Incinerators performance standards

The posttrial bum period is the time for U.S. EPA to evaluate all of the data that were recorded during the incinerator s trial burn. To allow the operation of a hazardous waste incinerator following the completion of the trial bum, U.S. EPA establishes permit conditions sufficient to ensure that the unit will meet the incinerator performance standards. This posttrial burn period is limited to the minimum time required to complete the sampling, analysis, data computation of trial bum results, and the submission of these results to U.S. EPA. 

RCRA incinerator regulations include adrninistrative as weU as performance standards. Administrative standards include procedures for waste analysis, inspection of equipment, monitoring, and facihty security. Steps needed to meet adrninistrative standards are outlined ia the permit apphcation performance standards are demonstrated during a trial bum. Trial bum operating conditions are included in the permit to assure ongoing compliance with the performance standards. Performance standards include destmction and removal efficiency (DRE), particulate emissions limits, products of incomplete combustion emission limits, metal emission limits, and HCl and Cl emission limits (see Exhaust CONTROL, INDUSTRIAL). 

EPA must issue New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for any solid waste incineration unit not covered by another deadline lor issuance of such standards. 

While medical waste is not subject to federal RCRA regulation, air emissions from new and existing hospital, infectious, and medical waste incinerators are subject to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and emission guidelines under CAA. 

The Subpart O standards4 for hazardous waste incinerators set performance standards that limit the quantity of gaseous emissions an incinerator may release. Specifically, the regulations set limits on the emission of organics, HC1, and PM. The following section outlines the requirements for each of these substances. 

PM are tiny particles of ash that are carried along with the combustion gases to the incinerator s stack. The incinerator regulations control metal emissions through the performance standard for particulates, since metals are often contained in or attached to the PM. A limit of 180 mg PM/dscm of gas emitted through the stack has been discussed in section. 

A RCRA permit for a hazardous waste incinerator sets operating conditions that specify allowable ranges for, and requires continuous monitoring of, certain critical parameters. Operation within these parameters ensures that combustion is performed in the most protective manner and the performance standards are achieved. These parameters, or operating conditions, include16... 

While most incinerators must undergo a trial burn, it is possible for a facility to submit extensive information in lieu of the trial burn. U.S. EPA believes that most combustion units will need to conduct trial burns in order to develop operating conditions that ensure compliance with the performance standards. Data submitted in lieu of the trial burn, therefore, must originate from a unit with a virtually identical design that will burn wastes under virtually identical conditions (i.e., located at the same facility). 

Incineration. A "pesticide Incinerator" Is defined as "any Installation capable of the controlled combustion of pesticides, at a temperature of 1000 C (1832 F) for two seconds dwell time In the combustion zone, or lower temperatures and related dwell times that will assure complete conversion of the specific pesticide to Inorganic gases and solid ash residues" ( 2). In addition, an Incinerator must meet the performance standards promulgated under RCRA (40 CFR 264 Subpart 0) If pesticides regulated under RCRA are to be burned. This means that an Incinerator must be capable of destroying or removing 99.99% of the pesticide put Into It. Test burns that are fully monitored are normally required to determine whether this performance standard Is achieved. 

Recent efforts have been concerned with the acceptable operation of hazardous waste incinerators. Currently, the performance standards for incinerators burning hazardous waste address three areas ... 

In October 2005, the EPA issued a final rule updating the RCRA emission standards for hazardous waste incinerators based on maximum achievable control technology (MACT) that is commonly employed under the CAA. Therefore, hazardous waste incinerators are subject to MACT combustion unit performance standards and operating requirements, in addition to RCRA standards. 

Performance standards for chemical and technological processes such as minimum temperatures in waste incinerators... 

The basic thrust of the 1984 incineration regulations requires that all hazardous waste incinerators meet certain performance standards. Describe the three key standards in technology. 

Wastes containing dioxins, dibenzofurans, chlorophenols, and their chlorophenoxy derivatives must meet additional design, operating, and monitoring requirements for landfills. An incinerator burning hazardous waste must be designed, constructed, and maintained to meet the following performance standard ... 

Recommendation 6. The Chemical Materials Agency should continue to oversee control system improvements at individual chemical agent stockpile incineration facility sites to ensure that total performance standards are met and that sites coordinate those parts of the control system and its operation that can provide more robust continuing operations at a programmatic level. (Tier 1)... 

Trial burn Test of an incineration facility while burning hazardous wastes at the operating conditions specified in the permit application. Used to demonstrate that the incinerator meets the performance standards given by RCRA. 

For the incineration of hazardous waste, three performance standards have been set Organic wastes must be destroyed with an efficiency of 99.99 percent gaseous hydrogen chloride (e.g., from the incineration of PVC scrap) must be reduced 99 percent or to less than 4 lbs per hour, and particulate matter emissions may not exceed ISOmg per dry cubic meter of stack gas. The EPA requires test bums on all incinerators to ensure that these conditions are met, a major expense costing companies up to 100,000 for each unit. 

U.S. EPA s recommendations regarding stack emission tests, which may be performed at hazardous waste combustion facilities for the purpose of supporting MACT standards and multipathway, site-specific risk assessments, where such a risk assessment has been determined to be necessary by the permit authority, can be found in the U.S. EPA document on Risk Burn Guidance for Hazardous Waste Combustion Facilities.32 The applicability of the new standards has been demonstrated in the management of hazardous waste incinerators, whose performance was shown to clearly surpass the regulatory requirements in all tested areas.33... 

The USEPA is responsible for creating and enforcing the NESHAPs for all hazardous air pollutant sources. The CAA states that new or existing major sources must have emission standards based on the maximum available control technology (M ACT) to reduce hazardous air pollutant emissions. The MACT standards are based on the performance of the best 12% of the control devices in the same source category. These MACT emissions requirements were extended in 1997 to cover wastewater biosolid incinerators at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) that have the potential to discharge cadmium, lead, and mercury (Richman, 1997). 

Standards of Performance for Industrial-Commercial-Institutional Steam Generating Units Standards of Performance for Small Industrial-Commercial-Institutional Steam Generating Units Standards of Performance for Incinerators... 

Standards of Performance for Large Municipal Waste Combustors for Which Construction is Commenced after September 20, 1994 or for which Modification of Reconstruction is Commenced after June 19, 1996 Standards of Performance for Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators for which Construction Is Commenced after June 20, 1996 Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants Standards of Performance for Nitric Acid Plants Standards of Performance for Sulfuric Acid Plants Standards of Performance for Hot Mix Asphalt Facilities Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries... 

Standards of Performance for Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units for Which Construction Is Commenced After November 30, 1999 or for Which Modification or Reconstruction Is Commenced on or After June 1,2001... 

All hazardous waste combustors (HWCs), including hazardous waste incinerators (HWIs), cement kilns (CKs), and lightweight aggregate kilns (FWAKs), are subject to the MACT standards regardless of size or major source status. HWCs are required to be in compliance with the standards by September 30, 2003, and are required to demonstrate compliance by March 30,2004, through a Comprehensive Performance Test (CPT). The rule allows for a 1-year extension of the compliance date for facilities that need to install pollution control equipment to meet standards. 

Table 15 Hazardous Waste Incinerator Standards Compared to Typical SCWO Performance...

Type of Emissions in Effluent Gas Stream Standards for New Incinerators Typical Incinerator Emissions Controls Needed to Meet Standards SCWO Inherent Performance (No Gas Clean-up)... 

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