vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
Regulations and Standards
WH-586
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 440/2-84-009
April 1984
Water
Economic Impact Analysis
of Proposed Effluent
Limitations and Standards
for the Nonferrous Smelting
and Refining Industry
(Phase II)
QUANTITY
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
This document is an economic impact assessment of the recently-
proposed effluent guidelines. The report is being distributed to EPA
Regional Offices and state pollution control agencies and directed to
the staff responsible for writing industrial discharge permits. The
report includes detailed information on the costs and economic impacts
of various treatment technologies. It should be helpful to the permit
writer in evaluating the economic impacts on an industrial facility that
must comply with BAT limitations or water quality standards.
If you have any questions about this report, or if you would like
additional information on the economic impact of the regulation, please
contact the Economic Analysis Staff in the Office of Water Regulations
and Standards at EPA Headquarters:
401 M Street, S.W. (WH-586)
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202) 382-5397
The staff economist for this project is Mark A. Kohorst (202/382-5834).
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Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute
endorsement or recommendation for use.
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PREFACE
This document is a contractor's study prepared for the Office of
Water Regulations and Standards of the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). The purpose of the study is to analyze the economic impact which
could result from the application of proposed effluent standards and
limitations issued under Sections 301, 304, 306, and 307 of the Clean
Water Act to the Nonferrous Metals Manufacturing Industry (Phase II).
The study supplements the technical study (EPA Development Document)
supporting the issuance of these regulations. The Development Document
surveys existing and potential waste treatment control methods and
technologies within particular industrial source categories and supports
certain standards and limitations based upon an analysis of the
feasibility of these standards in accordance with the requirements of
the Clean Water Act. Presented in the Development Doucment are the
investment and operating costs associated with various control and
treatment technologies. The attached document supplements this analysis
by estimating the broader economic effects which might result from the
application of various control methods and technologies. This study
investigates the impact on product price increases, the continued
viability of affected plants, employment, and foreign trade.
This study has been prepared with the supervision and review of the
Office of Water Regulations and Standards of EPA. This report was
submitted in fulfillment of EPA Contract No. 68-01-6731 by Policy
Planning 4 Evaluation, Inc. This analysis was completed in April 1984.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page No.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
I. ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY 1-1
A. OVERVIEW 1-1
B. STEP 1: DESCRIPTION OF INDUSTRY STRUCTURE 1-3
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes 1-3
2. Description of Plants 1-3
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade 1-4
4. End Uses and Substitutes 1-4
C. STEP 2: TRENDS IN PRICES AND CAPACITY UTILIZATION
AND CONSIDERATION OF BASELINE POPULATION 1-4
D. STEP 3: COMPLIANCE COST ESTIMATES ' 1-5
E. STEP 4: PLANT-LEVEL ECONOMIC IMPACTS 1-6
1. Description of Screening Analysis 1-7
2. Discussion of Plant Closure Tests 1-7
a. Net Present Value Test 1-8
b. The Liquidity Test 1-9
c. Interpretation of Plant Closure Tests .... 1-9
F. STEP 5: INDUSTRY-WIDE IMPACTS 1-10
1. Changes in the Cost of Production 1-10
2. Price Changes 1-10
3. Changes in Return on Investment 1-11
4. Effects on Capital Expenditures 1-11
5. Employment Impacts 1-11
6. Effects on the Balance of Trade 1-11
G. STEP 6: NEW SOURCE IMPACTS 1-11
H. STEP 7: SMALL BUSINESS ANALYSIS 1-12
II. EFFLUENT GUIDELINE CONTROL OPTIONS AND COSTS II-1
III. OVERVIEW III-1
IV. PRIMARY ANTIMONY SUBCATEGORY IV-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY IV-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes IV-1
2. Description of Plants IV-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade IV-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes IV-2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IV-iJ
1. Prices IV-4
2. Capacity Utilization IV-4
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT IV-7
V. BAUXITE REFINING SUBCATEGORY V-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY V-1
1* Raw Materials and Production Processes V-1
2. Description of Plants V-2
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade V-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes V-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS V-4
1. Prices V-4
2. Capacity Utilization V-4
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT V-7
VI. PRIMARY BERYLLIUM SUBCATEGORY VI-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY VI-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes VI-1
2. Description of Plants VI-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade VI-1
4. End Uses and Substitutes VI-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS VI-2
1. Prices VI-2
2. Capacity Utilization VI-5
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT VI-5
VII. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GERMANIUM/GALLIUM SUBCATEGORY... VII-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY VII-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes VII-1
a. Germanium - VII-1
b. Gallium VII-1
2. Description of Plants VII-1
a. Germanium VII-1
b. Gallium VII-2
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade VII-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes VII-2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS VII ~4
1. Prices VII-4
2. Capacity Utilization VII-4
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT VII-7
VIII. SECONDARY INDIUM SUBCATEGORY VIII-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY VIII-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes VIII-1
2. Description of Plants VIII-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade VIII-1
4. End Uses and Substitutes VIII-1
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS VIII-3
1. Prices VIII-3
2. Capacity Utilization VIII-3
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT VIII-5
IX. PRIMARY MOLYBDENUM/RHENIUM AND
SECONDARY MOLYBDENUM/VANADIUM SUBCATEGORIES IX-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY IX-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes IX-1
a. Molybdenum IX-1
b. Rhenium IX-1
c. Vanadium IX-2
2. Description of Plants IX-2
a. Molybdenum ; ." IX-2
b. Rhenium IX-4
c. Vanadium IX-4
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade IX-4
a. Molybdenum IX-4
b. Vanadium IX-4
4. End Uses and Substitutes IX-6
a. Molybdenum IX-6
b. Vanadium IX-6
B. MARKET TRENDS AND'DEVELOPMENTS IX-7
1. Prices IX-7
2. Capacity Utilization IX-7
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT IX-10
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
X. PRIMARY NICKEL/COBALT AND
SECONDARY NICKEL SOBCATEGORIES X-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY X-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes X-1
a. Cobalt X-1
b. Nickel X-1
2. Description of Plants X-1
a. Cobalt X-1
b. Nickel , X-2
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade X-2
a. Cobalt X-2
b. Nickel X-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes X-5
a. Cobalt X-5
b. Nickel X-5
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS X-6
1. Prices X-6
a. Cobalt X-6
b. Nickel X-6
2. Capacity Utilization X-8
a. Cobalt X-8
b. Nickel X-8
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT X-10
XI. PRIMARY PRECIOUS METALS/MERCURY AND
SECONDARY PRECIOUS METALS SUBCATEGORIES XI-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XI-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes XI-1
a. Gold XI-1
b. Silver XI-1
c. Platinum-Group Metals XI-2
d. Primary Mercury XI-2
2. Description of Plants XI-3
a. Primary Producers XI-3
b. Secondary Producers XI-3
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade XI-4
a. Gold XI-4
b. Silver XI-6
c. Platinum-Group Metals .... XI-6
4. End Uses and Substitutes XI-6
a. Gold XI-6
b. Silver XI-9
b. Platinum-Group Metals XI-10
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XI-10
1. Prices XI-10
2. Capacity Utilization XI-11
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XI-11
XII. PRIMARY RARE-EARTH METALS SUBCATEGORY XII-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XII-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes XII-1
2. Description of Plants XII-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade XII-2
1. End Uses and Substitutes XII-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XII-1
1. Prices XII-1
2. Capacity Utilization XII-1
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XII-1
XIII. SECONDARY TANTALUM SUBCATEGORY XIII-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XIII-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes XIII-1
2. Description of Plants XIII-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade XIII-1
1. End Uses and Substitutes XIII-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XIII-1
1. Prices XIII-1
2. Capacity Utilization XIII-1
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XIII-1
XIV. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TIN SUBCATEGORY XIV-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XIV-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes XIV-1
2. Description of Plants XIV-1
3- U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade XIV-2
1. End Uses and Substitutes XIV-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XIV-1
1. Prices XIV-1
2. Capacity Utilization XIV-1
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XIV-1
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
XV. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TITANIUM SUBCATEGORY XV-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XV-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes , XV-1
2. Description of Plants XV-1
3. U.S. Production; Consumption, and Trade XV-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes XV-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XV-4
1. Prices XV-4
2. Capacity Utilization XV-4
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XV-7
XVI. SECONDARY TUNGSTEN/COBALT SUBCATEGORY XVI-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XVI-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes XVI-1
2. Description of Plants XVI-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade XVI-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes XVI-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XVI-2
1. Prices XVI-2
2. Capacity Utilization XVI-5
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XVI-5
XVII. SECONDARY URANIUM SUBCATEGORY . XVII-1
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES XVII-1
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS XVII-1
XVIII. PRIMARY ZIRCONIUM/HAFNIUM SUBCATEGORY XVIII-1
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY XVIII-1
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes XVIII-1
2. Description of Plants XVIII-1
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade ....... XVIII-2
4. End Uses and Substitutes XVIII-2
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS XVIII-5
1. Prices XVIII-5
2. Capacity Utilization XVIII-5
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT XVIII-5
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
XIX. PRIMARY BORON SUBCATEGORY XIX-1
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES XIX-1
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS XIX-1
XX. PRIMARY CESIUM/RUBIDIUM SUBCATEGORY XX-1
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES XX-1
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS XX-1
XXI. SECONDARY MERCURY SUBCATEGORY XXI-1
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES XXI-1
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS XXI-1
XXII. ECONOMIC IMPACTS XXII-1
A. PLANT-LEVEL ECONOMIC IMPACTS XXII-1
1. Results of Screening Analysis XXII-1
2. Results of the Closure Analysis XXII-4
B. OTHER IMPACTS XXII-5
1. Average Change in Return on Investment XXII-5
2. Average Increase in Production Cost XXII-5
3. Price Increase XXII-8
^4. Average Investment Cost as a Percentage
of Capital Expenditures XXII-8
5. Employment Impacts XXII-9
6. Foreign Trade Impacts XXII-9
XXIII. NEW SOURCE IMPACTS XXIII-1
XXIV. SMALL BUSINESS ANALYSIS XXIV-1
XXV. LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS XXV-1
A. DATA LIMITATIONS XXV-1
B. METHODOLOGY LIMITATION XXV-2
C. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS XXV-2
1. Monitoring Costs XXV-2
2. Changes in Production Process XXV-3
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page No.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX A - DESCRIPTION OF THE NPV TEST AND ITS SIMPLIFICATION A-1
APPENDIX B - IMPLEMENTATION OF THE N'PV TEST B-1
APPENDIX C - CALCULATION OF TOTAL ANNUAL COSTS
FOR THE TWO CLOSURE ANALYSIS TESTS C-1
APPENDIX D - PROCEDURE FOR CALCULATING INDUSTRY-WIDE IMPACTS D-1
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LIST OF TABLES
Page No,
1 Summary of Nonferrous Metal Smelting and Refining
Subcategories 2
2 Nonferrous Smelting and Refining Industry
Compliance Cost Estimates 6
3 Summary of Potential Closures 10
4 Summary of Other Impacts 11
5 Results of Closure Analysis for Small Businesses 13
II-1 Nonferrous Smelting and Refining Industry
Compliance Cost Estimates 11-4
IV-1 U.S. Antimony Production, Consumption, and Trade IV-3
IV-2 U.S. Antimony Metal Prices IV-5
IV-3 Antimony Metal Capacity Utilization IV-6
V-1 U.S. Bauxite and Alumina Production,
Consumption, and Trade V-3
V-2 Alumina Prices V-5
V-3 Alumina Capacity Utilization V-6
VI-1 U.S. Beryllium Consumption and Trade VI-3
VI-2 Beryllium Ingot Prices VI-4
VII-1 U.S. Germanium Production, Consumption, and Trade.... VII-3
VII-2 Zone-Refined Germanium Prices VII-5
VII-3 Germanium Capacity Utilization VII-6
VIII-1 U.S. Indium Consumption and Trade VIII-2-
VIII-2 Indium Prices VIII-4
IX-1 U.S. Molybdenum Production, Consumption, and Trade... IX-5
IX-2 Molybdenum Technical-Grade Oxide Prices IX-8
IX-3 Molybdenum Capacity Utilization IX-9
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LIST OF TABLES (Continued)
X-1
X-2
X-3
X-4
XI- 1
XI-2
XI-3
XI-4
XI-5
XI-6
XI-7
XII -1
XIII-1
XIV- 1
XIV-2
XV- 1
XV-2
XV-3
XVI-1
XVI-2
XVI-3
XVI-4
U.S. Cobalt Production, Consumption, and Trade
U.S. Nickel Production, Consumption, and Trade
Cobalt Prices
Nickel Prices
U.S. Gold Production, Consumption, and Trade
U.S. Platinum-Group Metal Production, Consumption,
U.S. Gold, Platinum, and Palladium Prices
U.S. Silver Prices
Gold and Platinum-Group Metals Capacity
Utilization Rates
Capacity Utilization Silver
U.S. Rare-Earth Metals Production, Conspmption,
U.S. Tantalum Production, Consumption, and T-rade
U.S. Tin Production, Consumption, and Trade
Tin Prices
U.S. Titanium Metal Production, Consumption,
and Trade
Titanium Sponge M'etal Prices
Titanium Sponge Metal Capacity Utilization.
Tungsten Metal Powder List Prices
Tungsten Metal Powder Capacity Utilization
Secondary Cobalt Capacity Utilization
Page No.
X-3
X-4
X-7
X-9
XI-5.
XI-7
XI-8
XI- 12
XI-13
XI-14
XI- 15
XII-3
XIII-3
XIV-3
XIV-5
XV-3
XV-5
XV-6
XVI-3
XVI-4
XVI-6
XVI-7
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LIST OF TABLES (Continued)
Page No.
XVIII-1 U.S. Zirconium Metal Imports XVIII-3
XVIII-2 U.S. Hafnium Crystal Bar Production XVIII-4
XVIII-3 Zirconium Sponge Prices XVIII-6
XVIII-4 Hafnium Sponge" Prices '. XVIII-7
XXII-1A Results of Closure Analysis
Direct Dischargers XXII-2
XXII-1B Results of Closure Analysis
Indirect Dischargers XXII-3
XXII-2A Other Impacts Direct Dischargers XXII-6
XXII-2B Other Impacts Indirect Dischargers XXII-7
XXIII-1 Comparison of Economic Impacts for
Existing and New Indium Plants XXIII-2
XXIII-2 Summary of New Source Impacts
Primary Cesium/Rubidium XXIII-4
XXIII-3 Summary of New Source Impacts
Secondary Mercury XXIII-5
XXIII-4 Summary of New Source Impacts
Primary Boron XXIII-6
XXIV-1 Annual Compliance Costs as a Percent of
Annual Revenues for Large and Small Plants XXIV-4
XXIV-2 Annual Compliance Costs as a Percent of
Total Production Cost for Small Plants XXIV-5
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. PURPOSE
This study assesses the economic impacts likely to result from the
effluent guidelines, limitations, and standards applicable to the
nonferrous metals manufacturing industry. These regulations are based
on Best Practicable Control Technology Currently Available (BPT), Best
Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT), New Source
Performance Standards (NSPS), and Pretreatment Standards for New and
Existing Sources (PSNS and PSES), which are being issued under authority
of Sections 301, 304, 306, and 307 of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act, as amended by the Clean Water Act of 1977. The economic
impacts have been evaluated for specific regulatory options that
correspond to varying levels of effluent controls. The approach
consists of two parts:
assessing the potential for plant closures; and
determining the general industry-wide impacts, including changes
in prices, employment, rates of return on investment, balance of
trade, and small business impacts.
B. INDUSTRY COVERAGE
For purposes of this study, 24 nonferrous metal manufacturing
subcategories are considered. These industries and the number of
plants, by discharge status, covered by this regulation are listed in
Table 1. Primary operations reduce metal ores to metal and metal
products. Secondary operations convert scrap and waste to useful metal
and metal products.
C. METHODOLOGY
The following paragraphs describe the steps followed in the analysis
to evaluate the potential economic impacts of each regulatory option as
of the effective date of compliance; the methodology has been
consistently applied to all subcategories.
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TABLE 1
SUMMARY OF NONFERROUS METAL SMELTING AND REFINING SUBCATEGORIES
Metal
Primary Antimony
Bauxite Refining
Primary Beryllium
Primary Boron
Primary Cesium/Rubidium
Primary and Secondary Germanium/Gallium
Secondary Indium
Primary Lithium2
Primary Magnesium3
Secondary Mercury
Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium
Secondary Molybdenum/Vanadium
Primary Nickel/Cobalt
Secondary Nickel
Primary Precious Metals /Mercury
Secondary Precious Metals
Primary Rare-Earth Metals
Secondary Tantalum
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Secondary Uranium
Secondary Zinca
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Total
Number of Plants
Direct
1
4
1
0
0
0
0
0
4
1
1
0
1
3
1
3
3
4
4
1
1_
33
Indirect
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
29
1
0
2
2
0
0
1_
38
Zero/Dry
7
4
1
2
1
4
0
4
9
0
0
1
7
16
2
0
7
2
1
2
1_
71
Total
8
8
2
2
1
5
1
4
13
1
1
2
8
48
4
3
12
8
5
3
3
142
aThese subcategories have been excluded from regulation and are not covered
in the Economic Impact Analysis.
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1. Description of the Industry
The first step in the analysis is to develop a description of
the industry as it currently exists. The analysis of the current
conditions addresses the following areas:
technology;
industry structure;
demand for the metal products; and
current trends in prices and capacity utilization.
This information forms the basis for conducting the financial tests and
analyzing the potential for plant closures. Basic industry information
was obtained from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Mines,
trade associations, and contacts with industry representatives.
2. Industry's Baseline Conditions
Plants subject to this regulation will be required to install
the necessary control equipment by the effective date of compliance. It
is expected that the current economic recovery will continue, even if at
a slow pace, and that the general economic conditions during the impact
period will be somewhat better than those in 1982, but not as good as
those at the peak of 1978-1979. Since we expect normal conditions in
the impact period, it is reasonable to assume that: (1) most plants
will operate at less than full capacity (this implies that companies
will not add new capacity to their operations); and (2) plants that
survived the 1982 recession will be operating during the compliance
period. Hence, this study assumes that the plant population and total
capacity in an industry segment will remain the same as they were in
1982.
3. Costs of Compliance
The water treatment control systems, costs, and effluent
limitations and pretreatment standards proposed for the nonferrous
manufacturing industry are discussed in a ' separate document.
Comprehensive descriptions of the methodology, the recommended
technologies, and the estimated costs are provided in the Development
Document for Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the
Nonferrous Metals Point Source Category (Development Document). Several
treatment and control options based on BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, and PSNS
for facilities within the industry are considered. The engineering
estimates of costs for the pollution control options are used to form
the basis for the economic impact analysis.
-3-
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Plant Closure Analysis
It is assumed that plants incurring small compliance costs will
not be forced to close. Therefore, the closure analysis is conducted in
two steps. First, a screening analysis is conducted to identify plants
that clearly will not be affected by this regulation. Second, a net
present value test and a liquidity test are carried out for those plants
that fail the screen.
Screening Analysis
Total annual compliance cost as a percentage of annual
revenues is used as the screening criterion. The threshold value chosen
for the screen is 1.0$. If compliance costs for the plant are less than
1.0$ of plant revenues, the plant is not considered highly affected, and
is not analyzed further.
b. Closure Analysis
Pollution control expenditures will result in reduction of
income when costs cannot be passed through. These expenditures may
create a permanent change in income levels and thereby reduce average
income in the future. The expenditures may also adversely affect a
plant's short-term cash flow. The consideration of cash flow becomes
important when a plant is already in poor financial health. These long-
term and short-term effects of pollution control expenditures are
analyzed by conducting a net present value (NPV) test and a liquidity
test. The NPV test is used to determine the long-term viability of a
plant; the liquidity test addresses potential short-term cash flow
problems.
5. Other Impacts
In addition to closures, other industry-wide impacts are
assessed. These include:
increase in cost of production;
price change (note that this varies from the closure analysis
which assumes that costs may not be recovered through increased
prices);
change in return on investment;
capital compliance costs compared to annual capital expenditures
(capital impacts);
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employment impacts; and
foreign trade impacts.
In addition, a separate analysis is performed to determine
whether small businesses will be significantly affected by the
imposition of compliance costs.
D. BASIS FOR COMPLIANCE COSTS
Brief descriptions of the various treatment options are listed
below. These descriptions do not necessarily correspond to the specific
options considered for a particular subcategory. A complete description
of the options can be found in the Development Document.
Option A - End-of-pipe treatment consisting of chemical
precipitation and sedimentation, and preliminary
treatment, where necessary, consisting of oil
skimming, cyanide precipitation, and ammonia steam
stripping. This combination of technology reduces
toxic metals, conventional and nonconventional
pollutants.
Option B - Option B is equal to Option A preceded by flow
reduction of process wastewater through the use of
cooling towers for contact cooling water and holding
tanks for all other process wastewater subject to
recycle.
Option C - Option C is equal to Option B plus end-of-pipe
polishing filtration for further reduction of toxic
metals and TSS.
Option E - Option E consists of Option C plus activated carbon
adsorption applied to the total plant discharge as a
polishing step to reduce toxic organic concentra-
tions.
Option G - Option G consists of chemical oxidation applied to
the total plant discharge, as a step to reduce toxic
organic concentrations, without any other end-of-pipe.
treament or pretreatment.
For three subcategories, Primary and Secondary Germanium/Gallium,
Primary and Secondary Titanium, and Primary Zirconium/Hafnium, two
levels of limitation have been proposed. The costs estimated for each
subcategory are presented in Table 2. Costs were calculated for each
plant based on production, wastewater flows, and treatment in place.
All costs are in 1982 dollars. Investment costs in Table 2 represent
the total capital necessary to construct the treatment facilities.
Total annual costs are comprised of annual operating and maintenance
costs plus the annualized portion of the investment, costs.
-5-
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-------
E. FINDINGS
1. Plant Closure Analysis
The overall results of the plant closure analysis are presented
in Table 3. Plant and production line closures have been identified in
the Primary and Secondary Tin, and Secondary Precious Metals subcate-
gories.
2. Other Impacts
a. Increase in Cost of Production
The increase in cost of production resulting from an
increase in compliance costs, for both direct and indirect dischargers
in the nonferrous manufacturing industry, is summarized in Table 4. The
results show that most of the plants experience a minimal (less than 2$)
increase in the cost of production. Of the 38 indirect dischargers in
the whole industry, five plants at Option C are expected to incur more
than a 2% increase in production cost. Most direct dischargers are
expected to incur insignificant cost increases.
b. Price Change
The change in price under the assumption of full pass-
through of costs is closely linked to the increase in the cost of
production. The results of price increase are, therefore, quite similar
to the results of increased production costs. Table 4 shows that the
price increase is insignificant under each option for most plants even
if all costs are passed on to the consumers. It should be noted that
the assumption of full cost pass-through was not used in the screening
or closure analyses.
c. Change in Return on Investment
The return on investment is a good measure of a firm's
profitability. The control costs of this regulation cause less than a
10$ decrease in the profitability of most of the firms that have been
analyzed; approximately 80% of both direct and indirect dischargers are
thus not affected significantly. Only a few firms experience decreases
in the 1Q%-20% range. The majority of these plants experiencing a
decrease in ROI of more than 20% are identified as potential closures.
These results are shown in Table 1.
-9-
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-11-
-------
d. Average Investment Cost as a Percentage of
Capital Expenditures
The additional investment cost required to comply with the
effluent guidelines has been studied in relation to the annual capital
expenditures of the plants. Of the 33 indirect dischargers in the
industry, 21 producers under Option C are expected to commit at least
20% of their average capital expenditures to the new investment cost.
For most of the remaining firms, investment costs are less than 10? of
the average capital expenditures. A majority of the direct dischargers
fall into this category. Details under each option are presented in
Table 4.
e. Employment Impacts
The employment impacts of the regulatory costs have been
examined in the context of plant closures. Potential plant and line
closures have been identified in the Primary and Secondary Tin and
Secondary Precious Metals subcategories (see Table 3). These closures
could cause an employment loss of about 4? workers. Th.e remaining
subcategories are not impacted sufficiently to cause plant closures.
Given the low price and production effects in these subcategories,
employment effects are expected to be minimal. Minor production
decreases could be brought about by shifts in capacity utilization
rather than loss of capacity.
f. Foreign Trade Impacts
The foreign trade impacts are analyzed with respect to the
effect of regulatory costs on the balance of trade. The closure of
high-impact plants could result in a loss of capacity of over 650 short
tons. However, the impact could be minimized if other plants increase
their production levels. To the extent that the existing or new plants
make up for the lost capacity, the balance of trade will not be
adversely impacted.
3. Small Business Impacts
Small business impacts are analyzed using two tests: (1) total
annual compliance costs as a percentage of total revenues; and (2)
compliance investment cost, as a percentage of average capital
expenditures. The results of the tests show that small businesses will
not be significantly impacted by this regulation. These results and the
definitions used for classification of small businesses are found in
Chapter XXIV. Table 5 highlights the results of the closure analysis as
it pertains to small businesses.
-12-
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TABLE 5
RESULTS OF CLOSURE ANALYSIS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Industry
Subcategory
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and Secondary
Titanium
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Secondary Precious Metals
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Number of
Plants Incurring
Costs
5
6
2
32
4
Number of
Small Plants
Incurring Costs
3
1
1
8
1
Number of
Small Plants/
Production Lines
Projected to
Close
3
0
0
1
0
-13-
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New Source Impacts
The basis for new source performance standards (NSPS) and
pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS) as established under
Section 306 of the Clean Water Act is the best available demonstrated
technology. For regulatory purposes new sources include greenfield
plants and major modifications to existing plants.
In evaluating the potential economic impact of the NSPS/PSNS
regulations on new sources, it is necessary to consider the costs of the
regulations relative to the costs incurred by existing sources under the
BAT/PSES regulations.
The Agency has determined that the new source regulations for
most subcategories are riot more costly than those for existing
sources. The technology basis of the new source regulations is the same
as for BAT. Since there is no incremental cost associated with the
technology, new sources will not be operating at a cost disadvantage
relative to existing sources due to the regulations.
For those subcategories for which new source limitations are
based on a more costly technology or there are no existing discharging
sources, it has been determined that the incremental costs are not
sufficient to cause barriers to entry for new sources.
-14-
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CHAPTER I
ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY
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-------
I. ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY
A. OVERVIEW
This section describes the analytical approach to estimate the
economic impacts of effluent guidelines controls on the nonferrous
metals manufacturing industry. The nonferrous metals manufacturing
category includes plants that produce primary metals from ore
concentrates and plants that recover secondary metals from recycled
metallic wastes. For regulatory purposes, the category is divided into
two separate segments. This report covers the Phase II segment, which
consists of 24 subcategories:
Primary Antimony
Bauxite Refining
Primary Beryllium
Primary Boron
Primary Cesium/Rubidium
Primary and Secondary
Germanium/Gallium
Secondary Indium
Primary Lithium
Primary Magnesium
Secondary Mercury
Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium
Secondary Molybdenum/
Vanadium
Primary Nickel/Cobalt
Secondary Nickel
Primary Precious Metals/
Mercury
Secondary Precious Metals
Primary Rare-Earth Metals
Secondary Tantalum
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and Secondary
Titanium
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Secondary Uranium
Secondary Zinc
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
The Agency is proposing to completely exclude three of these
subcategories (Secondary Zinc, Primary Lithium, .and Primary Magnesium)
from regulations because the plants in these subcategories are at zero
discharge and new facilities are not expected. The economic impacts on
the remaining 21 metal subcategories have been evaluated for specific
regulatory options that correspond to varying levels of effluent
controls. The general approach consists of two parts:
assessing the potential for plant closures; and
determining the general industry-wide impacts, including changes
in prices, employment, rates of return on investment, balance of
trade, and small business impacts.
The assessment of plant closures is made by using two financial
analysis tests: (1) a net present value (NPV) test, and (2) a liquidity
test. The NPV test evaluates the impact of pollution controls on the
long-term viability of a plant; the liquidity test measures the short-
term solvency.
Production and capacity utilization behavior of the industry between
1978-1982 form the basis of assumptions used in the analysis. The
approach also considers updated information on industry conditions
1-1
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obtained from industry and government sources. The approach proceeds
with the following steps:
1) description of the industry structure:
raw materials and production processes
description of plants
U.S. production, consumption, and trade
end uses and substitutes;
2) trends in prices and capacity utilizations and consideration of
baseline population;
3) calculation of annual compliance costs;
^) assessment of plant closures;
5) determination of industry-wide impacts;
6) new source impacts; and
7) small business analysis.
