c/EPA HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATORS BOILERS AND INDUSTRIAL FURNACES UPDATE #5 United States Environmental Protection Agency Region VIII DENVER, COLORADO • JUNE 1996 INTRODUCTION This is the fifth in a series of information updates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding proposed incineration activities in Region VIII. These updates are developed with the cooperation of state environmental agencies in Region VIII. The purpose of these updates is to keep interested parties informed of possible incineration activity in their communities. EPA PROPOSES NEW HAZARDOUS WASTE COMBUSTION RULE EPA's Draft Hazardous Waste Minimization and imbustion Strategy (May 1993), the Agency made _ commitment to (1) upgrade the emissions standards for facilities which burn hazardous waste and (2) emphasize minimization of the production of hazardous waste. To fulfill this commitment, EPA has proposed revised emissions standards to reduce hazardous air pollutants. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on April 19, 1996. The rule applies to three types of facilities: • Hazardous waste incinerators are enclosed, controlled flame combustion devices used primarily to treat organic and/or aqueous wastes. As of November 1994, there were 28 commercial incinerators and 134 non-commercial incinerators in the U.S. • Hazardous waste-burning cement kilns, which receive hazardous waste to burn as fuel to run their cement processes. As of November 1994, there were 26 cement kilns in the U.S. burning hazardous wastes on a commercial basis. • Hazardous waste-burning lightweight aggregate kilns, which produce concrete products for structural or thermal insulation purposes. As of November 1994, there were seven lightweight aggregate kilns burning hazardous waste in the U.S. These three types of facilities incinerate more than 80% of the total amount of hazardous waste burned each year. The remaining 15-20% is burned in industrial boilers and other types of industrial furnaces. The proposed standards would limit emissions of some of EPA's top priority pollutants (see chart on page 2 for numerical standards): • Dioxins and furans: These compounds have been shown to be extremely toxic to many non-human animal species and may cause cancer in humans. They may also cause reproductive and immune system disorders. • Cadmium and lead: These heavy metals tend to . accumulate in the body with prolonged exposure, and can be toxic at high concentrations. They can produce other harmful effects (such as learning disabilities in children) at lower concentrations. • Mercury: A heavy metal like cadmium and lead, mercury can be toxic at high doses and tends to accumulate in the body. The volatility of mercury compounds causes easy dispersal over large areas. • Arsenic, beryllium, chromium, and antimony .-These metals are poisons at high enough concentrations, and can cause a variety of health effects. Arsenic, beryllium and chromium can cause cancer. ------- • Particulate matter: Finely divided solids dispersed in the air can be inhaled and become lodged in the respiratory tract. This can cause severe health effects in sensitive populations (e.g., people with asthma or emphysema). • Acid gas emissions (,hydrochloric acid and chlorine): When inhaled, these corrosive gases can cause damage to the respiratory system. • Hydrocarbons: EPA's proposed standard is meant to ensure high waste destruction efficiency. • Carbon monoxide: EPA's proposed standard meant to ensure high waste destruction efficiency PROPOSED STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATORS, CEMENT KILNS, AND LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATE KILNS Hazardous Air Pollutant (units) Proposed Incinerator Standards (Existing and New Facilities) Proposed Cement Kiln Standards (Existing and New Facilities) Proposed Light- weight Aggregate Kiln Standards (Existing and New) Current Standard Dioxin/Furans (ng TEQ/dscm)1 .2 .2 .2 None Semi-Volatile Metals (SVM) lead,cadmium (ug/dscm)2 270 existing 62 new 57 existing 55 new 12 existing 5.2 new Specific to each facility Mercury (ug/dscm)2 50 50 72 Specific to each facility Low Volatility Metals (LVM) (antimony, arsenic, beryllium, chromium) (ug/dscm)2 210 existing 60 new 130 existing 44 new 340 existing 55 new Specific to each facility Particulate Matter (PM) (gr/dscf)3 0.030 (equal to 69 mg/dscm)4 0.030 (equal to 69 mg/dscm) 0.030 (equal to 69 mg/dscm) .08 Total Chlorine (HC1 + C12) ppm5 280 existing 67 new 630 existing 67 new 450 existing 62 new Specific to each facility Hydrocarbons (HC) (ppmv)6 12 Main Stack 20 Bypass 6.7 14 20 Carbon Monoxide (CO) ppm 100 (1 hour rolling average) Main Stack NA Bypass 100 100 100 'ng=nanogram (one billionth of a gram, 454 grams = 1 lb ), TEQ=Toxic Equivalent Standard (converts all forms of dioxins and furans into the equivalent weight of the most toxic form of dioxin), dscm=dry standard cubic meter (indicates volume portion of standard) New standard is 2 of one billionth of a gram in a cubic meter of air 2ug=microgram (one millionth of a gram) per dry standard cubic meter 3gr=grains (7,000 grains= 1 lb ), dscf=dry standard cubic foot New standard is 03 grains