[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 960-962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 60, 63, 260, 261, 264, 265, 266, 270 and 271

[FRL-5672-6]
RIN 2050-AF01


Hazardous Waste Combustors; Revised Standards; Proposed Rule--
Notice of Data Availability and Request for Comments

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of data availability and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This announcement is a notice of availability and invitation 
for comment on the Agency's updated database of emissions and ancillary 
information on hazardous waste combustors (HWCs) pertaining to the 
proposed revised standards for hazardous waste combustors (61 FR 17358 
(April 19, 1996)).
    Readers should note that only comments about new information 
discussed in this notice will be considered during the comment period. 
Issues related to the April 19, 1996, proposed rule that are not 
directly affected by the documents or data referenced in this Notice of 
Data Availability are not open for further comment.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted by February 6, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Commenters must send an original and two copies of their 
comments referencing Docket Number F-96-CS2A-FFFFF to: RCRA Docket 
Information Center, Office of Solid Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency Headquarters (EPA, HQ), 401 M Street, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20460. Comments may also be submitted electronically 
through the Internet to: [email protected]. Comments in 
electronic format should also be identified by the docket number F-96-
CS2A-FFFFF. All electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file 
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Commenters should not submit electronically any confidential business 
information (CBI). An original and two copies of the CBI must be 
submitted under separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document Control Officer, 
OSW (5305W), 401 M Street, SW, Washington D.C. 20460. For other 
information regarding submitting comments electronically, or viewing 
the comments received or supporting information, please refer to the 
proposed rule (61 FR 17358 (April 19, 1996)). The RCRA Information 
Center is located at Crystal Gateway One, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
First Floor, Arlington, Virginia and is open for public inspection and 
copying of supporting information for RCRA rules from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m. Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. The public 
must make an appointment to view docket materials by calling (703) 603-
9230. The public may copy a maximum of 100 pages from any regulatory 
document at no cost. Additional copies cost $0.15 per page.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, call the RCRA 
Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or TDD 1-800-553-7672 (hearing impaired) 
including directions on how to access electronically the database 
document (USEPA, ``Updated Hazardous Waste Combustor Database,'' 
December 1996) via EPA's Cleanup Information Bulletin Board System 
(CLU-IN). The database document is posted on CLU-IN in Portable 
Document Format (PDF) and can be viewed and printed using Acrobat 
Reader. The CLU-IN modem access phone number is 301-589-8366 or Telnet 
to clu-in.epa.gov for Internet access. The RCRA Hotline is open Monday-
Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Callers within 
the Washington Metropolitan Area must dial 703-412-9810 or TDD 703-412-
3323 (hearing impaired). For other information on this notice, contact 
Bob Holloway (5302W), Office of Solid Waste, 401 M Street, S.W., 
Washington, DC 20460, phone (703) 308-8461, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 19, 1996, EPA proposed revised 
standards for hazardous waste combustors (i.e., incinerators and cement 
and lightweight aggregate kilns that burn hazardous waste). See 61 FR 
17358. After an extension of the comment period, the comment period 
closed on August 19, 1996.
    The Agency also published a notice of data availability (NODA) on 
August 23, 1996 (61 FR 43501) inviting comment on information 
pertaining to a peer review of aspects of the proposed rule, additional 
analyses of fuel oils that

[[Page 961]]

would be used to establish a comparable fuel exclusion, and information 
on a synthesis gas process. The comment period on that NODA closed on 
September 23, 1996.
    The Agency is today providing notice and opportunity to comment on 
an updated hazardous waste combustor database that presents the 
emissions and ancillary data that the Agency plans to use to develop 
the final rule. We note that changes in the proposed MACT floor levels 
could result from applying the alternative MACT methodologies discussed 
in the proposed rule to the updated database. In addition, changes in 
cost-effectiveness, and baseline and residual risk could result from 
using the updated database. Finally, the Agency will use the updated 
data in making decisions such as whether and how to subdivide source 
categories, whether to use normal versus compliance test data to 
develop standards, and whether to use older emissions data when more 
recent data are available from a source.

