ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
June 21,
1913
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~
INC.
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v.
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PCB 73-105
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ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
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)
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OPINION
AND
ORDER
OP THE BOARD (by Mr. DumeiTh)
This is a petition for variance from Rules 205(f), 103(b)
(6)(E), and 104(c)(i) of the Air Regulations.
Hearing was held on
May
17,
1973.
Petitioner’s plant is located in Montgomery, Illinois.
Peti-
tioner’s plant manufactures toilet soap from tallow, coconut oil,
and sodium hydroxide.
Tallow and coconut oil are pumped into the
bottom of two eight-foot fat splitting towers and water is pumped
in the top.
L.a the fats rise, fatty acids are released and washed
free.
The crude fatty acids then flow to a dehydrator and into
holding tanks prior to entering the distillation tower.
In the
distillation tower, the acids are boiled causing a vapor to be given
off.
These vapors contact cooling water in the barometric condensers
and the resulting liquid flows to the skimming basin and then to the
“oily” cooling tower, which is the subject of this Petition.
Petitioner states that approximately 18 pounds per hour of organic
materials are discharged from the cooling tower which is in excess
of the allowable emissions of
8 pounds/hr in Rule 205(f) of the
Pollution Control Board Rules.
Petitioner has been working on this odor problem since 1966.
During
that
time
period
they
have
done
odor
surveys, installed an
aeration
system, put in new stainless steel sweet water storage
tanks, experimented with neutralizing chemicals,’ converted coal
boilers to gas, relocated cenain pieces of process equipment, per-
formed feasibility studies, installed a screen system, and installed
a
skimming
tank.
In
February,
1973,
their
consulting
engineer
began
the
final
design
work
on
the
project.
The design is expected to
be completed by August, 1913.
To date, Armour has spent $1.6 million on pollution control and
expects to spend another $1.5 million to complete the project.
They
C—343
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will be replacing the present barometric type condensers with sur-
face condensers thus eliminating any direct contact between the
vapor stream and the cooling water.
At this point, without
the benefit of the final engineering plans
and schedules, we are uncertain as
to exactly what will be involved
in the project and what the interim and final dates will be.
We
will, however, grant
a short term variance until September 30,
1973
so
that the final design plans and schedules may be completed and sub-
mitted to the Agency.
At that point
the petitioner will have to re-
petition the Board with
a specific and definite schedule listing all
interim and final
dates.
The Agency will then have 21 days within
which to submit its recommendation and comments
to us.
There will
probably be no need for any hearing at that point.
This opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and
conclusions of law.
ORDER
Variance
is granted from Rules
205(f);
103(b) (6) (B) and
104
(c)(l) until September
30,
1973.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Boar~hereby certify the above Opinion and Order were adopted on the
©?,~‘
day of June, 1973 by
a vote of ____________________________
ristan
L.
o
ett,
r
Illinois Pollution C
rol Board
8—
344