US Nitrogen Plans New Chemical Operation

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

US Nitrogen, a subsidiary of a major explosives manufacturer, is planning to operate a major new production facility on its Greene County, Tenn facility that will require four new storage tanks with a combined capacity of 128,400 gallons.
The plans to produce some 43.4 million gallons per year of a combustible fluid (RDT-8) were disclosed in a Sept. 11 filing with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. In addition to the four new tanks the operation will require the presence 365 days per year of two rail cars.
According to the letter from Andrew Velo of US Nitrogen the rail cars will be used for storage and the oil from the tankers will be transferred to a mix tank where the oil and an emulsifier will be combined to produce a bulk ammonium nitrate emulsion.
Velo's letter asks that TDEC consider the four tanks as insignificant emission sources under state air pollution control regulations. The disclosure and request were included in a three-page letter to Michelle W. Owenby, director of TDEC's division of air pollution control.
Attached to the letter were several appendices including a safety data sheet on the finished product, which is used in the production of explosives.
The data sheet describes RDT-8 as a combustible liquid that may be fatal if swallowed and presents a danger to eyes and lungs.
According to the data sheet the liquid should not be exposed to heat, open flames and other sources of ignition.
According to Velo's letter one of the four tanks will hold 13,500 gallons and will be used to store an emulsifier, which will be offloaded from tankers. A second 34,500 gallon tank will serve as a mix tank to blend the oil and the emulsifier.
The RDT-8 will then be transferred to a third tank with a 65,800 gallon capacity. Finally the RDT-8 will be transferred to a 14,600 gallon tank, which will be processed to produce a bulk ammonium nitrate emulsion.
The company stated that some 8.7 million pounds of emulsifier will be used annually while some 34.7 million gallons of the oil mix will be utilized. The amount of the final product produced will be 43.4 million gallons, according to US Nitrogen.
Citing the low vapor pressure of the ingredients, the letter contends that the final product will also have a low vapor pressure.
"Depending on market availability, products other than the oil mixture and emulsifier may be used to produce RDT-8," the letter states.
"Based on these emission calculations, US Nitrogen requests that the division designate the new tanks each as an insignificant emission unit," Velo concluded.
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