Updated HWC Data Base

    EPA compiled a database containing the results of hazardous waste 
combustor (HWC) trial burns and facility operating and design 
characteristics as part of the development of the April 1996 proposed 
``Maximum Achievable Control Technology'' (MACT) standards for HWCs (61 
FR 17358, April 19, 1996). The database contains information from 
facilities in three source categories which burn hazardous wastes: 
incinerators (over 90 units), cement kilns (40 units), and lightweight 
aggregate kilns (13 units).1 The database contains stack gas 
emissions data (including data on metals, chlorine, particulate matter, 
chlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/PCDF), carbon monoxide (CO), and 
hydrocarbons (HC)), process operating data (including waste, fuel, and 
raw materials compositions and feed rates), and facility equipment 
design and operational data (including combustor and air pollution 
control device temperatures, pressures, etc.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Data on boilers are also included in the database even 
though hazardous waste burning boilers would not be subject to this 
rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Since the proposal of the rule, the Agency has received comments 
from stakeholders identifying: (1) errors in the database used for the 
proposed rule; and (2) new HWC trial burn and certification of 
compliance reports that were not considered for the proposed rule. 
Additionally, the Agency has received new compliance test reports 
through other data-gathering efforts since the proposed rule. The 
Agency has updated and revised the HWC database based on these comments 
and other data collection efforts.
    The updated database is provided in: USEPA, ``Updated Hazardous 
Waste Combustor Database,'' December, 1996. This document is referred 
to in this notice as the database document. Hard copy printouts of the 
updated and revised database are contained in the ``Data Summary 
Reports'', found as Appendices to the document. The database document 
is provided in the administrative docket for this rule. In addition, an 
electronic version of the document can be accessed electronically via 
CLU-IN. (See the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION section of this notice.) 
Finally, the database is also available to interested persons in the 
database application Paradox (Version 5.0 for Windows). Refer to the 
database document for details.
    The updated database has the same structure and main fields as that 
used for the proposed rule. It has nine related files:
     Site Information: Contains general information on each 
combustor unit, including database identification number, EPA 
identification number, EPA Region, company name, location (city and 
state), device name, air pollution control system, system type 
(commercial or onsite incinerator, cement kiln, lightweight aggregate 
kiln), waste burning status, and cement kiln design identifiers.
     Test Condition Information: Contains information on each 
test condition, including test condition and run identification number 
(both internal database and site identification numbers), condition and 
run dates, type of wastes and auxiliary fuels burned during the 
condition, description of the condition, as well as newly added 
condition descriptors identifying the condition as ``baseline,'' 
``normal,'' or ``permit mode'' (as described in more detail below), and 
whether the condition was conducted with the most recent facility 
equipment and design.
     Stream Information: Contains information on the type and 
sampling location of each process stream (system outputs including 
stack gas emissions and solid effluents as well as system inputs 
including waste streams, auxiliary fuels, spiking streams, etc.), as 
well as stack information (including height and diameter).
     Process Stream Information: Contains information on each 
process stream, including rates (feed rates and discharge rates of 
solid, liquid and gas streams), as well as other stream properties 
(such as stack gas conditions including temperature, moisture, oxygen, 
and solid and liquid densities).
     Process Analysis Information: Contains feed input and 
effluent rates for a variety of constituents (including metals, 
chlorine, organics, ash, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and 
hydrocarbons) associated with each of the process streams (both system 
inputs and effluents).
     Air Pollution Control Device Design Parameters: Contains 
information on design parameters of each air pollution control device 
(e.g., baghouse cloth area, cloth type, cleaning method).
     Air Pollution Control Device Operating Parameters: 
Contains information, by test condition run, on operating parameters of 
each air pollution control device (e.g., ESP specific collection area, 
operating temperature, power input).
     Combustor Design Parameters: Contains information on 
design parameters of the combustor (e.g., combustor size, manufacturer, 
type, number of chambers, cement kiln design).
     Combustor Operating Parameters: Contains information, by 
test condition run, on operating parameters of the combustor (e.g., 
combustor temperature, pressure).
    The use and contents (including a comprehensive ``data element 
dictionary'') of the database are described in detail in the database 
document.

