Orion does not discharge any waste waters directly to natural waterways. All waste waters from Orion’s facilities and plants are led to municipal water treatment plants either directly or after neutralisation.

Fermion’s Hanko plant treats waste waters in its biological water treatment plant from which the treated water is conducted to the sea via the local municipal discharge pipe. Fermion’s waste waters contain high levels of nitrogen, but most of the nitrogenous compounds evaporate as nitrogen during treatment.

Solids and substances with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) or chemical oxygen demand (COD) are removed from Orion’s waste waters in water treatment plants. Solid levels contained in Orion’s waste waters are low, but the BOD and COD values were still high in 2009. This was due to the high levels of ethanol that came from the gas scrubbers into the outgoing water. Ethanol is used as a solvent in the tablet coating phase. Orion monitors the levels of ethanol currently present in waste waters and reports the levels to Finnish water authorities. The small levels of methanol, isopropanol and acetone are also monitored and reported. More effective control of solvent emissions requires additional investments from the company.