ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
February
14,
1975
INTERCONTINENTAL ALLOYS CORPORATION,
Petitioner,
vs.
)
PCB 74—432
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Respondent.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr.
Dumelle):
Intercontinental Alloys Corporation owns and operates a
facility north of Crest
Hill,
Will County,
Illinois
for the
manufacture of aluminum alloys.
Equipment
at this facility
includes two gas-fired reverberatory furnaces having
a capacity
of 85,000 lb.
Particulate emissions from the furnaces are not
controlled.
Petitioner has filed
a Petition for Variance in which relief
is sought from Rule 203(a)
of the Air Pollution Control Regu-
lations until such time as air pollution control equipment can
be installed.
Current plans call for the installation
of hooding
ducts and blowers on furnace
#1 by February 28,
1975 and on
furnace
#2 by September 1,
1975.
However,
if refractory materials
are not available then furnace
#2 will not be controlled until
January
1,
1976.
In the operation of its furnaces Petitioner charges each furnace
with 40,000 to 60,000 lbs.
of aluminum scrap every
24 hours.
A
molten heel of 30,000 lbs.
is customarily maintained in each
furnace during each melt cycle.
Chlorine is used in the process
to clean contaminants from the molten metal.
Not all melts require
a cleaning with chlorine,
When the chlorine process is required
it is used
for approximately
1 hour per day.
Emissions from the furnace vary with
the quality of scrap
aluminum used.
The use of dirty scrap causes a higher emission
rate than clean scrap because the dirty scrap
is contaminated by
oil and paint.
Petitioner estimates that emissions from the two
furnaces are 10,7 lbs,/hr.
(based
on. a process weight rate of
60,000 lbs./day),
and computes the allowable particulate emission
rate at 7~58lbs./hr.
15
—
517
—2—
The allowable emission rate of 7.58 lbs./hr. appears to
have been determined using the equation in Rule 202(b) which
is not the applicable Rule in this case.
Petitioner states
that tables “from the U.
S. Environmental Protection Agency~
were used to calculate the actual emission rate of 10.75 lbs./hr.
Table 7.8-1 of AP—42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission
Factors, Second Edition, shows an emission factor of 4.3 lbs.
particulates per ton of aluminum scrap for an uncontrolled re-
verberatory furnaöe.
Using this emission factor it can be
determined that a process weight rate of 120,000 lbs./day
(60
tons) woñld have to be used in the calculations instead of
60,000 lbs./day to arrive at an emission rate of
10.75
lbs./hr.
The total process weight rate for both furnaces was 120,000 lbs.
per day and we conclude that total emissions from both furnaces
were 10.75 lbs./hr.
The Agency submits the following data:
Emissions during normal melting
(23 hrs/day)
=
10.7 lbs/hr.
Emissions during chlorination
(1 hr/day)
=
167 lbs/hr.
Average emissions
=
17.2 lbs/hr.
Allowable emissions
=
3.0
lbs1’hr.
It
is unclear from the record how the Agency arrived at an
allowable emission rate of
3.0 lbs./hr.
Excluding chlorine
usage,
a source processing 120,000 lbs./day
(2.5 tons/hr.)
is
allowed under Rule 203(a)
to emit 4.14
lbs. particulates per hour.
Since the record fai1ed to show the amount of chlorine used in
the process, we cannot calculate the allowable emission rate at
this time.
This deficiency does not prevent a decision in this
matter, however,
since the data that is available shows that
Petitioner
is in violation of Rule 203(a), which is one of the
preliminary requirements for receiving
a variance.
In an enforcement case involving these two parties
(PCB 74-10)
Intercontinental Alloys stipulated that it would install hooding
ducts and blowers to collect and incinerate its emissions.
Under
this Stipulation Petitioner will alter and convert its two furnaces
so as to utilize a secret patented process
to reduce particulate
emissions during chlorination.
Information on the process, known
as the “Derham Process” has been made available to the Agency on
condition that the Agency consider such information confidential.
In its Recommendation the Agency reports that Agency personnel
reviewed information on the “Derham Process” and concluded that
Petitioner’s proposed control program should bring the facility
into compliance with Rule 203(a).
The Agency also found Petitioner’s
Project Completion Schedule to be reasonable.
15 —518
Petitioner’s facility is located in
a rural
area.
Complaints
about the operation have been received from area residents “from
time to time”
but there were no objections to the granting of
this variance.
The environmental impact
is
not large.
The
Agency recommends granting
this
variance ~ubject tc certain
conditions.
We will grant the variance and shall require a bond in the
amount of $30,000 for the installation of the pollution control
equip:nent.
This Opinion constitutes the Board~sfindings of fact and
conclusions of law.
Mr.
Henss dissents.
ORDER
It is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that Inter-
continental Alloys Corporation be granted variance from Rule 203(a)
of the Air Pollution Control Regulations to and including
January
1,
1976 for the purpose of installing pollution control
equipment at its Crest Hill, Illinois facility.
This variance
is subject to the following conditions:
1.
Petitioner shall apply to the Environmental Protection
Agency for construction and operating permits.
2.
Petitioner shall submit monthly progress reports to
the Agency.
Said progress reports shall commence on March
31,
1975 and shall provide details of Petitioner’s progress
toward achieving compliance with Rule 203(a)
3.
Petitioner shall, by March
31,
1975, post a bond in
the amount of $30,000 in
a form acceptable
to the Environmental
Protection Agency, such bond to be forfeited in the event
Petitioner fails to install and operate the pollution control
equipment.
Bond shall be made to:
Fiscal Services Division,
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 2200 Churchill
Road,
Springfield, Illinois 62706.
4.
Within 35 days of the completion of installation
of the control equipment for each furnace, Petitioner
shall cause a stack test to be conducted on that furnace
by an independent testing company.
Petitioner shall notify
the Agency in writing at least 7 days prior to the testing
15—519
—4—
and shall allow Agency personnel to witness all tests.
Written notification shall be made to:
Environmental
Protection Agency, Division of Air Pollution Control,
Surveillance Section, Naval Armory, East Randolph and the
Lake, Chicago,
Illinois
60601.
I,
Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and Order
were adopted on the
/~/~‘~
day of February,
1975 by a vote of
Christan L.
offe
Cler
Illinois Pollution
ontrol Board
15 —520