Chapter NR 449
CONTROL OF VINYL CHLORIDE EMISSIONS
NR 449.01 Applicability; purpose. NR 449.04 Emission standards for ethylene dichloride plants. NR 449.05 Emission standard for vinyl chloride plants. NR 449.06 Emission standards for polyvinyl chloride plants. NR 449.07 Emission standards for ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride plants. NR 449.08 Equivalent equipment and procedures. NR 449.09 Emission tests. NR 449.10 Emission monitoring. NR 449.11 Initial report. NR 449.12 Semiannual report. NR 449.01(1)(1) Applicability. This chapter applies to plants which produce ethylene dichloride by reaction of oxygen and hydrogen chloride with ethylene, vinyl chloride by any process, one or more polymers containing any fraction of polymerized vinyl chloride and any combination of these products and to all owners and operators of these plants. NR 449.01(2)(2) Purpose. This chapter is adopted under ss. 285.11, 285.13, 285.17 and 285.27, Stats., to establish emission limitations and sampling and testing procedures for vinyl chloride air contaminant sources and to create additional monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping requirements for owners or operators of a vinyl chloride air contaminant source in order to protect air quality. NR 449.01 NoteNote: This chapter is based on the federal regulations contained in 40 CFR part 61, Subpart F, as last revised on October 17, 2000. NR 449.01 HistoryHistory: Renum. from NR 154.19 (6) (a) and am., cr. (2), Register, September 1986, No. 369, eff. 10-1-86; am. (1), Register, May, 1992, No. 437, eff. 6-1-92. NR 449.02NR 449.02 Definitions. The definitions contained in ch. NR 400 apply to the terms used in this chapter. In addition, the following definitions apply to the terms used in this chapter: NR 449.02(1)(1) “Bulk resin” means a resin which is produced by a polymerization process in which no water is used. NR 449.02(2)(2) “Dispersion resin” means a resin manufactured in such a way as to form fluid dispersions when dispersed in a plasticizer or a plasticizer and diluent mixture. NR 449.02(3)(3) “Ethylene dichloride plant” includes any plant which produces ethylene dichloride by reaction of oxygen and hydrogen chloride with ethylene. NR 449.02(4)(4) “Ethylene dichloride purification” includes any part of the process of ethylene dichloride production which follows ethylene dichloride formation and in which finished ethylene dichloride is produced. NR 449.02(5)(5) “Grade of resin” means the subdivision of resin classification which describes it as a unique resin, i.e., the most exact description of a resin with no further subdivision. NR 449.02(6)(6) “Inprocess wastewater” means any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or waste product containing vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride but which has not been discharged to a wastewater treatment process or discharged untreated as wastewater. NR 449.02(7)(7) “In vinyl chloride service” means a piece of equipment that contains or contacts either a liquid that is at least 10% by weight vinyl chloride or a gas that is at least 10% by volume vinyl chloride. NR 449.02(8)(8) “Latex resin” means a resin which is produced by a polymerization process which initiates from free radical catalyst sites and is sold undried. NR 449.02(9)(9) “Polyvinyl chloride plant” includes any plant where vinyl chloride alone or in combination with other materials is polymerized. NR 449.02(10)(10) “Reactor” means a vat or vessel, which may be jacketed to permit temperature control, designed to contain chemical reactions. NR 449.02(10m)(10m) “Run” means the net period of time during which an emission sample is collected. NR 449.02(11)(11) “Slip gauge” means a gauge which has a probe that moves through the gas to liquid interface in a storage or transfer vessel and indicates the level of vinyl chloride in the vessel by the physical state of the material the gauge discharges. NR 449.02(11m)(11m) “Standard operating procedure” means a formal written procedure officially adopted by the plant owner or operator and available on a routine basis to those persons responsible for carrying out the procedure. NR 449.02(12)(12) “Stripper” includes any vessel in which residual vinyl chloride is removed from polyvinyl chloride resin, except bulk resin, in the slurry form by the use of heat or vacuum, or both. In the case of bulk resin, stripper includes any vessel which is used to remove residual vinyl chloride from polyvinyl chloride resin immediately following the polymerization step in the plant