Section 449.06. Emission standards for polyvinyl chloride plants.

  An owner or operator of a polyvinyl chloride plant shall comply with the requirements of this section and s. NR 449.07 .

(1)   Requirements for vinyl chloride reactors.

(a) The concentration of vinyl chloride in all exhaust gases discharged to the atmosphere from each vinyl chloride reactor may not exceed 10 parts per million, except as provided in par. (b) and s. NR 449.07 (1) .

(b) The vinyl chloride reactor opening loss from each vinyl chloride reactor may not exceed 0.020 gram vinyl chloride/kilogram (0.000020 pound vinyl chloride/pound) of polyvinyl chloride product, with the product determined on a dry solids basis. This requirement applies to any vessel which is used as a vinyl chloride reactor or as both a vinyl chloride reactor and a stripper. In the bulk process, the product means the gross product of prepolymerization and postpolymerization.

(c) Except for an emergency manual vent valve discharge, there may be no discharge to the atmosphere from any manual vent valve on a polyvinyl chloride reactor in vinyl chloride service. An emergency manual vent valve discharge means a discharge to the atmosphere which could not have been avoided by taking measures to prevent the discharge. Within 10 days of any discharge to the atmosphere from any manual vent valve, the owner or operator of the source from which the discharge occurs shall submit to the department a report in writing containing information on the source, nature and cause of the discharge, the method used for determining the vinyl chloride loss, the action that was taken to abate the discharge, and measures adopted to prevent future discharges.

(2)   Requirement for strippers. The concentration of vinyl chloride in all exhaust gases discharged to the atmosphere from each stripper may not exceed 10 parts per million, except as provided in s. NR 449.07 (1) . This requirement does not apply to equipment that has been opened, is out of operation, and met the requirement in s. NR 449.07 (2) (f) 1. before being opened.

(3)   Requirement for mixing, weighing, and holding containers. The concentration of vinyl chloride in all exhaust gases discharged to the atmosphere from each mixing, weighing, or holding container in vinyl chloride service which precedes the stripper, or the reactor if the plant has no stripper, in the plant process flow may not exceed 10 parts per million, except as provided in s. NR 449.07 (1) . This requirement does not apply to equipment that has been opened, is out of operation, and met the requirement in s. NR 449.07 (2) (f) 1. before being opened.

(4)   Requirement for monomer recovery systems. The concentration of vinyl chloride in any exhaust gases discharged to the atmosphere from each monomer recovery system may not exceed 10 parts per million, except as provided in s. NR 449.07 (1) . This requirement does not apply to equipment that has been opened, is out of operation, and met the requirement in s. NR 449.07 (2) (f) 1. before being opened.

(5)   Requirements for sources following strippers. The following requirements apply to emissions of vinyl chloride to the atmosphere from the combination of all sources following strippers, or vinyl chloride reactors if the plant has no strippers, in the plant process flow including but not limited to, centrifuges, concentrators, blend tanks, filters, dryers, conveyor air discharges, baggers, storage containers, and inprocess wastewater:

(a) In polyvinyl chloride plants using stripping technology to control vinyl chloride emissions, the weighted average residual vinyl chloride concentration in all grades of polyvinyl chloride resin processed through the stripping operation on each calendar day, measured immediately after the stripping operation is completed, may not exceed:

1. 2000 parts per million for polyvinyl chloride dispersion resins, excluding latex resins.

2. 400 ppm for all other polyvinyl chloride resins, including latex resins, averaged separately for each type of resin.

(b) In polyvinyl chloride plants controlling vinyl chloride emissions with technology other than stripping or in addition to stripping, emissions of vinyl chloride to the atmosphere may not exceed:

1. 2.0 grams/kilogram (0.0020 pound/pound) product from the strippers (or vinyl chloride reactors if the plant has no strippers) for dispersion polyvinyl chloride resins, excluding latex resins, with the product determined on a dry solids basis.

2. 0.40 gram/kilogram (0.00040 pound/pound) product from the strippers, or vinyl chloride reactors if the plant has no strippers, for all other polyvinyl chloride resins, including latex resins, with the product determined on a dry solids basis.

History: Renum. from NR 154.19 (6) (f) and am. Register, September, 1986, No. 369 , eff. 10-1-86; am. (1) (b), (5) (b) 1. and 2., Register, May, 1992, No. 437 , eff. 6-1-92.