Wisconsin Administrative Code
Department of Natural Resources
NR 400-499 - Environmental Protection - Air Pollution Control
Chapter NR 440 - Standards of performance for new stationary sources
Subchapter II - Standards of Performance
Section NR 440.35 - Primary lead smelters

Universal Citation: WI Admin Code ยง NR 440.35

Current through August 26, 2024

(1) APPLICABILITY AND DESIGNATION OF AFFECTED FACILITY.

(a) The provisions of this section are applicable to the following affected facilities in primary lead smelters: sintering machine, sintering machine discharge end, blast furnace, dross reverberatory furnace, electric smelting furnace and converter.

(b) Any facility under par. (a) that commences construction or modification after October 16, 1974, is subject to the requirements of this section.

(2) DEFINITIONS. As used in this section, terms not defined in this subsection have the meanings given in s. NR 440.02.

(a) "Blast furnace" means any reduction furnace to which sinter is charged and which forms separate layers of molten slag and lead bullion.

(b) "Converter" means any vessel which lead concentrate or bullion is charged and refined.

(c) "Dross reverberatory furnace" means any furnace used for the removal or refining of impurities from lead bullion.

(d) "Electric smelting furnace" means any furnace in which the heat necessary for smelting of the lead sulfide ore concentrate charge is generated by passing an electric current through a portion of the molten mass in the furnace.

(e) "Primary lead smelter" means any installation or any intermediate process engaged in the production of lead from lead sulfide ore concentrates through the use of pyrometallurgical techniques.

(f) "Sinter bed" means the lead sulfide ore concentrate charge within a sintering machine.

(g) "Sintering machine" means any furnace in which a lead sulfide ore concentrate charge is heated in the presence of air to eliminate sulfur contained in the charge and to agglomerate the charge into a hard porous mass called "sinter."

(h) "Sintering machine discharge end" means any apparatus which receives sinter as it is discharged from the conveying grate of a sintering machine.

(i) "Sulfuric acid plant" means any facility producing sulfuric acid by the contact process.

(3) STANDARD FOR PARTICULATE MATTER.

(a) On and after the date on which the performance test required to be conducted by s. NR 440.08 is completed, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this section may cause to be discharged into the atmosphere from any blast furnace, dross reverberatory furnace or sintering machine discharge end any gases which contain particulate matter in excess of 50 mg/dscm (0.022 gr/dscf).

(4) STANDARD FOR SULFUR DIOXIDE.

(a) On and after the date on which the performance test required to be conducted by s. NR 440.08 is completed, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this section may cause to be discharged into the atmosphere from any sintering machine, electric smelting furnace, or converter gases which contain sulfur dioxide in excess of 0.065% by volume.

(5) STANDARD FOR VISIBLE EMISSIONS.

(a) On and after the date on which the performance test required to be conducted by s. NR 440.08 is completed, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this section may cause to be discharged into the atmosphere from any blast furnace, dross reverberatory furnace, or sintering machine discharge end any visible emissions which exhibit greater than 20% opacity.

(b) On and after the date on which the performance test required to be conducted by s. NR 440.08 is completed, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this section may cause to be discharged into the atmosphere from any affected facility that uses a sulfuric acid plant to comply with the standard set forth in sub. (4), any visible emissions which exhibit greater than 20% opacity.

(6) MONITORING OF OPERATIONS.

(a) The owner or operator of any primary lead smelter subject to the provisions of this section shall install and operate:
1. A continuous monitoring system to monitor and record the opacity of gases discharged into the atmosphere from any blast furnace, dross reverberatory furnace, or sintering machine discharge end. The span of this system shall be set at 80 to 100% opacity.

2. A continuous monitoring system to monitor and record sulfur dioxide emissions discharged into the atmosphere from any sintering machine, electric furnace or converter subject to sub. (4). The span of this system shall be set at a sulfur dioxide concentration of 0.20% by volume.
a. The continuous monitoring system performance evaluation required under s. NR 440.13(3) shall be completed prior to the initial performance test required under s. NR 440.08.

b. For the purpose of the continuous monitoring system performance evaluation required under s. NR 440.13(3), the reference method referred to under the Relative Accuracy Test Procedure in Performance Specification 2 of 40 CFR part 60, Appendix B, incorporated by reference in s. NR 440.17, shall be Method 6 of 40 CFR part 60, Appendix A, incorporated by reference in s. NR 440.17. For the performance evaluation, each concentration measurement shall be of one hour duration. The pollutant gas used to prepare the calibration gas mixtures required under Performance Specification 2 of Appendix B and for calibration checks under s. NR 440.13(4) shall be sulfur dioxide.

(b) Two-hour average sulfur dioxide concentrations shall be calculated and recorded daily for the 12 consecutive 2-hour periods of each operating day. Each 2-hour average shall be determined as the arithmetic mean of the appropriate 2 contiguous one-hour average sulfur dioxide concentrations provided by the continuous monitoring system installed under par. (a).

(c) For the purpose of reports required under s. NR 440.07(3), periods of excess emissions that shall be reported are defined as follows:
1. Opacity. Any 6-minute period during which the average opacity, as measured by the continuous monitoring system installed under par. (a), exceeds the standard under sub. (5) (a).

2. Sulfur dioxide. Any 2-hour period, as described in par. (b), during which the average emissions of sulfur dioxide, as measured by the continuous monitoring system installed under par. (a), exceeds the standard under sub. (4).

(7) TEST METHODS AND PROCEDURES.

(a) In conducting the performance tests required in s. NR 440.08, the owner or operator shall use as reference methods and procedures the methods in Appendix A of 40 CFR part 60, incorporated by reference in s. NR 440.17, or other methods and procedures as specified in s. NR 440.08(2).

(b) The owner or operator shall determine compliance with the particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and visible emission standards in subs. (3) to (5) as follows:
1. Method 5 shall be used to determine the particulate matter concentration. The sampling time and sample volume for each run shall be at least 60 minutes and 0.85 dscm (30 dscf).

2. The continuous monitoring system of sub. (6) (a) 2. shall be used to determine the SO2 concentrations on a dry basis. The sampling time for each run shall be 2 hours, and the average SO2 concentration for the 2-hour period shall be computed as in sub. (6) (b). The monitoring system drift during the run may not exceed 2% of the span value.

3. Method 9 and the procedures in s. NR 440.11 shall be used to determine opacity.

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