ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

March

8,

1973

o

NRAOER

AND

COMPANY

~72—495

ENVI RONHENTAL

PROTECTION ACENCY

EARl.

~l

SCHWARTZ,

ON

BEHALF

CS

PETITIONER

KENNETH

U.

CUMBINER,

ASST.

ATTORNEY

GENERAL,

ON

BEHALF

OF

ENVIRONMENTAL

PJC)TECTION

ACENCY

)PIftC~N

L~I\JL)

OI1UEP

OF

TIlE

BOARD

(BY

SAMUEL

1’.

LAWTON,

JR.)

Petition

for

variance

was

filed

by

I-I.

Kramer and Commany,

a copper

rufiniop

and

smelting

oration,

located

in

Chicago,

reQuesting

a

vnriuncu

until

~Junc

33,

1973

to

exceed

the

marticulate

emission

limits

~rov~dud

in tho

Environmental

Protection

Act

and

more

particularly,

in

td~

A~r Pollution

Control

Regulations.

Tue

C

n.~anp

is

in

the

business

of

smelting

and

refining

copper

and’

n’

:or~Jasc

a1lo~’

saran

and

residues

and

manufactures

brass

and

erc~~zn

i

nqot~.

It omeloys

175

nersons

with

an

annual

PaYroll

in

ex-

cess

of

$2,000,000.

In

order

to

allow

the

installation

of

the

addi-

tional

oaghouse,

retitloner reurosents

that

it

will

be necessary

to

trogram

the operation of its four reverabatory

furnaces and one

cooper

base

alloy

cupola

in a manner that

may

cause particulate

omiss:ions

in excess

of present

emission

standards.

Petitioner

be-

iicvcs

that

at the present time

it

is

in

substantial

compliance

with

auplicable regulations.

The four reverabatory

furnaces and cupola

have

a maximum hourly

production rate of

13,900

pounds

and

1,372

pounds

of emissions,

which emissions are substantially

of

zinc oxide

fumes.

Dust collection equipment attached

to this unit show

a collec-

Lion efficiency of 99.6

through No.

1

and

No.

2

dust

collectors

and

the

collection

efficiency

of 99.6

on baghouse

No.

5,

which cantures

fugitive

fumes.

Zinc

oxide

collected

is

sent

to

manufacturers

who

convert

it to zinc sulphate or metallic

zinc.

Aoelication

for

a

No.

6 baghouse was filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency in October,

1972,

and

a permit

to construct issued

on November 20,

1972.

The unit consists of

6 modules, each powered

by its own fan, and will have

a total capacity of 61,500 CFM.

It

will

replace

the No~ 1 baghouse built in 1930 and rated at only 26,000

CF”i.

7

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223

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AU

reverabatory furnaces will be connected to the No.

6 baghouse

and the No.

2 baghouse will be used solely for the cupola.

Approxi-

mately $425,000 will be expended for the acquisition of the basic

equipment and installation of flues and duct work.

Foundation work

has already commenced.

Petitioner represents that the complete installation and test-

ing should be completed by June 30,

1973.

The variance is needed

in order to prevent a shutdown of the facility during the construc-

tion period, because as construction progresses,

it

will

be

necessary

to shut down the existing No.

1 or No.

2 baghouses

for limited periods

as connections to the new No.

6 baghouse are made.

The precise

amount of emission in excess of regulatory limits

is not specified,

but

petitioner

represents

that

it

will

schedule

its

work

so

as

to

minimize emissions.

Failure to allow the variance,

as requested,

would necessitate a shutdown of the facility with resulting hardship

on the Company,

its employees and customers.

The Environmental

Protection Agency has recommended that the variance he granted until

the installation of the No.

6 baghouse has been completed,

or June

30,

1973, whichever first occurs, subject to certain conditions which we

will specify in our order.

We believe the hardship on petitioner,

its employees and its

customers

in shutting the plant down if the variance is denied is

far greater than the burden on the community resulting from

the

emissions during the period of installation.

We

grant the variance

as requested,

subject to the conditions proposed

by

the Agency.

This opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions

of law of the Board.

IT IS THE ORDER of the Pollution Control Board that H.

Kramer and

Company be granted

a variance to exceed the particulate emission limits

of the Air Pollution Regulations until

June

30,

1973,

pending installa-

tion of its No.

6 baghouse, subject to the following terms and condi-

tions:

1.

Progress reports are to be filed monthly with

the Agency commencing on Auril

1,

1973, giving

a brief description of the status of the com-

pliance program as outlined in attachment

1

to the petition for variance.

2.

Petitioner shall maintain a record indicating the

date and time excessive emissions occurred,

its

best estimate of the amount of emissions as~d

its production rate during that time,

and the

reason for

the

excessive emissions.

This record

shall be submitted

to the Agency monthly and shall

be available to Agency personnel on request.

I, Christan Moffett,

Clerk of

the

Illinois Pollution Control Board,

certify that the above Opinion and Order was adopted on the

______

day of March,

1973,

by a vote of

~

to

(‘

-

q1

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