations in fuel quality; consequently, large
customers often test for properties important to them. In extreme cases, deliveries may be rejected when the
quality is outside an agreed specification tolerance. If operators want to avoid such rejections, they should
introduce controls at suitable places across the whole supply chain, so called Critical Control Points (see 7.4)
By processing consistently, an operator will improve the stability, efficiency and effectiveness of the operation.
The Quality Assurance System should be designed to support this. The effect of this will be to reduce the
volume of sampling and testing required.
The term “specified quality” refers not only to fuel properties but also to the other customer requirements.
Those requirements differ from case to case and can vary greatly. However, most fall within two sets of
circumstances:
small-scale end-users (especially domestic) who require high-grade fuels with narrow fuel
specifications;
large-scale end-users who can take advantage of lower-cost raw materials by the use of
appropriately designed, fuel-flexible combustion plant [4].
It is important when designing and implementing a Quality Assurance System that it takes into consideration
the existing operation. The Quality Assurance System should follow the process, not vice versa and be aware
of the level and amount of sampling and testing required.
EXAMPLE: Operational time of the die used in a pellet factory
The longer the operational time the die runs in a pellet factory the more detrimental effect there is on the pellet quality
due to ware on the die holes. Quality Assurance systems should require Quality Control data to be provided to
assess the length of time the die has been running and hence the operational running time of each die and a
comparison between the dies, can be reviewed against expected running times. From this data a number of different
conclusions can be drawn and process changes made as appropriate.
Companies dealing with solid biofuels cover a wide range of activities. Some buy solid biomass, such as
residues from agriculture and/or forestry and convert it into higher-grade biofuels, while others only need low-
grade biofuels to produce electricity and heat. Each company requires a Quality Assurance System; however,
their individual Quality Assurance requirements and systems are likely to be different in each case. This guide
is recommended to cover the supply chain up to the delivery to the end-user.
4.2 Purpose of this guide
The purpose of this guide is to be of help when designing a Fuel Quality Assurance system based on
CEN/TS 15234.
The approach and methods used in this guide are compatible with CEN/TS 15234 and gives an overview of
the most relevant clauses in CEN/TS 15234 (see Table 1).
For those using or contemplating using EN ISO 9000:2005 [2] this document aims at bridging the gap
between the generalised text of EN ISO 9001:2008 and the specific needs of operators in the solid biofuel
market.
This guide does not discuss adaptations to production processes, nor does it set any pre-conditions in respect
of specific technologies or technological processes.
5 Quality Assurance principles
5.1 General
Quality Management EN ISO 9000:2005/EN ISO 9001:2008
...
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