2008 Sector Performance Report - US Environmental Protection ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

water that has been reused. Typically, more than 95% of the water used in steelmaking is recycled. Due mainly to evaporation losses, steelmakers require 13,000–23,000 gallons of additional water per ton of product through all stages of production. 38 Steelmakers obtain water from municipal sources and adjacent water bodies. Integrated mills use more water per ton of steel than EAFs. With EAFs rising to represent more than half of steel production, intake water withdrawals by the sector have declined by more than 50% since peaking in 1973. Water quality discharge regulations and the cost of effluent treatment have contributed to the sector’s increased reliance on recycled water. 39 Iron and steelmakers discharge wastewater either to Publicly Owned Treatment Works or directly into waterways. Every facility discharging process wastewater directly to waterways must apply for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The permits set numeric limits on specific pollutants based on federal effluent limitations guidelines for each iron and steelmaking process, and include monitoring and reporting requirements. For example, mills involved in certain activities, such as acid pickling and hot coating, are limited in their discharges of metals such as chromium, lead, nickel, and zinc. Cokemaking operations have limits on their ammonia discharges. Sintering operations and blast furnace operations have limits on their discharges of phenols. In 2005, 72 steel mills reported water discharges of TRI chemicals totaling 2.9 million pounds, 40 a 168% increase from 1996. The sector’s reported discharges began to climb in 2000, when one mill began reporting nitrate compounds. 41 Coke-making quench water becomes contaminated with coke fines and other compounds and contains carcinogenic particulates and VOCs. 42 However, most quench water is reused after removal of the coke fines and other solids. Water discharges are also associated with the treatment of scrubber water used for air pollution control equipment. 43 Depending on the type of mill, stormwater requirements for iron and steelmakers may include effluent limits on aluminum, zinc, and total suspended solids. Waste Generation and Management Wastes in the Iron & Steel sector can be generated from process-related functions or other activities, such as operation of pollution control devices or remediation of contamination. Because of the sector’s use of scrap steel, it is a global leader in recycling. The percentage of steel recycled in the U.S. rose to an all-time high of more than 75% in 2005, with 76 million tons consumed. 44 The rate of recycling has continued to rise, along with the production rate of mini-mills. This also raises the quantity of EAF dust from air pollution control equipment that must be disposed or recycled. Hazardous Waste Management EAF dust is regulated as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) because of its heavy metal components. This dust, listed as K061, can be recycled to recover zinc and other valuable metals. In the recycling process, the dust is separated into a nonhazardous iron-rich material and a small waste stream with a concentration of the heavy metals. The nonhazardous component can then be used in products, such as bricks. Of the EAF dust generated annually in the United States, however, much is shipped long distances and even exported for recycling. 45 Spent pickle liquor (SPL) from steel finishing operators is another listed hazardous waste (K062), but can also be reclaimed or recycled. In RCRA hazardous waste reporting, individually reported EAF dust and SPL accounted for 55% and 2%, respectively, of the sector’s hazardous waste generation in 2005. 46 Additional quantities of these wastes were also reported as part of commingled wastes. In 2005, 82 iron and steel mills reported to EPA’s National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report (BR) generating 1.4 million tons of hazardous waste, with more than 60% generated by mini-mills. The sector reported managing 1.3 million tons of hazardous waste. Most of the sector’s reported hazardous waste was managed through disposal (55%) and reclamation/recovery (36%). 47 Waste Management Reported to TRI Wastes generated from this sector largely include EAF dust and SPL. The chemical components of EAF dust include zinc (averaging 20%), lead (averaging 5%), chromium (up to 15%), nickel (up to 4%), and cadmium (up to 3%). 48 These same chemicals accounted for nearly half the air emissions and nearly one-quarter of the total Toxicity Score in 2005. Between 1996 and 2005, normalized air emissions of these chemicals decreased by 44%. 49 In 2005, the Iron & Steel sector reported managing 726 million absolute pounds of TRI chemicals. When normalized by production, this represented a 34% increase since 1996. Figure 3 shows how the sector managed these chemicals. In 2005, mini-mills accounted for a majority (86%) of the sector’s recycling of waste (principally EAF dust) and 63% of the overall waste disposals or releases, while integrated mills accounted for all the sector’s energy recovery and more than three-quarters of the overall treatment (principally SPL). 50 In 2005, the sector reported disposing 257 million absolute pounds of TRI chemicals to land or transferring the chemicals to off-site locations for disposal. As shown in Table 3, zinc accounted for about three-quarters of the total pounds disposed by the sector. Lead, manganese, chromium, and zinc were the chemicals most frequently reported as disposed. 68 Iron & Steel 2008 SECTOR PERFORMANCE REPORT