Each of these steps is described below to provide a broad framework
for the analysis. The details of the calculations, including associated
equations, are given in four appendices. The broad framework is
designed to allow the reader to read and understand the basic
methodology quickly. The appendices provide details on the methods used
to implement the NPV and the liquidity equations.
The major sources of data used in this study are listed below:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: EPA industry surveys
conducted in 1982 under Section 308 of the Clean Water Act. Of
particular importance are data on products produced, production
volume, value of regulated products, value of plant shipments,
capacity utilization, total employment, and employment in the
regulated sector.
___U.S. Department of Commerce: Census of Manufacturers, U.S.
Industrial Outlook, Quarterly Financial Report for
Manufacturing, Mining and Trade Corporations.
U.S. Department of the Interior: Mineral ' Industry Surveys,
Mineral Facts and Problems, Minerals and Materials, Mineral
Commodity Summaries, and Mineral Industry Profiles.
Trade and business publications: American Metal Market and
Modern Metals.
Interviews with trade association and industry personnel.
1-2
-------
o Annual and 10-K reports of companies engaged in mining,
smelting, and refining nonferrous metals.
In some instances, these sources indicate that the Agency may have
underestimated the number of plants in a subcategory. We solicit
information or comment on any plant not covered in the analysis.
B. STEP 1: DESCRIPTION OF INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Nonferrous metals are produced in a series of steps that may
include smelting, refining, alloying, and producing metallic
chemicals. Some of these steps are covered by existing regulations
(such as effluent guidelines for inorganic chemicals manufacturing).
The purposes of this section are to describe the production technology
in simple terms and indicate the steps involved in producing metal and
metal products from ore as well as from recovered materials (scrap), and
to identify the stages covered by this regulation. This information is
used to provide relevant information regarding the industry structure
and to classify plants into various categories.
2. Description of Plants
Plants have been classified on the basis of: (1) raw material,
(2) outputs, and (3) the use of outputs. Some plants use ore; others
use recycled materials; and others use byproduct ores. A few plants
produce metals; others produce formed product and metallic chemicals.
Some plants use the output captively, while others sell products to
outside companies.
The descriptions of plants, along with the structure of the
companies that own the plants, are used to analyze the effects of the
regulations in terms of potential plant closures. For most cf the
metals covered in this analysis, the following types of producers
exist: (1) large integrated companies that produce metals from ore from
their own mines; (2) integrated metals producers who also produce final
products; (3) independent firms; and (4) recyclers and smelters. The
characteristics of each type of manufacturer are also taken into account
in analyzing the economic effects.
For purposes of conducting the two financial tests, each plant
is first placed into one of eight business groups. Business segment
information given in financial reports of almost 30 metals companies
forms the data base for this classification. Two broad criteria type
of metal and type of manufacturing processes have been used to form
the groups. For example, primary production is separated from secondary
1-3
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production. The secondary production is divided into two groups:
reclamation of precious metals and reclamation of non-precious metals.
Primary production is divided into six groups based on metal types.
Analysis of the financial data shows that significant differences in
financial characteristics exist among groups. For details see
Appendix B. After a plant has been classified into a group it is
evaluated by using the financial characteristics of the group and plant-
specific information.
This analysis uses business segment information rather than
corporate income information. This is because the business segments of
a corporation can be associated closely with the operations of a
plant. A corporation, especially a large one, is often an amalgam of
diverse businesses, and corporate ratios based on corporate financial
data may not have much relevance to the financial performance of its
business segments. For this reason, business segment information is
used to the extent possible., However, the business segment information
does not contain data on taxes and current assets. Thus, corporate
taxes and current assets must be allocated to business segments. This
procedure is described in Appendix B.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption and Trade
Time series data on production, consumption, and trade are used
to discuss the importance of imports, the relationship between secondary
and primary production, and changes in the basic structure of the
industry. For many of these metals, imports of either raw material or
finished metals constitute a significant part, of total production.
Further, secondary metal industry production forms a large part of total
production. High regulatory compliance costs can have significant
effects on the future income of domestic producers if imports are a
large part of total consumption. Similarly, secondary metal producers
may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage if their compliance
costs are disproportionately high.
4. End Uses and Substitutes
Changes in major end use markets of a metal cause long-term
structural changes in its demand. Such structural changes are likely to
affect the long-term .profitability (and hence economic viability) of
existing plants. This section in each chapter discusses the historical
trends in the size of each major end-use market and assesses the impacts
of the trends on overall demand.
C. STEP 2; TRENDS IN PRICES AND CAPACITY UTILIZATION
AND CONSIDERATION OF BASELINE POPULATION
Prices of metals and metal products depend to a large extent on
final demand. When the demand is high, an industry operates its plants
at a relatively high capacity, the prices are high, and operating income
-------
is also high. On the other hand, when demand is low, capacity, prices,
and income are generally low. The trends in capacity utilization and
prices, in general, parallel the trends in general economic
conditions. In this study, the trends over the five-year period between
1978-1982 were used to help determine economic impacts.
In order to estimate the effects of regulations, a methodology
usually requires yearly projections of product prices, number of plants,
and total production at the estimated time of compliance. However, as
discussed below the methodology used for this analysis avoids the need
for such projections. The analysis in this report uses the NPV and the
liquidity tests to determine potential plant closures. The NPV test
uses long-term "constant" income for the analysis. For purposes of this
report, this income is taken to be the average of operating income
between 1978-1982. This period is considered representative because it
covers a complete business cycle; the peak in production occurred during
the early years and the trough took place in 1982. Hence, averages of
prices and capacity utilization during this period, used to calculate
income of plants, will provide reasonable estimates of constant income.
The liquidity test evaluates the short-term viability of plants by
examining their cash flows. The short-term period over which financial
conditions are tested is five years. Since constant income estimates
are used to conduct the test, price and production forecasts are not
required.
During the 1982 recession, the capacity utilization in most of the
nonferrous industries was extremely low. It was accompanied by a high
level of inventories and a low level of profits. In fact, many plants
were unprofitable during 1982. However, the plants that have survived
the 1982 recession are now operating at higher capacity utilization
levels and in many cases have started earning profits again. It is
expected that the economic recovery will continue, even if at a slow
pace, and that the general economic conditions during the compliance
period will be somewhat better than those in 1982, but probably not as
good as those at the peak of 1978-1979. Therefore, it is reasonable to
assume that: (1) most plants will operate at less than full capacity
(this implies that companies will not add new capacity to their
operations); and (2) plants that survived the 1982 recession will be
operating during the compliance period. Hence, this study assumes that
the plant population and the total capacity in an industry segment will
remain the same as they were in 1982.
D. STEP 3: COMPLIANCE COST ESTIMATES
Pollution control technologies result in two types of compliance
costs: (1) capital costs for the control equipment, and (2) annual
costs for operation and maintenance. Compliance costs are based on
engineering estimates of specific treatment alternatives and were
1-5
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developed for each plant after accounting for wastewater treatment
already in place. Descriptions of the costing procedures and treatment
alternatives are presented in the Development Document. These costs are
used in this report to determine economic impacts. The increased costs
have the following effects on the capital structure of a plant: (1)
increased tax benefits due to investment tax credits and greater
depreciation; (2) reduced overall taxes due to additional operating and
maintenance costs; (3) increased asset base; and (4) increased overall
production costs. These costs and benefits can be converted to total
annual costs of controls as follows.
The net present valae of the tax benefits due to depreciation,
which occur over the depreciable life of the equipment, is
calculated.
Tax benefits due to depreciation and investment tax credits are
subtracted to obtain effective capital costs.
Effective capital costs are amortized over the useful life of
the assets to obtain annualized capital costs.
Total annual costs are calculated by adding the annualized
capital costs and annual operating and maintenance costs after
taking into account tax effects of increased operating and
maintenance costs.
Estimated compliance costs for this regulation are based on 1982
production levels (flow rates) as explained in the Development
Document. For those subcategories where operating conditions in the
impact period are expected to be an improvement over those experienced
in 1982, compliance costs have been increased to account for higher flow
rates. The factor by which costs are adjusted is the ratio of expected
production at the time of compliance (based on average capacity
utilization from 1978 to 1982) to actual (1982) production levels.
The detailed procedures for calculating annual costs are given in
Appendix C. Plant-specific costs and cost adjustment factors are
included in the confidential record of this proposed rulemaking.
E. STEP 4: PLANT-LEVEL ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Pollution controls affect plants in different ways. Some plants
bear relatively high costs in order to comply with the regulations;
others incur much smaller costs. It is reasonable to assume that the
plants incurring relatively small costs will not close as a result of
the regulations. Therefore, the analysis is conducted in two steps.
First, a screening analysis is conducted to identify plants that will
not be seriously affected by the regulations. Second, the NPV and the
liquidity tests are carried out to determine whether plants that fail
the screen will close. The screen and the two closure tests are
discussed below.
1-6
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1. Description of Screening Analysis
Total annual costs as a percent of annual revenues is used as
the screening criterion. The threshold value chosen for the screen is
1.0?, that is, if the compliance costs for a plant are less than 1.0$ of
the revenues, it is not considered to be highly affected, and is not
analyzed further.
The screening analysis is conducted for each plant expected to
incur compliance costs. Total annual costs are calculated by adding the
amortized portion of capital costs to the annual operating and
maintenance costs. Annual revenues are calculated by multiplying the
price of the product by estimated production of the plant. Price values
for each product are generally based on an average of 1978-1982 prices
for the metal product. The specific values and their sources are
presented in each chapter.
The production level for a plant is estimated by multiplying
plant capacity by a subcategory capacity utilization rate. Plant
capacity data were generally available from public sources. The
capacity utilization rate is based on an average of 1978-1982 values for
each subcategory. The subcategory rates used in the analysis are
identified in each chapter.
2. Discussion of Plant Closure Tests
Pollution control expenditures result in a reduction of income
(when costs cannot be passed through). These expenditures may create a
permanent change in income levels and thereby reduce average income in
the future. The expenditures may also adversely affect a plant's short-
term cash flow. The consideration of cash flow becomes important when a
plant is already in poor financial health. It should be expected that
such a plant will have to finance the pollution control expenditures
through a bank and that the bank will not lend money for a period longer
than five years the depreciable life of the asset for tax purposes.
Negative cash flows may be created by principal and interest payments;
however, there will also be positive cash flow due to tax benefits.
These long-term and short-term effects of pollution control expenditures
are analyzed by conducting the net present value (NPV) test and the
liquidity test. The NPV test is used to determine the long-term
viability of a plant; the liquidity test addresses potential short-term
cash flow problems.
1-7
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a. Net Present Value Test
The net present value test is based on the assumption that a
company will continue to operate a plant if cash flow from future
operations is expected to exceed its current liquidation value. This
assumption can be written mathematically as follows:
I U
t=1 fc
Where: Ufc = cash flow in year t =
earning before interest but after taxes (EBIAT) =
revenues - all operating expenses including deprecia-
tion at book value - taxes
LQ = current liquidation value
Lj = terminal liquidation value, i.e., liquidation value at the
end of the planning horizon of T years
r = cost of capital.
In order to use this formula in this form, forecasts of the
terminal liquidation value and earnings (U-) in every year during the
planning period (T) have to be made. However, the equation shown above
can be simplified (and the need to make forecasts avoided) by making
several assumptions. The simplified formula and the assumptions are
given in Appendix A. The NPV test, after simplification and
consideration of annual costs (see Appendix C), can be written as
follows:
If, 0 - APC
L ~
then the plant will stay in operation.
Where: U, L , and r are, respectively, real earnings, real liquidation
value, and real cost of capital (definitions of these variables
are given in Appendix A); and
APC = total annual costs as given in Appendix C.
This equation states that if the rate of return on the
liquidation value U/L is greater than or equal to the real after-tax
rate of return on assets (which corresponds to r ), then the plant will
continue in operation. '
This test is carried out for every plant that fails the
screen that is, where total annual costs are greater than 1 percent
of revenues. In order to conduct the test, each plant is first
classified into one of the eight groups discussed in Appendix B.
1-8
-------
Then, U and L are calculated (for each plant) by using various group
ratios. The ^otal annual costs are subtracted from real earnings (U),
and the _ratio (U - APC )/L is compared with the groups' cost of
capital (r). p ฐ
By subtracting the appropriate compliance cost (APC ), the
NPV test implicitly assumes that increased costs will not be passed
through to consumers. This assumption avoids overlooking potential
impacts by incorporating the full effect of the costs on a plant's
earnings.
b. The Liquidity Test
The basic premise of this test is that a plant will close if
pollution control expenditures result in net negative cash flows in the
foreseeable future. It is assumed that pollution control equipment will
be financed over five years; the associated total annual costs represent
cash outflows. The test can be stated in simple terms as follows (see
Appendix C for details):
If
U - APC < 0,
then, the plant will close.
Where: U = real earnings (as defined above)
APC = total annual costs for the liquidity test (see Appendix
C; note that there is a difference between APC and
APCq.)
The treatment of cost pass-through for the liquidity test is
the same as for the NPV test; the full compliance cost is assumed to be
absorbed by the plant and is subtracted from the plant's earnings.
Interpretation of Plant Closure Tests
A potential plant closure is projected if either of the two
tests is failed. The identification of plants as potential closures in
this step is interpreted as an indication of the extent ofplant impact
rather than as a prediction of certain closure. The decision by a
company to close a plant also involves other considerations, such as
non-competitive markets for products, degree of -integration of
operation, use of output of plants as intermediate products (captive
markets), and existence of specialty markets. Most of these factors can
only be evaluated qualitatively and are taken into account only after
the quantitative results of the two financial tests have been obtained.
1-9
-------
For some of the facilities included in this study,
production of the relevant nonferrous metal represents only a limited
portion of total production capacity at the plant. If the closure tests
are failed by a plant meeting this description, the analysis suggests it
would be unprofitable for the plant to continue operations for the metal
associated with the compliance cost. In this case, the effect is
identified as a production line closure. It is riot reasonable to extend
this conclusion to the entire production facility because the compliance
costs, sales, and plant closure tests are all based on production of the
one metal.
F. STEP 5: INDUSTRY-WIDE IMPACTS
As compared to the plant-level closure analysis, this step focuses
on impacts that are likely to occur at an industry-wide level. These
impacts include effects on: (1) cost of production; (2) prices; (3)
return on investment; (4) capital expenditures; (5) employment and
communities where plants and their suppliers are located; and (6)
balance of trade.
Each of these impacts is calculated for each subcategory, and the
results are presented in Chapter XXII. The calculations rely on both
group ratios and plant-specific information. The equations used to
calculate the impacts are shown in Appendix D.
1. Changes in the Cost of Production
The financial impact of the regulatory alternatives on each
industry is evaluated in terms of the increase to cost of production.
This impact is measured by calculating the ratio of total annual
compliance cost to total production cost, where production costs are
calculated as plant revenues less operating income. This ratio
represents the percentage increase in operating costs due to compliance
expenditures.
2. Price Changes
The price change is the ratio of total annual compliance cost to
annual plant revenue. This ratio represents the maximum percentage
increase in price that would be required to naintain pre-compliance
income levels. It is calculated with the assumption of full pass-through
of costs. This assumption of full pass-through is not used in the
closure analysis, but only in the calculation of price changes.
1-10
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3. Changes in Return on Investment
Return on investment is -calculated before and after the
imposition of compliance costs. The return on investment before
compliance costs is the value "r, which is computed for each group. The
return on investment after compliance costs accounts for the effect of
these costs on both income and assets. Annual compliance costs act to
reduce income, while capital costs increase the asset base. A
percentage change in return on investment is then derived from the two
values. The change in return on investment represents the change in
earnings per dollar of assets that is expected to result under each
treatment option.
Effects on Capital Expenditures
This impact compares the capital compliance cost to expected
capital expenditures. This ratio represents the percentage of
additional capital expenditure needed to comply with each treatment
option while maintaining previous investment programs.
5. Employment Impacts
Employment impacts are measured by the total number of jobs lost
at plants expected to close. Employment estimates for production
facilities projected to close are based on individual plant production
data obtained from the Agency's survey of the industry and an estimate
of production per employee.
6. Effects on the Balance of Trade
The economic impact of this regulation on foreign trade is the
combined effect of price pressure from higher costs and production loss
due to potential plant closure. The impact on foreign trade is
discussed in the context of these two effects.
G. STEP 6: NEW SOURCE IMPACTS
New facilities and existing facilities that undergo major
modifications are subject to NSPS/PSNS guidelines. Compliance costs of
new source standards have been defined as incremental costs over the
costs of selected standards for existing sources. The purpose of this
approach is to determine if control costs constitute significant
barriers to the entry of new sources into the industry.
1-11
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H. STEP 7: SMALL BUSINESS ANALYSIS
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) of 1980 (P.L. 96-354) requires
Federal regulatory agencies to consider "small entities" throughout the
regulatory process. In this study, an initial screening analysis is
performed to determine if a substantial number of small entities will be
significantly affected. This step identifies the economic impacts
likely to result from the promulgation of regulations on small
businesses. The primary economic variables that are covered are those
that are analyzed in the general economic impact analysis, including
compliance costs, plant financial performance, plant closures, and
unemployment. Most of the information and analytical techniques in the
small business analysis are drawn from the general economic impact
analysis which is described above.
1-12
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CHAPTER II
EFFLUENT GUIDELINE CONTROL OPTIONS AND COSTS
-------
-------
II. EFFLUENT GUIDELINE CONTROL OPTIONS AND COSTS
The alternative water treatment" control systems, costs, and effluent
limitations for the nonferrous manufacturing industry are enumerated in
the Development Document. The Development Document also identifies
various characteristics of the industry, including manufacturing
processes; products manufactured; volume of output; raw waste
characteristics; supply, volume, and discharge destination of water used
in the production processes; sources of waste and wastewaters; and the
constituents of wastewaters. Using these data, pollutant parameters
requiring limitations or standards of performance were selected by EPA.
The EPA Development Document also identifies and assesses the range
of control and treatment technologies for the industry. These
technologies are evaluated for existing surface water industrial
dischargers to determine the effluent limitations required for the Best
Practicable Control Technology Currently Available (BPT), and the Best
Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT). Existing and new
dischargers to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) are required to
comply with Pretreatment Standards for New Sources (PSNS), and new
direct dischargers are required to comply with New Source Performance
Standards (NSPS), which require Best Available Demonstrated Control
Technology (BDT). The identified technologies are analyzed to calculate
cost above treatment in place and performance.
Brief descriptions of the various treatment options are listed
below. These descriptions do not necessarily correspond to the specific
options considered for a particular subcategory. A complete description
of the options can be found in the Development Document.
Option A - End-of-pipe treatment consisting of chemical
precipitation and sedimentation, and preliminary
treatment, where necessary, consisting of oil
skimming, cyanide precipitation, and ammonia steam
stripping. This combination of technology reduces
toxic metals, conventional and nonconventional
pollutants.
Option B - Option B is equal to Option A preceded by flow
reduction of process wastewater through the use of
cooling towers for contact cooling water and holding
tanks for all other process wastewater subject to
recycle.
Option C - Option C is equal to Option B plus end-of-pipe
polishing filtration for further reduction of toxic
metals and TSS.
II-l
-------
Option E - Option E consists of Option C plus activated carbon
adsorption applied to the total plant discharge as a
polishing step to reduce toxic organic
concentrations. '
Option G - Option G consists of chemical oxidation applied to
the total plant discharge, as a step to reduce toxic
organic concentrations, without any other end-of-pipe
treatment or pretreatment.
For each subcategory, limitations were based on one of the above
treatment options. For three subcategories (Primary and Secondary
Germanium/Gallium, Primary and Secondary Titanium, and Primary
Zirconium/Hafnium), however, two types of plants have been identified.
Therefore, two levels of limitations were developed and are being
proposed for each of these subcategories.
For plants in the Primary and Secondary Germanium/Gallium
subcategory, Level A limitations are based on lime and settle technology
for plants that only reduce germanium oxide in a hydrogen furnace and
then wash and rinse the germanium product in conjunction with zone
refining. Level B limitations are proposed for facilities which perform
any other operations, or any additional operations besides those
described above.
Level 'A limitations for plants in the Primary and Secondary Titanium
subcategory which do not practice electrolytic recovery of magnesium and
which use vacuum distillation instead of leaching to purify titanium
sponge as the final product are based on lime and settle technology.
Level B limitations for all other titanium plants are based on lime and
settle, flow reduction, and filtration technology.
For the Primary Zirconium/Hafnium subcategory, Level A limitations
for plants which only produce zirconium or zirconium-nickel alloys by
magnesium reduction of ZK>2 are based on lime and settle and flow
reduction. Level B limitations apply to plants which produce zirconium
or hafnium from zircon sand or from the tetrachloride using any other or
any additional operations to those described above. The proposed Level
B limitations are based on lime and settle, flow reduction, and
filtration.
Pollution control technologies result in two types of compliance
costs: -- (1) capital^ costs for the control equipment, and (2) annual
.costs for operation and maintenance. Compliance costs are based on
engineering estimates of the treatment alternatives described above and
were developed for each plant after accounting for wastewater treatment
already in place. These costs are used in this report to determine
economic impacts.
11-2
-------
The additional costs result in annual cash outflows to cover
.increased operating costs, increased maintenance expenditures, and the
initial capital outlay to purchase control equipment. Tax benefits
accrue from the Investment Tax Credit and from the deductibility of
additional operating and depreciation expenses. These effects are
combined in the computation of annual compliance costs, as described in
Appendix C of the methodology.
Estimated compliance costs for this regulation are based on 1982
production levels (flow rates) as explained in the Development
Document. For those subcategories where operating conditions in the
impact period are expected to be an improvement over those experienced
in 1982, compliance costs have been increased to account for higher flow
rates. The factor by which costs are adjusted is the ratio of expected
production at the time of compliance (based on average capacity
utilization from 1978 to 1982) to actual (1982) production levels.
Table II-1 presents the annual compliance costs and investment costs
for those subcategories containing plants incurring costs. The costs
are summarized by discharge mode and totalled for each of these
subcategories.
For existing discharging germanium/gallium, titanium, and
zirconium/hafnium plants, only one cost level (Level A or B) is shown in
Table II-1. The cost level is dependent on the type of production
process used. For plants currently at Level A, the corresponding Level
B costs are available in the confidential rulemaking record.
II-3
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tQ
-------
CHAPTER III
OVERVIEW
-------
Ill. OVERVIEW
There are 24 nonferrous metals"manufacturing subcategories covered
by this regulation. The Agency is proposing to completely exclude three
of these subcategories (Primary Lithium, Primary Magnesium, and
Secondary Zinc) from regulation. Primary Lithium and Secondary Zinc are
excluded because these subcategories contain plants using only dry
processes. Primary Magnesium plants are exempt because no treatable
concentrations of pollutants were detected in their wastestreams. Each
of _the remaining 21 subcategories are discussed in the following
chap'ters. The discussion begins with the structure of the industry,
which includes descriptions of raw materials and production processes;
plants in the subcategory; production, consumption, and trade
characteristics; and end uses and substitutes. Market trends and
developments are discussed next. Finally, a brief assessment of
economic impacts on discharging plants is presented. Note that not all
of the remaining metal subcategories contain discharging plants.
Chapters on subcategories that contain no dischargers i.e., Primary
Cesium/Rubidium; Secondary Mercury; and Primary Boron discuss only
raw materials, production processes, and plants.
In order to facilitate the presentation of information concerning
industry structure and processing technologies, certain subcategories
have been combined on the basis of processing characteristics. For
example, molybdenum and rhenium are combined in one chapter because
rhenium is processed only as a byproduct of molybdenum production.
These combinations are distinct from and do not necessarily correspond
to those groupings developed for purposes of economic analysis.
TTT-l
-------
CHAPTER IV
PRIMARY ANTIMONY SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
IV. PRIMARY ANTIMONY SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Antimony is found in several minerals, but its most common ore
is stibnite (antimony sulfide). Preparation for smelting varies with
the grade of ore. Low-grade ores containing 5%-25% antimony are
concentrated by roasting, which removes sulfur and other impurities, to
yield volatile trioxide or nonvolatile tetroxide. Ores containing 45%-
65% antimony are liquated to separate antimony from the other
constituents. The ore is heated in a crucible or reverberatory furnace
until the fused antimony collects at the bottom of the ore mass.
Antimony trioxides, tetroxides, and fused antimony are then treated in a
reverberatory furnace with coke and other charge materials such as soda
ash and briquetted flue dust, to yield antimony metal. Water-jacketed
blast furnaces are used in several modern plants to reduce intermediate
grades, residues, mattes, and slags. High-grade ores, containing more
than 65% antimony, are directly reduced to metal by iron precip-
itation. Fine iron scrap, when added to molten antimony sulfide, forms
metallic antimony and iron sulfide.
Antimony metal is also prepared at several lead refineries.
Used or discarded battery plates, type metal, and bearing metal scrap
are first treated in a blast furnace and then further refined in a
reverberatory furnace to yield antimonial lead, which generally contains
3%-12% antimony.
2. Description of Plants
Antimony metal and oxide producers in the United States are
large, integrated companies with a wide scope of activity in marketing
and manufacturing base metals and chemicals. Antimony oxide has been
produced from both domestic and imported ores, from antimony metal, and
from South African crude antimony oxide. Sunshine Mining Co. at
Kellogg, Idaho and U.S. Antimony Corporation at Thompson Falls, Montana
are the two major domestic mine producers of antimony. Sunshine Mining
Co. produces antimony as a byproduct of the treatment of tetrahedrite, a
complex silver-copper-antimony sulfide. The U.S. Antimony Corporation
produces antimony from the stibnite mined at the Babitt, Bardot, and
Black Jack mines at Thompson Falls, Montana. Asarco, Inc. has recently
completed construction of a new antimony smelter at El Paso, Texas.
Asarcofs Denver, Colorado plant produces high purity antimony used in
the electronics industry. The other major primary antimony producers
are Anzon America, Inc., Laredo, Texas; AMSPEC Chemical Corp.,
Gloucester City, New Jersey; M&T Chemical Co., Baltimore, Maryland; and
Chemet Co., Moscow, Tennessee.
IV-1
-------
The one plant under analysis is a direct discharger of
effluents.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
The United States mines less than 10/5 of its domestic
requirement for primary antimony. Imports, largely in the form of ores
and concentrates, have come mainly from the Republic of South Africa,
Bolivia, and mainland China., Domestic metal imports have fallen sharply
from 1978 levels since the introduction of maintenance-free batteries.
Exports have been small and mainly in the form of alloys. Table IV-1
shows that exports have been insignificant between 1978-1982. Old
scrap, predominantly battery plates, has been the source of most of the
secondary output. Essentially, all the reduced demand for antimony has
been absorbed by the secondary sector; primary demand remained
relatively constant. Most primary antimony produced from domestic
sources is a byproduct or coproduct of silver, copper, or lead mining,
smelting, and refining.
End Uses and Substitutes
'Antimony metal and its various compounds have a wide variety of
industrial uses. The metal has been used principally as an alloying
constituent of lead and other metals, primarily for use in storage
batteries. Antimonial lead is also widely used in the manufacture of
chemical pumps and pipes, tank linings, roofing sheets, and cable
sheath. Non-metallic antimony is used principally as a flame-retardant
in textiles and plastics, as a decolorizing and refining agent in
ceramics and glass, and as a vulcanizing agent in the rubber industry.
Various chemical compounds of antimony are used in camouflage paints.
The table below lists the major end-use markets for antimonial products
in 1982.
End-Use Market
Flame retardants
Transportation, including
batteries
Ceramics and glass
Chemicals
TOTAL
% 1932 U.S.
Antimony Consumption
60
15
10
!>
100
Substitutes exist for antimony in all its major uses. Selected
organic compounds which are less toxic and cheaper are used as
substitutes in flame-retardant systems. However, antimony is still used
as a flame-retardant in the plastic insulation of electric cables
IV-2
-------
TABLE IV-1
U.S. ANTIMONY PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION, AND TRADE
(short tons of antimony content)
Production
Mine
Primary plants3
Secondary plants
Consumption
Trade Metal Imports
Trade Metal and
Alloy Exports
1978
798
14,110
26,456
40,536
4,178
556
1979
722
15,062
24,155
42,846
3,022
485
1980
343
16,062
19,893
33,817
2,590
453
1981
646
17,761
19,856
35,296
2,631
324
1982
503
12,282
16,596
31,199
1,900
830
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
alncludes antimony recovered as antimonial lead from smelting lead ore.
Derived from both primary and secondary sources.
IV-3
-------
because alternative materials affect plastic's mechanical qualities.
