Subpart LL - Standards of Performance for Metallic Mineral Processing Plants

§60.380 Applicability and designation of affected facility.

(a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities in metallic mineral processing plants: Each crusher and screen in open-pit mines; each crusher, screen, bucket elevator, conveyor belt transfer point, thermal dryer, product packaging station, storage bin, enclosed storage area, truck loading station, truck unloading station, railcar loading station, and railcar unloading station at the mill or concentrator with the following exceptions. All facilities located in underground mines are exempted from the provisions of this subpart. At uranium ore processing plants, all facilities subsequent to and including the beneficiation of uranium ore are exempted from the provisions of this subpart.

§60.381 Definitions.

All terms used in this subpart, but not specifically defined in this section, shall have the meaning given them in the Act and in subpart A of this part.

Bucket elevator means a conveying device for metallic minerals consisting of a head and foot assembly that supports and drives an endless single or double strand chain or belt to which buckets are attached.

Capture system means the equipment used to capture and transport particulate matter generated by one or more affected facilities to a control device.

Control device means the air pollution control equipment used to reduce particulate matter emissions released to the atmosphere from one or more affected facilities at a metallic mineral processing plant.

Conveyor belt transfer point means a point in the conveying operation where the metallic mineral or metallic mineral concentrate is transferred to or from a conveyor belt except where the metallic mineral is being transferred to a stockpile.

Crusher means a machine used to crush any metallic mineral and includes feeders or conveyors located immediately below the crushing surfaces. Crushers include, but are not limited to, the following types: jaw, gyratory, cone, and hammermill.

Enclosed storage area means any area covered by a roof under which metallic minerals are stored prior to further processing or loading.

Metallic mineral concentrate means a material containing metallic compounds in concentrations higher than naturally occurring in ore but requiring additional processing if pure metal is to be isolated. A metallic mineral concentrate contains at least one of the following metals in any of its oxidation states and at a concentration that contributes to the concentrate's commercial value: Aluminum, copper, gold, iron, lead, molybdenum, silver, titanium, tungsten, uranium, zinc, and zirconium. This definition shall not be construed as requiring that material containing metallic compounds be refined to a pure metal in order for the material to be considered a metallic mineral concentrate to be covered by the standards.

Metallic mineral processing plant means any combination of equipment that produces metallic mineral concentrates from ore. Metallic mineral processing commences with the mining of ore and includes all operations either up to and including the loading of wet or dry concentrates or solutions of metallic minerals for transfer to facilities at non-adjacent locations that will subsequently process metallic concentrates into purified metals (or other products), or up to and including all material transfer and storage operations that precede the operations that produce refined metals (or other products) from metallic mineral concentrates at facilities adjacent to the metallic mineral processing plant. This definition shall not be construed as requiring that mining of ore be conducted in order for the combination of equipment to be considered a metallic mineral processing plant. (See also the definition of metallic mineral concentrate.)

Process fugitive emissions means particulate matter emissions from an affected facility that are not collected by a capture system.

Product packaging station means the equipment used to fill containers with metallic compounds or metallic mineral concentrates.

Railcar loading station means that portion of a metallic mineral processing plant where metallic minerals or metallic mineral concentrates are loaded by a conveying system into railcars.

Railcar unloading station means that portion of a metallic mineral processing plant where metallic ore is unloaded from a railcar into a hopper, screen, or crusher.

Screen means a device for separating material according to size by passing undersize material through one or more mesh surfaces (screens) in series and retaining oversize material on the mesh surfaces (screens).

Stack emissions means the particulate matter captured and released to the atmosphere through a stack, chimney, or flue.

Storage bin means a facility for storage (including surge bins and hoppers) of metallic minerals prior to further processing or loading.

Surface moisture means water that is not chemically bound to a metallic mineral or metallic mineral concentrate.

Thermal dryer means a unit in which the surface moisture content of a metallic mineral or a metallic mineral concentrate is reduced by direct or indirect contact with a heated gas stream.

Truck loading station means that portion of a metallic mineral processing plant where metallic minerals or metallic mineral concentrates are loaded by a conveying system into trucks.

Truck unloading station means that portion of a metallic mineral processing plant where metallic ore is unloaded from a truck into a hopper, screen, or crusher.

[49 FR 6464, Feb. 21, 1984, as amended at 65 FR 61760, Oct. 17, 2000]

§60.382 Standard for particulate matter.

(a) On and after the date on which the performance test required to be conducted by §60.8 is completed, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall cause to be discharged into the atmosphere from an affected facility any stack emissions that:

(1) Contain particulate matter in excess of 0.05 grams per dry standard cubic meter (0.05 g/dscm).

(2) Exhibit greater than 7 percent opacity, unless the stack emissions are discharged from an affected facility using a wet scrubbing emission control device.