Figure 3 TRI Waste Management 1996–2005 400,000,000 Disposal or Other Releases 62% Treatment 75% 1996 total: 543.7 million lbs Energy Recovery 28,488% 2005 total: 730.5 million lbs Recycling 27% 34% 350,000,000 Normalized lbs 300,000,000 250,000,000 200,000,000 150,000,000 100,000,000 50,000,000 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Notes: 1. Normalized by annual production of iron and steel. 2. Disposal or other releases include air releases, water discharges, and land disposals. Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey Table 3 Top TRI Disposals 2005 Chemical Absolute Pounds Reported 1 Number of Facilities Reporting 2 Chromium 4,327,000 3 64 Copper 2,328,000 52 Lead 10,139,000 69 Manganese 40,885,000 65 Nickel 489,000 55 Zinc 195,146,000 62 Percentage of Sector Total 98% 4 84% 5 Notes: 1. Total sector disposals: 257 million lbs. 2. 85 total TRI reporters in the sector. 3. Red indicates that the chemical is one of the top five chemicals reported in the given category. 4. Chemicals in this list represent 98% of the sector’s disposals. 5. 84% of facilities reported disposals of one or more chemicals in this list. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Additional Environmental Management Activities An environmental management system (EMS) is a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency. All integrated steel mills in the United States have adopted formal EMSs based on the ISO 14001 standard (the international standard for EMSs). Approximately one-third of U.S. mini-mills have formal EMSs. 51 The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) has adopted a goal that 25 or more additional EAFs (reaching a total of two-thirds of U.S. mini-mills) will implement EMSs by Earth Day 2009. SMA also has a goal of doubling the number of its members participating in EPA’s Performance Track (PT) program in 2008 and 2009, so that at least eight facilities would be in PT by the end of 2009. 52 PT encourages environmental improvement through EMSs, community outreach, and measurable results. Applicants to the program must have an EMS in place. 2008 SECTOR PERFORMANCE REPORT Iron & Steel 69
Page 1 and 2:
2008 Sector Performance rePort
Page 3:
table of Contents i Preface 1 Execu
Page 6 and 7:
Key to our work is collaboration wi
Page 8 and 9:
Energy Use The eight sectors for wh
Page 10 and 11:
Sector Data Side by Side The follow
Page 12 and 13:
TRI Air Emissions Across Sectors 19
Page 14 and 15:
TRI Waste Management Across Sectors
Page 16 and 17:
This report relies upon a variety o
Page 18 and 19:
TABLE 3 Economic Activity Data for
Page 20 and 21:
Presentation of TRI Air Emissions D
Page 22 and 23:
Presentation 500,000,000 of TRI Was
Page 24 and 25: Cement Manufacturing 1 AT A GLANCE
Page 26 and 27: equires 32% more energy per ton of
Page 28 and 29: Summing the Toxicity Scores for all
Page 30 and 31: l t , r t i t i Figure 3 Cement Kil
Page 32 and 33: ChemiCal manufaCturing 1 AT A GLANC
Page 34 and 35: Chemical facilities purchase electr
Page 36 and 37: conservatively assumes that chemica
Page 38 and 39: Balanced Water Use at BASF Supply U
Page 40 and 41: Waste Management Reported to TRI In
Page 42 and 43: Colleges & universities 1 AT A GLAN
Page 44 and 45: Criteria Air Pollutants Most CAP em
Page 46 and 47: Construction 1 AT A GLANCE 1996-200
Page 48 and 49: Figure 1 Fuel Use for Energy 2002 E
Page 50 and 51: Figure 4 Trends in Construction and
Page 52 and 53: Food & Beverage Manufacturing 1 AT
Page 54 and 55: Figure 2 Air Emissions Reported to
Page 56 and 57: associations, or government agencie
Page 58 and 59: disposed or released to air or wate
Page 60 and 61: Forest Products 1 AT A GLANCE 1996-
Page 62 and 63: 2002 the manufacture of wood produc
Page 64 and 65: emission controls to the pulping, p
Page 66 and 67: Water discharges became a major foc
Page 68 and 69: Iron & Steel 1 AT A GLANCE 1996-200
Page 70 and 71: ton of steel shipped improved over
Page 72 and 73: existing, high-toxicity weighting f
Page 76 and 77: Metal Casting 1 AT A GLANCE 1996-20
Page 78 and 79: using a cupola furnace can dehumidi
Page 80 and 81: Table 1 presents the top TRI-report
Page 82 and 83: Waste Management Reported to TRI hi
Page 84 and 85: Oil & Gas AT A GLANCE 1996-2005 1,2
Page 86 and 87: equipment helps recover the gas. In
Page 88 and 89: The most widely used EOR technique
Page 90 and 91: Petroleum refining Latest Environme
Page 92 and 93: Figure 2 Al TRI HA s Air Emissions
Page 94 and 95: energy technologies, and improving
Page 96 and 97: Paint & Coatings 1 AT A GLANCE 1996
Page 98 and 99: Figure 1 Air Emissions Reported to
Page 100 and 101: Owned Treatment Works, but may also
Page 102 and 103: Ports 1 AT A GLANCE 2005: 360 publi
Page 104 and 105: Increasing Use of Solar Power The P
Page 106 and 107: developing retrofit and replacement
Page 108 and 109: “invasive” if they are capable
Page 110 and 111: shipbuilding & ship repair 1 AT A G
Page 112 and 113: of marine coatings. CAPs and GHGs a
Page 114 and 115: Table 1 Top TRI Air Emissions 2005
Page 116 and 117: Shipyards’ stormwater runoff is t
Page 118 and 119: data Sources, Methodologies, and CO
Page 120 and 121: Facilities described above must rep
Page 122 and 123: Data Processing RSEI calculates tox
Page 124 and 125:
• Section 6.2: Transfers to other
Page 126 and 127:
Cement Manufacturing 1. Facilities:
Page 128 and 129:
12. Charles Heizenroth, EPA, person
Page 130 and 131:
Forest Products 1. Facilities: Cens
Page 132 and 133:
40. Includes direct discharges to w
Page 134 and 135:
Public Data Release (PDR) (includes
Page 136:
Advancing Port Sustainability, Janu
show all

2008 Sector Performance Report - US Environmental Protection ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?