Calcium combined with a little tin is rapidly replacing antimony in car
batteries since the introduction of .maintenance-free batteries, in spite
of the fact that calcium-lead batteries are more difficult to charge.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
There is an active free market in antimony metal, ore, and
trioxide, but the prices of these three items have little relationship
to each other in the short run. The antimony metal market is rather
volatile and attracts speculation, mainly from the merchants who deal in
it. The unpredictable marketing policy of China, the main metal
producer, further reinforces this feature. Changing patterns of
distribution have also resulted in fluctuations in antimony price.
Since 1978, prices for antimonial lead or "antimony in alloy" have been
quoted by major domestic secondary lead smelters.
The plant under analysis is a major metal producer. The
estimated revenues of this plant have been calculated using the average
price of the 1978-1982 period, $1.519 per pound. Although domestic
demand has declined in recent years, demand by foreign automobile
manufacturers has kept plants operating at normal levels. With overall
demand remaining relatively constant, prices are not expected to deviate
from average levels. Table IV-2 lists published antimony metal prices
between 1978 and 1982.
2. Capacity Utilization.
U.S. demand for antimony has remained relatively constant over
the past decade. Antimony has a specialized consumption pattern that
does not conform to general economic patterns, but to specific end-use
markets such as storage batteries, textiles, plastics, and rubber. Over
the past four or five years demand patterns have changed noticeably.
Consumption of antimony by the automobile industry has declined
substantially due to lower use in the manufacture of automotive
batteries. Demand for antimony oxide, on the other hand, has risen
significantly, for use in flame-retardant formulations. Most of the
antimony chemicals also fall into established use patterns. The U.S.
Bureau of Mines forecasts that with increased demand for colored enamel,
glass, color television, and other appliances, antimony will continue to
be used by the ceramics and glass industries. Industry capacity
utilization rates are listed in Table IV-3. The average capacity
utilization rate over the 1978-1982 period, 45*, is used in the
analysis.
IV-4
-------
TABLE IV-2
U.S. ANTIMONY METAL PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price, Dollars per Pound
Actual
1.145
1.107
1.508
1.355
1.050
Average
1982 Dollars
1.578
1.783
1.749
1.436
li05JD
price = '$1 .519
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries,
U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
IV-5
-------
TABLE IV-3
ANTIMONY METAL CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Production
(short tons)
1,108
2,642
507
790
539
Capacity
(short tons)
2,200
2,800
2,300
2,300
2,300
Average capacity utilization
Capacity
Utilization
($)
50
94 ,
22
34
23
= 45?
SOURCE: Capacity data Personal communication,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, February 1984.
Production data Minerals Yearbook, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, 1982.
IV-6
-------
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the Primary Antimony subcategory. Results of the screening
test show that annual compliance costs exceed 1? of revenues for the one
plant identified as a discharger of effluents. However, closure
analysis indicates that this plant will not close. In addition,
compliance costs for this subcategory are less than 3.^ under the most
stringent option.
IV-7
-------
-------
CHAPTER V
BAUXITE REFINING SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
V. BAUXITE REFINING SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
The term "bauxite" refers to aluminous mixtures rich in alumina
and low in alkalis, alkaline earths, and silica. The bauxite refining
process removes impurities in the ore, and converts bauxite to aluminum
oxide, or alumina (A120,). The principal ore from which alumina and
aluminum are made is composed of aluminum hydroxide minerals and
impurities, such as silicon dioxide, ferrous oxide, and titanium
dioxide. There are three major types of bauxite: (1) gibbsite
(A1203*3H20), (2) monohydrate (AIO(OH)), and (3) a mixture of gibbsite
and monohydrate. Economically minable bauxites contain 30$-60? alumina,
32-25$ iron oxide, M.-'dl combined silicon dioxide (silica), 1.5%-3*5%
titanium dioxide, and a large amount of water.
The Bayer process is the only commercial-scale method of
converting metallurgical-grade bauxite to alumina. In the classic Bayer
process, aluminum and other soluble elements in bauxite are dissolved at
elevated temperatures and pressures in a strong alkali solution,
generally NaOH, to form sodium aluminate (NaAlCX,). After separation of
the "red mud" tails, the sodium aluminate solution is cooled and seeded,
and aluminum trihydrate is precipitated in a controlled form. The
trihydrate is dewatered and calcined to the anhydrous crystalline form,
alumina.
Alumina plants are designed to process specific grades of
bauxite. Depending on the mineral content of the ore, variations occur
in the digestion temperature, pressure, and caustic concentration. In
addition, higher silica ores (greater than 856 Si02) require additional
steps, known as the lime-soda-sinter process, to recover alumina and
soda lost by combination with silica; this procedure is known as the
Combination process. There are two other variations of the Bayer
process: the American Bayer process, which refines trihydrate ore, and
the European Bayer process, which refines monohydrate ore. Trihydrate
ores containing up to 25% monohydrate recently have been processed by a
method known as the Modified Bayer process. The vast majority of the
alumina produced, and for several of the plants the total output, goes
directly to aluminum smelters for primary metal production. Alumina is
also used for nonmetallurgical purposes in ceramics and refractories
production.
V-l
-------
2. Description of Plants
Domestic alumina plants produce calcined alumina, commercial
alumina trihydrate and other specialty alumina forms. The Alcoa
facility at Point Comfort, Texas, and the Kaiser facility at Gramercy,
Louisiana also produce alumina trihydrate. Two Arkansas plants (Alcoa
and Reynolds) use bauxite mined in the general vicinity of the plants;
all other refineries use imported bauxite. Kaiser, at Baton Rouge, and
Reynolds, at Corpus Christi, use bauxite from mines which they own and
operate in Jamaica. Bauxite from Guinea is now used exclusively at both
Martin Marietta's St. Croix and Alcoa's Point Comfort plants. In
previous years, Alcoa relied heavily on ore from its mines in Surinam
for its U.S. refineries. Bauxite for Ormet's Burnside, Louisiana
refinery is from several sources.
Four of the eight alumina producers do not produce any
wastewater; consequently, they will not be analysed any further. All
the remaining plants are direct dischargers of effluents. One of these
plants was shut down in 1983; however, normal operations may resume at
some later date. In addition., large amounts of wastewater still remain
in holding ponds.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
Domestic production of bauxite has declined continuously since
1979- Table V-1 shows that 1982 production was estimated to be
approximately 62% below 1979 levels. The decline has been largely due
to the high cost of mining operations. Domestic alumina production.also
registered a fall of about 35% from the 1980 level of 8,09^,000 metric
tons. Thus, the U.S. has relied heavily on imports of refractory-grade
and abrasive-grade aluminous materials. Alumina imports, primarily from
Australia (76$), Jamaica (15$), and Surinam (8%), ranged between 3.0-4.5
million metric tons between 1978 and 1982. Domestic consumption and
exports also registered declines in 1982; the 3-7 million metric tons
consumed was approximately 3^% below the 1981 level, and exports, though
limited, fell approximately ^3% below the 1978 level, to 500,000 metric
tons.
4. End Uses and Substitutes
The U.S. alumina industry produces nonmetallurgical alumina and
aluminum hydroxide for various industrial applications. Approximately
90$ of the alumina produced is used to make primary aluminum. Most of
the remainder is used by the abrasive, refractory, and chemical
industries. As a refractory material, it is used to line the furnaces
and ladles of the steel, copper, aluminum, and glass-producing
industries. Abrasive-grade calcined alumina is used for precision
V-2
-------
TABLE V-1
"^^^^"^^^
U.S. BAUXITE AND ALUMINA PRODUCTION. CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(thousands of dry metric tons)
Production
Bauxite
Alumina
Consumption
Bauxite and alumina
Imports
Bauxite
Alumina
Exports
Bauxiteb
Alumina
1978
1,669
7,220
5,300
14,500
3,967
13
878
1979
1,821
7,3^5
5,106
14,800
3,837
15
849
1980
1,559
8,094
5,824
14,700
4,358
33
1,138
1981
1,510
7,120
5,555
13,300
3,978
52
737
1982a
700
5,265
3,700
12,500
3,200
50
500
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
Estimated.
Includes all forms of bauxite.
V-3
-------
grinding, surfacing, and polishing metal goods. Alumina hydrates are
widely used as fire-retardants in carpet-backing, plastics, and
furniture upholstery. Activated alumina, which is highly porous and
absorbent, is used to dehydrate liquids and gases in the chemical and
petroleum industries. There are no satisfactory substitutes.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Most world trade transactions in alumina involve long-term
contracts or intra-company transfers. Consequently, prices, other than
for spot sales or special grades, are not quoted in trade journals as
they are for commodities traded on the open market. As Table V-2 shows,
domestic shipments of calcined alumina were valued at $236 per ton in
1981 and at $260 per ton in 1982. The average value of domestic
shipments for the 1978-1982 period was estimated at $242 per ton.
Imported alumina was valued at $222 per ton at U.S. ports in 1981. The
corresponding figure for 1982 was $268 per ton. In spite of the
recession, alumina prices rose in 1982 as a result of escalating
domestic mine development costs following the increase in energy
costs. Some countries have also imposed production levies, which have
pushed up alumina prices. The continuing high demand for the aluminum
metal ensures a sustained growth rate in the demand for alumina. The
1978-1982 average price of $242 per ton is used in the analysis.
2. Capacity Utilization
Most of the alumina consumed in the United States is used to
make aluminum metal. The alumina plants have, therefore, adjusted their
operating capacity according to conditions in the aluminum market. The
high demand for aluminum metal has enabled domestic alumina plants to
operate at 80$-90J of their capacity. Table V-3 indicates that the
industry operated at an average capacity of 80? between 1978-1982. The
United States is expected to continue to produce a major proportion of
the primary aluminum metal it consumes, although an increasing
proportion of the metal demand is expected to be met by imports from
countries with low-cost electric energy.
The Bureau of Mines estimates that demand for primary aluminum
metal in the United States will increase at an annual rate of H.5%
through 1990 from a 1978 base. The increasing imports of metal will
result in a somewhat low annual rate of increase in demand for
alumina. Nevertheless, the increasing demand should help alumina
producers to at least maintain their historical average capacity
utilization rates. The average capacity utilization rate between 1978-
1982, 80%, is used in the analysis.
V-4
-------
TABLE V-2
ALUMINA PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price, Dollars per Ton
Actual
164
173
218
236
260
Average
1982 Dollars
226
219
253
250
260
price = $242
SOURCE: Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1982.
V-5
-------
TABLE V-3
ALUMINA CAPACITY UTILIZATION
(thousands of metric tons of calcined alumina)
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Production
5,960
6,450
6,810
5,960
4,130
Capacity
7,208
7,208
7,208
7,420
7,495
Capacity
Utilization
(*)
83
89
94
80
I5_
Average capacity utilization = 80$
SOURCE: Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1982.
V-6
-------
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The Agency is presently proposing only technical amendments to
existing Bauxite regulations; however, it is considering toxic
limitations on the net precipitation discharges from Bauxite redmud
impoundments. The toxic limitations under consideration, if
implemented, are not expected to have a significant impact on plants in
the Bauxite Refining subcategory. Results of the screening test show
that annual compliance costs do not exceed 1$ of revenues for any plant
in the subcategory. No plant is projected to close. In addition,
compliance costs are less than 0.4/5 of production costs under the most
stringent treatment option. Comments are solicited on the limitations
under consideration and their potential impacts.
V-7
-------
-------
CHAPTER VI
PRIMARY BERYLLIUM SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
VI. PRIMARY BERYLLIUM SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
The U.S. is currently the only market economy nation producing
beryllium products from beryllium minerals. There are two principal
beryllium minerals: bertrandite and beryl. Bertrandite is the
principal beryllium mineral produced domestically; beryl is the
principal beryllium mineral produced in the rest of the world. U.S.
beryllium production is derived from both domestic bertrandite ore and
imported beryl ore. In both cases, the ore is first converted to
beryllium hydroxide and then to beryllium oxide. The oxide is further
processed into beryllium metal or directly into beryllium-copper
alloy. Due to the difficulty of fabricating beryllium metal parts, cast
ingots are machined into chips and then ground into powder, which is
then compacted by hot-pressing under vacuum. A significant amount of
metallic beryllium is also produced from used and discarded materials.
Beryllium-copper alloy is the most commonly produced beryllium
alloy. Other alloys are beryllium-aluminum and beryllium-nickel.
Beryllium-copper alloys usually contain about 2%-i\% beryllium. The
production of beryllium alloys is covered under copper-forming
regulations.
2. Description of Plants
Brush Wellman, Inc. (BWI) and the Cabot Berylco Division of the
Cabot Corp. have been identified as domestic beryllium producers. BWI
mines bertrandite ore in Utah and converts it to an impure beryllium
hydroxide. The hydroxide is then sent to the BWI plant in Elmore, Ohio,
or to the Cabot Berylco plant in Reading, Pennsylvania for conversion
into beryllium products. The BWI .plant converts beryllium hydroxide
into beryllium oxide, which is then used to produce both beryllium metal
and alloy products. The plant also manufactures high purity beryllium
oxide for various applications in ceramics. One plant in this
subcategory has been identified as a direct discharger of effluents.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade ~~
The U.S. is both a major world producer and consumer of
beryllium minerals. The Agency's data indicate that domestic industry
relies primarily on domestically mined bertrandite ore, but has, in
recent years, become increasingly dependent on imported beryl ore.
VI-1
-------
Table VI-1 shows that between 1978 and 1982, beryllium produced from
imported beryl ore increased from 15% to 33? of domestic consumption.
Further development of the bertrandite deposit in Utah mined by Brush
Wellman, Inc. could make the U.S. self-sufficient in beryllium by the
year 2000. However, BWI has initiated a program to stimulate domestic
and foreign beryl mining in order to extend the life of the Utah deposit
and to make full use of the company's beryl ore processing capacity. As
a consequence of this effort, beryl imports are expected to become an
increasingly important raw ciaterial for beryllium production. The
government currently stockpiles beryl concentrate, beryllium-copper
master alloys, and beryllium metal.
4. End Uses and Substitutes
Copper-based beryllium alloys are the: most widely used
beryllium-containing products. As shown in the table below, various
uses in the aerospace, electrical equipment, and electrical component
markets account for most domestic consumption. Beryllium-copper alloys
and beryllium oxide ceramics have been used increasingly in the
electronic and electrical equipment industries. Beryllium metal, with
its high stiffness-to-weight ratio and excellent thermal conduction
properties, has found numerous applications in aerospace fields.
End-Use Market
Aerospace
Electrical equipment
Electrical components
Other
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
Beryllium Consumption
38
36
- 17
9
100
Steel, titanium, and graphite composites may be substituted for
beryllium metal. Phosphor bronze may be substituted for beryllium-
cop'per alloys. However, these substitutions generally result in a
substantial loss of performance.
B. MARKET TRENDS ANH DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Because of the health and environmental dangers involved in
producing this toxic metal, and the small markets which exist for it,
beryllium is manufactured by only a few producers. Consequently, these
producers can effectively control market prices. Prices in 1982 dollars
are shown in Table VI-2 for the years 1978-1982. Bureau of Mines
estimates of steady demand growth, coupled with rigid price controls by
producers, suggest that prices will not fall below these levels.
-------
TABLE VI-1
U.S. BERYLLIUM CONSUMPTION AND TRADE
(short tons of contained beryllium)
Consumption
Trade Imports
(beryl ore)
Trade Exports
(metal and alloy)
1978
271
42
41
1979
303
43
36
1980
321
74
b
1981
303
87
__b
1982^
328
108
__b
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
^Estimated.
Data not available.
VI-3
-------
TABLE VI-2
BERYLLIUM INGOT PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price
Actual
120
120
140
173
205
Average
, Dollars per Pound
1982 Dollars
165
152
162
183
205
price = $173
SOURCE: Mineral Facts and Problems. 1980 and
Mineral Commodity Summaries,
U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
VI-
-------
2. Capacity Utilization
The Agency's data indicate that during 1982 the only discharging
plant operated at almost full capacity. Indications are that demand
growth will support this level of operations into the near future.
Therefore, the value of products produced in 1982 will be used in the
following analysis as a proxy for sales.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the primary beryllium subcategory. Results of the
screening test show that annual compliance costs do not exceed 1$ of
revenues for the one plant identified as a discharger of effluents.
This plant is not projected to close. In addition, compliance costs for
this subcategory are less than 0.1? of production costs under the most
stringent treatment option.
VI-5
-------
-------
CHAPTER VII
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GERMANIUM/GALLIUM SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
VII. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GERMANIUM/GALLIUM^. SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
a. Germanium
The principal source of raw material for domestic primary
germanium production is residue from zinc processing. U.S. germanium
production is, therefore, dependent on the rate of zinc processing.
Domestic producers also produce germanium by recycling scrap obtained
from manufacturing processes. Germanium oxides are recovered from zinc
residues and then chlorinated to produce germanium tetrachloride. The
tetrachloride is hydrolyzed to obtain germanium dioxide, which is-
reduced with hydrogen to yield germanium powder. Germanium is available
in a wide variety of forms.
b. Gallium
Gallium is found in most bauxite and zinc ores. However,
because gallium usually occurs in very low concentrations, recovery is
expensive and not often undertaken. Gallium is recovered from caustic
soda solution used in the conversion of bauxite to alumina or recovered
from zinc processing residues. Small quantities are also produced from
scrap.
2. Description of Plants
a. Germanium
In 1982, the domestic germanium industry consisted of three
producers. The Specialty Materials Division of Eagle-Picher Industries
recovered germanium from stockpiled zinc smelter residues in Quapaw,
Oklahoma. Two other companies also produced germanium: they are the
Cabot Corporation in Revere, Pennsylvania and Bunker Rare Metals, Inc.
in Irving, Texas. Bunker Rare Metals produces germanium from germanium
dioxide. One of these plants has been identified as an indirect
discharger of effluents and will be further analyzed.
VI I-1
-------
b. Gallium
One domestic company produced primary gallium in 1982.
Eagle-Picher Industries in Quapaw, Oklahoma produced gallium, along with
germanium, from stockpiled zinc smelter residue. Secondary production
was performed by Canyonlands 21st Century in Blanding, Utah and Callus
in San Jose, California. Because no gallium facility was identified as
a discharger of effluent waste, further analysis of this subcategory is
not required.
Two types of plants, Level A and Level B, have been
identified in this subcategory (see Chapter II). The one discharging
germanium plant and the zero discharging gallium plants have been
identified as Level A plants. The Agency has considered the possibility
that these Level A plants may at some point engage in Level B processes
and therefore be subject to Level B limitations. The impacts of these
limitations have been estimated and are discussed in Chapter XXV
Limitations of the Analysis.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
While only estimates are available, it appears that U.S.
germanium production increased at an average annual rate of 8% between
1978 and 1982. During this same period, however, consumption increased
at an average annual rate of about 16%. Table VII-1 shows that in order
to meet this growing demand, imports doubled as a percentage of domestic
consumption, rising from 12$ in 1978 to 2H% in 1982. The abnormally
large tonnage imported in 1981 was primarily in the form of low-grade
waste and scrap. Germanium is not stockpiled by the U.S. government.
End Uses and Substitutes
For many years, germanium was used chiefly in the manufacture of
various semiconductor devices. Recently, silicon has largely replaced
many of these traditional applications. However, new and developing
applications in infrared optic systems, such as nightsighting systems
for tanks and aircraft, and in fiber optics, where germanium increases
the efficiency of long-distance transmissions, have more than
compensated for this lost demand. The table below shows the breakdown
of germanium consumption by major end uses in 1982.
VII-2
-------
TABLE VII-1
U.S. GERMANIUM PRODUCTION. CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(kilograms of contained germanium)
Production3
Consumption3
Trade Imports^
1978
19,200
22,900
2,657
1979
23,000
24,000
4,029
1980
27,000
32,000
3,329
1981
28,000
38,000
22,350
1982
26,000
42,000
10,000
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
3Estimated.
Gross weight of wrought metal, waste, and scrap.
VII-3
-------
End-Use Market
Infrared optics
Semiconductors
Fiber optic systems
Radiation detectors
Other
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
Germanium Consumption
43
18
16
12
11
100
While silicon has been substituted for germanium in certain
electronic applications, germanium is still more reliable in some high-
frequency and high-power applications, and is more economical as a
substrate for some light-emitting diode applications. In infrared
guidance systems zinc selenide can substitute for germanium metal but
results in a lower level of performance.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Producer list prices for zone-refined ingot are shown in Table
VII-2. Zone-refined ingot is a commonly produced high-purity form of
germanium metal. Prices rose dramatically during 1980 and 1981 when
zinc residue shortages constrained supply. However, during 1982 demand
slowed as a result of both the spreading out of military purchases and
the* improvement in fiber optic production techniques and products. The
strength of the dollar induced lower-priced imports, especially from
Belgium, which increased competition and caused further downward price
pressure. Nevertheless, the list price has been maintained at $1,060
per kilogram, and buying at discount is now standard. The average
producer price between 1978-1982, $847 per kilogram, will be used in the
analysis.
2. Capacity Utilization
The capacity ' utilization of domestic germanium-producing
facilities is computed from industry operational capacity and estimated
industry production data. These figures are summarized for the 1978-
1982 period in Table VII-3. Capacity utilization rates, which had been
held down by zinc residue shortages in 1980 and 1981, were kept low
during 1982 as the demand for germanium slowed. The average capacity
utilization between 1978-1982, 60%, will be used in the analysis.
VI1-4
-------
TABLE VII-2
ZONE-REFINED GERMANIUM PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price, Dollars per Kilogram
Actual
348
522
784
1,060
1,060
1982 Dollars
479
662
909
.1,124
1 ,060
Average price = $847
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
VI I-5
-------
TABLE VII-3
GERMANIUM CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Estimated
Production
(kilograms)
19,200
23,000
27,000
28,000
26,000
Average
Capacity
(kilograms)
40,000
no, ooo
40,000
40,000
44,500
Capacity
Utilization
(%)
48
58
68
70
58
capacity utilization = 60?
SOURCE: Production data Mineral Commodity
Summaries, U.S. Department of the. Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1982.
Capacity data Personal communication,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, January 1984.
VTI-6
-------
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on the germanium facilities in this subcategory. Results of the
screening test show that annual compliance costs exceed 1/5 of revenues
for the one plant identified as a discharger of effluents. However,
closure analysis indicates that this plant will not close. In addition,
compliance costs for this subcategory are less than 1.25? of production
costs under the most stringent treatment option.
VII-7
-------
-------
CHAPTER VIII
SECONDARY INDIUM SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
VIII. SECONDARY INDIUM SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Indium is usually recovered as a byproduct of zinc processing.
However, most zinc is so poor in indium that recovery is not
attempted. At those facilities that do recover indium, the value of
indium recovered is negligible in relation to the value of zinc
production.
In the zinc refining process, indium is removed along with lead
from crude zinc by fractional distillation. Crude indium is then
recovered from the lead through an involved procedure of pyrometallurgy,
leaching, purification, and cementation. Secondary indium is produced
by dissolving indium scrap in acid and chemically precipitating the
crude indium. Because almost all uses require a high purity form of
indium, crude indium, either primary or secondary, is then refined by
electrolytic methods.
2. Description of Plants
One company in the United States produced indium during 1982.
The Indium Corporation of America in Utica, New York refined indium from
crude indium metal. This crude metal is purchased from domestic and
foreign sources on the open market. The Agency has identified this
plant as an indirect discharger of effluents.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
Very little production, consumption, and trade information is
available on indium. Agency data indicate, however, that imports supply
approximately three-fourths of domestic demand. Indium refiners have
had to rely increasingly on imports of crude indium due to the paucity
of suitable domestic residues. As shown in Table VIII-1, imports,
primarily in the form of crude metal, increased at an average annual
rate of 35% between 1978-1982. It is estimated that the U.S. consumes
30% of world production. Indium is not stockpiled by the government.
ty. End Uses and Substitutes
The table below presents a breakdown of indium consumption by
end-use market. Indium end uses continue to evolve as new applications
and substitutes develop. Domestic usage is now dominated by various
solder, alloy, and coating applications. Indium's low melting point and
VIII-1
-------
TABLE VIII-1
U.S. INDIUM CONSUMPTION AND IMPORTS
(thousands of troy ounces)
Consumption
Imports
1978
630
206
1979
650
294
1980
_..b
299
1981
__b
446
1982a
__b
685
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
Estimated.
Data not available.
VIII-2
-------
corrosion resistance are crucial to many of these applications. Indium
is also required by the electronics industry; however, use by this
industry has declined in recent years due to substitution.
End-Use Market
Electrical and electronic
components
Solders, alloys, and
coatings
Research and other
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
Indium Consumption
40
40
20
100
Alternate materials are readily available for most uses of
indium. In the electronics industry, silicon has generally replaced
germanium-indium components. In some alloys, if cost permits, gallium
is used as a substitute. Boron carbide and hafnium have largely
replaced indium in nuclear reactor control rods.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Table VIII-2 shows that indium prices fluctuated widely between
1978 and 1982; however, supply and demand remained roughly in balance
throughout this period. The 67% price increase from 1978 to 1980 is
believed to have been fueled by expectations of increasing applications
for indium, and related expectations of increasing demand. When
expected demand did not materialize, prices fell 80% in just two
years. Increased imports, slight over-production, and flat demand led
to a 1982 year-end price of $2.60 per troy ounce and an average annual
price of $4.20 per troy ounce. Uncertain demand arising from the
variability of end uses and substitutes and an adequate world capacity
are expected to hold prices at this low level in the immediate future.
2. Capacity Utilization
The value of products produced in 1982 is available for the one
discharging plant under consideration. Because current market
conditions are expected to persist, this value of revenue will be used
in the analysis as a proxy for sales.
VIII-3
-------
TABLE VIII-2
INDIUM PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price,
Actual
8.56
13.^8
17.00
7.53
4.20
Average
Dollars per Troy Ounce
1982 Dollars
11.79
17.09
19.71
7.98
4.20
price = $12.15
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries,
U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
VIII-4
-------
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the Secondary Indium subcategory. Results of the screening
test show that annual compliance costs exceed 1$ of revenues for the one
plant identified as a discharger of effluents. However, closure
analysis indicates that this plant will not close. In addition,
compliance costs for this subcategory are less than 1 .^% of production
costs under the most stringent treatment option.
VIII-5
-------
-------
CHAPTER IX
PRIMARY MOLYBDENUM/RHENIUM AND
SECONDARY MOLYBDENUM/VANADIUM
SUBCATEGORIES
-------
-------
IX. PRIMARY MOLYBDENUM/RHENIUM AND
SECONDARY MOLYBDENUM/VANADIUM SUBCATEGORIES
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
a. Molybdenum
Molysulfide (MoS2) is the principal raw material from which
molybdenum and molybdenum products are obtained. Molysulfide is
obtained from two sources. About 70% of the molysulfide used in the
U.S. is produced from primary molybdenite ore. The remaining 3Q% is
recovered as a byproduct of copper ore concentration operations. The
Agency has identified 11! U.S. firms which produced molysulfide during
1982. Climax Molybdenum Co. and Molycorp, Inc., which mine primary
molybdenite ore, and Duval Corp. and Kennecott Corp., which recover
molybdenum from copper ore, are the principal producers of molysulfide.
As a first step in the production of molybdenum, molysulfide
is "roasted" to produce technical-grade molybdic oxide ("tech oxide")
that has a minimum molybdenum content of 57%. Then, depending on the
markets (customers) they serve, U.S. plants produce several products
from technical-grade oxide. These include:
pure molybdic oxide;
ammonium and sodium molybdate;
ferromolybdenum;. and
molybdenum metal.
Small quantities of molybdenum are also recovered as
byproducts from tungsten and uranium operations.
b. Rhenium
Rhenium is produced commercially only as a byproduct of
molybdenum production. Production is made possible by the large tonnage
involved in the mining and processing of copper ores. At standard
molybdenum roasting temperatures, rhenium oxides are carried off with
roaster flue gas. These oxides are then recovered from the gases (using
wet scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators) in the form of ammonium
perrhenate. High purity rhenium metal powder (99.99?) can be produced
from ammonium perrhenate through two-stage hydrogen reduction.
IX-1
-------
Despite the large scale of domestic molybdenum operations,
only a small amount of rhenium is actually produced. This is because
molybdenum producers often have either no extraction plant or have found
extraction uneconomical. Therefore, "the U.S. relies heavily on imports
to satisfy demand. These imports are predominantly in the form of
ammonium perrhenate, although some metal products are also imported.
c. Vanadium
Vanadium is usually produced as a byproduct or coproduct of
another element, commonly uranium or phosphorus in the United States.
