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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDAQ-2024-0112031 DAQC-CI143010001-24 Site ID 14301 (B1) MEMORANDUM TO: FILE – WHITE FLAME, INC. – Lindon Wood Pellet Manufacturing Plant THROUGH: Chad Gilgen, Minor Source Compliance Section Manager FROM: Jordan Garahana, Environmental Scientist DATE: October 17, 2024 SUBJECT: FULL COMPLIANCE EVALUATION, Minor, Utah County INSPECTION DATE: March 27, 2024 SOURCE LOCATION: 125 South 1800 West Lindon, UT 84042 SOURCE CONTACTS: Karl Kunz, Owner whiteflameinc@gmail.com OPERATING STATUS: Operating normally at the time of inspection. PROCESS DESCRIPTION: Clean scrap wood is shipped to the source and unloaded onto an open concrete storage area. The wood is manually sorted, loaded onto one of two conveyors: one conveys usable wood to a portable metal container where it is stockpiled and made into wood stakes, the second feeds the remaining wood into a shaker machine that separates out any sawdust and odd-sized pieces. The scrap wood is then carried up a third conveyor to a hog, which grinds the wood into 1" minus diameter wood chips. The chips then pass through a cyclone that separates out any unwanted sawdust. The chips fall into Silo #1. The unwanted saw dust is vented through a deflector tube to a tube sock type open baghouse and collected in 50 gallon barrels. The chips in Silo #1 are then fed through a hammer mill, for further grinding into coarse sawdust (3/16" minus diameter). The coarse sawdust is then transported through a 10" diameter tube to another cyclone. This cyclone separates any unwanted fines from the coarse sawdust. The unwanted fines are fed to a 64-bag Dust Hog pulse jet baghouse. The coarse sawdust settles into Silo #2. The sawdust in Silo #2 is carried up an enclosed conveyor to a hopper that feeds into the pellet mill, where the coarse sawdust is compressed into 1/8" diameter pellets. The compression of the coarse sawdust into pellets generates a lot of heat. The hot pellets exit the pellet machine and are carried up an enclosed elevator to a mechanical screen on the roof. Any remaining sawdust passes 2 through the screen and is run back through the pellet mill a second time. The hot pellets pass through a cooler and into a pellet storage silo. The pellets exit the silo through a bagging machine at the base of silo. The bagging machine doses 40 lbs. of pellets into each bag. The bags are placed on pallets and shipped. APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: Approval Order (AO) DAQE-AN0143010001-10, dated August 23, 2010 SOURCE EVALUATION: Name of Permittee: Permitted Location: White Flame, Inc. Lindon Wood Pellet Manufacturing Plant 125 South 1800 West 125 South 1800 West Lindon, UT 84042 Lindon, UT 84042 SIC Code: 2499: (Wood Products, NEC) Section I: GENERAL PROVISIONS I.1 All definitions, terms, abbreviations, and references used in this AO conform to those used in the UAC R307 and 40 CFR. Unless noted otherwise, references cited in these AO conditions refer to those rules. [R307-101] I.2 The limits set forth in this AO shall not be exceeded without prior approval. [R307-401] I.3 Modifications to the equipment or processes approved by this AO that could affect the emissions covered by this AO must be reviewed and approved. [R307-401-1] I.4 All records referenced in this AO or in other applicable rules, which are required to be kept by the owner/operator, shall be made available to the Director or Director's representative upon request, and the records shall include the two-year period prior to the date of the request. Unless otherwise specified in this AO or in other applicable state and federal rules, records shall be kept for a minimum of two (2) years. [R307-401-8] I.5 At all times, including periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction, owners and operators shall, to the extent practicable, maintain and operate any equipment approved under this AO, including associated air pollution control equipment, in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practice for minimizing emissions. Determination of whether acceptable operating and maintenance procedures are being used will be based on information available to the Director which may include, but is not limited to, monitoring results, opacity observations, review of operating and maintenance procedures, and inspection of the source. All maintenance performed on equipment authorized by this AO shall be recorded. [R307-401-4] I.6 The owner/operator shall comply with UAC R307-107. General Requirements: Breakdowns. [R307-107] 3 I.7 The owner/operator shall comply with UAC R307-150 Series. Emission Inventories. [R307-150] Status: Out of Compliance. Source exceeded the limit for number of hours the forklift and loader can operate within a 12-month period. Source was issued a CA (DAQC-341-24) and an ESA (DAQC-882-24) for exceeding the limits. No unapproved equipment was observed at the time of inspection. No Emission Inventory is required at this source. Records are maintained for at least 2 years. Section II: SPECIAL PROVISIONS II.A The approved installations shall consist of the following equipment: II.A.1 Wood pellet manufacturing plant Wood pellet manufacturing from sawdust and wood scraps II.A.2 One cyclone The cyclone attached to a fan rated at 5,500 ACFM II.A.3 Baghouse for Hammer mill process One