By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental regulators have amended the operating permit of a Greene County chemical firm changing the method of determining compliance with state emission limits.
The recent amendments to the permit for US Nitrogen LLC comply with a request from company officials submitted to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in January.
The Midway company had requested the changes based on performance tests conducted in late July.
Under the amended permit maximum levels are set for the amount of ammonia fed into the company's two ammonia trains.
Under the original permit, issued in 2016, the state set limits on the number of burners allowed to operate on the two ammonia trains.
The amended permit includes a range of ammonia injection rates for each Selective Catalytic Reduction unit on the two trains that can be used to assure compliance with nitrous oxide limits.
Under the new permit the emissions of nitrous oxides are capped at 15 tons during any consecutive 12 month period.
The permit also caps the output of ammonium produced at 73,000 tons in any 12 consecutive month period.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Saturday, February 27, 2021
Monday, February 22, 2021
US Nitogen Found in Compliance on Emissions
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental officials now say they are satisfied a Greene County chemical firm has remained in compliance with nitrous oxide emission limitations set in its state permits.
In a letter to US Nitrogen LLC, Bryan Parker, an environmental manager at the state Department of Environment and Conservation, said newly submitted test results for the last six months of 2020 show the emission limits were not exceeded at USN's nitric acid plant and its steam generating facility.
The Division considers the report technically corect and acceptable for a determination of compliance," Parker wrote in a letter sent today to US Nitrogen Plant Manager Dylan Charles.
Earlier TDEC officials had expressed concern that conflicting data from the company might have masked excessive emissions. Parker expressed those concerns in a two-page letter to Charles sent late last year.
There was no time during the reporting period when the company exceeded the nitrous oxide limits, Parker wrote in today's letter.
Parker also credits the ammonium nitrate manufacturer with compliance with the reporting requirements in the state permits.
US Nitrogen also achieved 95 percent operational availability for its emissions monitoring equipment, Parker concluded.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tennessee environmental officials now say they are satisfied a Greene County chemical firm has remained in compliance with nitrous oxide emission limitations set in its state permits.
In a letter to US Nitrogen LLC, Bryan Parker, an environmental manager at the state Department of Environment and Conservation, said newly submitted test results for the last six months of 2020 show the emission limits were not exceeded at USN's nitric acid plant and its steam generating facility.
The Division considers the report technically corect and acceptable for a determination of compliance," Parker wrote in a letter sent today to US Nitrogen Plant Manager Dylan Charles.
Earlier TDEC officials had expressed concern that conflicting data from the company might have masked excessive emissions. Parker expressed those concerns in a two-page letter to Charles sent late last year.
There was no time during the reporting period when the company exceeded the nitrous oxide limits, Parker wrote in today's letter.
Parker also credits the ammonium nitrate manufacturer with compliance with the reporting requirements in the state permits.
US Nitrogen also achieved 95 percent operational availability for its emissions monitoring equipment, Parker concluded.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Friday, February 12, 2021
US Nitrogen Submits Revised Emissions Data
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental regulators say they are satisfied with revised emissions data submitted by US Nitrogen, following the detection of a calculation error in a prior submission.
In a letter sent today to Dylan Charles, US Nitrogen's plant manager, Bryan Parker of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation said the corrected data on emissions from the nitric acid plant showed there had been no excess nitrous oxide emissions.
Parker said the new data showed the erroneous calculation was made in the first quarter of 2019 and it caused only a slight deviation in the emissions calculation.
The data covered emissions data from the third quarter of 2017 to the last quarter of 2020. "The division considers the calculation error was inadvertent," Parker wrote.
When the error was first discovered TDEC officials had expressed concerns that there may have been excess emissions.
The Greene County chemical firm produces liquid ammonium nitrate for use in the production of explosives by its parent company, Ohio based Austin Powder.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tennessee environmental regulators say they are satisfied with revised emissions data submitted by US Nitrogen, following the detection of a calculation error in a prior submission.
In a letter sent today to Dylan Charles, US Nitrogen's plant manager, Bryan Parker of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation said the corrected data on emissions from the nitric acid plant showed there had been no excess nitrous oxide emissions.
