La. Admin. Code tit. 33 § III-2301

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024

Section III-2301 - Control of Emissions from the Chemical Woodpulping Industry

A. Purpose. The purpose of this Subchapter shall be to limit the quantity of emissions from pulp manufacturing plants.

B. Scope. This Subchapter applies to manufacturing facilities for the pulping of wood and the preparation and recovery of associated chemicals by the kraft process, including combined recovery systems serving other processes such as neutral sulfite pulping.

C. General. The pulp production rates referred to in this Subchapter shall be equivalent tons of unbleached air-dry kraft pulp. The equivalent production rate shall be calculated as actual tons of kraft pulp or on the basis that 3,000 pounds dry solids in spent liquor represents 1 ton equivalent kraft pulp, (1,500 kilograms equals 1 metric ton). Lime kiln load shall be rated on the basis of actual kraft pulp tons or on the basis that 550 pounds of reburned lime represents 1 ton equivalent kraft pulp, (275 kilograms equals 1 metric ton).

D. Emissions Limitations. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit emissions to the atmosphere in excess of the limitations stated in this Subchapter. Notwithstanding the specific limits set forth in this Subchapter, in order to maintain the lowest possible emission of air contaminants, the highest and best practicable treatment and control currently available shall be provided in every case of new construction and/or modernization.

1. Particulate Emissions. Emission of particulate matter shall not exceed the following limits:

a. for recovery furnaces, not more than 4.0 pounds per equivalent pulp ton, (2.0 kilograms per equivalent pulp metric ton);

b. for smelt dissolver vents, not more than 0.5 pounds per equivalent pulp ton, (0.25 kilograms per equivalent pulp metric ton);

c. for lime kilns, not more than 1.0 pound per equivalent pulp ton, (0.5 kilograms per equivalent pulp metric ton);

d. for boilers fueled by bark, alone or in combination with other fuels, the provisions of LAC 33:III.1313 shall apply.

2. Sulfur Oxides. Emission of sulfur oxides shall not exceed the limits set forth in LAC 33:III.1503.C.

3. Total Reduced Sulfur Emissions

a. Emissions of Total Reduced Sulfur (TRS) from existing sources specified below shall not exceed the following limits:

i. kraft recovery furnaces corrected to 8 percent oxygen by volume:

(a). new design straight kraft recovery furnaces, 5 parts per million (ppm);

(b). old design straight kraft recovery furnaces, 20 ppm;

(c). cross-recovery furnaces, 25 ppm;

(d). recovery furnaces constructed prior to 1960: The department may establish emission limitations different from those specified above for the remaining useful life of the unit. The emissions limit established for each affected furnace will reflect the lowest levels of TRS emissions consistently achievable utilizing best practicable technology;

ii. digester systems, 5 ppm;

iii. multiple effect evaporator systems, 5 ppm;

iv. lime kilns, corrected to 10 percent oxygen by volume, 20 ppm;

v. condensate stripper systems, 5 ppm;

vi. smelt dissolving tanks, 0.016 grams per kilogram black liquor solids fired. Compliance with the particulate emission limits of Subparagraph D.1.b of this Section by a scrubbing device employing fresh water as the scrubbing medium make up will be accepted as evidence of adequate TRS control on smelt dissolving tanks. Emission limits are given in terms of 12-hour averages. For recovery furnaces, 1 percent, and for lime kilns, 2 percent of all 12-hour TRS averages per quarter year above the specified level, under conditions of proper operation and maintenance, in the absence of start-ups, shutdowns and malfunctions, are not considered to be violations of the emission limitation. These are not running averages, but are instead for discrete contiguous 12-hour periods of time;

vii. in any facility with multiple sources subject to this Subchapter, alternative TRS emission limits from individual sources shall be established upon request, using the "Bubble Concept," provided that the total emissions from all the regulated sources do not exceed those permitted above;

viii. the department may establish alternative limits consistent with the purposes of this Section.

b Compliance. Affected sources shall achieve final compliance with the provisions of this Paragraph as expeditiously as practicable but not more than six years from the effective date of this Subchapter of the regulations.

4. Opacity Limitation

a. ...

b. Compliance. Owners or operators shall conduct source tests of recovery furnaces pursuant to the provisions in LAC 33:III.1503.D, Table 4, to confirm particulate emissions are less than that specified in Paragraph D.1 of this Section. The results shall be submitted to the Office of Environmental Services as specified in LAC 33:III.919 and 918. The testing should be conducted as follows:

i. four tests at six month intervals within 24 months of initial startup; and

ii. one test every five years thereafter.

E. Exemptions

1. The TRS limitations of Paragraph D.3 of this Section do not apply to affected facilities subject to 40 CFR 60, Subpart BB-Standards of Performance for Kraft Pulp Mills, or 40 CFR 60, Subpart BBa-Standards of Performance for Kraft Pulp Mill Affected Sources for Which Construction, Reconstruction, or Modification Commenced After May 23, 2013.

2. The opacity limitation of Subparagraph D.4.a of this Section does not apply to affected sources subject to 40 CFR 63, Subpart MM-National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Chemical Recovery Combustion Sources at Kraft, Soda, Sulfite, and Stand-Alone Semichemical Pulp Mills.

La. Admin. Code tit. 33, § III-2301

Promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Air Quality and Nuclear Energy, Air Quality Division, LR 13:741 (December 1987), amended by the Office of Air Quality and Radiation Protection, Air Quality Division, LR 19:1564 (December 1993), amended by the Office of Environmental Assessment, Environmental Planning Division, LR 26:2454 (November 2000), amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Affairs Division, LR 31:2442 (October 2005), LR 32:1841 (October 2006), LR 33:2088 (October 2007), LR 34:1892 (September 2008), amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Division, LR 38:2753 (November 2012), Amended by the Office of the Secretary, Legal Affairs and Criminal Investigations Division, LR 461224 (9/1/2020).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:2054.