per cubic foot of air 4mg = milligram (one thousandth of a gram) per dry standard cubic meter 5HCl=hydrochlonc acid, CL2 = chlorine, ppm=parts per million 6ppmv=parts per million by volume 2 ------- The proposed standards are based on Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACTs), as ""'lired by the Clean Air Act (CAA). MACT icts the maximum degree of hazardous air ution reduction that can be achieved, based on current emissions control technologies. The proposal would reduce the current exemption from regulation for small quantity burners that burn up to 2,000 gallons of hazardous waste per month. The proposed rule would lower that figure so that only those facilities that burn less than 27 gallons per month would be exempt. The rule has two key "common-sense" provisions: • It would fulfill the requirements of both the CAA and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), thus eliminating dual monitoring, compliance testing, and recordkeeping requirements. • It would exclude from regulation those hazardous wastes that have the same characteristics as fossil uels, and that are burned instead of fossil fuels. EPA believes that the proposed rule will create significant incentives for waste minimization (recycling and reducing the source of wastes). The proposal specifically seeks to encourage facilities to identify waste minimization to achieve compliance with MACT standards or to achieve exclusion from regulation. This is particularly pertinent in that almost half of the hazardous waste burned each year is combusted at on-site facilities (i.e., the same facility at which the waste was generated). Therefore, facility owners and operators have direct control over their own waste generation. For a copy of the proposed rule, call the toll-free RCRA Hotline at 1-800-424-9346. The rule and background support documents are also available on the Internet: go to http://www.epa.gov or gopher.epa.gov and then access "Offices and Regions," "Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response," and "Office of Solid Waste." STATUS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATORS AND BOILERS & INDUSTRIAL FURNACES (BIFs) IN REGION VIII OPERATING INCINERATORS: UTAH 1. Aptus. Inc.. Tooele County. UT Aptus is a commercial facility that has been incinerating hazardous waste, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), since December 1991. Stack gas testing (trial burn) has been conducted and the Trial Burn Report has been approved by the State of Utah and EPA. Since the State and EPA permits require additional stack gas testing every two years, Aptus conducted an additional stack gas test at the end of 1995. The test report was submitted in March 1996 and is currently under review. USPCI Clive Incineration Facility. Tooele County. UT USPCI is a commercial facility that received approval from the State of Utah and EPA in August 1994 to begin incinerating hazardous waste, including PCBs, on a limited (shakedown) basis. The trial burn test was conducted in December 1995 through January 1996. The Trial Burn Report was submitted to the State and EPA in May 1996, and is currently under review. 3. United States Department of the Army. Tooele Army Depot - South The Tooele Chemical Demilitarization Facility (TOCDF) is a nerve agent incineration facility that will destroy stockpiled nerve agents stored at the Tooele Army Depot. To date, trial burns have been conducted using non-nerve agent (surrogate) chemicals on TOCDF's two liquid incinerators, deactivation furnace, and metal parts furnace. The State of Utah and EPA are reviewing trial burn plans for testing one of the liquid incinerators and the deactivation furnace with the nerve agent GB. Incineration of chemical agents, including agent trial 3 ------- burn testing, can begin only after the State and EPA have approved the chemical agent trial burn plans and other required plans and documentation. The Army is currently projecting the start of agent operations for July 1996. 4. United States Department of the Army Tooele Armv Depot - South: Chemical Agent Munitions Disposal System (CAMPS) CAMDS is a research facility currently treating nerve agent waste that was stored at the Tooele Army Depot. The facility has a Research, Demonstration, and Development (RD&D) permit issued by the State of Utah in May 1991. The State has recently determined that the current RD&D permit will be reissued to cover only non-incineration treatment activities at CAMDS. A full RCRA permit will be required for future incineration and storage activities; the Army is currently preparing a RCRA permit application. 5. United States Department of the Armv Tooele Armv Depot - North: Deactivation Furnace The Deactivation Furnace destroys obsolete ammunition and propellant that is stored at the Tooele Army Depot. A trial burn test was conducted in August 1993; as of August 1995, the Furnace has been operating under final permit conditions. COLORADO 6. ECOVA (formerly Waste-Tech Services Inc.). Golden A permit was issued in February 1989 by the State of Colorado for this facility. The small fluidized bed research incinerator at this facility was closed under a closure plan approved by the State in December 1995. 