Secondary vanadium is recovered from the residues of crude oil and tar
sands, spent catalysts, and slags. Vanadium metal extracted from spent
catalysts is converted into fused vanadium pentoxide or ammonium
metavanadate. For chemical purposes, these two vanadium compounds are
the ones most frequently demanded.
2. Description of Plants
a. Molybdenum
Molybdenum plants can be classified into four major
categories. Plants in the first category process molysulfide. Although
they produce other products and metals, most of their output can be
attributed to molybdenum production. The only exception in this class
is the Magna, Utah plant of the Kennecott Corp. Here, molybdenum is
produced as a byproduct of copper production and accounts for less than
2% of the value of plant shipments.
Seven plants converted molybdenite (MoSp) concentrate to
molybdic oxide (MoO,) in 1982. These plants have the capacity to
produce about 125 million pounds of molybdic oxide. The two plants
owned by AMAX alone have a total capacity of almost 90 million pounds
(or about 70% of the industry's capacity). The plant owned by Molycorp
currently has a capacity to produce 6 million pounds per year; however,
the company was planning to expand the capacity to 20 million pounds
before the 1981-1982 recession started. The S.W. Shattuck Co. plant in
Denver and the M&R Refractory Metals Co. plant in New Jersey, in
general, process moly concentrate on a toll basis that is, these
companies process concentrate owned by other companies. The M&R plant
is somewhat unique in that it also produces molybdenum in pure metal
form by removing oxygen from MoO,. Furthermore, it produces tungsten
and cobalt from the respective metallic oxides by employing processes
that are identical to the process used to create molybdenum from tech
oxide.
IX-2
-------
Five of the plants have been identified as zero-discharging
facilities. Two plants have been identified as direct dischargers and
will be analyzed further. These two plants have been determined to be
identical to plants in the metallurgical acid plant subcategory of the
recently promulgated regulations for Nonferrous Metals Manufacturing
Phase I (49 FR 8742). Consequently, this rulemaking proposes to include
the two plants in that subcategory. The limitations proposed for these
plants (and the recommended technologies on which they are based) are
identical to those promulgated for the Phase .1 metallurgical acid plant
subcategory. As a result, there is no difference in the manner in which
compliance costs were estimated for plants in the two subcategories.
Plants in the second category have the following general
characteristics:
they do not process molysulfide;
they produce molybdenum in pure metallic form and transform
it into formed product; and
they produce other metals and metallic products in large
quantities.
Hence, molybdenum refining operations constitute a very small part of
the total operations. As a result, the value of shipments that can be
attributed to molybdenum production is likely to be less than 10$ of the
value of shipments from a plant. Correspondingly, the molybdenum
employment is also very small.
At these plants, molybdenum is generally recovered as a
byproduct of other operations. For example, at the GE plant in
Cleveland, Ohio and the North American Philips Corp. plant in Lewiston,
Maine, molybdenum is obtained as a byproduct of tungsten production. In
fact, it must be removed from tungsten ore before the ore can be used
for tungsten production. The molybdenum produced at these plants is
normally used "captively" to produce products for electrical and other
applications. Two plants in this category have been identified as
direct dischargers and will be analyzed further.
Plants in the third category recover oxides from spent
catalysts used by the oil and gas industry. Only a few years ago, two
or three plants produced molybdic oxide from recycled materials.
However, Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical Company in Freeport, Texas is
the only plant in operation today. This plant recovers molybdic oxide
and vanadium pentoxides from petroleum refining catalysts. The plant's
major customers are catalyst manufacturers. This plant is a direct
discharger and will be analyzed in the Secondary Molybdenum/Vanadium
subcategory.
IX-3
-------
Plants in the fourth category produce molybdenum as a
byproduct of uranium operations. The total amount of molybdenum
produced in this way, however, is rather small. Because no plants have
been identified as dischargers in this category, further analysis of
plants in this category is not required.
b. Rhenium
During 1982, the bulk of domestic rhenium was processed by
two plants. The Kennecott Corp. in Magna, Utah produced ammonium
perrhenate from domestic porphyry copper ores. The S.W. Shattuck
Chemical Co. plant in Denver, Colorado recovered rhenium, in various
forms, from Canadian molybdenite concentrates.
The Agency has determined that these plants do not discharge
effluents. Therefore, analysis of the impacts of Phase II regulation
will not be performed for these plants.
c. Vanadium
The Agency has identified one plant in the Secondary
Molybdenum/Vanadium subcategory. Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical
Company in Freeport, Texas recovers vanadium pentoxides and molybdic
oxides from spent catalysts supplied by oil refineries and petrochemical
plants. The plant's major customers are catalyst manufacturers. This
facility is a direct discharger.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
a. Molybdenum
The U.S. is the world's largest producer and exporter of
molybdenum. Between 1978 and 1981, domestic consumption was
approximately equal to exports. Of these exports, about 97% were in the
form of concentrate or technical-grade oxide. Table IX-1 presents
domestic molybdenum production, consumption, and trade figures. As can
be seen, 1982 production fell to about half of 1980 production due to
the worldwide economic recession. Because there are ample supplies of
molybdenum, it is not stockpiled by the U.S. government.
b. Vanadium
Small quantities of spent catalyst-containing vanadium are
purchased by dealers and sold to processors for recovery. Trade figures
concerning this activity are not compiled.
IX-4
-------
TABLE IX-1
U.S. MOLYBDENUM PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION, AND TRADE3
(thousands of pounds molybdenum content)
Production
Consumption
Trade Exports
(concentrate
and oxide)
Trade Imports
(concentrate)
1978
131,813
67,724
69,150
2,705
1979
143,967
73,682
72,242
2,329
1980
150,686
60,754
68,217
1,825
1981
139,900
61,103
52,436
1,988
1982b
75,000
33,000
45,000
3,400
SOURCE: Mineral Industry Surveys Molybdenum, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Mines, December, 1982.
^Unprocessed molybdenum ore; large quantities of the concentrate
(concentrated molysulfide) are exported without processing.
bEstimated.
IX-5
-------
End Uses and Substitutes
a. Molybdenum
Steel alloys account for about 70$ of molybdenum
consumption. Technical-grade molybdic oxide and ferromolybdenum are the
principal forms of molybdenum used to make steel. Metallurgical
applications, which include the use of molybdenum in steels, cast irons,
alloys, and as a refractory metal, are common to the machinery and tool,
oil and gas, and transportation equipment industries. Among
nonmetallurgical uses, the principal applications are in lubricants,
catalysts, electrical products, and pigments. The table below shows the
breakdown of molybdenum consumption by major end markets in 1982.
End Market
% 1982 U.S.
Molybdenum Consumption
Machinery and tools
Oil and gas industry
Transportation equipment
Chemicals
Electrical
Other
TOTAL
20
17
13
8
_8
100
Molybdenum's availability, low cost, and overall performance
have provided little impetus for the use of substitutes. Potential sub-
stitutes do exist however, including: chromium, vanadium, columbium,
and boron in alloy steels; tungsten in tool steels; graphite, tungsten,
and tantalum for refractory materials in high temperature electric
furnaces; and chrome-orange, cadmium-red, and organic-orange pigments
for molybdenum orange.
b. Vanadium
While the main use of vanadium is as ah alloying ingredient
in steel, the metal plays an important role as a catalyst in certain
chemical reactions. Vanadium catalysts are used mainly in the
production of sulfuric acid. Platinum may replace vanadium in some
catalytic processes, but the relative cost of the materials influence
their usage.
IX-6
-------
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
The U.S. is by far the world's largest producer of molybdenum.
Domestically, only a few companies produce the bulk of output, and
therefore these companies possess significant control over market
prices. These large producers, traditionally led by Climax Molybdenum
Co., publish an industry standard list price for major products which
has generally been accepted by smaller producers.
Demand for molybdenum from every sector increased markedly
during late 1979 and 1980. This rise in demand outstripped supply and
caused major shortages and resulting price increases. In 1982, industry
supply responded slowly to falling demand, thus causing oversupply and a
rapid decline in prices from the 1980 high. However, depressed demand
is not expected to persist. In fact, demand has already increased
substantially since the general economic recovery started in 1983.
Table IX-2 presents the price of molybdenum technical-grade
oxide for the years 1978-1982 in 1982 dollars. The average price for
this period, $8.36 per pound, will be used in this analysis. This
assumption is supported both by expectations of steady growth in demand
and by an industry pricing structure which is likely to respond to
increases in production cost.
This price has also been used in the analysis of those plants
proposed for inclusion in the Molybdenum Acid Plant subcategory.
Because the methodologies used to determine impacts in the two
subcategories do not differ, this price is applied to these two plants.
2. Capacity Utilization
The capacity utilization of domestic molybdenum-roasting
facilities is computed from industry operational capacity and industry
production data. These figures are summarized for the 1978-1982 period
in Table IX-3- The average capacity utilization rate for this period,
72$, is used for the purposes of our analysis, on the assumption that
capacity utilization in a stable market will roughly parallel the
average of capacity utilization in periods of over- and undersupply.
Several plants in the study produce high purity metal products
for specialty markets. At these plants, molybdenum operations
constitute a small percentage of total operations, and capacity and
production fluctuate with the volume of orders and with product mix
IX-7
-------
TABLE IX-2
MOLYBDENUM TECHNICAL-GRADE OXIDE PRICES
(price per pound contained molybdenum)
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price
Actual
4.86
6.07
8.99
8.50
7.99
Average
, Dollars per
Pound
1982 Dollars
6.70
7.69
10.42
9.01
7.99
price = $8.36
SOURCE: Mineral Facts and Problems, 1980 and
Mineral Commodity Summaries,
U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
IX-8
-------
TABLE IX-3
MOLYBDENUM CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Production
Year (million pounds)
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
103
110
116
87
52
Average
Capacity
Capacity Utilization
(million pounds) (percent)
125
125
125
125
125
capacity utilization
82
88
93
70
_42
= 72%
SOURCE: Personal communication, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Mines, January 1984.
IX-9
-------
decisions. At the facility identified in the Secondary Molyb-
denum/Vanadium subcategory, similar problems exist with respect to
capacity and product mix. Consequently, it is necessary to use the 1982
value of products produced as a proxy'for sales at these plants.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium subcategory, nor is it
expected to have a significant impact on the two metallurgical acid
plants proposed for inclusion in the Metallurgical Acid Plant
subcategory. Results of the screening test show that annual compliance
costs do not exceed 1% of revenues for any plant in this subcategory.
No plant is projected to close. In addition, compliance costs for this
subcategory are less than 0.5% of production costs under the most
stringent treatment option.
Results of the screening test indicate that annual compliance costs
exceed 1? of revenues for the one plant identified in the Secondary
Molybdenum/Vanadium subcategory. However, closure analysis shows that
this plant will not close. Compliance costs for this subcategory are
less than 1.5% of production costs under the most stringent treatment
option.
IX-10
-------
CHAPTER X
PRIMARY NICKEL/COBALT AND SECONDARY NICKEL
SUBCATEGORIES
-------
-------
X. PRIMARY NICKEL/COBALT AND SECONDARY NICKEL
SUBCATEGORIES
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
a. Cobalt
Cobalt is usually mined as a byproduct of either nickel or
copper. A variety of techniques are used in processing nickel,
depending on the type of ore. The ore is first concentrated by
crushing, grinding, and flotation. This concentrate is leached with
ammoniacal solution and acid is added to precipitate the nickel and
other impurities. Cobalt powder is obtained through electrolytic or
hydrogen reduction of the remaining solution. Nickel and copper are
generally produced as byproducts during cobalt processing.
b. Nickel
Primary nickel is produced in the U.S. from laterite ore and
imported matte, and as a byproduct of copper refining. Secondary nickel
is recovered from nickel-bearing alloys, stainless and alloy steels, and
residues from copper smelters and refineries, foundries, and steel
mills.
The laterite ore is first concentrated to yield higher
nickel-bearing matte, by smelting and subsequent flotation of the
residue. The residue, consisting of high-grade nickel sulfide, is
roasted to nickel oxide and reduced to impure nickel by smelting or
leaching, and finally refined electrolytically to yield pure nickel
metal. Copper and cobalt are produced as byproducts after the nickel
sulfide solution is further processed.
2. Description of Plants
a. Cobalt
AMAX Nickel, Inc. operates the only primary cobalt refinery
in the U.S., at Braithwaite, Louisiana. However, cobalt operations at
AMAX accounted for only a small portion of their total shipments in
terms of value. The AMAX plant is also the largest primary producer of
nickel in the U.S.
X-l
-------
Nickel
AMAX Nickel, Inc., at its Braithwaite, Louisiana plant, is
the only domestic primary producer of nickel. AMAX extracts nickel
metal from laterite ore concentrates. GTE in Warren, Pennsylvania and
Huntington Alloys in Huntirigton, West Virginia have been identified as
secondary producers of nickel.
The one primary nickel/cobalt plant has been identified as a
direct discharger of effluents. In the secondary nickel subcategory, a
zero discharger and an indirect discharger have been identified. The
discharging facilities will be analyzed in their respective subcat-
egories.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
a. Cobalt
The U.S. consumes, directly or indirectly, more than one-
third of the world's cobalt production. Although the U.S. has extensive
domestic cobalt resources, domestic mine production is insignificant.
Consequently, domestic industry relies almost entirely on imports,
primarily from Zaire and Zambia, for its supply. Table X-1 shows that
the recent recession significantly affected U.S. production,
consumption, and trade. Between 1980 and 1982, consumption fell by
approximately 3^%- This decline in demand resulted in a 26% decline in
domestic production and a 21? decline in imports.
b. Nickel
Domestic nickel is produced primarily from imported raw
materials (W% of 1982 production) and scrap (52$). Of a total 76,903
short tons of nickel produced in 1982, only 3,203 short tons, or ^% of
total production, were produced from domestic ore. As shown in Table
X-2, this figure represents a substantial decline from the 10,305 tons
produced in
U.S. nickel consumption has decreased steadily in recent
years, from a high of 273,000 tons in 1978 to only 198,000 tons in
1982. Nickel imports, while somewhat erratic, have also declined, from
234,352 tons in 1978 to 144,000 tons in 1982. U.S. nickel exports, in
the form of refined metal, increased approximately 38$ during this
period.
X-2
-------
TABLE X-1
U.S. COBALT PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(short tons of cobalt content)
Production (secondary)
Consumption
Trade Imports
Trade Exports3
1978
518
10,182
9,515
774
1979
585
9,403
9,999
363
1980
592
8,527
8,151
292
1981
486
6,266
7,797
417
1982
436
5,592
6,435
250
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
aEstimated.
X-3
-------
TABLE X-2
U.S. NICKEL PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(short tons of nickel content)
Production
Mine
Refinery (primary)
Domestic ore
Imported matte
Refinery (secondary)
Consumption
Trade Imports
Trade Exports
1978
13,509
11,298
26,000
44,182
273,000
234,352
16,599
1979
15,065
11,691
32 , 500
57,404
226,000
177,205
23,949
1980
14,653
11 ,225
33,000
49,291
206,000
189,188
19,463
1981
12,099
10,305
38,500
52,000
197,000
200,348
19,616
1982
400
3,203
33,700
40,000
198,000
144,000
23,000
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department, of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
X-4
-------
End Uses and Substitutes
a. Cobalt
Cobalt is used principally in heat- and wear-resistant
materials, cutting tools, high-strength materials, permanent magnets,
and in %rarious chemical applications. More than 25? of cobalt consumed
is processed into non-metallic compounds. Two major uses for cobalt
metal aro in superalloys used extensively in the aircraft- industry, and
in turbines. The table below presents a breakdown of cobalt consumption
by major end-use markets in 1982.
End-Use Market
% 1982 U.S.
Cobalt Consumption
Gas turbine engines
Magnetic materials
Driers
Catalysts
Metal cutting and
mining tools
Other
TOTAL
37
16
11
10
7
19
100
The following materials may be substituted for cobalt:
nickel, platinum, barium or strontium ferrite, and iron in magnets;
tungsten, molybdenum carbide, ceramics, and nickel in machinery; nickel
and ceramics in jet engines; nickel in catalysts; and copper, chromium,
and manganese in paint. However, such substitutions normally result in
a decreased level of performance of these products.
b. Nickel
Nickel's ability to impart corrosion resistance, strength,
and specific physical properties in alloys commends its wide use in many
producer and consumer goods. More than 90% of nickel consumed in the
U.S. is in the form of alloys. Superalloys that resist stress and
corrosion at high temperatures account for most of the nickel used in
aircraft. Nickel alloys are also commonly used to make stainless and
other high-strength, heat-resistant steels such as those used in
machinery, construction, and metal products. It is also used as a
catalyst in a large range of inorganic chemical reactions. Resistance
alloys containing up to 80$ nickel account for most of the nickel used
in electrical equipment. Some types of batteries use nickel with iron,
cadmium, and zinc. The distribution of U.S. nickel consumption in 1982
among major end-markets is reported in the following table.
X-5
-------
End-Use Market
Transportation
Chemical industry
Electrical equipment
Construction
Fabricated metal products
Petroleum
Appliances
Machinery
Other
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
Nickel Consumption
24
15
11
9
9
8
8
8
9
100
With few exceptions, substitutes for nickel would result in
increased cost or some sacrifice in the economy or performance of the
product. Potential nickel substitutes are aluminum, coated steel, and
plastics in the construction and transportation industries; nickel-free
specialty steels in the power generating, petrochemical, and petroleum
industries; titanium and plastics in severe corrosive applications; and
platinum, cobalt, and copper in catalytic uses.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Cobalt
Cobalt is traded mainly in the form of cathodes with a
minimum purity of 99.6$. Until the disruption of supplies from Zaire,
90$ of all cobalt produced was marketed on a producer price basis. The
sudden price rise during 1978-1980 and the subsequent rapid fall,
however, have encouraged a very active free market in the metal. Table
X-3 presents U.S. prices between 1978-1982. With increasing demands,
higher cobalt prices are expected in the near future. An estimate by
the Bureau of Mines indicates that the domestic demand for cobalt will
increase at an average annual rate of 2.5$ through 1990; significant
increases are expected in the transportation and industrial machinery
sectors. The average price of the 1978-1982 period, $21.97 per pound,
will be used in the analysis.
b. Nickel
Historically, nickel had been produced by a limited number
of powerful groups led by International Nickel of Canada, which at one
stage had over 80$ of the western market. However, the last 10 years
X-6
-------
TABLE X-3
COBALT PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price, Dollars per Pound
Actual
11.53
2U. 58
25.00
19.73
12.90
1982 Dollars
15.89
31.15
28.99
20.91
12.90
Average price = $21 .97
SOURCE: Personal communication, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Mines, December
1983.
X-7
-------
have seen dramatic changes in the structure of the industry with the
entry of newcomers; International Nickel's share is now less than 35?.
The LME is now by far the biggest influence on nickel price, although
most of the larger consumers still TDuy their requirements directly from
producers.
As Table X-4 shows, the price of nickel has remained
comparatively steady over the last few years. This has been due partly
to increased competition from smaller producers and partly to the fall
in demand during the current recession. With steady economic recovery,
the price of nickel is expected to rise gradually to match the increase
in demand. Estimates by the Bureau of Mines indicate that domestic
demand will increase at 2.'l% per year, from a 1981 base, through 1990.
The average price between '!978-1982, $3.36 per pound, will be used for
the purposes of analysis.
2. Capacity Utilization
a. Cobalt
Demand for cobalt has, in general, outstripped supply.
Information from the Bureau of Mines indicates that primary producers
operated at an average rate of 87% between 1978-1982. Operations are
expected to continue at this -rate in the near future to satisfy the
large demand for cobalt products. This rate is used in the analysis.
b. Nickel
Nickel is vital to many strategic industries. The U.S.
nickel industry has operated at fairly high rates of capacity
utilization in the past. Agency data and Eiureau of Mines sources
indicate that nickel metal and ferronickel producers together operated
at an average rate of approximately 85$ between 1978-1982; this rate has
been used in the analysis. Their total capacity has been approximately
5^,000 short tons and production has averaged between 40,000-52,000
short tons. The Bureau of Mines estimates that demand for high-strength
nickel alloys will rise gradually at an annua.1 rate of 2.1$ through
1990. With the economy showing definite signs of improvement, the
nickel industry is expected to continue operating at high rates.
Xo
o
-------
TABLE X-4
NICKEL PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price,
Actual
2.08
2.49
3.41
3-43
3.20
Dollars per Pound
1982 Dollars
2.87
3.16
3.95
3.64
3_^20
Average price = $3-36
SOURCE: Personal communication, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Mines, December
1983.
X-9
-------
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation i3 not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the Primary Nickel/Cobalt subcategory. Results of the
screening test show that annual compliance costs do not exceed 1J of
revenues for the one plant identified as a discharger of effluents.
This plant is not projected to close. In addition, compliance costs are
less than 0.1? of total production costs for this subcategory.
Results of the screening test show that annual compliance costs
exceed 1? of revenues for the one discharging plant identified in the
Secondary Nickel subcategory. However, closure analysis indicates that
this plant will not close. Additionally, compliance costs are less than
3.0? of revenues under the most stringent treatment option.
X-10
-------
CHAPTER XI
PRIMARY PRECIOUS METALS/MERCURY AND
SECONDARY PRECIOUS METALS SUBCATEGORIES
-------
XI. PRIMARY PRECIOUS METALS/MERCURY AND
SECONDARY PRECIOUS METALS SUBCATEGORIES
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
a. Gold
Gold occurs mainly as a native metal, combined with silver,
copper, or other metals. Gold is also associated with iron, silver,
arsenic, antimony, and copper sulfides. Weathering and erosion cause
gold in free or metallic form to be released from primary deposits and
to accumulate as nuggets and grains. In the U.S., about 60$ of domestic
production comes from gold ores; the remainder is a byproduct of copper
or other metal production. Most of the ore is recovered from deep
narrow veins or from thin layers called reefs. The remaining ore comes
from open pit mining.
Gold is recovered from ore concentrates by leaching it in
cyanide solution. Zinc dust is added to the solution to precipitate
gold and any silver present in the concentrate. The precipitate is then
smelted to oxidize any base metals present and then resmelted in a
chlorine atmosphere. The chlorine converts any other impurities present
into chlorides, which float on the liquid metal and can be skimmed off
to yield commercial grade gold. Further refining can be achieved by
electrolysis to produce up to 99.98? pure gold. In the refining of gold
from ore, silver and platinum group metals are also recovered.
Secondary gold is recovered from industrial scrap, gold
plated materials, or plating solutions. Scrap is dissolved in a strong
acid and sulfur dioxide is bubbled through the solution to precipitate
gold. Gold may also be dissolved in a cyanide solution and recovered by
electrolysis. In the case of recovery from plating bath solutions, zinc
or aluminum is added to precipitate gold. The precious metal is again
refined electrolytically.
b. Silver
Silver occurs in several minerals. In the U.S., the most
common sources of silver are from ores containing gold, lead, copper, or
zinc. Most extraction in the U.S. is from tetrahedrite (Cu,(Sb,AS) S,),
which is mined by sinking vertical shafts and then excavating the sub-
surface deposits.
XI-1
-------
In the production of primary silver, silver containing ore
is first concentrated by a flotation process. This concentrate is
smelted to remove base metals which, oxidize and form a scum. The
partially refined metal is resmelted with chlorine gas and the silver is
removed as silver chloride. Silver chloride is then leached with dilute
hydrochloric acid, and iron or a ferrous solution is added to
precipitate the silver. The crude silver is refined electrolytically to
99.95? to 99.99? purity. Gold and copper are usually recovered in the
silver refining process.
Secondary silver is recovered from industrial scrap
containing gold and silver, by dissolution of the scrap in acids and
precipitation of first gold and then silver. The silver is refined
electrolytically to higher purity levels.
c. Platinum-Group Metals
The six metals which comprise the closely related platinum-
group metals (PGMs) are platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium,
iridium, and osmium. These elements generally occur together and are
sometimes associated with gold. Occasionally they are found in coal
deposits with nickel and copper. Nickel, copper, cobalt, and gold are
common byproducts of platinum mining. However, in most cases the PGMs
are byproducts of nickel and copper mining.
The PGMs are recovered from anode slimes during copper or
nickel extraction. The anode slimes also contain gold; after
precipitation of gold, ammonium chloride is added to the solution to
precipitate platinum and palladium. Secondary PGMs are also recovered
in a similar manner by first dissolving scrap in aqua regia (if gold is
also present) and then selectively precipitating gold, silver, and
finally PGMs.
d. Primary Mercury
Mercury deposits occur in many minerals, but the most
commonly known is the red sulfide or cinnabar (HgS). It contains about
86.2$ mercury and 13'.8? sulfur. Cinnabar may either be disseminated in
fine-grained rocks or in fissures and cracks of country rocks, or as
almost pure cinnabar, sharply separated from the gangue. Mercury ore is
mined by both surface and underground methods, though the larger part of
the ore has been produced by the latter. The ore is beneficiated by
crushing and flotation. The beneficiated ore is heated in retorts or
furnaces to liberate the metal as vapor, which when cooled collects as
condensed metal. For larger operations, either rotary or multiple-
hearth furnaces may be used. The soot may be treated with lime to
recover mercury contained in it.
XI-2
-------
Other non-commercial methods of mercury recovery have also
been developed. One method dissolves mercury ore in a solution of
sodium sulfide and sodium hydroxide. The mercury is leached, and then
recovered as metal by precipitation with aluminum, or by electrolysis.
In another process, mercury in the ore is dissolved in a sodium
hypochlorite solution. Mercury absorbed in activated carbon, used to
treat the solution, is recovered by subsequent heating.
2. Description of Plants
a. Primary Producers
Since gold and silver generally occur together in most ores,
producers usually recover both these precious metals as coproducts of
ore refining. Producers which recover gold and silver from their ores
are the Homestake Mining Company at Lead, South Dakota and Creede,
Colorado; Sunshine Mining Company at Kellogg, Idaho and Silver Peak,
Nevada; and the Cortez Gold Mines at Cortez, Nevada and Whitehall,
Montana. The Homestake Mine at Lead, South Dakota, has accounted for
more than 10J& of all U.S. gold production.
Gold and silver are also recovered as byproducts of copper
refining operations. The Amax Corporation at Carteret, New Jersey;
Asarco at Amarillo, Texas and Tacoma, Washington; Duval at Battle
Mountain, Nevada; and Kennecott Refineries at Magna, Utah each recover
gold and silver as byproducts of their copper refining operations.
The Carlin Gold Mining Company at Carlin, Nevada recovers
gold and mercury from a gold-mercury ore; and McDermitt Mine at
McDermitt, Nevada recovers mercury from mercury ore.
Of the plants within the scope of the proposed regulations,
only one plant is a direct discharger. The other 12 plants are either
zero or dry dischargers and are therefore not analyzed further. Because
no discharging plant produces mercury, this metal is not discussed
further.
b. Secondary Producers
The Agency has identified 48 domestic secondary producers of
precious metals. Of the 48 secondary producers, 20 plants consume part
or all of their production captively. Most of these plants purchase
electronic, jewelry, or dental scrap and refine and realloy it for use
in jewelry or dental alloy. Some of the plants engaged in these
operations are J.M. Ney, Bloomfield, Connecticut; Martin Metal, Los
Angeles, California; Hoover & Strong, Richmond, Virginia; Dentsply,
XI-3
-------
York, Pennsylvania; Pease 4 Curren, Warwick, Rhode Island; L.S. Plate ,&
Wire, Woodside, New York; and Handy & Harinan, Attleboro, Massachusetts.1',
Other companies simply melt electronic, jewelry, or dental
scrap and form an impure bullion. They then either realloy the metals
themselves or send the impure bullion to a refiner for further
refining. For instance, the Behr Metals plant at Rockford, Illinois
makes a copper-based alloy consisting of gold, silver, and platinum-
group metals and sends it to Amax for refining.
There are a few plants which refine mainly platinum-group
metals. The Johnson Matthey plant at West Deptford, New Jersey recovers
platinum and palladium from various spent catalysts and platinum-
containing glasses. Johnson Matthey subsequently uses the platinum and
palladium for making automotive catalysts. The Engelhard plant at
Newark, New Jersey and the Gemini Industries plant at Santa Ana,
California are also engaged ii similar operations.,
Another class of secondary refiners recovers gold and
platinum-group metals for use in making cyanid solutions or plating bath
chemicals. The Occidental Chemical Corp. plant at Chatsworth,
California recovers gold and ?GMs from gold solutions, plated parts, and
scrap and uses the metals for making chemical solutions. The Engelhard
plant at Anaheim, California, recovers gold from electronic scrap and
produces both potassium cyanide gold solution and electronic contacts.