process flow. NR 449.02(13)(13) “Type of resin” means the broad classification of resin referring to the basic manufacturing process for producing that resin, including, but not limited to, the suspension, dispersion, latex, bulk and solution processes. NR 449.02(14)(14) “Vinyl chloride plant” includes any plant which produces vinyl chloride by any process. NR 449.02(15)(15) “Vinyl chloride purification” includes any part of the process of vinyl chloride production which follows vinyl chloride formation and in which finished vinyl chloride is produced. NR 449.02(16)(16) “Vinyl chloride reactor” includes any vessel in which vinyl chloride is partially or totally polymerized into polyvinyl chloride. NR 449.02(17)(17) “Vinyl chloride reactor opening loss” means the emission of vinyl chloride occurring when a reactor is vented to the atmosphere for any purpose other than an emergency relief discharge as defined in ss. NR 449.06 (1) (c) and 449.07 (1). NR 449.02(18)(18) “Wastewater treatment process” includes any process which modifies characteristics such as biological or chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, or pH, usually for the purpose of meeting effluent guidelines and standards, but does not include any process the purpose of which is to remove vinyl chloride from water to meet requirements of this chapter. NR 449.02 HistoryHistory: Renum. from NR 154.01, cr. (intro.) and (10), Register, September, 1986, No. 369, eff. 10-1-86; (10m), (11m), and (18), renum. from NR 400.02 (82), (92) and (101), Register, May, 1992, No. 437, eff. 6-1-92; am. (intro.), Register, December, 1995, No. 480, eff. 1-1-96; CR 02-097: am. (intro.), Register June 2004 No. 582, eff. 7-1-04. NR 449.03(1)(1) Exemption. This chapter does not apply to equipment used in research and development if the reactor used to polymerize the vinyl chloride processed in the equipment has a capacity of no more than 0.19 cubic meters (50 gallons). NR 449.03(2)(2) Partial exemption. Sections of this chapter other than ss. NR 449.06 (1) (a), (2), (3), (4), 449.09 to 449.13 do not apply to equipment used in research and development if the reactor used to polymerize the vinyl chloride processed in the equipment has a capacity of greater than 0.19 cubic meters (50 gallons) and no more than 4.07 cubic meters (1100 gallons). NR 449.03 HistoryHistory: Renum. from NR 154.19 (6) (b) and (c) and am. Register, September, 1986, No. 369, eff. 10-1-86. NR 449.04NR 449.04 Emission standards for ethylene dichloride plants. NR 449.04(1)(1) Ethylene dichloride purification. The concentration of vinyl chloride in all exhaust gases discharged to the atmosphere from any equipment used in ethylene dichloride purification 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. NR 449.04(2)(2) Oxychlorination reactor. Except as provided in s. NR 449.07 (1), emissions of vinyl chloride to the atmosphere from each oxychlorination reactor may not exceed 0.20 gram/kilogram (0.00020 pound/pound) of the 100% ethylene dichloride product from the oxychlorination process. NR 449.04 HistoryHistory: Renum. from NR 154.19 (6) (d) and am. Register, September, 1986, No. 369, eff. 10-1-86; am. (2), Register, May, 1992, No. 437, eff. 6-1-92. NR 449.05NR 449.05 Emission standard for vinyl chloride plants. An owner or operator of a vinyl chloride plant shall comply with the requirements of this section and s. NR 449.07. NR 449.05(1)(1) Vinyl chloride formation and purification. The concentration of vinyl chloride in all exhaust gases discharged to the atmosphere from any equipment used in vinyl chloride formation or purification, or both, 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. NR 449.05 HistoryHistory: Renum. from NR 154.19 (6) (e) and am. Register, September, 1986, No. 369, eff. 10-1-86. NR 449.06NR 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. NR 449.06(1)(a)(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). NR 449.06(1)(b)(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. NR 449.06(1)(c)(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. NR 449.06(2)(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. NR 449.06(3)(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. NR 449.06(4)(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. NR 449.06(5)(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: NR 449.06(5)(a)(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: NR 449.06(5)(a)1.1. 2000 parts per million for polyvinyl chloride dispersion resins, excluding latex resins.
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