Adipic Acid Production
United States
Final Rule: Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Aaencjmerrtal Pl°t9ction
Under the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) rule, owners or operators of facilities that
produce adipic acid (as defined below) must report emissions from adipic acid production processes and
all other source categories located at the facility for which methods are defined in the rule. Owners or
operators are required to collect emission data; calculate GHG emissions; and follow the specified
procedures for quality assurance, missing data, recordkeeping, and reporting.
How Is This Source Category Defined?
The adipic acid production source category consists of all processes that use oxidation to produce adipic
acid.
What GHGs Must Be Reported?
Adipic acid production facilities must report nitrous oxide (N2O) process emissions from all adipic acid
production lines combined.
In addition, each facility must report GHG emissions for other source categories for which calculation
methods are provided in the rule. For example, facilities must report carbon dioxide (CO2), N2O, and
methane (CH4) emissions from each stationary combustion unit on site by following the requirements of
40 CFRpart 98, subpart C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources). Please refer to the relevant
information sheet for a summary of the rule requirements for calculating and reporting emissions from
any other source categories at the facility.
How Must GHG Emissions Be Calculated?
Calculate N2O process emissions from adipic acid production by multiplying a site-specific emission
factor by the annual adipic acid production level. Determine the site-specific emission factor by
performing an annual performance test to measure N2O emissions from the waste gas stream of each
oxidation process and using the production rate recorded during the test.
Facilities that use N2O abatement devices (such as nonselective catalytic reduction) must adjust the N2O
process emissions for the amount of N2O removed using a destruction factor for the control device and
the percent of time the control device operated. Use the destruction efficiency specified by the abatement
device manufacturer.
A checklist for data that must be monitored is available at:
www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/checklists/adipicacidproduction.pdf
What Information Must Be Reported?
In addition to the information required by the General Provisions at 40 CFR 98.3(c), adipic acid
production facilities must report the following information at the facility level:
• Annual process N2O emissions (metric tons).
• Annual adipic acid production (tons).
• Annual adipic acid production during which N2O abatement technology is operating (tons).
40 CFR 98, subpart E 1 EPA-430-F-09-038R
September 2009
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• Annual amount of process N2O emissions from the adipic acid that is sold or transferred off site
(metric tons).
• Number of abatement technologies (if applicable).
• Type of abatement technology or technologies used (if applicable).
• Abatement technology destruction efficiency for each abatement technology (percent
destruction).
• Abatement utilization factor for each abatement technology (fraction of annual production that
abatement technology is operating).
• Number of times in the reporting year that missing data procedures were followed to measure
adipic acid production (months).
If a performance test was conducted and a site-specific emission factor was calculated, the following
information must also be reported:
• Emission factor (Ib N2O/ton adipic acid).
• Test method used for performance test.
• Production rates during performance test (tons/hr).
• N2O concentration during performance test (parts per million N2O).
• Volumetric flow rate during performance test (dry standard cubic feet/hr).
• Number of test runs.
• Number of times in the reporting year that a performance test had to be repeated (number).
If Administrator approval for an alternative method of determining N2O concentration was requested,
each annual report must also contain the following information:
• Name of alternative method.
• Description of alternative method.
• Request date.
• Approval date.
For More Information
This document is provided solely for informational purposes. It does not provide legal advice, have
legally binding effect, or expressly or implicitly create, expand, or limit any legal rights, obligations,
responsibilities, expectations, or benefits in regard to any person. The series of information sheets is
intended to assist reporting facilities/owners in understanding key provisions of the final rule.
Visit EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html) for more
information, including the final preamble and rule, additional information sheets on specific industries,
the schedule for training sessions, and other documents and tools. For questions that cannot be answered
through the Web site, please contact us at: ghgmrr@epa.gov.
40 CFR 98, subpart E 2 EPA-430-F-09-038R
September 2009
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