US Nitrogen Clears Key Test

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

With a last minute adjustment suggested by Tennessee officials, US Nitrogen has cleared a critical test on its sometimes troubled nitric acid manufacturing plant in Greene County.
Approval of the performance test and the accompanying data was disclosed in a Sept. 12 letter from Jeryl W. Stewart of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to Andrew Velo, US Nitrogen's plant manager.
The Midway company was required to submit data for 30 days of operation. TDEC said that after reviewing the revised data "the division considers the report to be technically correct and acceptable for compliance demonstration."
TDEC records show the approval came after the company submitted data for an additional day of testing. Velo wrote in an Aug. 24 letter to TDEC that the company had originally omitted the data for the day in question because it was a startup day and included only two hours of operation.
In the letter to Velo, Stewart noted that data was omitted for May 31 "due to the fact that the monitoring system was undergoing preventative maintenance during that time period."
Stewart said TDEC also reviewed acid production data from US Nitrogen and "the division agrees "the emission rate demonstrated compliance" with a rate of emissions of 3.7 pounds per hour.
"The division agrees that US Nitrogen has demonstrated compliance with the nitrogen oxide limits as set above," the letter states.
He added that US Nitrogen has also completed the performance test requirements.
US Nitrogen missed the original deadline for completing the performance test requirements.
The efforts to start up the acid plant have been marked by missteps including the emission of nitric acid vapors into the atmosphere.
The acid plant is but one part of the process of producing ammonium nitrate. US Nitrogen is shipping that chemical to Austin Powder, its corporate parent, for use in the production of explosives.
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