Written question asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party) on Monday, 21 November 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 December 2022. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Thursday, 29 December 2022 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

High Speed 2 Line: Polymers

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 10 November (HL2965), which stated that the polymere based product "is used in treatment of the solid wastes, which have a waste water component that receives further treatment prior to discharge", how the further treatment removes the acrylamide which is water soluble; and whether they can confirm that polymeres are not tested to check if this has been successful.

Answer: In the solid slurry stabilisation process, only the minimum amount of polymer product is used to achieve the required result. The polymer will be preferentially bound within the solid waste with negligible, if any, carry over into the waste water from the slurry treatment process. This water then undergoes further treatment in the water treatment plant, including settlement of fine solids, reverse osmosis, and activated carbon filtration, which further reduce the risk of any polymer or constituents reaching the discharge point and therefore the environment. Due to the low potential for the polymer to be present in the slurry treatment process, waste water, and the further treatment provided by the water treatment plant, no testing was required as part of the permit for the presence of polymer or constituents.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL3605
Session: 2022-23
Related items: High Speed 2 Line: Polymers
Thursday, 10 November 2022
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Standards Water Hertfordshire Polymers High Speed 2 line
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk