S.C. Code Regs. § § 61-62.5.4.V

Current through Register Vol. 48, 12, December 27, 2024

Section 61-62.5.4.V - COTTON GINS

A. Definitions

1. 1D-3D cyclone - Any cyclone-type collector of the 1D-3D configuration. This designation refers to the ratio of the cylinder to cone length, where D is the diameter of the cylinder portion. A 1D-3D cyclone has a cylinder length of 1xD and a cone length of 3xD.

2. 2D-2D cyclone - Any cyclone-type collector of the 2D-2D configuration. This designation refers to the ratio of the cylinder to cone length, where D is the diameter of the cylinder portion. A 2D-2D cyclone has a cylinder length of 2xD and a cone length of 2xD.

3. Bale - A compressed package of cotton lint weighing nominally 500 lbs.

4. Gin Yard - the land upon which a cotton gin is located and all contiguous land having common ownership or use.

5. Ginning operation - Any facility or plant that separates cotton lint from cotton seed. This process typically includes cleaning (removing plant material, dirt and other foreign matter) and packaging the lint into bales.

6. Ginning season - The period of time during which the gin is in operation; usually between (but not limited to) September of the current year and January of the following year.

7. High pressure exhausts - The exhaust air systems at a cotton gin preceding the gin stand (including unloading, drying, extracting, cleaning, and overflow handling systems) in which material is conveyed by a higher pressure air and is typically controlled by cyclones.

8. Low pressure exhausts - The exhaust air systems at a cotton gin following the gin stand (including lint cotton cleaning and battery formation process) in which material is conveyed by low pressure air and is typically controlled by condensers.

9. Removal efficiency - Percent of total particulate matter removed from the gas stream between a cyclone's inlet and outlet.

B. Applicability

1. This rule applies to all existing, new, and modified cotton ginning operations in South Carolina. These facilities will be subject to registration permit conditions as specified in SC Regulation Regulation 61-62.1 Section II(I).

2. Existing facilities with a maximum gin stand rated capacity (or documented equipment limitation) of less than twenty (20) bales per hour that do not have cyclones on lint cleaning system exhausts and battery condenser exhausts as of promulgation date of this rule, will not be required to add the emission control devices in Paragraph (C)(2) to lint cleaning exhausts or battery condenser exhausts if emissions from these exhausts are controlled by fine mesh screens.

C. Emission Control Requirements

1. New facilities will be required to apply for a registration permit before commencement of construction. Existing facilities will be required to apply for a registration permit within 90 days of the promulgation date of this rule. Until such time that a registration permit is issued by the Department, existing cotton ginning operations should operate with existing permits.

2. Each cotton ginning operation shall install and operate a particulate emission control system on all high and low pressure exhausts and lint cleaning system exhausts that includes one (1) or more 1D-3D or 2D-2D cyclones meeting the cylinder diameter requirements to produce a 3.5 to 6.0 or 3.0 to 5.5 inches of water pressure drop (respectively) as illustrated in Figure 6-20 and 6-21 of the Agricultural Handbook Number 503, Cotton Ginners Handbook, dated December 1994. Existing facilities shall comply with these control equipment requirements by August 31, 2012.

3. Air pollutant emissions shall not exceed 20 percent opacity.

4. Stacks shall not be equipped with raincaps or other devices that deflect the emissions downward or outward.

5. Trash stacker areas shall contain one of the following:

a. A three sided enclosure with a roof whose sides are high enough above the opening of the dumping device to prevent wind from dispersing dust or debris; or

b. A device to provide wet suppression at the dump area of the trash cyclone and minimize free fall distance of waste material exiting the trash cyclone.

6. The owner or operator shall ensure that all trucks transporting gin trash material are covered and that the trucks are cleaned of over-spill material before trucks leave the trash hopper dump area.

7. Reasonable precautions should be taken when operating or maintaining storage piles, materials, equipment, or vehicles in order to prevent any substance from being scattered by the wind or air in order to prevent fugitive dust emissions in accordance with SC Regulation Regulation 61-62.6, Section II.

D. Alternative Control Measures

1. The owner or operator of a cotton ginning operation may petition the Department to use alternative control measures to those specified in this rule. The petition shall include:

a. The name and address of the petitioner;

b. The location and description of the cotton ginning operation;

c. A description of the alternative control measure; and

d. A demonstration that the alternative control measure is at least as effective as the control device or method specified in this rule.

2. Once approved, repairs and maintenance of such devices will not require notification to the Department.

E. Monitoring

1. To ensure that the minimum required removal efficiency is maintained, the owner or operator shall establish, based on manufacturers recommendations or industry standards, an inspection and maintenance schedule for the control devices, other emission processing equipment, and monitoring devices that are used pursuant to this rule. The inspection and maintenance schedule shall be followed throughout the ginning season. The results of the inspections and any maintenance performed on the control equipment, emission processing equipment, or monitoring devices shall be documented in an on-site log book and made available to the Department upon request. The owner or operator should keep a copy of the manufacturer's specifications for each type of control device installed.

2. On a weekly basis, the owner or operator shall measure and calculate the pressure drops across all cyclones. Measurements shall be made using a manometer, a Magnahelic(R) gauge, or other device that the Department has approved as being equivalent to a manometer. These measurements should be recorded in the log book referred to in (E)(1). If the owner or operator measures a static pressure out of the range indicated in (C)(2) of this regulation, the owner or operator shall initiate corrective action. Corrective action shall be recorded in the logbook. If corrective action will take more than 48 hours to complete, the owner or operator shall notify the Department no later than the end of the day such static pressure is measured.

3. During the ginning season, the owner or operator shall weekly inspect for structural integrity of the control devices and other emissions processing systems and shall ensure that the control devices and emission processing systems conform to normal and proper operation of the gin. Fine mesh screens should be inspected daily throughout the ginning season and any clogs should be removed. If a problem is found, corrective action shall be taken and recorded in the logbook required in (E)(1) of this rule.

4. If control devices are repaired or replaced with equivalent control equipment, the facility must maintain on-site documentation showing compliance with the conditions specified in Section V (C) or previously allowed for under Section V (D).

5. The owner or operator shall retain all records required by this rule for three (3) years from the date of recording.

S.C. Code Regs. § 61-62.5.4.V

Amended by State Register Volume 37, Issue No. 4, eff April 26, 2013; State Register Volume 38, Issue No. 6, eff 6/27/2014.