7. Rockv Mountain Arsenal. Submerged Quench Incinerator (SOD. Commerce Citv. CO On July 10, 1995, the SQI completed treatment of all 10.9 million gallons of liquid waste formerly stored at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in a surface impoundment called Basin F. Closure and dismantling of the SQI was completed in the Fall of 1995, in accordance with a plan approved by EPA and the State of Colorado. PART B APPLICATIONS RECEIV1 (PROPOSED) 1. United States Department of the Armv. Pueblo Depot Activity The Army has proposed building an incineration facility that will destroy stockpiled mustard blister agents stored at the Pueblo Depot Activity. The Army submitted a revised permit application to EPA and the State of Colorado in October 1995 to build the facility. A human health risk assessment is required as part of the permitting process. A plan (Protocol) detailing how a human health risk assessment of the facility would be conducted was submitted to the State and EPA in August 1995. The State and EPA have provided comments to the Army on the Protocol and the Army is in the process of revising it. The Army, the State, and EPA will conduct a public workshop this summer in Pueblo on the risk assessment process. 2. Ash Grove Cement. Montana Citv. Montana In October 1995 Ash Grove notified EPA and the State of Montana that it was withdrawing its permit application for the use of hazardous waste as a fuel supplement in its cement kiln. 4 ------- If you have technical questions or questions related to Federal regulations, you may contact: rl Daly, Regional Combustion Specialist 5. EPA, Region VIII 999 18th Street Denver, Colorado 80202-2466 (303) 312-6416 You may also contact the following state representatives: Colorado Dave Waltz Public Health Engineer Hazardous Waste Control Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment 4300 Cherry Creek Dr. So. Denver, CO 80222 (303) 692-3360 North Dakota Neil Knatterud Acting Director Waste Management Department of Health 00 Missouri Avenue iom 302 imarck, ND 58520 (701) 221-5166 Utah Rick Page Environmental Engineer Utah Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 144880 Salt Lake City, UT (801) 538-6170 84114-4880 Montana Richard Knatterud Environmental Specialist Department of Health and Environmental Sciences 836 Front Street Helena, MT 59620 (406) 444-1430 South Dakota Vonnie Kallemeyn Natural Resources Program Scientist Department of Environment & Natural Resources Office of Waste Management 319 South Coteau Pierre, SD 57501 (605) 773-3153 Wyoming David Finley Administrator Solid and Hazardous Waste Division Wyoming Dept. of Environmental Quality Herschler Building 122 W. 25th Cheyenne, WY 82002 (307) 777-7938 If you would like general background information or publications on incineration of hazardous waste, contact: Harold Dunning U.S. EPA Region VIII - OCPI 999 18th Street Denver, Colorado 80202-2466 (303) 312-6633 LOCATION OF REPOSITORIES General information, background publications and these updates on incineration of hazardous waste have been placed at the following locations and are available to the public: • Boone Town Hall, Boone, CO • Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO • U.S. EPA Library, 999 18th Street, Denver, CO • Florence Public Library, Florence, CO • Colorado State University Library, Ft. Collins, CO • Mesa County Public Library, Grand Junction, CO • McClelland Library and Barkman Branch Library, Pueblo, CO • Montana State University, Bozeman, MT • Lewis & Clark County Library, Helena, MT • Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT • Tooele City Public Library, Tooele, UT 5 ------- EPA Region Vm Hazardous Waste Incinerators and Boilers and Industrial Furnaces Incinerators Aptus - Aragonite, UT USPCI - Clive, UT Tooele Deactivation Furnace - Tooele, UT Chemical Agent Munitions Disposal System (CAMDS) - Tooele, UT Chemical Demilitarization Facility ~ (CDF) - Tooele, UT 1 Pueblo Depot - Pueblo, CO Rocky Mountain Arsenal - Denver, CO Waste Tech - Golden, CO Ash Grove Cement Co. Clancy, MT Helena t Lake |H|* Denver Tooele V • Pueb Facility Status Q EXISTING/OPERATING ^ EXISTING/NOT OPERATING ^ APPLICATION SUBMITTED ~ CLOSED/APPLICATION WITHDRAWN ------- MAILING LIST EPA maintains a mailing list of people interested in incineration activities in Region VIII. If you did not get this Update by mail and want your name added to that mailing list, please fill out this form and mail it to: Harold Dunning U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - OCPI 999 Eighteenth Street Denver, CO 80202-2466 (please print or type) NAME AFFILIATION (if any) ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE Please delete my name from the mailing list: Are you interested in a specific facility? No Yes If yes, name/location of facility Note: Reuse/Recycle Please pass this form on to someone you think would be interested in hazardous waste incineration if you do not wisn to use the form at this time. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - OCPI 999 Eighteenth Street Denver, CO 80202-2466 HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATORS BOILERS AND INDUSTRIAL FURNACES UPDATE #5 ------- |