Parker said the new data showed the erroneous calculation was made in the first quarter of 2019 and it caused only a slight deviation in the emissions calculation.
The data covered emissions data from the third quarter of 2017 to the last quarter of 2020. "The division considers the calculation error was inadvertent," Parker wrote.
When the error was first discovered TDEC officials had expressed concerns that there may have been excess emissions.
The Greene County chemical firm produces liquid ammonium nitrate for use in the production of explosives by its parent company, Ohio based Austin Powder.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Monday, February 8, 2021
US Nitrogen Water Use Grows
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
US Nitrogen drew over a million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River on seven separate days in January with the monthly total reaching more than 19 million.
The monthly report shows the highest single day total was 1.3215 million gallons on Jan. 2.
The company uses the free water in the production of liquid ammonium nitrate and related products which are used by its parent company, Austin Powder, in the production of explosives.
The January total is nearly double the 9.9 million gallons used by the company in December.
The report shows there were five days during the month when a minimal amount of water was pumped by the company through a 12-mile pipeline which runs from the Midway plant to the Nolichucky River.
The monthly report shows US Nitrogen discharged 10.8 million gallons of waste water back into the river. That compares to 5.9 million gallons dumped back into the river in December.
The company obtained special state permits to draw and dump water back into the Nolichucky. Both were recently renewed.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
US Nitrogen drew over a million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River on seven separate days in January with the monthly total reaching more than 19 million.
The monthly report shows the highest single day total was 1.3215 million gallons on Jan. 2.
The company uses the free water in the production of liquid ammonium nitrate and related products which are used by its parent company, Austin Powder, in the production of explosives.
The January total is nearly double the 9.9 million gallons used by the company in December.
The report shows there were five days during the month when a minimal amount of water was pumped by the company through a 12-mile pipeline which runs from the Midway plant to the Nolichucky River.
The monthly report shows US Nitrogen discharged 10.8 million gallons of waste water back into the river. That compares to 5.9 million gallons dumped back into the river in December.
The company obtained special state permits to draw and dump water back into the Nolichucky. Both were recently renewed.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
US Nitrogen Completes Pipeline Test
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
US Nitrogen LLC has reported to Tennessee environmental officials that it has completed a test to determine if there are any leaks in the 12-mile pipeline that runs from its plant in Midway to the Nolichucky River.
According to the report filed with the state the hydrostatic test was conducted on Dec. 9. The company, which produces liquid ammonium nitrate, had sought and obtained a special permit to conduct the test. That permit has now been terminated, at the company's request, since the test was completed.
The permit application stated that as much as 22,000 gallons of hydrostatic water would be released in a one time event.
US Nitrogen told state officials the discharge would be made from a point in the pipeline along the right-of-way of McDonald Road 1,000 feet southeast of Lick Creek and about 1,800 feet from the Beulah Baptist Church.
Under the permit the company was required to notify the state within 30 days of the actual test date. The filing does not indicate whether any leaks were detected.
Data submitted by US Nitrogen indicates the effluent released had a 7.9 pH score, which means it was slightly basic. A pH below 7 indicates acidity with 1 being the maximum level of acidity. Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
US Nitrogen LLC has reported to Tennessee environmental officials that it has completed a test to determine if there are any leaks in the 12-mile pipeline that runs from its plant in Midway to the Nolichucky River.
According to the report filed with the state the hydrostatic test was conducted on Dec. 9. The company, which produces liquid ammonium nitrate, had sought and obtained a special permit to conduct the test. That permit has now been terminated, at the company's request, since the test was completed.
The permit application stated that as much as 22,000 gallons of hydrostatic water would be released in a one time event.
US Nitrogen told state officials the discharge would be made from a point in the pipeline along the right-of-way of McDonald Road 1,000 feet southeast of Lick Creek and about 1,800 feet from the Beulah Baptist Church.
Under the permit the company was required to notify the state within 30 days of the actual test date. The filing does not indicate whether any leaks were detected.
Data submitted by US Nitrogen indicates the effluent released had a 7.9 pH score, which means it was slightly basic. A pH below 7 indicates acidity with 1 being the maximum level of acidity. Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
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