Updates to the Database

1. Changes to Existing Data Used to Support the Proposed Rule
    The Agency received comments on additions and errors to data 
contained in the proposed rule database from three sources. The 
Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) provided specific comments on 
data from 21 incinerator facilities (RCSP-00182). The Cement Kiln 
Recycling Coalition provided specific comments on data from 23 cement 
kiln facilities (RCSP-00170) as well as some incinerators (overlapping 
generally with the CMA comments). For lightweight aggregate kilns, 
Solite provided specific comments on individual LWAK facilities (RCSP-
00187).
    The comments included identification of: (1) transcription errors 
(those made in transferring the data from the test report to the 
database); (2) test report errors; (3) missed or missing data; (4) non-
representative conditions (such as baseline non-hazardous waste burning 
conditions); (5) updated reports (some Certification of Compliance 
tests that were used have since been revised and

[[Page 962]]

updated); (6) facilities not currently burning hazardous waste; (7) 
unsubstantiated and/or incorrect air pollution control device 
characteristics; and (8) inaccurate conversion of concentration 
emissions from mass based levels using gas flow rates and oxygen level. 
Changes and responses made as appropriate to each of the specific 
comments in each of these areas are discussed in detail in the database 
document.
2. New Test Reports Added to the Database
    The Agency added results from many new test reports (from both new 
facilities as well as new test reports from facilities already in the 
database) to the HWC database. For incinerators, a few new trial burn 
reports were obtained through comments on the proposed rule, including 
reports from First Mississippi Corp., American Cyanamid, and Ciba 
Geigy. Various other reports from approximately 15 new incinerators, as 
well as new reports from facilities already in the database, including 
Waste Technologies Industries and DuPont, were added based on 
collection from the individual companies and/or EPA Regional Office 
archives.
    The Agency added data from many new cement kiln test reports 
received from the Cement Kiln Recycling Coalition. Additionally, other 
individual cement companies including Ash Grove, Lafarge, Citadel/
Medusa, and Continental provided separate test reports as part of their 
comments. The data are comprised of many new ``second round'' 
Certification of Compliance reports from testing done in 1994-1996, as 
well as various miscellaneous stack testing reports from conditions 
under ``normal'' non-trial burn type waste burning operations.
    For LWAKs, the Agency added three new reports from Solite (all from 
new units) and a new report from Norlite based on comments on the 
proposed rule and other data collection efforts.
    All new data that the Agency has incorporated into the database 
since the rule was proposed are tabulated in detail in the database 
document.
3. Other Database Additions
    In addition to the above described database updates and changes, 
the Agency has added the following new information to the database:
     Device Descriptors:

--Waste Burning Status: Field identifying if the facility is currently 
burning hazardous waste.
--Mixed Waste Burner: Field identifying if the combustor accepts and 
routinely treats hazardous and radioactively contaminated ``mixed'' 
wastes.
--Cement Kiln Descriptors: Fields identifying long vs short kilns, 
those with alkali bypasses, and those with in-line raw mills.

     Condition Descriptors:

--Test Condition Date: Field identifying the test condition date.
--Baseline Conditions: Field identifying whether the condition was 
conducted under ``baseline'' conditions, baseline conditions being 
those where hazardous waste is not being fired.
--``Normal'' Conditions: Field identifying whether the condition was 
conducted under ``normal'' conditions. Normal conditions are defined as 
conditions conducted where hazardous waste is being burned, and where 
the unit is operating under typical ``every day'' procedures. During 
such testing, there is no intentional spiking of waste materials with 
POHC, chlorine, or metals compounds. Additionally, the unit is not 
operating under ``stressed'' conditions designed to maximize or 
minimize factors such as waste feed rates, temperatures, and air 
pollution control device operating parameters.
--``Permit'' Mode: Fields identifying whether the source used the test 
condition for setting permit or interim status operating limits for 
each individual constituent (each hazardous air pollutant or surrogate, 
including individual metals). For example, for metals and chlorine 
being controlled under the Boilers and Industrial Furnaces Rule, the 
condition would be a ``permit mode'' for all Tier II or Tier III 
constituents since the source testing was designed to evaluate 
acceptable feed rate limits based on the demonstrated system removal 
efficiency of the facility. Alternately, the condition would not be a 
permit (or operating limit) mode for Tier I or adjusted Tier I 
constituents since the source testing is not used for any direct 
regulatory-setting purpose. Only tests conducted with the purpose of 
complying with or establishing permit conditions (or interim status 
operating limits) and intended to be used to establish a facility 
``operating envelope'' with respect to the specific HAP were identified 
with the ``permit'' mode marker.
--Latest Retrofits: Field identifying whether the condition is 
conducted using the most recent equipment and configuration.

    Dated: December 19, 1996.
Michael Shapiro,
Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 97-34 Filed 1-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P