The Nassau Recycle plant at Staten Island, New York makes gold slats for
plating baths.
Twenty plants are secondary refiners. Starting from
electronic, dental or jewelry scrap, these plants sell their output
without any self consumption or further conversion. A large number of
these plants work on a regular "toll" basis for end users from whom they
obtain scrap and send back refined precious metals.
There are 3 direct dischargers, 29 indirect dischargers, and
16 zero dischargers of effluents. Secondary silver production is not
covered under this regulation and will not be discussed further.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
a. Gold
Secondary gold production accounts for a significant portion
of domestic supply. Secondary production was quite stable between 1978-
1982. As shown in Table XI-1 , while consumption fell 32$ from 1978 to
XI-4
-------
TABLE XI-1
U.S. GOLD PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION, AND TRADE
(million troy ounces of contained gold)
Production:
Mine
Refinery (domestic ore)
Refinery (imported ore
and base bullion)
Secondary
Consumption
Trade Imports
(refined bullion)
Trade Exports
(refined bullion)
1978
1.00
0.96
0.071
3.08
5.10
4.45
5.02
1979
0.96
0.80
0.083
2.88
5.12
4.37
15.59
1980
0.97
0.77
0.014
3.82
3.60
4.09
4.70
1981
1.38
0.80
0.004
3.06
3.50
4.16
5.24
1982
1.44
0.72
0.001
3.02
3.45
4.24
1.64
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Profiles and Mineral Industry Surveys, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983-
XI-5
-------
1982, secondary production dropped just 2%. Imported ore and base
bullion play an insignificant part in the domestic supply of refined
production. However, imports of refined bullion continue to be an
important source of domestic supply. Since 1978, refined bullion
imports have averaged around ^ million troy ounces.
b. Silver
U.S. production, consumption, and trade of silver are
significantly affected by movements in the price of silver. As shown in
Table XI-2, silver production and exports rose 17.7$ and 268.2$,
respectively, from 1978 to 1930, following the rise of silver prices to
their 1980 record high. Both production and exports then declined 36.8$
and 71.6$, respectively, from 1980 to 1982, following the collapse in
silver prices.
c. Platinum-Group Metals
U.S. mine production, derived as a byproduct or coproduct of
copper refining, forms an insignificant part of the domestic supply of
PGMs. As shown in Table XI-3, imported primary metal provides
approximately 90$ of domestic requirements; the remainder is produced
primarily from domestic secondary sources, such as petroleum catalysts,
chemical catalysts, glass-fiber bushings, and electronic scrap. Between'
1979-1982 consumption fell about 33$, primarily due to slower industrial
activity in the automotive and chemical industries, which are major
platinum catalyst consumers. This decline in demand had a major impact
on imports but little impact on domestic production. In fact, while
imports fell 40$ over this period, domestic secondary production
actually rose 11$.
End Uses And Substitutes
a. Gold
In addition to jewelry, gold has many industrial, dental,
and defense applications. Of the industrial applications, the most
important has been in modern solid-state electronic devices such as
miniaturized circuitry connectors and switch contacts. Gold's high
conductivity and corrosion resistance are important to these uses.
Gold's reflectivity of infrared radiation has led to use as an
insulating device in large buildings and spacecraft. Gold has also long
been used in dentistry for its non-allergenic and malleable
properties. Jewelry and arts, however, continue to be gold's major
market. As shown in the table below, a small percentage is also
purchased for investment.
XI-6
-------
TABLE XI-2
U.S. SILVER PRODUCTION CONSUMPTION, AND TRADE
(million troy ounces of contained silver)
Production3
Consumption
Trade Imports
Trade Exports
1978
113
143
77
22
1979
124
131
92
36
1980
133
91
79
81
1981
103
169
94
28
1982
84
144
97
23
SOURCES: Non-Ferrous Metals Data 1982, American Bureau of
Metal Statistics.
Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
aRefined production from ore, concentrates, coins, and old scrap.
XI-7
-------
TABLE XI-3
U.S. PLATINUM-GROUP METAL
PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION, AND TRADE
(thousand troy ounces)
Production
Mine
Refined (primary)
Refined (secondary)3
Consumption
Trade Imports
(refined metal)
Trade Exports
1978
8
10
257
2,260
2,723
702
1979
7
9
309
2,756
3,311
900
1980
3
3
331
2,206
3,125
765
1981
6
7
392
1 ,921
2,612
863
1982
8
7
3^3
1,855
1,976
862
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Profiles and Mineral Industry Surveys,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
aToll-refined material is excluded.
XI-8
-------
End-Use Market
Jewelry and arts
Industrial (mainly
electronic)
Dental
Small bars (mainly
for investment)
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
Gold Consumption
61
29
9
1_
100
Although no metal or alloy has all of gold's desirable
properties, several substitutes have been developed as a result of the
high prices of gold in recent years. Platinum and palladium can
substitute for gold in many applications, but there still exists
established consumer preference for gold. Silver may substitute for
gold in electrical end uses, but is less corrosion-resistant.
b. Silver
Silver is critical to the production of many manufactured
products. It provides high electrical conductivity, resistance to
oxidation, and strength at a wide range of temperatures. Silver
consumption in many end uses is based upon the superior performance of
the metal or one of its compounds. Silver consumption by end-use is
presented below.
End-Use Market
% 1982 U.S.
Silver Consumption
Photography
Electrical and
electronic components
Sterlingware and jewelry
Brazing alloys and solders
Other
TOTAL
39
29
14
7
11
100
Silver's metallurgical properties and consumer appeal limit
substitution in most uses. However, technological developments in the
photography industry have led to a minor decline in silver usage in that
industry.
XI-9
-------
G. Platinum-Group Metals
PGMs are valued for their refractory quality, their chemical
inertness at high temperatures, and their excellent catalytic
activity. These properties make PGMs particularly suitable for a
variety of industrial uses. The table below shows that the automotive
industry is the principal consumer, using PGMs as catalysts to control
automobile exhaust emissions. PGMs are also used in electrical contacts
and relays in telephone systems. PGM catalysts are used by the chemical
industry to produce acids and organic chemicals, and to upgrade the
octane rating of gasoline. Because of their high prices, PGMs are used
only where well-justified both technically and economically.
End-Use Market
Automotive
Electrical
Chemical
Dental supplies
Other
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
PGM Consumption
33
28
15
9
15
100
In automotive. catalysts, platinum, palladium, and rhodium
have had no competition from substitutes in recent years. Molybdenum
and chromium can substitute for PGMs in petroleum refining, but only by
sacrificing yield and catalyst life. In recent years, the combination
of rhenium with platinum in petroleum-reforming catalysts has resulted
in a significant improvement :.n performance and durability. Silver and
gold often substitute for platinum and palladium in electrical end
uses. For PGM alloys requiring wear resistance, such as electrical
contact points, ruthenium has been used as a more effective and cheaper
hardening agent than iridium.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Precious metals are generally sold in their pure form. The
major producers publish an official,price for virgin, unwrought ingots
with a minimum purity of 99.,5%. This price is applicable to industrial
accounts and long-term purchases. The dealers' price, as quoted by U.S.
producers, is applicable to spot purchases. Prices may also be affected
by premiums for higher purity, different shapes, long-distance delivery,
speculation, and exchange-rate fluctuations. The free market prices of
gold and platinum usually follow each other upward or downward. Tables
XI-10
-------
XI-4 and XI-5 show that prices for refined gold, silver, platinum, and
palladium have fallen in recent years due to lower demand for these
metals. However, with the growth of the economy, demand for these
metals is expected to increase, resulting in higher prices. Average
prices over the 1978-1982 period will be used in this analysis.
A small part of the market is concerned with the trading of
unrefined metals by small secondary producers who sell their product on
a toll or non-toll basis. Prices for such inter-company transfers are
not quoted in the market. Therefore, information supplied by these
plants regarding 1982 revenues and production levels has been used to
analyze the impact of environmental regulations on these producers.
2. Capacity Utilization
Capacity utilization rates for gold, silver, and PGMs have
fallen significantly since 1980. However, these conditions are not
expected to persist. Platinum-group metals are critical to industry
because of their extraordinary physical and chemical properties. The
Bureau of Mines estimates that the domestic production of platinum and
palladium will double, in the near future as a result of increasing
demand for automotive catalytic converters. Steady demand growth for
gold is expected in electronics, telecommunications, robotics, and
computers. Steady demand for silver is also expected in these
electronics-related fields. Therefore, plants producing these precious
metals are expected to generate higher revenues in the near future with
higher prices and higher capacity utilization rates. Tables XI-6 and
XI-7 list the capacity utilization rates between 1978-1982 for gold,
silver, and PGMs. The average rates, 77$ for gold plants, 70$ for
silver plants, and 72$ for PGMs, have been used for this analysis. For
those secondary producers who trade unrefined metals, information
supplied on capacity utilization in 1982 has been used in this analysis.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the Primary Precious Metals/Primary Mercury subcategory.
Results of the screening test show that annual compliance costs do not
exceed 1$ of revenues for the one plant identified as a discharger of
effluents. This- plant is not projected to'close. Results of the
screening test indicate that annual compliance costs exceed 1$ of
revenues for one of the 32 plants incurring costs in the Secondary
Precious MetaLs subcategory. The closure analysis identifies this plant
as a potential closure candidate. However, compliance costs are less
than 0.25$ of total production costs for both subcategories under the
most stringent treatment option.
XI-11
-------
TABLE XI-4
U.S. GOLD, PLATINUM, AND PALLADIUM PRICES
(doHairs per troy ounce)
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
Gold
Actual
194
308
613
460
1982 376
Average price
1982
Dollars
266
390
710
487
J76
= $446
Platinum
Actual
237
352
439
475
475
1982
Dollars
327
446
509
504
475
$452
Palladium
1982
Actual Dollars
71
113
214
130
110
$
98
143
248
138
110
147
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Profiles, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
XI-12
-------
TABLE XI-5
U.S. SILVER PRICES
(dollars per troy ounce)
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Actual
5.40
11.09
20.63
10.52
7.95
Average price
1982 Dollars
7.^4
14.06
23.92
11 .15
7.95
= $12.90
SOURCE: Non-Ferrous Metals Data 1982,
American Bureau of Metal
Statistics, Inc.
XI-13
-------
TABLE XI-6
GOLD AND PLATINUM-GROUP METALS
CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average
Platinum-Group
Gold Metals
86%
78$
96$
54$
.53$
= 77$
80$
80$
100$
50$
50$
72$
SOURCE: Personal communication,
U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of
Mines, January 1984.
XI-14
-------
TABLE XI-7
CAPACITY UTILIZATION ~ SILVER
Year
1978
- 1979
1980
1981
1982
Production3
(million
troy ounces)
113
124
133
103
84
Average
Capacity Capacity
(million Utilization
troy ounces) (%}
160
160
160
160
160
capacity utilization
71
78
83
64
51
= 70*
SOURCE: Production data Non-Ferrous Metals Data -- 1982,
American Bureau of Metal Statistics, Inc., and
Mineral Commodity Profiles, U.S. Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
Capacity data Personal communication, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines,
January 1984.
aRefined production from ore, concentrates, coins, and
old scrap.
XI-15
-------
-------
CHAPTER XII
PRIMARY RARE-EARTH METALS SUBCATEGORY
-------
XII. PRIMARY RARE-EARTH METALS SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
The rare-earth minerals group consists of 16 chemically similar
elements, which generally occur together in various ore deposits.
Bastnasite and monazite are the principal raw sources from which the
rare-earth materials are obtained. Bastnasite is the major source for
the cerium subgroup elements such as lanthanum, samarium, and neodymium
(the light subgroup). Since 1979, bastnasite has accounted for more
than 50$ of the world production of rare-earths. Monazite is the
principal source of the heavy or yttrium subgroup elements such as
gadolinium, terbium, and dyspromium. Monazite has certain production
limitations because thorium and other radioactive components are often
associated with the mineral and are produced as byproducts.
The extraction of rare-earth metals is achieved by first
converting the oxides present in the ore into chlorides and then
reducing the chlorides electrolytically to yield rare-earth metals. The
concentrates are converted to chlorides by leaching with hydrochloric
acid; next, the concentrates are fused and electrolyzed in a graphite-
lined iron cell to produce the rare-earth metals and chlorine. Carbon
monoxide and carbon dioxide are produced as byproducts.
Rare-earth minerals are produced in various forms and
combinations: as chlorides, as oxide metals, individually, as
"mischmetal" (the proportion of each metal in mischmetal is the same as
the proportion in ore), and as mixtures of compounds and metals. The
currently proposed regulations cover only the electrolytic reduction of
the rare-earth chlorides (REC) to the rare-earth metals (REM).
Description of Plants
The four plants identified in this subcategory are Ronson in
Newark, New Jersey; Remacor, in West Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Molycorp,
Inc. in Washington, Pennsylvania; and Research Chemicals in Phoenix,
Arizona. Two of these facilities use a process that produces no
wastewater.
The two discharging plants recover rare-earth metals by
electrolysis of the fused chloride, which is an intermediate product in
the extraction of rare-earth metals from their ores. One plant imports
XII-1
-------
most of the rare-earth chlorides required to manufacture rare-earth
metals. This plant also produces alloys for use in flints and other
industrial and mining purposes, and is an indirect discharger of
effluents. The other plant is a direct discharger,,
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
The U.S. is the world's principal producer and consumer of rare-
earth metals, and is a major exporter of rare-earth concentrate and
compounds. Domestic consumption in 1982 was estimated at 21,500 tons,
18,500 tons of which was to be supplied largely by domestic pro-
duction. Table XII-1 shows net increases in all categories except
exports of ore and concentrate, which declined approximately 54$, from
6,452 short tons to 3,000 short tons, between 1978-1982.
4. End Uses and Substitutes
Industrial applications of the rare-earth metals have increased
markedly in recent years, and the usage pattern of these elements has
changed radically. Although traditional uses for lighter flints and
carbons, polishing compounds, and glass-ceramic additives continue to
constitute significant markets, the manufacture of catalysts for
petroleum refining and use in ductile iron and steel are currently the
major markets for rare-earth metals.
The table below represents the percentage of rare-earth metals
used by individual industries in 1982.
End-Use Market
Petroleum catalysts
Metallurgical
Ceramics and glass
Other
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S. Rare-
Earth Metal Consumption
43
34
21
2
100
Substitutes are available for the rare-earth metals, but they
are generally significantly less effective. Arsenic and selenium
perform similar functions in the ceramics and glass industry; rouge
replaces the metals in polishing compounds; iron and calcium fluoride
substitute in carbon-arc electrodes; boron may be substituted in thermal
neutron absorbers; and palladium performs as a catalyst in petroleum
refining.
XII-2
-------
TABLE XII-1
U.S. RARE-EARTH METALS
PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(short tons of rare-earth oxide)
Production
Consumption
Trade Imports
Monazite
Metals, alloys,
oxides and compounds
Trade Exports
Ore and concentrate
Ferrocerium and
pyrophoric alloy
1978
15,595
17,400
4,241
1,766
6,452
17
1979
18,205
17,600
3,812
1,107
4,777
37
1980
17,622
20,000
3,121
1,790
5,226
15
1981
18,830
22,100
4,528
1,798
5,573
10
1982a
18,500
21,500
4,300
2,300
3,000
30
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
Estimated.
XII-3
-------
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Trade in rare-earth materials involves a wide variety of
products ranging from concentrates and intermediate production compounds
to high-purity compounds and metals; hence, no single price exists for
rare-earth minerals. Monazite concentrates are generally sold directly
to processors, Bastnasite commands a higher price, because it has a
more useful mix of rare-earth elements. In some applications,
bastnasite concentrates can be used directly without intermediate
treatment.
The price of an element depends on its grade and purity
designation. No historical price information is available for rare-
earth metals. Prices quoted for most of the rare-earth elements in
1982, though the same as in 1981, had fallen considerably from the 1979
levels. Prices for high-purity oxides in 1981 and 1982 ranged from
$7.00 per pound for lanthanum to $900 per pound for europium.
Mischmetal, which is a mixture of rare-earth elements in metallic form,
was quoted at $5.60 per pound through 1981 and 1982. Because the two
plants covered by the proposed regulations produce mainly mischmetal,
this mischmetal price has been used to analyze these plants.
2. Capacity Utilization
Rare-earth metals are in abundant supply in the United States.
Improved knowledge of rare-earth properties may lead to new industrial
applications. Therefore, the demand pattern is expected to continue to
shift from established uses, such as petroleum refining, to new uses
such as steel additives and phosphors. Special mixtures, such as" those
used in x-ray screens, fluorescent lamps, permanent magnets, and
electronics are becoming increasingly popular. The Agency's data
indicate that most of the plants operated at approximately 50% of their
capacity during the 1982 recession. For the purposes of this analysis,
it has been assumed that the plants will continue operating during the
impact period at existing capacity utilization levels.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the rare-earth subcategory. Results of the screening test
show that annual compliance costs do not exceed 1$ of revenues for any
plant in the subcategory. No plant is expected to close. In addition,
compliance costs for this subcategory are less than 0.7$ of production
costs under the most stringent treatment option.
XII-4
-------
CHAPTER XIII
SECONDARY TANTALUM SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
XIII. SECONDARY TANTALUM SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Tantalum mineral concentrates and tin slags are the predominant
feed materials for production of tantalum metal and compounds. Both raw
materials usually contain recoverable amounts of columbium as well.
Many mineral concentrates contain 50% or more of the combined
pentoxides, Ta20c and C^Or, the Ta:Cb ratio depending on the deposit.
Tin slags generally contain more Ta20 than C^Ocj .
In the U.S., most tantalum production is from secondary sources,
starting with tantalum scrap, or tantalum-bearing sludge. Tantalum is
recovered from scrap by leaching it with acid, which dissolves other
metals like nickel and impurities, to leave behind impure tantalum. It
is then refined by washing, filtering, and cleaning the residue again in
acid and finally drying it to obtain pure tantalum.
Metallic forms of tantalum are produced chiefly in unalloyed form or
alloyed with up to 10J tungsten. Tantalum powder of 99.9% purity is
also produced.
2. Description of Plants
Three plants in the U.S. recover secondary tantalum. They are
GTE Products Corp. in Towanda, Pennsylvania, Kennametal, Inc. in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and Texas Instruments in Attleboro,
Massachusetts. The recovery process involves leaching with acid to
dissolve other metals and impurities and finally washing and cleaning
the residue to recover tantalum. All three plants are direct
'^dischargers.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
Tantalum raw materials have never been produced in the U.S. in
significant quantities. Domestic tantalum deposits located in numerous
pegmatites and placer deposits in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina,
South Dakota, Utah, New Mexico, and Alaska are low in grade, and
therefore are not economical to mine. Thus, the U.S. has historically
relied on imports of tantalum concentrates and tin slags from Thailand,
Canada, Malaysia, and Brazil for its primary tantalum supply. Table
XIII-1
-------
XIII-1 shows that consumption of raw materials, imports, and exports all
rose from 1978 to 1981; however, the 1981-1982 recession caused
precipitous declines in all categories. The 1982 estimate of 800,000
pounds of raw materials consumed is approximately 5^% below the 1979
level; imports declined from the 1980 high of 2.3 million pounds to an
estimated 1.2 million pounds in 1982; and exports, which had risen to
substantial levels, are estimated in 1982 to rise Q2% above the 1981
level of 401,000 pounds, to 732,000 pounds.
End Uses and Substitutes
Tantalum is used primarily by the electronics industry in the
manufacture of capacitors. Tantalum carbide, usually mixed with other
metal carbides such as tungsten, titanium, and columbium, is used in
metalworking machinery, including cutting tools, farm tools, turning and
boring tools, and wear-resistant parts. A third application for
tantalum is in chemical processing equipment. Aerospace and other
transportation applications utilize tantalum for its high melting point,
strength at high temperatures, and corrosion resistance. Other uses
such as nuclear reactors and optical glass account for less than 1? of
total use. The table below presents the percentage breakdown of
tantalum use by its three major markets.
End-Use Market
Electronic components
Machinery
Transportation
TOTAL
% 1982 U.S.
Tantalum Consumption
70
22
8
100
Other metals or minerals may be substituted for tantalum, but at
a performance or economic penalty. Aluminum and ceramics compete with
tantalum for use in capacitors. Silicon, germanium, selenium, and other
metals may be substituted in other electronic uses. Columbium carbide
may be used in some machinery, and glass, platinum, titanium, and
zirconium may substitute for tantalum's corrosion
platinum-group metals, colunbium, molybdenum, and
substituted in high temperature applications.
resistance. The
tungsten, may be
XIII-2
-------
TABLE XIII-1
U.S. TANTALUM PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(thousand pounds of tantalum content)
Production
Primary Metal
Consumption
Raw Materials
Consumption
Tantalum Metalb
Trade Imports0
Trade Exportsd
1978
974
1,571
978
1,409
961
1979
1,740
1,914
1,051
1980
1,863
2,327
1,243
1981
1,269
1,612
401
1982a
800
1,160
732
SOURCE: Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, 1982.
aEstimated.
bNo data are available for these categories between 1979-1982.
cMineral concentrate, tantalum metal and tantalum-bearing alloys, and
tin slags for consumption.
Tantalum ore and concentrate, tantalum metal, compounds, alloys and
alloy-powders. Also includes re-exports.
XIII-3
-------
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Tantalum is produced in a wide variety of forms, such as powder,
rod, sheet, and carbide. Prices have historically fluctuated with
variations in tantalum supply. Domestic price quotations for these
products have generally covered a rather broad range. The average price
for tantalum carbide between 1978 and 1982 has been approximately $120
per pound in constant 1982 dollars. During .the same period, tantalum
metal prices have averaged $157 per pound, and those of tantalum
concentrates have averaged around $90 per pound. Tantalum product
prices, after rising rapidly between 1978 and 1980, declined
substantially by the end of 1982. The average prices between 1978 and
1982 represent the prices expected in a normal year. The increase in
demand in the near future is expected to support the average prices.
Therefore, the average prices have been used to study the impact of
these regulations.
2. Capacity Utilization
The United States' has been a significant producer of tantalum
metal and compounds. Capacitors and converted carbides the two most
important consuming sectors are expected to grow in the near
future. Other new applications of tantalum are expected to be of a
specialized nature. Based on the 1981 trend value, the Bureau of Mines
estimates that demand will increase at an annual rate of about 3.1$
through 1990. Industry sources indicate that most of the plants
operated at approximately H5%-50% of their capacity in 1982. With
technological advances promising to reduce the electrical energy
consumption for the melting and purification of tantalum metal and
expectations of price stability in the near future, it is anticipated
that the industry shall be gradually able to operate at higher rates.
For purposes of the analysis, however, it has been assumed that these
plants will operate at 50% of their capacity.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the secondary tantalum subcategory. Results of the
screening test show that annual compliance costs do not exceed ^% of
revenues for any plant in the subcategory. No plant is projected to
close. In addition, compliance costs for this subcategory are less than
0.2$ of production costs under the most stringent treatment option.
XIII-4
-------
CHAPTER XIV
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TIN SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
XIV. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TIN SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Cassiterite (SnOp) is the principal ore from which primary tin
is extracted. Cassiterile in placer deposits is fairly coarse-grained
and recoveries range from 90% for gravel pump mines to 95% for dredging
operations. Cassiterite is reduced to tin by heating with carbon at
1200-1300 degrees centigrade. The impure tin is then refined by
electrolytic methods.
Most secondary tin is recovered from bronze and brass, solders,
and other alloys. The recovery of secondary tin from tin-plated steel
scrap is known as "detinning," and is achieved by removing the tin from
steel by dissolving it in chemicals and then by electrolytic separation
to yield tin, tin dross, and tin mud. The tin dross contains approx-
imately 80% tin; the tin mud contains about 5% tin. Tin dross and tin
mud are usually sold to primary tin smelters for further recovery of
tin.
Tin metal is cast and sold as bars, ingots, or slabs. There are
several grades of tin available, ranging from 99% to 99.99? purity,
depending on end use.
2. Description of Plants
Domestic mine production of tin provides only a small fraction
of the domestic tin requirement. Primary tin was produced by only one
company, Associated Metals and Minerals Corporation, in the U.S. in
1982. The company's plant in Texas City, Texas produces tin from a
stockpile of tin residues and slags, imported tin concentrates, and
secondary materials.
Secondary tin is manufactured by detinning plants which use tin-
plated steel scrap as raw material. Most of these plants use the tin
captively to make chemicals and tin anodes. Proler International and
Vulcan Materials together have eight plants engaged in detinning
operations. Of the twelve plants within the scope of this regulation,
seven are zero dischargers, three are direct dischargers, and two are
indirect dischargers.
XIV-1
-------
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
Mine production of tin in ' the U.S. is negligible; small
quantities of tin concentrates have been produced from placer deposits
in Alaska and as a byproduct of molybdenum raining in Colorado. However,
the U.S. continues to be the world's largest producer of secondary
tin. About 14,000 tons of tin were recycled in 1982 11,000 tons from
old scrap, and 3,000 tons from new scrap. The U.S. imports virtually
all primary tin to meet its requirements. Metal imports are the major
source of domestic supply. Tin metal imports in 1982 were approximately
56? of reported consumption and came mainly from China, Malaysia,
Thailand, and Indonesia. Consumption of both primary and secondary tin
has been on the decline since 1979 because of the general economic
slowdown that has affected most usage categories.. Consumption in 1982
was approximately 21* lower than the 1979 levels. Exports in 1982
declined by approximately 5% from the 1981 levels. Table XIV-1 presents
domestic tin production, consumption, and trade information.
End Uses and Substitutes
Tin has widely diverse applications. Tin consumption in the
United States has for several decades been dominated by tin plate and
tin solder. Primary tin, which comes directly from domestic or foreign
mine sources, satisfies most of the annual domestic requirements. The
important end-use markets for tin are listed below. Cans and containers
continue to be the primary end-uses of tin plate. The electrical,
construction, and machinery sectors use tin alloys. The largest single
use of tin in machinery is as a constituent metal of brass and bronze,
often found in bearings, fittings, castings, and stampings.
End-Use Market
% 1982 U.S.
Tin Consumption
Cans and containers
Electrical
Construction
Transportation
Other
TOTAL
25
17
13
13
100
Aluminum is the most effective substitute for tin plate in its
traditional container markets,. Non-metallic substances, copper, and
aluminum compete with tin in construction uses. Although no
satisfactory substitute exists for tin in solder, it is possible to
lower the tin content in some applications by increasing the lead or
antimony content.
XIV-2
-------
TABLE XIV-1
U.S. TIN PRODUCTION. CONSUMPTION. AND TRADE
(metric tons of tin content)
Production
Smelter
Secondary
Consumption
Primary
Secondary
Trade Imports
Metal
Ore
Trade Exports
(ingots, pigs, bars)
1978
5,900
21,100
48,403
13,128
46,776
3,873
4,692
1979
4,600 -
21,493
49,496
12,969
48,355'
4,529
3,417
1980
3,000
18,638
44,342
12,020
45,982
840
4,294
1981
2,000
15,438
40,229
14,144
45,874
232
6,080
1982
3,500
14,283
36,194
13,276
27,939
1,961
5,769
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries and Mineral Industry Surveys,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
XIV-3
-------
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Tin prices are subject to an international agreement between
producing and consuming nations. The agreement seeks to secure a long-
term balance between production and consumption and to avoid severe
short-term price fluctuations. Because Southeast Asia produces the
majority of tin, the Penang market in Malaysia generally establishes the
world tin price. The Penang market price is determined daily by
comparing bids from dealers and consumers. Other principal quotations
are those of the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the New York market,
both of which offer cash and forward metal prices..
Table XIV-2 reports the net decrease in U.S. tin prices
(expressed in 1982 dollars) from $8.68 in 1978 to $6.54 in 1982. The
decline has occurred mainly as a result of the recent recession and the
growth of substitutes. The general economic slowdown has affected most
usage categories. However, demand for tin is expected to stabilize
because of the price advantage over aluminum and steel. The average
price of tin between 1978-1982, $8.47, is used in this analysis.
2. Capacity Utilization
Historical information on capacity utilization rates for the tin
industry are not publicly available. Plant information on production
and capacity indicates that the industry operated at an overall capacity
utilization rate of 66% in 1982. The major user of tin is still the
canning industry. However, tin plate has lost substantial 'ground to
aluminum in this traditional market. Alternative materials have been a
significant factor in the downward trend in domestic tin consumption in
the past two decades. Therefore, although the economy is expected to
recover in the near future, it is assumed, for the purposes of this
analysis, that the tin plants will continue operating at the 1982
capacity utilization level of 66%.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Results of the screening test show that annual compliance costs
exceed 1$ of revenues for four of the five plants subject to this
regulation. Of these four plants, the closure analysis identifies three
as potential plant closure candidates and one as a potential line
closure candidate. However, compliance costs for this subcategory as a
whole are less than 0.8% of total production costs. A more detailed
discussion of the closure analysis can be found in Chapter XXII
Economic Impacts.
