Air Toxics MACT Promulgated for Petroleum Refineries

An air toxics (MACT) final rule for petroleum refineries affects catalytic cracking units (CCU), catalytic reforming units, sulfur recovery units, and associated by-pass lines. Air toxics of concern include organics (acetaldehyde, benzene, formaldehyde, hexane, phenol, toluene and xylene); reduced sulfur compounds (carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide); inorganics (HCl, chlorine); and PM (antimony, arsenic beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese and nickel). The rule will reduce air toxics by 11,000 tpy (87 percent), and will also cut other (non-toxic) VOCs, PM, CO and hydrogen sulfide by another 60,000 tpy. Capital compliance costs over the next three years will be $163 million. Costs are for the 29 out of 124 CCUs and 53 of the 185 sulfur recovery units that will require new or upgraded controls. One hundred two of the 177 catalytic reforming units will need new or upgraded controls for HCl. CEMS must be used.