250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-150-10-3.15

Current through November 21, 2024

Section 250-RICR-150-10-3.15 - Incineration

A. Incineration of sludge shall be permitted if the incinerator system employed complies with rules and regulations promulgated by the Department and the USEPA regarding incinerators, air pollution, and all other applicable provisions of the law and such rules and regulations. All sludge incinerators shall operate under an Order of Approval.

B. Incineration Methods. Sludge incineration may be practiced by, but not limited to, the methods described below. Any proposed sludge incineration method must consider the treatment of exhaust gases to exclude harmful organics and particulates as stated in EPA and Rhode Island Air Pollution Control Regulations. Any comparable method of sludge incineration shall be considered by the Director for approval.

1. Multiple Hearth Incineration which includes, but is not limited to, "excess air" and pyrolysis.

2. Fluidized Bed Reactor which includes, but is not limited to, typical graded silica sand beds for the incineration of sludge.

C. Sludge Analysis. All sludge intended for incineration may be required to be tested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure for the parameters listed in § 3.31 of this Part and the results submitted to the Office of Water Resources. The Director shall determine the testing and reporting frequency. All sludge analyses shall be the responsibility of the owner of the facility that generates the sludge.

D. Condition of Sludge. All sludge intended for incineration shall not meet the criteria for hazardous waste.

E. Odor Control. Any sludge incinerator must comply with Part 120-05-17 of this Title, or other rules and regulations pertaining to odors.

F. Transportation. All transportation of sludge shall comply with § 3.14 of this Part.

G. Regional Incineration. This subrule applies to any incinerators that incinerate or propose to incinerate sludge from more than one publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works. All such incinerators shall operate under an Order of Approval and shall meet the requirements in this subrule.

1. Sludge Approval. The owner or operator of an incinerator shall obtain prior approval from the department for the sludge from each publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works that is proposed to be incinerated. The owner or operator of an incinerator proposing to incinerate sludge from multiple publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works shall submit the following information to the department:

a. Name and address of publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works where the sludge is generated;

b. Description of the publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works including but not limited to the type of wastewater treatment employed and design flow;

c. Estimate of how much sludge in dry tons/year is generated by the publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works;

d. Estimate of how much sludge in dry tons/year from publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works will be incinerated at the regional incinerator;

e. Description of the sludge characteristics including but not limited to whether the sludge is liquid or solid and the average moisture content of the sludge;

f. Name and address of the transporter;

g. Copy of results for sludge testing using the Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure for the parameters listed in § 3.31 of this Part (testing shall have been performed no more than one (1) year prior to submittal);

h. Proposed dates for the regional incinerator to incinerate sludge from the publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works; and,

i. Explanation of available of storage, dewatering and incineration capacity at the regional incinerator.

2. Sludge Analysis. A sludge sample shall be collected daily from the incinerator sludge storage tank and composited into one sample each month which shall be analyzed for total metals.

3. Emergency Contingency Plan. All regional incinerators shall have an emergency contingency plan in place which outlines procedures for continued, uninterrupted disposal of sludge in the event that the regional incinerator is not able to accept and/or incinerate sludge for any reason including mechanical failure. The emergency contingency plan shall include a listing of alternate disposal sites for sludge.

4. Reporting. The owner or operator of a regional incinerator shall submit monthly reports to the department no later than the 15th day of the following month that includes the following information:

a. Names of all publicly owned treatment works and privately owned treatment works from which incinerated sludge was generated from;

b. Quantity of sludge incinerated including number of loads received, total gallons received, average moisture content of sludge, and total dry tons of sludge received from each publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment facility; and,

c. Copy of sludge analysis required in § 3.15(G)(2) of this Part.

H. Submissions for Approval. The following submissions are required as part of an Application for Order of Approval for incineration of sludge and must be stamped by a registered professional engineer or land surveyor.

1. Application Form. The applicant shall provide information on the proposed sludge management activity on an application form obtained from the department.

2. Management Plan. Any owner or applicant who wishes to engage in sludge incineration must submit a Management Plan describing compliance with the requirements of these rules and regulations to the Director to be reviewed and evaluated individually before approval is issued. An owner or applicant seeking to operate as a regional incinerator shall also describe compliance with requirements in § 3.15(G) of this Part.

250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-150-10-3.15