(b) On and after the sixtieth day after achieving the maximum production rate at which the affected facility will be operated, but not later than 180 days after initial startup, no owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall cause to be discharged into the atmosphere from an affected facility any process fugitive emissions that exhibit greater than 10 percent opacity.

[49 FR 6464, Feb. 21, 1984, as amended at 65 FR 61760, Oct. 17, 2000; 79 FR 11250, Feb. 27, 2014]

§60.383 Reconstruction.

(a) The cost of replacement of ore-contact surfaces on processing equipment shall not be considered in calculating either the “fixed capital cost of the new components” or the “fixed capital cost that would be required to construct a comparable new facility” under §60.15. Ore-contact surfaces are: Crushing surfaces; screen meshes, bars, and plates; conveyor belts; elevator buckets; and pan feeders.

(b) Under §60.15, the “fixed capital cost of the new components” includes the fixed capital cost of all depreciable components (except components specified in paragraph (a) of this section) that are or will be replaced pursuant to all continuous programs of component replacement commenced within any 2-year period following August 24, 1982.

§60.384 Monitoring of operations.

(a) The owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall install, calibrate, maintain, and operate a monitoring device for the continuous measurement of the change in pressure of the gas stream through the scrubber for any affected facility using a wet scrubbing emission control device. The monitoring device must be certified by the manufacturer to be accurate within ±250 pascals (±1 inch water) gauge pressure and must be calibrated on an annual basis in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.

(b) The owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall install, calibrate, maintain, and operate a monitoring device for the continuous measurement of the scrubbing liquid flow rate to a wet scrubber for any affected facility using any type of wet scrubbing emission control device. The monitoring device must be certified by the manufacturer to be accurate within ±5 percent of design scrubbing liquid flow rate and must be calibrated on at least an annual basis in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.

§60.385 Recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

(a) The owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall conduct a performance test and submit to the Administrator a written report of the results of the test as specified in §60.8(a).

(b) During the initial performance test of a wet scrubber, and at least weekly thereafter, the owner or operator shall record the measurements of both the change in pressure of the gas stream across the scrubber and the scrubbing liquid flow rate.

(c) After the initial performance test of a wet scrubber, the owner or operator shall submit semiannual reports to the Administrator of occurrences when the measurements of the scrubber pressure loss (or gain) or liquid flow rate differ by more than ±30 percent from the average obtained during the most recent performance test.

(d) The reports required under paragraph (c) shall be postmarked within 30 days following the end of the second and fourth calendar quarters.

(e) The requirements of this subsection remain in force until and unless the Agency, in delegating enforcement authority to a State under section 111(c) of the Act, approves reporting requirements or an alternative means of compliance surveillance adopted by such States. In that event, affected sources within the State will be relieved of the obligation to comply with this subsection, provided that they comply with requirements established by the State.

[49 FR 6464, Feb. 21, 1984, as amended at 54 FR 6676, Feb. 14, 1989; 65 FR 61760, Oct. 17, 2000]

§60.386 Test methods and procedures.

(a) In conducting the performance tests required in §60.8, the owner or operator shall use as reference methods and procedures the test methods in appendix A of this part or other methods and procedures as specified in this section, except as provided in §60.8(b).

(b) The owner or operator shall determine complance with the particulate matter standards §60.382 as follows:

(1) Method 5 or 17 shall be used to determine the particulate matter concentration. The sample volume for each run shall be at least 1.70 dscm (60 dscf). The sampling probe and filter holder of Method 5 may be operated without heaters if the gas stream being sampled is at ambient temperature. For gas streams above ambient temperature, the Method 5 sampling train shall be operated with a probe and filter temperature slightly above the effluent temperature (up to a maximum filter temperature of 121°C (250°F)) in order to prevent water condensation on the filter.

(2) Method 9 and the procedures in §60.11 shall be used to determine opacity from stack emissions and process fugitive emissions. The observer shall read opacity only when emissions are clearly identified as emanating solely from the affected facility being observed. A single visible emission observer may conduct visible emission observations for up to three fugitive, stack, or vent emission points within a 15-second interval. This option is subject to the following limitations:

(i) No more than three emission points are read concurrently;

(ii) All three emission points must be within a 70° viewing sector or angle in front of the observer such that the proper sun position can be maintained for all three points; and

(iii) If an opacity reading for any one of the three emission points is within 5 percent opacity of the application standard, then the observer must stop taking readings for the other two points and continue reading just that single point.

(c) To comply with §60.385(c), the owner or operator shall use the monitoring devices in §60.384(a) and (b) to determine the pressure loss of the gas stream through the scrubber and scrubbing liquid flow rate at any time during each particulate matter run, and the average of the three determinations shall be computed.

[54 FR 6676, Feb. 14, 1989, as amended at 65 FR 61760, Oct. 17, 2000; 79 FR 11250, Feb. 27, 2014]