Hammer mill with associated cyclone and bag house, rated at 2,800 ACFM II.A.4 One drum dryer Dryer supported by a natural gas-fired burner rated at 12 MMBtu per hour II.A.5 One front-end loader Caterpillar 924 loader with diesel engine II.A.6 Two forklifts JCB 541-70 forklift with diesel engine and Allis Chalmers F40-24PS forklift with LPG engine II.A.7 Three conveyors, #1, 2 and 3 for sawdust transfer Sawdust transfer from storage bunkers to hog: #1 Shaker Conveyor, model number FSCB- 30; #2 Hog discharge conveyor, which is 60 feet long; and #3 conveyor moves the pellets from the mills to the cooling tower, model number EF Mueller RB9A. Status: In Compliance. No unapproved equipment was observed at the time of inspection. The drum dryer is still not in use as per the previous inspection in 2021. II.B Requirements and Limitations II.B.1 Requirements and Limitations. II.B.1.a Visible emissions from the following emission points shall not exceed the following values: A. All conveyor transfer points - 10% opacity B. All diesel engines - 20% opacity C. All conveyor drop points - 10% opacity 4 Opacity observations of emissions from stationary sources shall be conducted according to 40 CFR 60, Appendix A, Method 9. [R307-401-8] Status: In Compliance. No visible emissions were observed at the time of inspection. See the attached VEO form for additional information. II.B.1.b The following limits shall not be exceeded: A. Total pellets produced - 72,000 tons per rolling 12-month period B. Total natural gas usage - 35.29 MMBtu per rolling 12-month period C. Total sawdust in-take - 36,000 tons per rolling 12-month period D. Total propane usage - 1,500 gallons per rolling 12-month period E. Total operating hours for diesel-fueled forklift and loader - 600 each per rolling 12-month period. [R307-401-8] II.B.1.b.1 Compliance with the limitations shall be determined on a rolling 12-month total. The owner/operator shall calculate a new 12-month total based on the twentieth day of each month using data from the previous 12 months. Records of production and usages shall be kept for all periods when the plant is in operation. Production shall be determined by scale house records or shipping records. Sawdust in-take shall be determined by vendors' billings. Natural gas and propane usages shall be determined by billings or purchase records. Hours of operation shall be determined by supervisor monitoring and maintaining of an operation log. The records shall be kept on a daily basis. [R307-401-8] Status: Out of Compliance. The rolling 12-month totals from April 2023 to March 2024 include: 4,684 tons of pellets produced 0 MMBtu of natural gas consumed 0 tons of sawdust intake 40 gallons of propane consumed 665 hours the forklift operated 616 hours the loader operated Both the forklift and loader exceeded permitted operating hours. A CA and ESA were issued for exceeding the limits. The source stores the information listed here electronically and writes in monthly totals. The logbook was viewed at the time of inspection that demonstrated the monthly breakdown. A total for the rolling 12-months was provided via email. See the attachment section for additional information. II.B.1.c Scrap wood received for processing into wood pellets shall be free of coatings such as varnish, paint, oil, or contaminants. [R307-401-8] Status: In Compliance. The wood pellets are free of coatings and varnish. Pellets are inspected as they are brought on site. Any pellets with coatings or contaminants are discarded in a pile that is sent to the landfill for disposal. 5 II.B.1.d The owner/operator shall apply water treatment or chemical dust suppression treatment on all areas on site disturbed by mobile equipment to control fugitive dust emissions. Application shall be applied to ensure the opacity limits in this AO are not exceeded. [R307-205] Status: In Compliance. Wood piles are watered over the summer months to help limit dust. A water truck is also utilized in the yard over the summer to help mitigate fugitive dust onsite. II.B.1.e The owner/operator shall notify the Executive Secretary or Executive Secretary's representative when the new site is fully operational and the operation at old site ceased. The existing AO DAQE-017-96, dated January 8, 1996, shall be revoked at that time. [R307-401-18] Status: Out of Compliance. Notification has not been sent since this current AO has been issued in 2010. Multiple inspections have occurred at this source and the equipment onsite has been installed since 2008 and has not changed since then. No further action is currently recommended. Section III: APPLICABLE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS In addition to the requirements of this AO, all applicable provisions of the following federal programs have been found to apply to this installation. This AO in no way releases the owner or operator from any liability for compliance with all other applicable federal, state, and local regulations including UAC R307. AREA SOURCE RULES EVALUATION: The following Area Source Rules were evaluated during this inspection: Emission Standards: Sulfur Content of Fuels [R307-203] Status: In Compliance. According to the fuel invoice from Rhinehart Oil, the diesel fuel utilized onsite is ULSD. See the attachments section for a copy of the fuel invoice. Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas for PM10: Emission Standards [R307-305] Status: In Compliance. This rule is satisfied by compliance with conditions II.B.1.a and II.B.1.d of this AO. Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas for PM10: Emissions and Fugitive Emissions and Fugitive Dust [R307-309] Status: In Compliance. This rule is satisfied by compliance with conditions II.B.1.a and II.B.1.d of this AO. 6 EMISSION INVENTORY: The emissions listed below are an estimate of the total potential emissions (PTE) from White Flame, Inc. – Lindon Wood Pellet Manufacturing Plant on the Approval Order (AO) DAQE-AN0143010001-10, dated August 23, 2010. PTE are supplied for supplemental purposes only. Criteria Pollutant PTE tons/yr Carbon Monoxide 2.16 Nitrogen Oxides 4.29 Particulate Matter - PM10 0.50 Sulfur Dioxide 0.17 Volatile Organic Compounds 0.10 Hazardous Air Pollutant PTE lbs/yr Formaldehyde (CAS #50000) 4 PREVIOUS ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS: None within the past 5 years. COMPLIANCE STATUS & RECOMMENDATIONS: In regard to Approval Order (AO) DAQE-AN0143010001-10, dated August 23, 2010, the overall status is: Out of Compliance. Out of Compliance for exceeding the approved limits for hours operating the diesel-powered forklift and loader. A CA was issued (DAQC-341-24) and an ESA was also issued for exceeding limits without prior approval (DAQC-882-24). No further action is currently recommended. In compliance with other conditions listed within the AO. HPV STATUS: Not Applicable. RECOMMENDATION FOR NEXT INSPECTION: Inspect again next year to see if the source has better operating procedures to limit and track forklift and loader hours. NSR RECOMMENDATIONS: This AO should be subject to a 10-year Administrative Review. ATTACHMENTS: Applicable Supporting Documentation Included Jordan Garahana <jordangarahana@utah.gov> Records Request from Inspection 32/7 4 messages Jordan Garahana <jordangarahana@utah.gov>Wed, Mar 27, 2024 at 3:42 PM To: whiteflameinc@gmail.com Hello Karl, My name is Jordan Garahana and I am an Environmental Scientist with the State of Utah's Division of Air Quality. I conducted an inspection today of your facility in Lindon and I need some records to help complete my inspection. I am looking for records for the following: Rolling 12-month totals from April 2023-March 2024 for the following: Total pellets produced, total natural gas usage, total sawdust intake, total propane usage, and total operating hours for the diesel-fueled forklift and loader A bill of sale from where you purchase your diesel fuel that confirms the diesel fuel is classified as ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Please have these records to me via email by Wednesday, April 3. Please let me know if you have any questions about the records I am requesting or my inspection. Thanks, Jordan Garahana -- Jordan Garahana Environmental Scientist | Minor Source Compliance M: (385) 271-2871 airquality.utah.gov Emails to and from this email address may be considered public records and thus subject to Utah GRAMA requirements. white flame <whiteflameinc@gmail.com>Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 11:49 AM To: Jordan Garahana <jordangarahana@utah.gov> Here is the information you requested: Total pellets produced: 4684 tons Natural Gas usage: 0 Sawdust intake: 0 Propane: 40 gal Operating hours for forklift: 665 Operating hours for loader: 612 Please find the attached from Rhinehart oil as per your request. 10/17/24, 2:59 PM State of Utah Mail - Records Request from Inspection 32/7 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=038c40f7b3&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-a:r-3504233677538882426&simpl=msg-a:r-84781071225553…1/2 Let me know if you have any questions Karl [Quoted text hidden] Rhinehart oil diesel.pdf 175K Jordan Garahana <jordangarahana@utah.gov>Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 12:34 PM To: Chad Gilgen <cgilgen@utah.gov> FYI for Compliance action to White Flame. They are only approved to operate both the forklift and loader for 600 hours each within a rolling 12-month period. [Quoted text hidden] Rhinehart oil diesel.pdf 175K Jordan Garahana <jordangarahana@utah.gov>Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 3:29 PM To: white flame <whiteflameinc@gmail.com> Hey Karl, Thank you for sending me the information I requested for my inspection. Based on what you sent me and the limits set within your permit, you have exceeded the amount of hours the forklift and loader can operate within a 12 month period. Both are permitted to operate 600 hours each and they both have exceeded that limit. That limit can be found on page 4, under heading II.B.1.b of the permit I have attached below. Since that limit has been exceeded, I will be issuing a Compliance Advisory to you within the next couple of days, which is a letter that addresses what was found out of compliance from my inspection and what actions you plan to take to get back into compliance. Please let me know if you have any questions about the compliance advisory or the inspection. Thanks, Jordan Garahana [Quoted text hidden] White Flame AO 2010.pdf 59K 10/17/24, 2:59 PM State of Utah Mail - Records Request from Inspection 32/7 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=038c40f7b3&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-a:r-3504233677538882426&simpl=msg-a:r-84781071225553…2/2