Section 61.64 - Emission standard for polyvinyl chloride plantsAn owner or operator of a polyvinyl chloride plant shall comply with the requirements of this section and § 61.65 .
(a)Reactor. The following requirements apply to reactors:(1) The concentration of vinyl chloride in each exhaust gas stream from each reactor is not to exceed 10 ppm (average for 3-hour period), except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section and § 61.65(a) .(2) The reactor opening loss from each reactor is not to exceed 0.02 g vinyl chloride/kg (0.04 lb vinyl chloride/ton) of polyvinyl chloride product, except as provided in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, with the product determined on a dry solids basis. This requirement does not apply to prepolymerization reactors in the bulk process. This requirement does apply to postpolymerization reactors in the bulk process, where the product means the gross product of prepolymerization and postpolymerization.(3) Manual vent valve discharge. Except for an emergency manual vent valve discharge, there is to be no discharge to the atmosphere from any manual vent valve on a polyvinyl chloride reactor in vinyl chloride service. An emergency manual vent valve discharge means a discharge to the atmosphere which could not have been avoided by taking measures to prevent the discharge. Within 10 days of any discharge to the atmosphere from any manual vent valve, the owner or operator of the source from which the discharge occurs shall submit to the Administrator a report in writing containing information on the source, nature and cause of the discharge, the date and time of the discharge, the approximate total vinyl chloride loss during the discharge, the method used for determining the vinyl chloride loss (the calculation of the vinyl chloride loss), the action that was taken to prevent the discharge, and measures adopted to prevent future discharges.(b)Stripper. The concentration of vinly chloride in each exhaust gas stream from each stripper is not to exceed 10 ppm (average for 3-hour period), except as provided in § 61.65(a) . This requirement does not apply to equipment that has been opened, is out of operation, and met the requiremention § 61.65(b)(6)(i) before being opened.(c)Mixing, weighing, and holding containers. The concentration of vinyl chloride in each exhaust gas stream from each mixing, weighing, or holding container in vinyl chloride service which precedes the stripper (or the reactor if the plant has no stripper) in the plant process flow is not to exceed 10 ppm (average for 3-hour period), except as provided in § 61.65(a) . This requirement does not apply to equipment that has been opened, is out of operation, and met the requirement in § 61.65(b)(6)(i) before being opened.(d)Monomer recovery system. The concentration of vinyl chloride in each exhaust gas stream from each monomer recovery system is not to exceed 10 ppm (average for 3-hour period), except as provided in § 61.65(a) . This requirement does not apply to equipment that has been opened, is out of operation, and met the requirement in § 61.65(b)(6)(i) before being opened.(e)Sources following the stripper(s). The following requirements apply to emissions of vinyl chloride to the atmosphere from the combination of all sources following the stripper(s) [or the reactor(s) if the plant has no stripper(s)] in the plant process flow including but not limited to, centrifuges, concentrators, blend tanks, filters, dryers, conveyor air discharges, baggers, storage containers, and inprocess wastewater, except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section: (1) In polyvinyl chloride plants using stripping technology to control vinyl chloride emissions, the weighted average residual vinyl chloride concentration in all grades of polyvinyl chloride resin processed through the stripping operation on each calendar day, measured immediately after the stripping operation is completed, may not exceed: (i) 2000 ppm for polyvinyl chloride dispersion resins, excluding latex resins;(ii) 400 ppm for all other polyvinyl chloride resins, including latex resins, averaged separately for each type of resin; or(2) In polyvinyl chloride plants controlling vinyl chloride emissions with technology other than stripping or in addition to stripping, emissions of vinyl chloride to the atmosphere may not exceed:(i) 2 g/kg (4 lb/ton) product from the stripper(s) [or reactor(s) if the plant has no stripper(s)] for dispersion polyvinyl chloride resins, excluding latex resins, with the product determined on a dry solids basis;(ii) 0.4 g/kg (0.8 lb/ton) product from the strippers [or reactor(s) if the plant has no stripper(s)] for all other polyvinyl chloride resins, including latex resins, with the product determined on a dry solids basis.(3) The provisions of this paragraph apply at all times including when off-specification or other types of resins are made.(f)Reactor used as stripper. When a nonbulk resin reactor is used as a stripper this paragraph may be applied in lieu of § 61.64 (a)(2) and (e)(1) : (1) The weighted average emissions of vinyl chloride from reactor opening loss and all sources following the reactor used as a stripper from all grades of polyvinyl chloride resin stripped in the reactor on each calendar day may not exceed: (i) 2.02 g/kg (0.00202 lb/lb) of polyvinyl chloride product for dispersion polyvinyl chloride resins, excluding latex resins, with the product determined on a dry solids basis.(ii) 0.42 g/kg (0.00042 lb/lb) of polyvinyl chloride product for all other polyvinyl chloride resins, including latex resins, with the product determined on a dry solids basis.41 FR 46564, Oct. 21, 1976, as amended at 51 FR 34909, Sept. 30, 1986; 53 FR 36972, Sept. 23, 1988; 65 FR 62151 , Oct. 17, 2000