Praxair Gets New Permit

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee environmental officials have issued a separate permit to Praxair, Inc. a major supplier of liquefied carbon dioxide to the soft drink industry.
Praxair, which operates on the same Green County site as US Nitrogen, will get carbon dioxide in gas form from US Nitrogen LLC, and then liquefy it before shipping to customers.
The permit, which was issued Thursday by the Air Pollution Control Division of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, will be effective until April 1, 2029.
Praxair initially did not have a separate permit but was covered under a permit issued to US Nitrogen.
The seven-page permit sets annual limits on the amount of carbon dioxide the company can produce and also limits some of the air pollutants it can emit.
Under the permit Praxair must limit opacity at 20 percent for any six minutes in a one hour period and to four six minute periods in any 24 hour period. The company must also maintain records of emissions in any start ups or shutdowns.
The permit limits the company's water use to 2,400 gallons per minute and limits the amount of liquefied carbon dioxide produced to 90,789 tons per any 12 month period.
Finally the company must maintain logs showing the amount of carbon dioxide received from US Nitrogen and the amount of liquefied carbon dioxide shipped out.
Yet another permit is expected to be issued to Yara, Inc. which also operates on the same Midway site and previously was covered under a US Nitrogen permit.
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Study Details Injuries from Chemical Spill

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A study just released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details how the accidental release of anhydrous ammonia in Illinois a year ago sickened some 83 area residents some requiring intubation and up to a week of hospitalization.
Anhydrous ammonia is one of the products produced at the Greene County plant of US Nitrogen and the study states, "Exposure to anhydrous ammonia gas can cause severe respiratory and ocular damage."
The chemical was released when a tractor hauling two large tanks of anhydrous ammonia on a local road in Lake County Illinois malfunctioned releasing at least 500 gallons of the chemical in a residential neighborhood.
US Nitrogen, according to its own website, produces anhydrous ammonia by converting methane and then uses the anhydrous ammonia to produce "nitric acid, ammonium nitrate and a product called hydroxy-503, a compound used by its parent company, Austin Powder, to produce explosives.
US Nitrogen officials did not respond to a request for comment.
The federal study of the 2019 Illinois incident involved a review of medical records and a series of interviews with victims, some of who were first responders.
The release of the gas in April of last year in Illinois not only injured residents but stripped trees, leaving 81 trees visibly damaged.
A total of 83 persons were affected and 14 were hospitalized including seven who suffered respiratory failure, the study states. Eight victims ended up in intensive care units.
The incident occurred at 4:24 a.m when the tractor was going down a two lane main highway and experienced equipment failure on the two two ton tanks of anhydrous ammonia.
"Release of the ammonia created a large, low-lying plume of white gas, which, because of cool, humid air and calm winds, lingered in the area and surrounded nearby homes," the report states.
Cars and trucks on the highway stalled out when they encountered the plume and drivers and passengers "were overcome by gas, reporting an acrid smell and taste, throat irritation, coughing, difficulty breathing and choking."
There were no deaths, the report states.
Citing communication problems in the response to the incident, the study recommends a series of steps to ensure injuries are minimized in the event of any future incidents.
"Preparation for hazardous materials responses should ensure timely and informative public communication, effective communication among first responders," the report states, adding that regular hazmat exercises should be conducted for all response and support personnel.
Noting that some health care workers were sickened after coming in contact with the clothing of victims, the study states,"Hospitals also need to review institutional policies and procedures for chemical mass casualty events, including decontamination."
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US Nitrogen Planning Tests

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Greene County chemical firm is planning a partial shutdown in March in order to conduct performance testing on its ammonium nitrate manufacturing operations as required under its permit from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
In a series of emails between TDEC and Stephen Wallace of US Nitrogen which were just made public today, some details of the testing procedure were disclosed. They show TDEC has offered a series of options for the company to meet permit requirements.
Wallace wrote in an email to James Johnston of TDEC, that the company was in the initial process of developing the testing plan which calls for a shutdown of one of the company's two ammonia trains in March, with a re-start expected in early April.
Wallace said the company was proposing to test only one of the ammonia trains "since both trains are designed utilizing the same equipment and piping."
The emails disclose, however, that the two ammonia trains have a slight difference in heat output.
"If the company is willing to certify that the two units are identical, then the division would be willing to accept the results from one unit as being representative of the other," the email states.
If the two units are not identical, the email continues, then the division could accept the results on the train with the higher output as representative.
"There would need to be a formal proposal from the company," the email continues.
"If US Nitrogen is amenable to either of these two options, then you should submit test protocols as required" by the permit, the email states.
Another option offered by TDEC is for US Nitrogen to request an extension of the 180 day deadline so that both units can be tested.
The state official also noted that the permit also requires testing for carbon monoxide.
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TDEC Approves USN Exemption

