This report presents cost and performance data for the application of on-site incineration at the Vertac Chemical Corporation (Vertac) Superfund site in Jacksonville, Arkansas. A rotary kiln incinerator was operated from January 1992 through September 1994 as part of a remedial action. Contaminants of concern at the site included 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD); 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D); 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxacetic acid (2,4,5-T); chlorinated benzene; and chlorinated phenols.
The Vertac site was a former pesticide manufacturing plant which operated from 1948 until it was abandoned in 1987. During this period, approximately 29,000 drums of still- bottom waste from the production process were generated and stored on site. The drummed waste at Vertac contained solvents and TCDD. During the remedial investigation, TCDD concentrations were measured as high as 50 mg/L in the still bottom wastes and 2,800 µg/kg in the soil.
In 1987, the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology (ADPC&E) determined that it would contract for the incineration of the drummed wastes, and would finance the action using a trust fund and letter of credit provided by one Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) at the site. Applicable regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) required a 99.9999% destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) for dioxin listed wastes.
ADPC&E conducted remedial activities including the operation of a rotary kiln incinerator to disposed of the drummed wastes until June 1993, when EPA assumed management responsibilities at the site. The incineration system used at Vertac was comprised of a direct-fired rotary kiln, two cyclone separators, a secondary combustion chamber (SCC), a baghouse, a wet scrubbing system, and ash removal facilities.
The waste drums were opened, emptied, and rinsed in an enclosed building maintained at a negative pressure. Waste from the drums was fed to the incinerator. Wastewater generated was treated and recycled in a closed system. Ash from the incinerator was discharged to storage drums while off-gas from the kiln was routed to the cyclone separators.
The cyclone separators removed particulates, which were routed to the waste feed system and re-incinerated, and discharged the gas to the SCC. The SCC provided further oxidation of the remaining organic contaminants in the gas.
Treated gas was drawn through an air pollution control system (APCS), which consisted of a spray drier, to lower the temperature of the gas, and a baghouse assembly, venturi scrubber, and baffle absorption scrubber to remove additional particulates. The gas was then discharged to the atmosphere. Ash collected from the incinerator and scrubbers was disposed of at a Subtitle C hazardous waste disposal facility.
During the 32 months of operation, the incinerator processed 9,804 tons of waste. Additionally, approximately 1,200 tons of 2,4,5-T waste was incinerated at an off-site facility. Treatment performance and emissions data collected during this application indicated that all performance standards and emissions requirements were achieved.
The actual cost for remediation using the incineration system was approximately $31,700,000. This amount consisted of approximately $21,000,000 in capital costs and approximately $10,700,000 in operating costs.
Click here for
an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the full report.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is
required to view PDF documents.
Click
here to download a free copy of the Reader.