XIV-4
-------
TABLE XIV-2
TIN PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price,
Actual
6.30
7.54
8.46
7.33
6.54
Dollars per Pound
1982 Dollars
8.68
9.56
9.81
7.77
6.54
Average price = $8.47
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries and
Mineral Industry Surveys,
U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
XIV-5
-------
-------
CHAPTER XV
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TITANIUM SUBCATEGORY
-------
XV. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TITANIUM SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
The primary mineral sources of titanium products are rutile and
ilmenite. Rutile is generally preferred for most applications because
of its much higher titanium dioxide content. In fact, it is the only
titanium raw material used for metal production in market economy
countries. However, rutile is far less common than ilmenite. Thus, the
combined conditions of high demand and limited supply have led to
production of a synthetic rutile which is made from ilmenite.
Titanium tetrachloride is the intermediate product used to make
titanium metal. Titanium tetrachloride is produced by a chloride
process which uses rutile or synthetic rutile as its raw material.
Sponge metal is commonly produced by reducing purified titanium
tetrachloride with magnesium or sodium under an inert gas atmosphere.
The sponge can be compacted, usually with some scrap additions, and then
made into titanium ingot by vacuum-arc-melting operations.
2. Description of Plants
Eight major plants produced titanium metal in the U.S. during
1982. Of these eight plants, one is a zero discharger, one employs a
dry process, two are indirect dischargers, and four are direct
dischargers of effluents. The plants can be classified by processing
characteristics into three main categories.
The first category consists of those plants producing titanium
from titanium dioxide. There are four plants in this category. They
are International Titanium in Moses Lake, Washington; Kennametal, Inc.
in I^atrobe, Pennsylvania; Morton Thiokol in Beverly, Massachusetts; and
Timet in Henderson, Nevada.' The Kennametal plant actually manufactures
titanium carbide and the titanium operations represent only a small
portion of total plant operations. Because this plant produces no
wastewater, it will not be analyzed further. The Timet plant uses
captively all titanium it manufactures. The Mqrton Thiokol plant, in
addition to producing titanium, manufactures large amounts of zirconium
using similar facilities and processes.
XV-1
-------
The second category consists of those plants which process
titanium from titanium tetrachloride. These plants are Oregon
Metallurgical Corp. in Albany, Oregon; RMI Company in Ashtabula, Ohio;
and Teledyne Wah Chang Albany, in Albany, Oregon. These plants purchase
titanium tetrachloride from primary manufacturers and recover titanium
through a reduction process. Each of these plants uses all or part of
the titanium produced for captive consumption.
The third category consists of producers from scrap and
sponge. The Lawrence Aviation Industries plant in Port Jefferson
Station, New York falls into this class. This plant is a zero
discharger and will not be analyzed further.
Two types of plants, Level A and Level B, have been identified
in this subcategory (see Chapter II). One of the indirect dischargers
has been identified as a Level A plant. The Agency has considered the
possibility that the Level A plant may at some point engage in Level B
processes and therefore be subject to Level B limitations. The impacts
of these limitations have been estimated and are discussed in Chapter
XXVLimitations of the Analysis.
3. U.S. Production. Consumption, and Trade
The U.S. is one of the world's largest titanium-producing
nations, accounting for about 21% of the world's sponge metal production
in 1981. While domestic mines supply over half of the U.S. requirement
for titanium in ilmenite and slag, rutile requirements are met
predominantly by imports from Australia. The declines in 1982 metal
production and consumption, which are shown in Table XV- 1 , were due
primarily to reductions in commercial aircraft programs. Titanium
sponge and rutile are both purchased by the government for stockpiling.
End Uses and Substitutes
Only about 5% of the world's annual production of titanium
minerals goes to make titanium metal. The other 9!5$ is used primarily
to make white titanium dioxide pigment. The manufacture of titanium
dioxide pigment is not covered by this regulation. In recent years,
about 60$ of U.S. metal consumption has been in aerospace applications,
most notably in jet engines, airframes, and missiles. These
applications demand titanium's high strength-to-weight ratio and
resistance to heat. Industrial uses in surface condensers, chemical
processing, water desalination, and marine applications rely on
titanium's high corrosion resistance. The table below presents the
breakdown of consumption by end-use market.
XV-2
-------
TABLE XV-1
U.S. TITANIUM METAL PRODUCTION. CONSUMPTION, AND TRADE
(short tons)
Production3
(sponge metal)
Consumption
(sponge metal)
Trade Imports
(sponge metal)
Trade Exports
(mainly scrap)
1978
17,600
19,854
1,^76
7,789
1979
21,100
23,937
2,488
8,602
1980
22,500
26,943
4,777
8,880
1981
26,400
31,599
6,490
9,644
1982
15,600
17,328
1,354
8,096
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
aCalculated production = reported consumption minus imports plus exports
minus beginning inventories plus ending inventories.
XV-3
-------
End-Use Market
% 1982 U.S.
Titanium Metal Consumption
Aerospace
applications
Industrial uses
Additions to steel
and other alloys
TOTAL
60
20
?0
100
Titanium metal is selected over other materials in aerospace
construction on a performance, not an economic, basis. Some high-
strength, low-alloy steel, aluminum, or other metals may be substituted,
but generally require redesigning and may result in lower performance.
Nickel steels are to some extent competitive. Stainless steel,
Hastelloy, 90-copper-10 nickel, and certain nonmetals may be used to
replace titanium's corrosion resistance properties, but are often more
expensive.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Unprecedented demand for commercial aircraft in 1980 spurred
titanium sponge prices to the record high level reported in Table XV-
2. However, after an 80% rise in price from 1978 to 1980, prices fell
by 32% in 1982 following a severe downturn in the same commercial
aircraft market. Demand from the military sector was a mitigating
factor over this period as purchases for fighter aircraft programs
continued. The average price over the 1978-1982 period, $6.27 per
pound, will be used in the analysis.
2. Capacity Utilization
Capacity utilization is computed from industry capacity and
production data. These figures are summarized for the 1978-1982 period
in Table XV-3. Because manufacturers anticipated a greater demand for
titanium, industry capacity expanded almost ^3% between 1979-1982.
Additions to capacity satisfied a growing demand until 1982, when severe
cutbacks in commercial aircraft production reduced utilization rates to
XV-
-------
TABLE XV-2
TITANIUM SPONGE METAL PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average Annual Price,
Actual
3.28
3.98
7.02
7.65
5.55
Dollars per Pound
1982 Dollars
4.52
5. 04
8.14
8.11
5.55
Average price = $6.27
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, 1983.
XV-5
-------
TABLE XV-3
TITANIUM SPONGE METAL - CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Production3
(short tons)
17,600
21,100
22,500
26,400
15,600
Average
Capacity
(short tons)
23,000
23,000'
28,000
31 ,000
33,000
Capacity
Utilization
(*)
77
92
80
85
47
capacity utilization = 76%
SOURCE: Production data Mineral Commodity
Summaries and Mineral Industry Surveys,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, 1983.
Capacity data Personal communication,
U.S. Department of the Interior, Eiureau of
Mines, January 1984.
aCalculated production = reported consumption minus
imports plus exports minus beginning inventories
plus ending inventories.
XV-6
-------
below 50%. However, recovery in the commercial aircraft and chemical-
processing industries is expected to boost activity to previous high
levels. Therefore, the average capacity utilization rate for the 1978-
1982 period, 76%, will be used in the following analysis.
Titanium operations often coexist with zirconium operations due
to processing similarities. At such plants, titanium production usually
represents a lesser part of total operation, and capacity for titanium
production fluctuates with product-mix decisions. Because capacity is
variable in these operations, the reported 1982 value of production is
used as a proxy for sales.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the titanium subcategory. Results of the screening test
show that annual compliance costs exceed "\% of revenues for one plant in
the subcategory. However, closure analysis indicates that this plant
will not close. In addition, compliance costs for this subcategory are
less than 0.6% of production costs under the most stringent treatment
option.
XV-7
-------
-------
CHAPTER XVI
SECONDARY TUNGSTEN/COBALT SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
SECONDARY TUNGSTEN/COBALT SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Secondary tungsten metal is recovered from different scrap
sources, including wire, hardfacing materials, and various other metal
products. Scrap tungsten is first combined with either sodium nitrate
or sodium sulfate to produce an intermediate sodium tungsten compound.
Calcium chloride is then added to form calcium tungstate, which is
leached in hydrochloric acid to yield tungstic acid. The tungstic acid
is dissolved in an ammonia solution to produce ammonium paratungstate
(APT). APT is a major tungsten intermediate and is traded as such.
Tungsten metal powder is obtained by reducing APT with hydrogen.
Roughly two-thirds of the metal powder produced domestically is
converted to tungsten carbide powder.
The facilities which perform these operations are generally
equipped to operate on either primary tungsten ore or tungsten scrap and
commonly do so using separate runs. The end products are identical and
have equal value regardless of the source. Therefore, in the following
discussions of price, production, and capacity, the distinction between
primary and secondary is not made.
Secondary . cobalt is recovered from tungsten carbide scrap by
leaching with acid and precipitation with ammonia. The resulting
ammonium cobalt complex is washed with acid; sodium hydroxide is added
to precipitate cobalt hydroxide. Cobalt is recovered from the hydroxide
by reduction with hydrogen.
2. Description of Plants
The five plants identified in this subcategory are GTE Products
in Towanda, Pennsylvania; Kennametal in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Li
Tungsten in Glen Cove, New York; GTE Specialty Metals in Warren,
Pennsylvania; and Metec in Winslow, New Jersey. Of the five, four are
direct dischargers of effluent waste. One plant produces no
wastewater. All four dischargers produce tungsten products. Two also
recovered cobalt and tungsten carbide from cemented carbide scrap.
XVI-1
-------
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
During 1981, the U.S. tungsten industry reached an all-time high
in production. Production and consumption figures are presented in
Table XVI-1. Demand for tungsten, primarily in the form of carbide
powder, extended well into the recession because tungsten has
applications in so many industries. However, in 1982, metal powder
production and tungsten consumption declined 32? and 35% respectively.
Imports and exports of both metal and carbide powder have been
negligible and are usually in the form of specialty grades. The U.S.
government stockpiles various forms of tungsten for defense purposes.
Cobalt production, consumption, and trade are discussed in the
primary cobalt/nickel and secondary nickel chapters.
End Uses and Substitutes
About two-thirds of the tungsten metal 'powder produced
domestically is converted to tungsten carbide and consumed in that
form. The extreme hardness of tungsten carbide at high temperatures
makes it desirable for use where intense wear, abrasion, heat, and high
speed are critical factors. It is used in a variety of industrial
applications, especially as a coating for both machine tool cutting
edges and forming and shaping dies. About one-third of the tungsten
powder produced is used directly in electronics, lighting filaments,
counterweights, and armor-piercing shells.
Tungsten's widespread availability, low cost, and physical
properties have precluded most substitution. However, titanium,
tantalum, and columbium carbides can be substituted for tungsten in some
wear-resistant applications. Slight reductions in use may result from
improvements in coating techniques, which would extend tool lives and
slow replacement.
A description of cobalt's end uses and substitutes can be found
in the primary cobalt/nickel and secondary nickel chapters.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
List prices for tungsten metal powder have remained remarkably
stable over the last five years, despite fluctuations in raw material
costs. Table XVI-2 presents price ranges for the 1978-1982 period.
XVI-2
-------
TABLE XV1-1
U.S. TUNGSTEN PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(thousand pounds of tungsten content)
Production
(metal powder)
Consumption
(concentrate, scrap,
metal)
1978
16,548
22,353
1979
18,426
23,793
1980
18,116
21,784
1981
19,754
22,767
1982a
13,425
14,800
SOURCE: Production data Personal communication, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Mines, December 1983.
Consumption data Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1983.
aEstimated.
XVI-3
-------
TABLE XVI-2
TUNGSTEN
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average
1
1
1
1
METAL
POWDER LIST PRICES
Annual Price Range,
Actual
3
3
3
3
13
.90
.90
.90
.90
.10
- 15.
- 15.
- 15.
-15.
- 13.
50
50
50
50
72
Average price =
Dollars per Pound
1982 Dollars
19
17
16
14
13
$16
.15 -
.62 -
.12 -
.73 -
.10 -
.14 -
21
19
18
16
13
17
.36
.65
.69
.43
.72
.97
SOURCE: Personal communicationj U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Mines, January 1984.
-------
Because pricVx varies with grain size 3*04 purity, it is difficult to
determine a single tungsten price. For this reason, as well as the
difficulty in identifying capacity utilization noted below, the 1982
value of products produced is used, as a proxy for sales in this
analysis.
The chapters on primary cobalt/nickel and secondary nickel
contain a discussion of cobalt prices.
2. Capacity Utilization
Capacity utilization is computed from industry tungsten metal
powder production and capacity data. These figures are presented in
Table WI-3 for the 1978-1982 period. The effects of the recession are
readily observable in the thirty-point decline in utilization which
occurred during 1982. However, recovery is expected as existing
products wear out and as industrial activity accelerates, and industry
experts predict strong growth through the end of the century.
Table XVI-i* presents production, capacity, and capacity
utilization data for the domestic secondary cobalt industry. In
general, capacity utilization rates have been high due to strong demand
for cobalt products. The 1978-1982 period represents peak years, 1979
and 1980, and trough years, 1981 and 1982. .
Capacity and production figures for plants in this study are not
suitable indicators of capacity utilization. Primary and secondary
metal production are often indistinguishable, and intermediate products
are sometimes removed from further processing and -sold. Therefore, the
1982 value of products produced is used as a proxy for sales in this
analysis.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the- seco'ndary tungsten subcategory. Results of the
screening test show that annual compliance costs exceed 1$ of revenues
for three plants in the subcategory. However, closure analysis
indicates that no plant will close. In addition, compliance costs for
this subcategory are less than 1.3? of production costs under the most
stringent treatment option.
XVI-5
-------
TABLE XV1-3
TUNGSTEN METAL POWDER CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Production Capacity
(M. Ibs.) (M. Ibs.)
16.5
18. U
18.1
19.8
13.4
Average
20.0
20.0
20.0
21.0
21.0
Capacity
Utilization
(?)
83
92
91
.94
6i
capacity utilization = 85%
SOURCE: Personal communication, U.S. Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, January
1984.
XVI-6
-------
TABLE XVI-1
SECONDARY COBALT CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Production Capacity
(000 Ibs.) (000 Ibs.)
1,036
1,170
1,184
972
871
Average
1,200
1,200
1,200
1,200
1,200
Capacity
Utilization
($)
86
98
99
81
71
capacity utilization = 87%
SOURCE: Personal communication, U.S. Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, January
1984.
XVI-7
-------
CHAPTER XVII
SECONDARY URANIUM' SUBCATEGORY
-------
XVII. SECONDARY URANIUM SUBCATEGORY
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Uranium is derived from many ores. In the United States, carnotite
ores of the Colorado Plateau and uraninite and coffinite ores of New
Mexico and Wyoming are the most important reserves. Elsewhere in the
world, pitchblende has been an important source of uranium.
The carnotite ores are first roasted to convert the vanadium content
to water-soluble sodium vanadate. After grinding the ore, an acid or
alkaline leaching process is used to recover uranium oxide. Sulfuric
acid is the most commonly used leaching agent. Under the solvent
extraction method, uranium is recovered from the sulfuric acid solution
by the simple process of counter-current decantation. Other metallic
substances, not dissolved in the sulfuric acid solution, go to waste
tailings. Under the resin-in-pulp (ion exchange) method, the sulfuric
acid solution is passed through beds of resin until the uranium is
absorbed on the resin. The uranium is then removed from the resin by a
nitric acid solution and is precipitated, filtered, and dried.
The recovered uranium oxide (U^) is converted to uranium
hexafluoride (UFg) before being further processed into nuclear reactor
fuel. UFg contains enriched ^235 and depleted U238 isotopes. The
enriched ^235 isotopes are separated from UFg by a process of gaseous
diffusion. Some of the depleted UFg is reduced to UFjj by reacting the
UFg gas with hydrogen gas. UFjj is then reduced to impure metal by
heating it with magnesium fluoride powder. The impure depleted uranium,
or "derby," is roasted and cleaned in water before being formed into
rolls or other desired shapes. Depleted uranium alloys are also
produced and marketed.
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS
In the U.S., uranium enrichment is performed only at facilities
which are owned by DOE and operated by private contractors. 'Under
current DOE rules, customers with enrichment work done by DOE have the
option of getting the depleted uranium back along with their enriched
uranium, but few customers take the depleted uranium and ownership of
most of it has reverted to DOE.
Three main companies process depleted uranium: TNS, Inc.,
Jonesboro, Tennessee; NLO, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio; and Nuclear Metals,
Inc., Concord, Massachusetts. The plants producing depleted uranium use
uranium oxide (UoOg) and other intermediate products, such as uranium
XVII-1
-------
hexafluoride (rJFg) and uranium tetrafluoride (UFi(.). Magnesium, nitric
acid, and anhydrous ammonia are other important raw materials used in
the process. The TNS plant uses all the uranium it produces for captive
consumption. The uranium is alloyed with titanium and other metals and
sent to another plant for use in the manufacture of military
ammunition. The Nuclear Metals plant also alloys titanium and
molybdenum with uranium, apart from aaking pure uranium metal. NLO Inc.
makes almost twice as much derby as pure metal.
Only one plant in this subcategory has been identified as a
discharger of effluents. This plant is owned by the U.S. Department of
Energy. Uranium at this plant is not produced for sale. For this
reason the value of production cannot be calculated. However, because
all production at this plant is consumed in government applications,
this plant can be assumed to be completely insulated from market
forces. Therefore, the limitations determined for this subcategory are
considered economically achievable.
XVTI-2
-------
CHAPTER XVIII
PRIMARY ZIRCONIUM/HAFNIUM
SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
XVIII. PRIMARY ZIRCONIUM/HAFNIUM
SUBCATEGORY
A. STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
1. Raw Materials and Production Processes
Zirconium and hafnium are contained in the mineral zircon in a
ratio of about 50 to 1. Zircon is recovered as a coproduct or byproduct
in the mining of the titanium minerals, ilmenite and rutile. Zircon
itself is used extensively in foundry sands, refractories, ceramics, and
abrasives. Only about 10$ of the zircon produced is actually used to
make zirconium and hafnium products.
Non-nuclear-grade zirconium metal contains hafnium as an
impurity. In many applications the hafnium content, usually about 2%,
does not detract from zirconium's usefulness. In fact prior to 1950,
hafnium was not removed from zirconium. However, zirconium is most
often used as a structural material in nuclear reactors where its very
low neutron absorption cross section is of major importance. Because
hafnium has one of the highest neutron absorption cross sections of any
element, it must be removed from zirconium which is used for nuclear
purposes. Hafnium is produced only as a byproduct of the production of
nuclear-grade zirconium. Consequently, the supply of primary hafnium is
limited by the demand for hafnium-free nuclear-grade zirconium.
Zirconium and hafnium are produced By chlorinating zircon sand
and then separating zirconium and hafnium compounds through liquid-
liquid extraction. Subsequent recovery of zirconium and hafnium
proceeds separately but is roughly the same. Oxides are converted to
chlorides and then reduced with magnesium to yield metal sponge.
Zirconium sponge is crushed, compacted, and vacuum-melted in an inert
atmosphere to produce zirconium ingot. Hafnium sponge is often
converted to high-purity crystal bar, which is used in the production of
nuclear control rods.
2. Description of .Plants
The three major plants producing zirconium and hafnium in the
U.S. are Teledyne Wan Chang Albany, in Albany, Oregon; Western Zirconium
in Ogden, Utah; and Morton Thiokol, Inc., in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Two of the plants recover nuclear-grade zirconium and hafnium from
zircon sand. Both of these plants use this production captively in the
manufacture of various end products. The other plant produces non-
nuclear zirconium from zirconium dioxide. In all three instances,
XVIII-1
-------
revenues from zirconium and hafnium production represent less than 65%
of total plant shipments. Of rhe three plants, one is a direct
discharger, one is an indirect discharger, and one is a zero discharger.
Because certain zirconium and titanium production facilities are similar
and can be used interchangeably, two of the plants also produce titanium
and discharge titanium effluents.
Two types of plants, Level A and Level B, have been identified
in this subcategory (see Chapter II). The indirect discharger has been
identified as a Level A plant. The Agency has considered the
possibility that the Level A plant may at some point engage in Level B
processes and therefore be subject to Level B limitations. The impacts
of these limitations have been estimated and are discussed in Chapter
XXV Limitations of the Analysis.
3. U.S. Production, Consumption, and Trade
Table XVIII-1 shows imports of zirconium metal for the years
1978-1982. During the past four years, the domestic nuclear reactor
program has experienced significant setbacks, and the decline in this
major market segment has affected both imports and domestic production
of zirconium. Imports fell 53% between 1978 and 1982. Additionally,
the fast-paced construction of nuclear reactors overseas is of only
limited consequence to U.S. zirconium producers. Some countries,
particularly Japan, which has 16 new reactors planned, have specified
that' certain reactor parts, notably "those containing zirconium, must be
manufactured domestically. U.S. zirconium metal production is currently
estimated to be about 4,000 tons per year.
Table XVIII-2 presents hafnium crystal bar production for the
same period. Because hafnium control rods have been used almost
exclusively in military reactors, production has been largely insulated
from market forces and hence Is quite stable. Imports of hafnium are
negligible and there have been no exports. There are no stockpile
objectives for either zirconium or hafnium.
4. End Uses and Substitutes
During 1982, about- 60% of domestic zirconium consumption was in
the form of hafnium-free nuclear-grade alloys. The remainder was
consumed in various non-nuclear industrial applications. For instance,
zirconium is commonly added to magnesium, aluminum, and steel.
Additions of less than 1% increase the strength and corrosion resistance
of these metals. >
XVIII-2
-------
TABLE XVIII-1
U.S. ZIRCONIUM METAL IMPORTS
(short tons)
Imports
1978
990
1979
916
1980
721
1981
513
1982a
420
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983.
aEstimated*
XVIII-3
-------
TABLE XVIII-2
U.S. HAFNIUM CRYSTAL BAR PRODUCTION
(short tons)
Productions
1978
40
1979
45
1980
45
1981
50
1982
50
SOURCE: Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1983-
^Estimated.
XVIII-4
-------
Stainless steel is often substituted for zirconium in nuclear
reactor structures. Substitutes also exist for industrial
applications. Stainless steel, titanium, and tantalum are often
suitable where corrosion resistance is required.
Virtually all hafnium metal is consumed in nuclear
applications. Hafnium's high neutron absorption cross section commends
its use to the U.S. Navy, its largest consumer, in the construction of
smaller reactors, such as those on ships and submarines. Small amounts
of hafnium are also used in refractory alloys and in cutting tool alloys
where numerous substitutes exist.
B. MARKET TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
1. Prices
Unlike most metals studied, zirconium and hafnium have no quoted
prices and are not traded in any commodity markets. Prices are
negotiated between the supplier and the customer and depend on the grade
and quantity produced. Nevertheless, prices in reported transactions
are compiled. The reported price ranges for zirconium and hafnium
sponge over the 1978-1982 period are found in Tables XVIII-3 and XVIII-4
respectively. These ranges reflect prices paid only in those
transactions reported and do not make any distinction between the
various grades bought and sold. Therefore, trends in price cannot be
obtained through analysis of this data.
2. Capacity Utilization
The value of products produced in 1982 is known for each of the
two plants under analysis. Because demand is so closely tied to the
proliferation of nuclear power plants, the low utilization rates of 1982
are expected to persist for both zirconium and hafnium into the
immediate future. Therefore, the 1982 production values will be used in
the analysis.
C. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The proposed regulation is not expected to have a significant impact
on plants in the zirconium/hafnium subcategory. Results of the
screening test show that annual compliance costs exceed 1$ of revenues
for the two plants identified as dischargers of effluents. However,
closure analysis indicates that neither plant will close. In addition,
compliance costs for this subcategory are less than 2.5% of production
costs under the most stringent treatment option.
XVIII-5
-------
TABLE XVIII-3
ZIRCONIUM SPONGE PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average
Annual Price Range
Actual
9
9
10
12
12
.00 -
.00 -
.00 -
.00 -
.00 -
15
12
14
17
17
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
Average price =
, Dollars
per
Pound
1982 Dollars
12.40 -
11.40 -
11 .60 -
12.70 -
12.00 -
$12.00 -
20.
15.
16.
18.
17.
17.
70
20
20
00
00
40
SOURCE: Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1979-1982.
XVIII-6
-------
TABLE XVIII-4
HAFNIUM SPONGE PRICES
Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Average
Annual Price
Actual
55
60
55
70
80
.00 -
.00 -
.00 -
.00 -
.00 -
110.00
90.00
110.00
135.00
150.00
Average price
Range ,
1982
75.
76.
63.
74.
80.
= $74.
Dollars
per Pound
Dollars
80 -
10 -
80 -
20 -
00 -
00 -
151
114
127
143
150
137
.60
.10
.60
.10
.00
.30
SOURCE: Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1979-1982.
XVIII-7
-------
-------
CHAPTER XIX
PRIMARY BORON SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
XIX. PRIMARY BORON SUBCATEGORY
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Boron and its compounds are obtained chiefly from two ores sodium
borate (tincal) and calcium borate (colemanite). In the United States,
the sodium borate ore is crushed and floated to raise the anhydrous
borax (BpO-O content to approximately ^0%. Further refining,
principally by calcining, yields various grades of borax hydrates.
Boric acid is obtained by treating the hydrates with sulfuric acid or by
treating the calcium borate ore directly with sulfuric acid. The B-O
and anhydrous boric acid (Nap02B20^) are obtained by a process o
combined acidification and fusion. Elemental boron, which is a dark
brown powder in the amorphous form, is derived from anhydrous boric acid
by reducing it with magnesium. Magnesium reacts with B20o to become
magnesium oxide. Elemental boron is recovered by dissolving the
magnesium oxide in hydrochloric acid and filtering and washing the
residue, which is pure boron.
Lake brines processed for boron also provide other compounds, such
as sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, and potassium
chloride. From the upper structures of brines, borax and other elements
are obtained by the evaporative or "trona" process. Soda ash and borax
from the lower structures are recovered by the carbonation process,
wherein carbon dioxide from calcining limestone is used to precipitate
soda ash from the mixed brines.
Secondary recovery and re-use of boron compounds is conducted on a
very small scale, as almost all of the compounds go into dissipative
uses. Boron is recovered from boron bromides or fluorides by vaporizing
these chemicals and collecting the vapors on a hot surface.
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS
U.S. production of boron minerals, primarily sodium borate (tincal),
is centered in southern California. Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation has
two facilities which extract sodium borates, boric acid, borax powder,
and other compounds from the subterranean brines of Searles Lake. The
Mine Safety Appliances Company produces boron from decomposed diborane
gas (BoHg). Its main line of business, however, is the manufacture of
safety equipment, gas masks, and protective clothing. These two plants
are zero dischargers. Therefore, further analysis will not be performed
for existing sources.
Economic impacts for new sources in this subcategory are discussed
in Chapter XXIII New Source Impacts.
XIX-1
-------
-------
CHAPTER XX
PRIMARY CESIUM/RUBIDIUM SUBCATEGORY
-------
-------
XX. PRIMARY CESIUM/RUBIDIUM SUBCATEGORY
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Cesium is derived principally from pollucite (20?-40? cesium oxide)
ore, which itself is recovered as a coproduct in mining pegmatites from
lithium minerals and beryl. Rubidium is derived principally from
lepidolite ore, which is recovered from the same kinds of lithium-
bearing pegmatite deposits as is cesium. Rubidium has also been
recovered as a byproduct of the processing of pollucite for its cesium
content. Strontium is recovered from celestite (SrSOjj) and strontionite
(SrC03).
Cesium and rubidium are produced by similar processes. The
respective ore concentrates are digested in sulfuric acid and the
impurities are removed by filtration. The cesium and rubidium chemicals
are dissolved in hydrochloric acid to form chlorides. The metal is then
recovered by a thermochemical reduction process.
Strontium is recovered from celestite or strontionite by first
converting the ore to strontium oxide and then reducing the oxide with
metallic aluminum. The metal is also produced through the electrolysis
of fused strontium chloride. Strontium carbonate is one of the many
strontium chemicals that are in demand.