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee environmental regulators have given swift approval for US Nitrogen to install additional diesel fuel storage capacity without obtaining a special permit.
In a letter sent this week to the Greene County chemical company, James P. Johnson of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation wrote that the proposed 12,000 gallon diesel fuel storage tank would be exempt from permitting requirements.
US Nitrogen's plant manager, Dylan Charles, had written to the agency on Jan. 14 informing officials of the plant to install the storage tank and seeking the agency's acknowledgment that a permit would not be required.
In the same letter Charles notified TDEC that it also intended to install a 275 gallon storage tote which will be filled with a mixture of urea and water.
Johnson wrote in his letter that the tote would be considered an "insignificant activity," thus exempting it from permitting or other requirements.
The exemption is based on US Nitrogen's estimate that the tote will have emissions of less than five tons per year.
"All applicable air pollution regulations must still be met by your facility," Johnson wrote in the two-page letter.
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US Nitrogen Seeks Exemption

US Nitrogen is asking Tennessee environmental officials to agree that the installation of a 12,000 gallon diesel fuel storage tank at its Greene County facility does not require a special permit.
In a letter to the Department of Environment and Conservation, Stephen Wallace, a US Nitrogen manager, stated that the diesel tank would not produce any carbon dioxide or nitrate emissions, though it would emit "a small amount" of volatile organic compounds.
In the letter Wallace requests TDEC's concurrence that installation of the tank qualifies as an exempted air contaminant source.
The letter also seeks TDEC approval for the installation of a 275 gallon "storage tote," which will be filled with urea and water.
Wallace wrote that the 275 gallon "tote" should be considered an "insignificant activity."
The request does not indicate why the additional storage capacity is needed.
The request was posted today on the TDEC data site. The
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Excess Nitrates in US Nitrogen Runoff

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Excess levels of nitrates have shown up in runoff water at the site of a Greene County chemical firm, according to a report filed with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Officials of US Nitrogen reported the excess in an annual report on storm water runoff from its Midway manufacturing facility. The primary product produced by the company is ammonium nitrate.
The company told TDEC that it plans to investigate to determine the source of nitrates and nitrites. While the "benchmark" level of notrates is .68 milligrams per liter, the level in the company tests was 1.18 milligrams per liter.
"The source is suspected to be a 20 foot long trench which was installed in early 2019 to collect storm-water from the rail loading area," the report from US Nitrogen's manager, Dylan Charles states, adding that the trench was used to re-direct water into an underflow which discharges to a drainage basin.
"We will conduct an investigation in this area to determine if this is the likely cause," Charles wrote.
The excess nitrates have not been listed in prior annual reports from the company.
Charles also reported that excess levels of aluminum and magnesium turned up in tests from other locations on the plant site. Those excesses have been reported previously, as Charles noted.
The company has attributed those findings to "background concentrations and/or water flowing over rock." The company official noted that excess levels of magnesium have shown up in the Nolichucky River.
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US Nitrogen Files River Report

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

US Nitrogen LLC continued a reduced rate of river water use in December, according to a report filed with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The Greene County chemical firm reported it drew 12.7 million gallons from the Nolichucky River in December and on more than a dozen days it drew minimal amounts. The monthly report, which is required under the company's state permit, shows the Midway firm discharged about six million gallons back in to the river during December. Discharges were minimal on a dozen days during the month.
In contrast the com[any reported that in October it pumped 21.7 million gallons from the river while it discharged 10.9 million gallons.
The December totals are similar to those the company reported for November when 12.3 million gallons were pumped from the river for use in the production of ammonium nitrate and other products.
A subsidiary of Ohio based Austin Powder, an explosives manufacturer, US Nitrogen is allowed to use the river water under a special permit that was recently renewed.
In other recent action TDEC officials responded to complaints from two local citizens who had complained of excessive visible emissions from US Nitrogen.
TDEC dismissed both complaints after site visits and a review of company records. The agency concluded the emissions were primarily water vapor. A complaint against the Old Castle Building Envelope Company also was dismissed.
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TDEC Cites Pilot Travel Twice.

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee environmental officials have cited Pilot Travel, the truck-stop firm controlled by the Haslam family, for violations of its permits at locations in Knox and Giles counties.
In two notices, both dated Jan. 9, the state Department of Environment and Conservation imposed fines totaling $56,235 for violations of the Water Quality Control Act. The company must pay $11,247 immediately. The balance becomes due if the Knoxville based firm fails to meet deadlines for taking corrective action.
The Knox County Pilot location was cited for exceeding effluent limits for multiple reporting periods and the failure to submit required discharge monitoring reports.
According to the TDEC notice the excess effluent came from treated bay wash water that contained oil, grease and e.coli and flowed into an unnamed tributary of Turkey Creek.
The site was covered under a TDEC permit issued Aug. 1, 2018.
Some of the violations of the permit were self-reported by Pilot, but others were not.
The Giles County location was cited for exceeding the limits of a permit issued on Sept. 1, 2017 capping the amount of total suspended solids flowing into an unnamed tributary of Richland Creek.
The family of former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam still has a controlling interest in the firm.