Guidance on structure RCRA trial burns for collection of risk assessment data

Conference · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:617712

Fuente, V.L. de la ^[1]

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1. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)

Historically, RCRA trial burns have been conducted by hazardous waste combustion facilities to demonstrate compliance with regulatory performance standards and other emission limits. Applicable performance standards include minimum destruction and removal efficiency for selected principal organic hazardous constituents, emissions limitations on particulate matter, HCl, and Cl{sub 2}, and risk-based mass emission limits for toxic metals. Final permit operating conditions are typically established from operating conditions demonstrated in the trial burn. The need to consider additional emissions controls was identified when the EPA announced a draft Hazardous Waste Minimization and Combustion Strategy (referred to as the National Combustion Strategy - NCS). The NCS announced plans to upgrade regulatory controls for hazardous waste combustors, especially with respect to emissions of dioxins/furans, particulate matter, and metals. There was concern that there could be significant risk from indirect exposure pathways which were not fully addressed by current regulations. Until upgraded regulatory controls could be implemented, the NCS recommended that emission limits be established on a case-by-case basis for each facility by using a multipathway, site-specific risk assessment conducted under the aegis of the RCRA omnibus authority. This recommendation expands the scope of trial burns, in that more comprehensive emissions data must now be generated during trial burns for incorporation into the multi-end point risk assessments. The purpose of the forthcoming EPA guidance document, Guidance on Structuring RCRA Trial Burns for Collection of Risk Assessment Data, is to establish guidelines for generating emissions data for incorporation into multipathway, site-specific risk assessments. The document will also provide a framework for deciding how to integrate this risk assessment data collection effort into a traditional performance standard demonstration testing protocol.

• OSTI ID: 617712
• Report Number(s): CONF-9704196--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COMBUSTION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INCINERATORS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESOURCE RECOVERY ACTS
RISK ASSESSMENT