Cesium and rubidium are produced in the form of metal, compounds,
and oxide. Cesium metal is sold in two purities: standard (99.5?
minimum cesium content) and high-purity (99.9? minimum cesium
content). Rubidium metal is also available in two purities: standard
(99.5? minimum rubidium content) and high-purity (99.8? minimum rubidium
content). Compounds are also available in two grades: technical grade,
99? minimum; and high purity, 99.9? minimum (99.8? mininum for
rubidium). Available compounds are acetate, bromide, carbonate,
chloride, chromate, fluoride, hydroxide, iodide, nitrate, and sulfate.
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS
The Agency has identified the KB I Division of Cabot Corporation as
the only producer in this subcategory. Its plant at Revere,
Pennsylvania produces cesium and rubidium mainly from imported ores.
This plant is a zero discharger. Because of limited demand,
manufacturing capacity is very flexible and normally does not greatly
exceed demand. The Cabot plant also produces germanium for which it is
a zero discharger. Because this plant does not discharge effluents,
further analysis will not be performed for existing sources.
XX-1
-------
>,
Economic impacts for new sources in this subcategory are discussed
in Chapter XXIII New Source Impacts.
XX-2
-------
CHAPTER XXI
SECONDARY MERCURY SUBCATEGORY
-------
XXI. SECONDARY MERCURY SUBCATEGORY
A. RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Secondary sources are an important component of mercury supply.
During the past several years, dental amalgams have been the most common
single source of mercury. Industrial wastes, especially from chlor-
alkali plants and mercury batteries, have also become important sources
of secondary recovery. Virtually all metal can be reclaimed when the
plant or equipment is dismantled or scrapped. Mercury is decomposed
from scrap by distillation or retorting. Subsequent washing in dilute
nitric acid and distilled water yields 99.9? pure mercury.
B. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS
Four plants have been identified in the Secondary Mercury
subcategory. Mercury Refining Co. in Albany, New York and Bethlehem
Apparatus Co., Hellertown, Pennsylvania are both zero dischargers and
are not analyzed further. D.F. Goldsmith Chemical and Metal Corp. in
Evanston, Illinois and Kahl Scientific Instrument Corp. in El Cajon,
California both use processes which produce no wastewater.
Consequently, further analysis is not performed for existing sources.
Economic impacts for new sources in this subcategory are discussed in
Chapter XXIII New Source Impacts.
XXI-1
-------
-------
CHAPTER XXII
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
-------
-------
XXII. ECONOMIC IMPACTS
The economic impact of the proposed effluent limitations has been
performed by first screening plants for potential impact and then
analyzing the impacted plants to identify possible closures. The
screening analysis compares a plant's total annual compliance costs to
its annual revenues. If the ratio of compliance costs to revenues
exceeds 1$, the plant is identified as a high impact plant. The high
impact plants are evaluated with the help of the NPV and liquidity
tests. Plants failing either of these tests are potential closure
candidates.
A. PLANT-LEVEL ECONOMIC IMPACTS
The analysis is conducted in two steps. First, a screening analysis
is conducted to identify plants that will not be seriously affected by
the regulations. Second, the NPV and liquidity tests are performed to
determine whether plants that fail the screen will close. Results of
the screen and closure tests are discussed below.
1. Results of Screening Analysis
Total annual costs as a percentage of annual revenues is used as
the screening criterion. The threshold value chosen for the screen is
1%. In other words, if the compliance costs for a plant are less than
1% of the revenues, it is not considered to be highly affected.
Tables XXII-1A and XXII-1B present the results of the screening
analysis for direct and indirect dischargers respectively. Of the 71
plants incurring costs, 12 plants fail the screen at Option A, 5 fail at
Option B, and 15 plants fail at Option C. No plants fail at Option E.
No more than one plant fails the screen at any option for the following^.
-subcategories: Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium, Secondary Molyb-
denum/Vanadium, Primary Nickel/Cobalt, Secondary Nickel, Primary
Beryllium, Primary and Secondary Germanium/Gallium, Secondary Indium,
Primary and Secondary Titanium, Primary Precious Metals/Mercury,
Secondary Precious Metals, Primary Rare-Earth Metals, Secondary
Tantalum, Bauxite Refining, and Primary Antimony. Total annual
compliance costs for three tungsten/cobalt plants, two zirconium/hafnium
plants, and four tin plants exceed 1% of revenues at Option C. Plants
failing the screen are analyzed further using the NPV and liquidity
tests.
XXII-1
-------
TABLE XXII-1A
RESULTS OF CLOSURE ANALYSIS DIRECT DISCHARGERS
Subcategory
Primary Antimony3
Option A
Option C
Bauxite Refining13
Option E
Primary Beryllium0
Option 3
Option C
Primary and Secondary
CermaniuM/Calliun3
Option A
Option C
Secondary lodlum3
Option A
Option C
Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Molybdenum/
Vanadium*
Option A
Option C
Primary Nickel/Cobalt3
Option A
Option C
Secondary Nickel3
Option A
Option C
Primary Precious Metals/
Mercury3
Option A
Option C
Secondary Precious Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Primary Rare-Earth Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option E
Secondary Tantalum2
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Tlna
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Uranium3
Option A
Option C
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Option A
Option 3
Option C
Number of
Plants
Incurring
Costs
1
1
14
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
l|
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
3
3
3
1
1
1
i
3
3
3
3
14
14
1
1
1
1|
1
1
1
1
1
Total
Investment
Cost
(1982 Dollars)
36,631
11,137
3,^90,029
W
V
208,55'
208,55'
3ซ7,313
W
V
W
V
27,500
29,975
299,535
299,535
306,816
V
V
V,
V
7,270
15,137
829,757
938,773
1,221,289
1,225,075
1,331,831
93,912
103,165
135,118
28,600
51,313
W
W
W
Total Annual
Cost
(1982 Dollars)
13,698
16,767
2,103,082
W
W
338,199
338,199
111,072
W
W
W
W
8,610
9,755
210,155
212,505
251,131
W
H
W
W
11,708
18,962
318,121
381 ,108
519,237
519,898
558,753
272,620
283,711
295,353
19,301
58,379
W
W
W
Number of
Plants
Failing Soreen
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
2
2
3
NA
NA
1
1
1
Potential
Closures
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
MA
NA
0
0
0
Employment
Loss
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
29
29
0
0
0
0
0
0
NA
NA
0
0
0
'Treatment Level B is not a viable option.
&The Agency Is presently proposing only technical amendments to existing Bauxite Regulations; however, it Is
considering toxic limitations on the net precipitation discharges from Bauxite redmud impoundments. The Bauxite
numbers in this table and elsewhere In this document refer to the toxic limitations under consideration by the
Agency.
ฐTreatment Level A is already in place.
W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
NA -- Not applicable.
XXII-2
-------
TABLE XXII-IB
RESULTS OF CLOSURE ANALYSIS -- INDIRECT DISCHARGERS
Subcategory
Primary intimoay*
Option A
Option C
Bauxite Refining
Option E
Primary Bซrylliuปb
Option B
Option C
Primary and Secondary
Cermanium/tUlllUM3
Option A
Option C
Secondary ladluar3
Option A
Option C
Prlaary Molybdenum/Rhenium
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Molybdenum/
Vanadium3
Option A
Option C
Primary Nickel/Cobalt3
Option A
Option C
Secondary Kiclcel3
Option A
Option C
Primary Precious Metals/
Mercury2
Option A
Option C
Secondary Precious Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Primary Rare-Earth Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option E
Secondary Tantalum3
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Tlna
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Option A
Option B
Option C
Sซoondtry Tungsten/Cobalt
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Uranium
Option A
Option C
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium0
Option C
Nunber of
Plants
Incurring
Costs
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
Q
29
29
29
1
1
1
1
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
Total
Investment
Cost
(1982 Dollars)
W
W
W
W
W
U
1,731 ,216
1,736,619
1,8HU,518
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
Total Annual
Cost
(1982 Dollars)
W
W
W
W
W
W
856,333
866,895
916,176
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
Number of
Plants
Falling Screen
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
1
1
1
Potential
Closures
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
.
0
Employment
Loss
0
0
0
0
0
0
it
t)
t)
0
0
0
0
11
111
0
0
0
0
Treatment Level B is not a viable option.
^Treatment Level A is already in place.
Treatment Levels A and B are already in place.
W - Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
-------
2. Results of the Closure Analysis
The NPV test examines a plant's long-term viability, while the
liquidity test measures a plant's ability to generate sufficient cash
flow to cover compliance costs in the short run. A plant is projected
as a potential closure if it fails either of the two tests.
Results of the closure analysis are presented in Tables XXII-1A
and XXII-1B for direct and indirect dischargers respectively. Potential
plant closures have been identified in only two subcategories. One
secondary precious metals plant fails the NPV test at all three
treatment options. Of the four tin plants, three fail both tests at all
three options, while one fails only the NPV test.
One plant has been identified as a potential closure in the
Secondary Precious Metals subcategory. However, analysis shows that the
Secondary Precious Metals subcategory as a whole is not significantly
affected by the pollution control costs. This plant represents about
0.02? of the total capacity of plants incurring costs in this
subcategory. Built about 25 years ago, this plant added a new
nonferrous metal process line in 1982.
Of the four tin plants that have been identified as potential
closures, three have been classified as plant closures and one has been
classified as a line closure. Tin operations at the plant identified as
a line closure accounted for only .3% of total plant shipments in
1982. The four tin facilities represent about 12$ of the total
subcategory capacity. One plant began nonferrous metals manufacturing
in the early 1950s. The other three plants are relatively new, having
commenced operations about 20 years ago. All four plants produce tin
primarily from tin scrap, tin sludge, and tin slurry. Tin metal as
ingot and powder, tin dross, and tin mud are the chief products of these
plants. Tin metal commands a higher market price than the other tin
products because of its high purity.
The identification of plants as potential closures in this step
is interpreted as. an indication of the extent of plant impact rather
than as a prediction of certain closure. The decision by a company to
close a plant also involves other considerations, such as non-
competitive markets for products, degree of integration of operation,
use of output of plants as intermediate products (captive markets), and
existence of specialty markets.
-------
B. OTHER IMPACTS
The general industry-wide impacts of the effluent guidelines on the
nonferrous metals manufacturing subcategories covered in this rulemaking
have been determined using the procedure outlined in Chapter I
Methodology. Each of the impacts that have been evaluated for the
different subcategories is described below.
1. Average Change in Return on Investment
The return on investment (ROI) is an accurate measure of a
firm's profitability. Therefore, the post-compliance ROI for each plant
was calculated and compared to the pre-compliance ROI to find out
whether the proposed regulations would significantly affect the
profitability of plants. The results of this analysis are presented in
Tables XXII-2A and XXII-2B.
The decline in ROI is expected to be minimal (less than 3%) in
the Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium, Primary Nickel/Cobalt, Primary and
Secondary Titanium, Primary Beryllium, Primary Precious Metals/Mercury,
and Secondary Precious Metals subcategories. The decrease in profit-
ability in the Primary Rare-Earth Metals, Primary and Secondary
Germanium/Gallium, Secondary Indium, Secondary Tantalum, Secondary
Tungsten/Cobalt, Bauxite Refining, and Primary Antimony subcategories is
expected to be less than 10% even under the most costly option. Firms
belonging to the Primary and Secondary Tin, Primary Zirconium/Hafnium,
Secondary Molybdenum/Vanadium, and Secondary Nickel subcategories will
experience greater decreases in profits under the most costly option,
due to the combined effect of higher costs and lower margins.
2. Average Increase in Production Cost
A change in production cost directly affects the profitability
of" a firm. This measure summarizes the financial impact of the
regulatory alternatives on the firms in the nonferrous metals manu-
facturing industry. The analysis presented in Tables XXII-2A and XXII-"
2B does not show a. marked increase in production cost in any of the
subcategories. In fact, there is only a small increase (less than 1$)
for most of the firms. Primary Zirconium/Hafnium, Primary and Secondary
Tin, and Secondary Nickel are the only subcategories incurring costs
greater than 2%. The maximum increase occurs in the Secondary Nickel
subcategory (about
The discharging plant in the Secondary Nickel subcategory
produces high-purity alloys from both primary and secondary sources.
The proposed effluent guidelines regulate only waste recovery of
XXII-5
-------
TABLE mi-2A
OTHER IMPACTS DIRECT DISCHARGEES
Subcategory
friamrr intiaooy1
Option A
Option C
Bauxite Refining13
Option E
Primary BeryUlua0
Option 8
Option C
Priaซry and Secondary
GeroanlUB/CaXllia3
Option A
Option C
Secondary lodlua*
Option A
Option C
Prlaary Molybdenuo/Hhenlua
Option A
Option 3
Option C
Secondary Molybdenum/
Vanadium3
Option A
Option C
Prijnary Nickel/Cobalt3
Option A
Option C
Secondary Nickel*
Option A
Option C
Primary Precious Metals/
Mercury3
Option A
Option C
Secondary Precious Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Primary Hare-Earth Metals
Option A
Option 3
Option C
Option E
Secondary Tantalua3
Option A
Option C
Prlaary and Secondary Tin3
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Tltanlun
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Urtuium
Option A
Option C
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Option A
Option B
Option C
Number of
Plants
Incurring
Costs
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
It
1
It
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
3
3
3
1
1
1
l
3
3
3
3
U
1
14
it
14
1
1
1
1
1
1
Average J Change
In Return on
Investment
-4.99
-6.06
-5.3*
-0.07
-o.n
-0.36
-0.36
-0.41
-It. 91
-16.18
-0.01
-0.05
-0.87
-0.97
-0.28
-0.28
-0.29
-3.68
-3.68
-4.19
-6.40
-6.03
-6.61
-22.75
-21.91
-0.91
-0.95
-1.02
-7.65
-7.98
-8.11
NA
NA
-16.17
-16.17
-16.66
Average J
Increase in
Production Cost
0.90
1.10
0.31
0.01
0.02
0.08
0.08
0.09
1.36
1 .11
0.01
0.01
0.20
0.23
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.27
0.27
0.32
0.46
0.17
0.18
0.60
0.65
0.13
0.13
0.11
1.22
1.27
1.32
NA
NA
2. '11
2.11
2.18
Average J
Price Change
0.7;!
0.8(1
0.2
-------
TABLE XXII-2B
OTHER IMPACTS -- INDIRECT DISCHARGERS
Subcatซgory
Primary Antimony1
Option A
Option C
Bauxlt* Refilling
Option E
Primary Beryllium6
Option B
Option C
Primary and Secondary
Option A
Option C
Secondary Indium1
Option A
Option C
Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium
Option A
Option 3
Option C
Secondary Molybdenum/
Vanadium3
Option A
Option C
Primary nickel/Cobalt3
Option A
Option C
Secondary Mlckela
Option A
Option C
Primary Precious Metals/
Mercury*
Option A
Option C
Secondary Precious Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Primary Rare-Earth Metals
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option E
Secondary Tantalum3
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Tlna
Option A
Option C
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Option A
Option B
Option C
Secondary Cranium2
Option A
Option C
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium0
Option C
Number of
Plants
Incurring
Coats
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
29
29
29
1
1
1
1
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
Average 5 Change
In Return on
Investment
-3.31
-9.18
-8.36
-9.12
-33.21
-39.63
-1 .11
-1.15
-1.53
-1.91
-6.22
-6.71
-9.92
-71.10
-79.20
-1.86
-1.96
-2.51
-11.17
Average J
Increase In
Production Cost
1.12
1.23
1.23
1.33
2.27
2.80
0.11
0.11
0.11
0.35
0.11
0.15
0.66
1.99
2.11
0.10
0.11
0.51
2.10
Average J
Price Change
0.96
1.05
1.05
1.11
2.08
2.56
0.05
0.05
0.06
0.28
0.30
0.31
0.19
0.65
0.71
0.12
0.12
0.13
2.12
Average Investment
Cost as a $ of
Capital Expenditure
13.63
21.11
11.72
13.36
117.09
175.13
19.33
19.39
20.60
2.57
1.01
1.22
6.63
311.28
322.07
2.79
3.21
1.75
19.16
treatment Level B is not a viable option.
bTreataent Level A is already in place.
Treatment Levels A and B are already in place.
XXII-7
-------
nickel. The value of nickel in the slag is only a small percentage of
the total value of shipments from this plant. The large increase in the
cost of producing nickel from waste does not, therefore, represent a
significant increase in the total cost of production at this facility.
3. Price Increase
The immediate response to an increase in the cost of production
is generally an attempt to increase the price of the product. Often,
producers try to pass all costs on to the consumers. A full pass-
through of costs may not be possible at all times and is especially
difficult in a competitive market. Although no cost pass-through was
assumed for the closure analysis, it is useful to examine the increases
in price that would be necessary if a plant elected to do so. The ratio
of annual compliance cost to revenues gives a reasonable estimate of the
increase in price required to cover compliance costs. The results in
Tables XXII-2A and XXII-2B are similar to the results for change in cost
of production.
The minimal changes in price may appear markedly different from
those for the change in ROI. This apparent discrepancy can be explained
by examining industry profit margins. For example:, the Secondary Indium
subcategory is characterized by low profit margins. Looking at Table
XXII-2B, it can be seen that even though a price increase of less than
2% would be sufficient to pass through the compliance costs, plants in
the subcategory are expected to experience a change in ROI of nearly
10%. It should be noted that no plant closures are identified for the
Secondary Indium subcategory, indicating low overa.ll impact.
Average Investment Cost as a Percentage of Capital Expenditures
The analysis compared the required pollution control investment
cost to the pre-compliance average annual capital expenditures of the
firms. The results show that the Primary and Secondary Tin and
Secondary Nickel subcategories are expected to incur relatively high
control costs in relation to their existing annual capital
expenditures. This effect could be due to high control costs as well as
to low annual capital expenditures. Low annual capital expenditures can
be attributed to the fact that these industries are not experiencing
rapid growth. The new control expenditures are expected to have a
minimal impact on most subcategories, as is shown in Tables XXII-2A and
XXII-2B.
XXII-8
-------
5. Employment Impacts
The employment impacts of the regulatory costs have been
examined in the context of plant closures. Potential plant and line
closures have been identified in the Primary and Secondary Tin and
Secondary Precious Metals subcategories. The closure of these plants
could cause an employment loss of about 47 workers. The remaining
subcategories are not impacted sufficiently to cause plant closures.
Given the low price and production effects in these subcategories,
-employment effects are expected to be minimal. Minor production
decreases could occur as a result of shifts in capacity utilization
rather than loss of capacity.
6. Foreign Trade Impacts
The foreign trade impacts are analyzed with respect to the
effect of regulatory costs on the balance of trade. The closure of
high-impact plants could result in a loss of capacity of over 650 short
tons. However, the impact could be minimized if other plants increase
their production levels. To the extent that the existing or new plants
make up for the lost capacity, the balance of trade will not be
adversely impacted.
XXII-9
-------
-------
CHAPTER XXIII
NEW SOURCE IMPACTS
-------
-------
XXIII. NEW SOURCE IMPACTS
The basis for new source performance standards (NSPS) and
pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS), as established under
Section 306 of the Clean Water Act, is the best available demonstrated
control technology. Builders of new facilities have the opportunity to
install the best available production processes and wastewater treatment
technologies, without incurring the added costs and restrictions
encountered in retrofitting an existing facility. Therefore, Congress
directed EPA to require that the best demonstrated process changes, in-
plant controls, and end-of-pipe treatment technologies be installed in
new facilities. For regulatory purposes new sources include greenfield
plants and major modifications to existing plants.
The potential economic impact of concern to EPA in evaluating new
source regulations is the extent to which these regulations represent a
barrier to the construction of new facilities or exert pressures on
existing plants to modernize, and thereby reduce the growth potential of
the industry.
In evaluating the potential economic impact of the NSPS/PSNS
regulations on new sources, it is necessary to consider the costs of the
regulations relative to the costs incurred by existing sources under the
BAT/PSES regulations. For most subcategories with existing sources, new
source technologies are the same as those for existing sources and,
therefore, no incremental cost will be incurred by new source plants.
For this reason, new sources will not be operating at a cost
disadvantage relative to existing sources due to this regulation.
For the Secondary Indium subcategory, the selected treatment option
for existing sources consists of lime and settle technology only. New
indium plants will be required to add filtration to the lime and settle
technology to meet effluent limitations. Table XXIII-1 shows a
comparison between the economic impacts associated with selected options
for existing sources versus new sources. The table shows that neither
the existing nor the new source would be expected to incur significant
impacts. The incremental impact for new sources over existing sources
is also very small. These additional costs should not pose a barrier to
entry for new indium plants.
There are three subcategories for which there are no existing
dischargers: Primary Cesium/Rubidium, Secondary Mercury, and Primary
Boron. Economic impacts have been calculated based on model plants in
these subcategories. The model plants represent average production of
existing nondischarging plants. The production levels used for each
subcategory are withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
XXIII-1
-------
TABLE XXIII-1
COMPARISON OF ECONOMIC IMPACTS FOR
EXISTING AND NEW INDIUM PLANTS
Total Investment Cost (1982 $)
Total Annual Cost (1982 $)
Number of Plants Failing Screening
Number of Plants Failing NPV Test
% Change in Return on Investment
% Increase in Production Cost
% Price Change
Investment Cost as a % of Capital Expenditures
Existing
Sources
W
W
1
0
-8.36
1.23
1.05
11.72
New
Sources
20,487
18,562
1
0
-9.12
1.33
1.14
13-86
W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
XXIII-2
-------
The economic impact analysis used for existing sources is employed
to assess the impact for the new source subcategoriea; namely a
screening analysis is performed and a NPV and liquidity test are
conducted for those plants projected to incur annual compliance costs in
excess of 1$ of plant revenues.
The economic impacts for each new source subcategory are shown in
Tables XXIII-2, XXIII-3, and XXIII-4. The results show that the
estimated annual compliance costs do not exceed 1% of plant revenues in
the Primary Cesium/Rubidium or Secondary Mercury subcategories. Other
impacts in these subcategories are also snail. The new source
limitations for the Primary Cesium/Rubidium and Secondary Mercury
subcategories are based on lime and settle plus filtration. In both
instances, contract hauling is assumed to be the most economical method
of attaining the required limitations. For this reason, contract
hauling costs are used in the economic analysis.
Annual costs as a percent of plant revenues exceeds 1$ for the
Primary Boron subcategory. However, the results of the NPV test
indicate that after-compliance income to liquidation _value for the model
plant exceeds the required cost of capital (r) . New source
limitations for the Primary Boron subcategory are based on lime and
settle technology.
The economic impacts calculated for these new source categories are
not significant and, therefore, are not expected to pose a barrier to
entry.
XXIII-3
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TABLE XXIII-2
SUMMARY OF NEW SOURCE IMPACTS
PRIMARY CESIUM/RUBIDIUM
Annual Production of Model Plant (Ibs./yr.)
Cesium
Rubidium
Total Investment Costs (1982 $)
Total Annual Costs (1982 $)
Screening Analysis (%)
% Change in Return on Investment
% Increase in Production Cost
% Price Change
Investment Cost as a % of Capital Expenditures
W
W
W
W
0.11
-0.79
0.13
0.11
0
W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
XXIII-4
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TABLE XXIII-3
SUMMARY OF NEW SOURCE IMPACTS
SECONDARY MERCURY
Annual Production of Model Plant (Ibs./yr.) W
Total Investment Costs (1982 $) 0
Total Annual Costs (1982 $) 396
Screening Analysis (%) 0.07
^-Change in Return on Investment -2.73
% Increase in Production Cost 0.08
% Price Change 0.07
Investment Cost as a % of Capital Expenditures 0
W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
XXIII-5
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TABLE XXIII-4
SUMMARY OF NEW SOURCE IMPACTS
PRIMARY BORON
Annual Production of Model Plant (Ibs./yr.) W
Total Investment Costs (1982 $) W
Total Annual Costs (1982 $) W
NPV Test:
Income to Liquidation Value (U/L) 31 .33
Real Cost of Capital (F) 14.66
% Change in Return on Investment -9.98
% Increase in Production Cost 1.17
% Price Change 1.01
Investment Cost as a $ of Capital Expenditures 35.17
W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
XXIII-6
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CHAPTER XXIV
SMALL BUSINESS ANALYSIS
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XXIV. SMALL BUSINESS ANALYSIS
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) of 1980 (P.L. 96-35*0, which
amends the Administrative Procedures Act, requires Federal regulatory
agencies to consider "small entities" throughout the regulatory
process. The RFA requires an initial screening analysis to be performed
to determine whether a substantial number of small entities will be
significantly affected. If so, regulatory alternatives that eliminate
or mitigate the impacts must be considered. This chapter addresses
these objectives by identifying and evaluating the economic impacts of
the effluent control regulations on small nonferrous metals
manufacturers. As described in Chapter I, the small business analysis
was developed as an integral part of the general economic impact
analysis and was based on an examination of plant capacity levels and
compliance costs incurred as a result of the regulations. Based on this
analysis, EPA has determined that a substantial number of small entities
will not be significantly affected.
For purposes of this small business analysis, the following
alternative approaches were considered for defining small nonferrous
metal smelting and refining operations:
the Small Business Administration (SBA) definition;
annual plant capacity; and
annual plant production.
In the nonferrous metals smelting and refining industry, the SBA
defines as small those firms whose employment is fewer than 2,500 for
primary producers and fewer than 500 for secondary producers. This
definition is, however, inappropriate because this analysis is concerned
only with plants operating as distinct units rather than with firms
composed of several plants. Many of the plants are, in fact, owned by
firms that produce metals not covered by this regulation. In order to
avoid confusion and to maintain consistency, annual plant capacity was
used as an indicator of size. Because industry segments are assumed to
operate at uniform capacity utilization levels during the impact period,
annual plant production yields the same classification as annual plant
capacity.
In order to designate large and small plants for this small business
analysis, all plants in a subcategory were first ranked by annual
capacity. This ranking revealed a clear distribution between large and
small plants. The following definitions of small plants are derived
from this review of annual plant capacities.
XXIV-1
-------
Industry Subcategory
Annual Plant Capacity
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and
Secondary Titanium
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Secondary Precious Metals
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
1,000,000 pounds
1,000,000 pounds
1,000,000 pounds
1,1500 pounds
500,000 pounds
Small plants subject to this regulation were not identified in the
other subcategories. The following table shows the number of small
plants identified.
Industry
Subcategory
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and
Secondary Titanium
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Secondary Precious Metals
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Number of
Plants
Incurring
Costs
5
6
2
32
4
Number of
Small Plants
Incurring
Costs
3
1
1
a
1
Number of
Small Plants
As a % of
Total
60
17
50
25
25
EPA guidelines on complying with the Regulatory Flexibility Act
suggest several ways to determine what constitutes a significant impact
on a substantial number of small businesses. Evaluation pursuant to
these specific criteria are not required by the Regulatory Flexibility
Act, nor suggested in the legislative history. However, the Agency is
examining impact criteria beyond those used in its economic analysis in
order to investigate fully whether this regulation could have a
significant impact on small businesses. These additional criteria for
the small business analysis are:
Annual compliance costs as a percentage of revenues for small
entities are at least 10% higher than annual compliance costs as
a percentage of revenues for large entities, or
Annual compliance costs increase total costs of production for
small entities by more than 5%.
-------
Table XXIV-1 presents a comparison of annual compliance costs as a
percentage of revenues between small and large plants. In most
instances, annual compliance costs as a percentage of revenues for small
plants are more than 10ฃ higher than the same ratio for large plants.
Despite this difference between small and large plants, the ratios of
compliance costs to revenues for small plants are quite low and thus
indicate minimal impact. In the Primary and Secondary Titanium, Primary
Zirconium/Hafnium, Secondary Precious Metals, and Secondary
Tungsten/Cobalt subcategories, only one small plant, a secondary
precious metals plant, is identified as a potential closure. Closure
analysis identifies both large and small closure candidates in the
Primary and Secondary Tin subcategory. Analysis of this ratio provides
no clear indication of the relative magnitude of costs to small
businesses.
Annual compliance costs as a percentage of total production costs
has also been analyzed to determine the magnitude of impacts on small
entities. The results of this analysis are presented in Table XXIV-2.
In no instance does the ratio exceed the 5% threshold value used here as
an indicator of significant impact on small businesses.
