ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

August

7,

1975

VELSICOL CHEMICAL CORPORATION,

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 74—312

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by Mr. Goodman):

This matter comes before the Pollution Control Board

(Board)

upon Velsicol Chemical Corporation’s

(Velsicol)

May

8,

1975, second amended petition for variance from Rule

205(f)

of the Air Pollution Regulations.

Velsicol seeks

this variance in order to continue operation of its poly-

merization until June

30,

1975, while installing pollution

control equipment which will completely recycle Petitioner’s

hydrocarbon emissions.

Velsicol’s petrochemical plant

is located in Clark

County near Marshall,

Illinois.

The plant manufactures

agricultural chemicals and~hydrocarbonresins from petroleum

fractions.

Velsicol’s products are used

in hot melt ad-

hesives, mastiks,

contact cements, metallic paints,

latex

paints, varnishe~, rubber compounding,

core oils,

hard—

board saturants and rotogravure inks.

The plant utilizes

9400 pounds of petroleum fractions per hour, 180 pounds of

boron trifluoride catalyst per hour,

and 85 pounds of lime

per hour.

Velsicol’s catalytic polymerization unit has two vents

which emit hydrocarbon vapor to the atmosphere.

The poly-

merization receiver vent’s emissions of 0.58 pounds per hour

are within the standards of 205(f).

However,

the Eimco

vent’s emissions of a benzene—toluene—xylene mixture from

119 to 130 pounds per hour exceed the permissible emission

rates.

In Velsicol chemical Company v.

EPA, PCB 73-543,

the

Board granted Velsicol

a variance from 205(f)

until August

31,

1974.

Velsicol’s plan of compliance

at that time consisted

of installing an afterburner to incinerate hydrocarbon

vapors.

With the encouragement of the Environmental Pro-

tection Agency

(Agency)

,

Velsicol has developed a new com-

pliance plan which wculd conserve energy and completely

recycle the hydrocarbon vapors.

The Agency issued a con-

struction permit to Velsicol on July 17,

1974.

The emission

18

—

300

---

—2—

control facility consists of explosion control instrumen-

tation at a cost of $6480.00; an explosion proof compressor

at a cost of $22,820.00; and furnace burners

at a cost of

$1,510.00.

Velsicol had intended to be in compliance by

April

30,

1975.

However, due to the arrival of the 125

horse power electric motor which powers the compressor in

damaged condition,

compliance

is not expected until June

30,

1975.

After installation of the pollution control devices,

the plant will recover the air-hydrocarbon vapor mixture

from the Eirnco vent,

remix that gas with natural gas, com-

press that product and then burn it in the process

furnace

of the Raw Material Converter.

Although the Board does not construe the denial of

a

variance as

a “shut down order”, Petitioner alleges that

denial of this variance would result in the dismissal of 121

employees,

and the withdrawal of 5,000,000 pounds per month

of hydrocarbon resins from the open market.

Velsicol,

also,

alleges that

it would lose sales

in the amount of $500,000.00

per month and its raw material suppliers would lose some

$250,000.00 per month in revenues.

The Board finds that Velsicol’s compliance plan

is

reasonable and that the denial of the variance would result

in unreasonable har3.~hipto Petitioner and its employees,

in view of the fact that Petitioner had no control over the

delay in complaince.

The grant of a variance herein will

have

a minimal effect on the ambient air quality in the area

and will ultimat~:1ybenefit the ambient air quality and

conserve needed energy resources.

In consideration of the

foregoing,

the Board will grant Velsicol

a variance from

Rule 205(f)

for its Marshall plant from August

31,

1974,

to

and including June

30,

1975.

This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact

and conclusions of

law in this matter.

ORDER

It

is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that

Velsicol Chemical Company be and is hereby granted a var-

iance from Rule 205(f)

of the Air Pollution Regulations for

its Marshall,

Illinois, catalytic polymerization unit from

August

31,

1974,

to and including June

30,

1975.

I, Christan

L. Moffett,

Clerk of the Illinois Pollution

Control Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and Order

were ado~tedon the

~7N

day of

,

1975 by a

vote of

~

18

301

Christan L. Moffett,/~brk

—

Illinois Pollution

C45~’ntrol

Boa~rd