XXIV-3
-------
TABLE XXIV-1
ANNUAL COMPLIANCE COSTS AS
A PERCENT CF ANNUAL REVENUES
FOR LARGE AND SMALL PLANTS
(percent)
Subcategory
Primary and Secondary Tin
Small
Large
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Small
Large
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Small
Large
Secondary Precious Metals
Small
Large
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Small
Large
Option A
2.68
1.82
2.27
0.26
N/Aa
2.07
0.81
0.09
0.73
1.39
Option B
2.68
1 .82
2.27
0.27
N/Aa
2.07
0.82
0.09
0.73
1.1*1
Option C
2.98
1.93
2.31
0.30
1 .80
2.12
0.88
0.10
1.16
1.48
SOURCE: Policy Planning & Evaluation, Inc. estimates.
aNot a treatment option.
XXIV-4
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TABLE XXIV-2
ANNUAL COMPLIANCE COSTS A3 A PERCENT
OF TOTAL PRODUCTION COST
FOR SMALL PLANTS
(percent)
Subcategory
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Secondary Precious Metals
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Option A
2.75
2.65
N/Aa
1.02
0.85
Option B
2.75
2.65
N/Aa
1.03
0.85
Option C
3.06
2.70
2.10
1.11
1.35
SOURCE: Policy Planning 4 Evaluation, Inc. estimates.
aNot a treatment option.
XXIV-5
-------
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CHAPTER XXV
LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS
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XXV. LIMITATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS
This chapter discusses the major limitations of the economic impact
analysis. It focuses on the limitations of data and methodology and the
key assumptions and estimations made in these areas.
DATA LIMITATIONS
Economic theory dictates that the financial health of the major
impacted industries is determined by the volume of economic activity
(e.g., value of shipments), capacity utilization, and prices. Economic
analyses also generally distinguish between long-run and short-run
effects. Decisions regarding variable costs, capacity, and relatively
small amounts of resources are generally made on short-run criteria. On
the other hand, decisions regarding large investment in fixed assets are
made on the basis of long-run expectations.
In the absence of complete and current plant-specific financial
data, a financial profile of the various metal industry segments plants
was developed based on an extensive review of trade literature and
published financial reports. This financial profile is subject to the
following major assumptions and limitations:
A "normal" or average year, in 'terms of aggregate economic
conditions and financial performance, has been used as a
baseline in the economic impact analyses. Therefore, estimates
of price, capacity utilization, real durable goods sales, fixed
'investment, and total corporate profits have been based on the
assumption that economic conditions in the impact period will be
an average of conditions in the 1978-1982 business cycle. In
general, due to adverse conditions in 1982, this implies that
macroeconomic conditions during the impact period will be better
than those in 1982.
The industry- capacity is assumed" to be constant at 1982
levels. Industry sources indicate that firms are not
contemplating any major expansions in capacity in the near
future.
Plant-specific economic variables have been estimated using
financial ratio analysis. Financial information was obtained
from the annual and 10-K reports of companies engaged in the
smelting and refining of nonferrous metals. It was assumed that
the financial characteristics of each plant could be
approximated by the average financial characteristics of
corporate segments operating in like industries. Hence, the
financial characteristics of the plants were estimated by using
corporate and segment information.
XXV-1
-------
The time value of money was taken into account by baaing the
analysis on constant prices and constant income. Current cost
information presented in annual reports was utilized in order to
create financial ratios consistent with this approach.
B. METHODOLOGY LIMITATION
Two types of performance measures have been used in the economic
impact analysis:
liquidity (short-term analysis); and
solvency (long-term analysis).
The liquidity and solvency (net present value) measures are quite
rough, primarily because of the lack of data. Industry-wide information
has been used to analyze the firms in both the short term and the long
term because the forecasting of firm-specific economic and institutional
variables is extremely difficult. The analysis described here is not
intended to be a structural specification of the profitability,
liquidity, or solvency of the industries. Rather, it is designed to
demonstrate that variations in the performance of the firms over time
are likely to reflect general industry trends. The difference, if any,
may be explained by a number of factors that were not explored in
greater detail, such as capital-output ratios or technological and
market changes.
C. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
Sensitivity analysis is used to determine whether variations in
certain key factors significantly affect the results of the economic
impact study. Several parameters of the study have been varied to
assess the sensitivity of the study's results. The following paragraphs
address the question of changes to the study's assumptions.
1. Monitoring Costs
A sensitivity analysis of monitoring costs was performed for
each subcategory. For the original impact analysis, monitoring costs
were based on the specific circumstances of each plant. For the
sensitivity analysis, it was assumed that additional monitoring would be
required. The results of the sensitivity analysis show that three
additional closures would occur, in addition to the closures mentioned
in Chapter XXII: one additional closure in each of the Primary and
Secondary Titanium, Secondary Precious Metals, and Secondary Tantalum
subcategories.
-------
2. Changes in Production Process
Currently several plants engaged in the manufacture of
germanium/gallium, titanium, and zirconium/hafnium utilize Level A
processes. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the
expected impacts if these plants change to level B processes. Only one
zirconium/hafnium plant is projected to close if the plant changes from
Level A to Level B processes.
If the existing discharger was identified as a Level B plant, a
sensitivity analysis was not performed to determine the impacts of
converting to Level A. This was not necessary, because Level A costs
are less than Level B costs. For a more complete discussion of Level A
and Level B production processes, see the Development Document.
XXV-3
-------
-------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
-------
-------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Mineral Commodity Profiles, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau
of Mines, 1983-
2. Mineral Commodity Summaries, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau
of Mines, 1983.
3. Mineral Facts and Problems, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau
of Mines, 1980.
4. Mineral Industry Surveys, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Mines, 1982 and 1983.
5. Minerals Yearbook, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines,
1979, 1980, 1981, and 1982.
6. Non-Ferrous Metals Data 1982, American Bureau of Metal
Statistics.
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-------
APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF THE NPV TEST AND ITS SIMPLIFICATION
-------
-------
APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF THE NPV TEST AND ITS SIMPLIFICATION
A. THE BASIC NPV TEST
The net present value test is based on the assumption that a company
will continue to operate a plant if the cash flow from future operations
is expected to exceed its current liquidation value. This assumption
can be written mathematically as follows:
ut (i7r-) + LT (T)1 Lo
where: (L = cash flow in year t
L = current liquidation value
L-, = terminal liquidation value of the plant at the end of
a planning horizon of T years
r = cost of capital.
In order to use this formula, in this form, and in nominal dollars,
forecasts of the terminal liquidation value (Lm) and income in every
year during the planning period (IL) have to be made. However, the need
to make the forecasts can be avoided by using a simplified NPV formula,
which is discussed in the following section.
B. SIMPLIFICATION OF THE NPV TEST
Equation (1) can be simplified by making the following three
assumptions: "~~
o the equation considers real dollars, that is, the income, the
liquidation value, and the rate of return are all expressed in
real terms (see Section C for definitions);
o IL = U^ = 0, that is, real cash flows over the planning horizon
are constant (or income in any given year is equal to the income
in any other year); and
o the current liquidation value is equal to the terminal
liquidation value, that is, C_ = C .
A-1
-------
Based on these assumptions, equation (1) can be rewritten as:
I D/_!_\t + /_1_\T E > c
t.-i l(u?)/ l- -J ฐ- ฐ
This expression can be simplified in the following manner. Let
k =
1
(u?)
Equation (2) may be written:
T
U E
L- t=1
k1 C > C
00
Redefining the first bracket, and combining the two L terms:
-
U
f~ ฐฐ t ฐฐ t
E kC - E kC
Lt=1 t=T+1
Using the expression for the sum of a geometric series,
T+1
U
k
d-k)J
(2)
n k r
u d-k) i V
> r.
(3)
Where: r = real after-tax cost of capital
D = real cash flow
L = current liquidation value in real terms.
o
These terms are defined in more detail in Section C below.
A-2
-------
Equation (3) states that if the rate of return on the liquidation
value (U/L ) is greater than or equal to the real after-tax rate of
return on "assets, then the plant will continue in operation. Equation
(3) is the same test as expressed in Equation (1), but is simpler to
use. It does not require the forecasts of income and liquidation value.
The real rate of return on assets can be shown to be equal to the
cost of capital. This relationship is explained in Section C. Thus,
the methodology employed for the NPV test uses the rate of return on
assets as a proxy for the ccst of capital.
C. DISCUSSION OF REAL CASH FLOWS, COST OF CAPITAL, AND
LIQUIDATION VALUE
1. Real Cash Flows
The difference between nominal cash flows and real cash flows is
in the calculation of depreciation. While depreciation is calculated at
book value for nominal cash flows, it is calculated at replacement value
for real cash flows. In accordance with the definition of nominal cash
flows used in Section II-G, real cash flows are as follows:
All Operating Expenses
Including Depreciatic
at Replacement Value
P, /TJ\ = Revenue - Including Depreciation - Taxes
Normally, depreciation is not taken into account in calculating
cash flows; however, it is included in the cash flow definitions. This
inclusion means that a plant continuously maintains or replaces the
capital equipment. The cost of maintaining and/or replacing equipment
is equal to the depreciation. In order to calculate real cash flow,
depreciation is taken at replacement value, not book value. Using this
approach implies that the value of a plant's equipment remains constant,
and therefore, the current liquidation value (L ) is equal to the
terminal liquidation value (L,).
2- Real Cost of Capital
This report uses rate of return on assets as a substitute for
cost of capital. However, the cost of capital can be shown to be
equivalent to the rate of return on assets as follows. According to the
Modigliani-Miller model (M-M model) the value of a leveraged firm is
calculated by the formula:
v = X(1K" t} +
u
A-3
-------
Where: V = value of the firm
X = operating income before taxes
t = tax rate
K = cost of capital of an unleveraged firm
D = debt.
The cost of capital of a leveraged firm in the M-M model is given by the
formula:
KL = Ku(1 - t|) ' (2)
Where: K^ = cost of capital of a leveraged firm. By solving Equation
(2) for Ku, we get
KL
' K =
Using this value of K in equation (1), and simplifying, we get:
V = - - - ^ (D)(t) (4)
KL
Dividing the whole equation by V, we get:
VK, V
Therefore,
i X(1 - t)
-
.. VKL = x(1 - t)
or
...
(5)
A-4
-------
Since the value of the firm = Equity + Debt = Assets, Equation CO can
be rewritten as:
X(1 - t)
Where: A = assets of the firm,
The equation above says that cost of capital to a leveraged firm (K, ) is
equal to the after-tax rate of return on assets. The return on assets
for a firm or a group of firms can be calculated by using information
from financial statements. For the purposes of this report the real
rate of return is calculated as follows:
_, ,-. ' real cash flows (0)
The real rate of return (r)
total assets at replacement value
A-5
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-------
APPENDIX B
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NPV TEST
-------
APPENDIX B
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NPV TEST
A. PRIMARY PROBLEM IN IMPLEMENTING THE TEST
The NPV formula reduces to the following equation:
Lo
If there were no limitations to the availability of plant-specific
financial data, the values of these three variables could be calculated
for each plant. The data collected in the Agency's survey of the
industry, however, is limited with respect to current financial and cost
information. Information on income, depreciation, capital expenditures,
cost of capital and future sales are needed to carry out the NPV test;
hence, it must be estimated for each plant from publicly available
information.
The nonferrous Phase II metals industry consists of more than 200
plants. The task of estimating the data for each plant is simplified
by:
classifying the nonferrous metals industry into eight groups;
estimating the values of ratios such as: operating income/
sales, operating income/assets, current assets/sales, non-
current assets/sales, and capital expenditure/sales for each of
the eight groups; and
classifying a plant into one of the eight groups, and applying
the ratios associated with the group to the plant.
B. ORGANIZATION OF THIS APPENDIX
Section C below describes the method used to classify the industry
into eight groups, defines the groups, and describes, the applicability
to the specific metals covered in this report. Section D discusses the
procedure used to calculate group ratios. Section E presents the method
used to estimate sales of each plant, and Section F discusses the
methods used to estimate operating income, current assets, fixed assets,
capital expenditures, and the liquidation value of each plant. Section
G summarizes the earlier sections with an overview of the NPV test.
B-l
-------
C. DEVELOPMENT OF GROUPS AND APPLICATION TO METALS
1. Definition of Groups
The eight groups were formed by using the following steps:
The annual and 10K reports of 30 companies engaged in the
production of nonferrous metals were obtained.
Most annual and 10K reports provide financial information
pertaining to major lines of business (business segment
information). The 30 annual reports contained data on 40
business segments. (Some companies had more than one line of
nonferrous metal business.)
These 40 business segments were classified into eight relatively
homogenous groups by examining qualitative descriptions of
business segments, and by calculating average group ratios and
evaluating the differences among groups.
Data for the years 1980, 1981, and 1982 were used to establish the
eight groups. These groups, representing similar business and financial
characteristics, are as follows:
Group 1 : Smelting and Refining of Primary Base Metals This
group includes the mining, smelting, and refining of primary
base metals, such as copper, lead, zinc, and aluminum. Many
large-scale companies such as Asarco, Alcoa, and Amax are
primarily engaged in the production of such metals.
Group 2. Smelting and Refining of Precious Metals Four
companies have concentrated their operational activities in the
mining, smelting, and refining of precious metals such as gold,
silver, and platinum.
Group 3. Smelting and Refining of Other Nonferrous Metals (not
included in Groups I and II) About six companies are engaged
in the mining, smelting, and refining of other metals, such as
lithium, molybdenum, columbium, tungsten, zirconium, beryllium,
nickel, cobalt, and chrome. Such metals generally have anti-
wear, anti-corrosion characteristics. They also enhance the
toughness and strength of ferrous-based alloys.
Group 4. Reclamation of Precious and Semi-Precious Metals
Reclamation of such metals from scrap, jewelry, and electronic
components is being undertaken on a large scale by various
companies such as Handy and Harman, Refinemet Corporation, and
Diversified Industries, Inc. The value of shipments of
reclaimed metals is a significant portion of shipments for these
companies.
R-?
-------
Group 5. Smelting and Refining for Producing Alloys Mining,
smelting, and refining for the purpose of producing alloys is an
important segment for many companies, including Foote-Mineral
Co., Cabot Corporation, and 'Hanna Mining Co. These products
include ferro-alloys, tantalum alloys, columbium alloys, and
nickel alloys. Reclamation of alloys from metal scrap is also
included in this segment because it constitutes a significant
part of business operations for these companies.
Group 6. Reclamation of Base and Other Nonferrous Metals In
addition to producing metals such as copper, aluminum, and zinc
from their respective ores, companies may also reclaim these
metals from scrap, junked automobiles and electronic
appliances. This group covers reclamation activities for these
and other nonferrous metals.
Group 7. Production of Metal Products, Alloys, and Metal
Powders The combination of metal products, alloys, and metal
powders is considered one segment. It does not involve, any
mining or recycling. Companies engaged in such production
purchase raw materials to manufacture such items.
Group 8. Production of Rare-Earth Metals Rare-earth metals
have special characteristics of their own. They improve many
common items; for example, some help polish glass, decolor it,
or tint it, and others filter out or absorb light rays.
Examples of such metals are mischmetal, cerium, lanthanum, and
didymium. Because of these special characteristics, the
production of rare-earth metals has been taken as a separate
segment.
3-3
-------
2. Application of Groups to Subcategories
Twenty-one metal sufccategories are included in the economic
analysis. The plants in these subcategories are evaluated with
financial ratios from the groups defined above. The assignment of
plants to specific groups is based on business considerations. The
following list identifies the assignments.
Subcategory
Group Used for
Financial Ratios
Primary Antimony
Bauxite Refining
Primary Beryllium
Primary Boron
Primary Cesium/Rubidium
Primary and Secondary
Germanium/Gallium
Secondary Indium
Secondary Mercury
Primary Molybdenum/Rhenium
Secondary Molybdenum/Vanadium
Primary Nickel/Cobalt
Secondary Nickel
Primary Precious Metals/
Mercury
Secondary Precious Metals
Primary Rare-Earth Metals
Secondary Tantalum
Primary and Secondary Tin
Primary and Secondary Titanium
Secondary Tungsten/Cobalt
Secondary Uranium
Primary Zirconium/Hafnium
Group 3
Group 1
Group 3
Group 7
Group 7
Group 7
Group 7
Group 6
Groups 3 arid 7
Group 5
Group 3
Group 5
Group 2
Group 4
Group 8
Group 6
Group 6
Groups 3 and 7
Group 7
Group 7
Group 7
-------
D. PROCEDURE FOR CALCULATING GROUP RATIOS
Each of the eight groups defined above is comprised of several
business segments. Group financial ratios are calculated as follows:
calculate financial ratios for each segment within the group
over several years; and
average segment ratios over all segments and all years.
The details of the calculations for each group ratio are presented
below. The results' of these calculations (the group ratios) are shown
in Table B-1, at the end of this appendix.
1. Calculation of Operating Income/Sales
g _ real cash flow of group g
S ~ sales of group g
o
U . T , M Um ,t
_ฃ . 1 z 1 .E S
Sg T t=1 M m=1 Sm 't
O
Where: U = real cash flow of segment m in group g in year
g' t (calculated from business segment information of
annual reports).
Sm j. = sales of segment ra in group g in year t (given
S' in business segment information of annual reports).
M = number of segments in group g.
t = 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982.
-------
2. Operating Income/Assets (Real Cost of Capital)
_ real cash flow of group g __
g ~ A(adj) " adjusted assets of group g
O
M
g A(adj)g T M A(adj)m ^
O
Where: A(adj) , = adjusted value of assets of segment m in group
g' g in year t.
^J'mg.t = \,t
Where:
, depreciation at replacement
, 1 ป current costs J_ value in 1982 .
historical costs ~ h . depreciation at book
value in 1982
h = Number of companies in the data base.
A_ L. is obtained from business segment information contained in annual
mg,t
reports.
3 . Current Assets/Sales
(CA)
_ _ current assets of group
S ~ sales of group g
O
(CA) T M (CA)m ,t
___-.__ง _L Y y K
S = T t \ M , S
g t=1 m=1 m ,t
Where: (CA) , = current assets of segment m in group g in year t.
B-6
-------
The business segment information contained in corporate annual
reports does not give any information on current assets of the
segments. Therefore, current assets of the segments have been estimated
based on the characteristics of the company to which they belong.
(CA)
V*
mg,t
Where: (CA) , = current assets of the company c (to which the
S' segment m belongs) in group g in year t.
SG , = sales of company c (to which the segment m
&' belongs) in group g in year t.
Sm . = sales of segment m of company c in group g in
S1 year t.
Non-Current Assets/Sales
(BV)
S
book value of plant and equipment of group g
sales of group g
(BV)
g
T M
T M S
1 t=1 " M=1 m ,t
Where: (BV)m ,t = book value of segment m in group g in year t,
The business segment information contained in annual reports of
companies does not give information on book values of plant and
equipment of segments. Hence, they have been estimated by the same
method used for estimating current assets of segments.
B-7
-------
(BV)
Where: (BV)
Q
'
book value of the company c (to which the segment
m belongs) in group g in year t.
5. Capital Expenditure/Sales
(CE)
S
capital expenditures of group g
Sales of group g
(CE)
g
T M (CE) ซ.
1 I 1 ? V
T 4- 1 M U 1 S
t=1 M=1 m ,t
o
Where: (CE)m . = capital expenditures of segment m in group g in
S' year t. (Provided for each business segment in
corporate annual reports.)
E. ESTIMATION OF ANNUAL REVENUES (SALES) OF EACH PLANT
, D = sales of plant i in group g in the year D
CT f
S,
VD '
C x (CU) P
11982 1
Where: C.- = Capacity of plant i in 1982 (assumed to be the same
X in 1985).
(CU)i
PT =
Average capacity utilization of plant i belonging to
industry I between 1978 and 1982.
Average real (inflation adjusted) price of metal in
industry I under between 1978 and 1982.
B-8
-------
The above equation simply states that capacity multiplied by
capacity utilization, which equals production, multiplied by price
equals sales.
F. ESTIMATION OF PLANT LEVEL OPERATING INCOME. CURRENT ASSETS, PLANT
AND EQUIPMENT. CAPITAL EXPENDITURES. AND LIQUIDATION VALUE
It is assumed that each plant possesses the characteristics of the
group in which it falls. Hence, group ratios are used to estimate
plant-level variables. The values of most of these variables are
calculated by multiplying a group ratio (as defined in Section D above)
by the plant's sales (Section E above).
1. Calculation of Operating Income of Plants
U. n = real cash flow of plant i in group g in the year D.
i ,D i ,D
ฃ g
2. Calculation of Current Assets of Plants
- current assets of plant i in group g in the year D.
D
(CA)
(CA)ig,D = Sig,D x Sg
3. Calculation of Plant and Equipment of Plants
^ p = adjusted book value of plant and equipment of plant
g' i in group g in the year D.
(BVadjh D = (BV). D x (Ux)
g' g'
. t , \ current costs
where (1+x) =
historical costs
(BV)g
i ,D = Si ,D S
g g g
B-9
-------
4. Calculation of Capital Expenditures of Plants
(CE). jj = capital expenditures of plant i in group g in
S' the period D.
(CE),
(CE)vD = svD x V
5. Calculation of Liquidation Value
L ,D = = real liquidation value cf plant i in group g in
i period D.
S
Under the assumption that plant and equipment have no scrap
value except as a tax write-off (a common practice in the industry), the
liquidation value is calculated as follows:
Lo. 'D * ฐ'7(CA)i ,D + fc (BV)i ,D
ig g g
Where: t = tax rate.
Only a portion of the value for' current, assets is included in
the liquidation value because only a certain amount can be recovered
when the plant is liquidated. Financial literature suggests this
portion to be approximately 70 percent of current assets.
Neither short-term nor long-term liabilities are taken into
account while calculating the liquidation value of plants, because they
do not affect the plant closure decisions. Whether the plant is closed
or is kept operating, liabilities will have to be paid, and so they are
not crucial decision factors in plant-closure analysis.
G, IMPLEMENTATION OF NPV TEST
The general form of the NPV test is
B-10
-------
In order to implement the NPV test, the annual compliance cost must
be subtracted from the real cash flow of the plant. Thus, the NPV test
for each plant can be written as:
Ui ,D(adj) _
L
V
where
U. n(adj) = U. n - (Total Annual Cost).
1 JJ 1 L) 1
g g
L = liquidation value of plant i
i ,D (defined above in Section F.5)
r = real cost of capital for group g (defined above in
g Section D.2)
The procedure for calculating total annual cost is explained in
Appendix C.
B-ll
-------
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B-12
-------
APPENDIX C
CALCULATION OF TOTAL ANNUAL COSTS
FOR THE TWO CLOSURE ANALYSIS TESTS
-------
APPENDIX C
CALCULATION OF TOTAL ANNUAL COSTS
FOR THE TWO CLOSURE ANALYSIS TESTS
Both the Net Present Value test (NPV test) and the liquidity test
deduct the incremental compliance costs from revenues (operating
income). While the NPV test judges the firm from the long-term point of
view, the liquidity test appraises the short-term viability of the
firm. The incurrence of pollution control expenditures, therefore,
calls for an adjustment to the real cash flows discussed in Appendix
A. The additional costs result in annual cash outflows as a result
of increased operating costs, maintenance expenditures, and payments for
the initial capital outlay. However, these costs also result in some
tax benefits, as taxable income is determined after the deduction of
both operating and depreciation expenditures. The firms also benefit
from the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). For purposes of estimating the
pollution control costs for the two tests, all tax benefits must be
considered.
A. CALCULATION OF TAX BENEFITS DUE TO INCREASED DEPRECIATION
Since depreciation is an allowable expense for tax purposes, it has
the effect of reducing taxes. If the tax rate is assumed to be t and
depreciation is D, taxes decrease by (t)(D) every year. The tax savings
are in nominal dollars; hence, the present value of the tax benefits
must be calculated by discounting the nominal tax savings by the nominal
rate of return.
The depreciation tax benefit in year k = t(D, )
Where: Dk = dk x 0.95P1
dk = depreciation rate in year k
P = capital cost to the plant.
The present value of the depreciation tax shelter =
K t(D^)
r
k=1
In accordance with the terms of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibil-
ity Act of 1982, only 95% of the capital costs can be depreciated.
Thus, the amount P, which is the initial capital cost, is adjusted to 95
percent of its value.
C-l
-------
Where: r = real cost of capital (as defined in Appendix B, Section D.2;
this value varies by group)
g = inflation rate (assumed to be 6 percent)
K = taxable life of the asset.
The capital expenditures required to install the necessary treatment
equipment have been depreciated over the taxable life of five years. In
accordance with the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982
(TEFRA), capital equipment can be depreciated as follows.
1) 15% of the depreciable assets (95% of ?) equals the depreciation
in the first year.
2) The remaining portion of the asset (85$) is depreciated on a
straight-line basis over the remaining four years. In this
study, the depreciation rates are taken to be 22% for the second
year and 21% for each of the last three years.
B. CALCULATION OF EFFECTIVE CAPITAL COST (NPV TEST)
The effective capital cost is calculated after the deduction of the
following items from the capital costs of pollution control equipment:
1) Investment tax credit (ITC), which in accordance with TEFRA
equals 10% of capital costs;
2) Present value of depreciation and interest tax shelters.
5
k=1
Therefore,
Effective
Capital Cost
P - 0.1P - E tD, x
k=1
k
C-2
-------
C. CALCULATION OF ANNUALIZED CAPITAL COSTS_0PV TEST)
The effective capital expenditures are amortized over the useful
lifetime of the asset to obtain annualized capital costs as follows:
The annualized capital costs (ACC) = <0.9P - I tD , x - - -> x _ +r'
where n = 10 = the assumed lifetime of the equipment.
Note that the annualized capital cost ACC is the product of the
effective capital cost and a capital recovery factor
~ / i ~\n
r(1 + r)
(1 + r)" - 1
D. CALCULATION OF TOTAL ANNUAL COSTS (NPV TEST)
The annual pollution control expenditures (APC ) are calculated as
follows:
APC = ACC + (l-t)AAC
Where: ACC = annualized capital cost (see Section C)
AAC = annual operating costs. The term (1-t) takes into account
the tax effect of increased expenses.
E. THE NPV TEST
The NPV test, which now takes into account the pollution control
expenditures, can now be stated as follows:
If,
0 - APC
p_
> r
C
o
Then, a plant will continue in operation.
C-3
-------
F. CALCULATION OF ANNUAL POLLUTION CONTROL EXPENDITURES
(LIQUIDITY TEST)
The liquidity test is designed to measure the short-term solvency of
the firm. The basic premise of this analysis is that a plant will close if
pollution control expenditures cause negative cash flows in the foreseeable
future. The cash flows are defined as earnings after all operating
expenses (including depreciation), interest, and taxes.
The effective capital cost is, therefore, amortized over a shorter
period of five years. The annualized capital cost (ACC ) in this case is
Total annual pollution control expenditures (APC ) in the case of the
liquidity test are, therefore, greater than in the case of the NPV test.
G. THE LIQUIDITY TEST
The liquidity test can now be stated as follows:
If,
U - APC 10
q
Then, the plant will close.
C-4
-------
APPENDIX D
PROCEDURE FOR CALCULATING INDUSTRY-WIDE IMPACTS
-------
APPENDIX D
PROCEDURE FOR CALCULATING' INDUSTRY-WIDE IMPACTS
This appendix briefly details the procedures followed in computing
certain ratios used to analyze industry-wide impacts. These impacts
concern: (1) changes in production costs; (2) price changes; (3)
changes in return on investment; and (4) effects on capital
expenditures.
A. CHANGES IN PRODUCTION COSTS
n
Z (APC.)
i=1 """
Changes in production costs =
(S - U )
Where: APC^ = annual pollution control expenditures of plant i
S^ = annual sales of plant i
U. = real income of plant i
n = number of plants in subcategory
B. PRICE CHANGES
Changes in price =
n
ฃ APC.
1=1 X
-
n
I S.
1 = 1 i
Where: APC^ = annual pollution control expenditures of plant i
S^ = annual sales of plant i
n = number of plants in subcategory
D-l
-------
C. CHANGES IN RETURN ON INVESTMENT
(r' - r)
Changes in return on investment = L
Where: r = precompliance real rate of return for each subcategory,
as defined in Appendix A.
r1 = postcompliance real rate of return for each subcategory
rf is computed as follows:
n _
E (U - APC.)
1=1
r' =
n
Z (A. + CC )
1=1
Where: U. = real income of plant i
APC. = annual pollution control expenditures of plant i
A. = assets of plant i, which equal U../r
CC. = pollution control capital costs of plant i
n = number of plants in subcategory
D. EFFECTS ON CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
n
z cci
Effects on capital expenditures =
n
E CE.
1=1 X
Where: CC^ = pollution control capital costs of plant i
CE. = estimated capital expenditure budget, of plant i
n = number of plants in subcategory
D-2
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