Document gb4paJbbka1NerqR3yL2bDYOe

ALLIED CHEMICAL CORPORATION MEMORANDUM ALLlbO Ci!: May 17, 1974 TO: E. VI. Callahan SUBJECT: Monochem Vinyl Chloride Plant (Refer verbal request EWC/WMR 5/b/?4) 1.0 SUMMARY The Monochem facility located at Geismar, La. manufactures vonyl chloride from acetylene using a process developed by UniRoyal. It Is an older process, arid there are only two plants using this type of process in operation in the United States. The environmental control problems at this site are not significant. The primary oroblem is biological oxygen demand (BOD). There is a problem with vinyl chloride releases relative to the developing CSHA Standards. However, there are no visible plans for shut-down of the facility. Available information indicates the plant to be well managed with good operating discipline and housekeeping. Since the process is an older unit, there may be some economic problems that are not visible, ho attempt was made in this study to probe the financial area. 2.0 DISCUSSION A. Historical The Monochem plant which is jointly owned by Borden Chemical and UniRoyal Inc. started operation in March 1962. The facility has a capacity of about _1 MM lbs. vinyl chloride/day producing the vinyl chloride from acetylene generated from AS I 000017479 Page 2 Monochem Vinyl Chloride Plant May 17, 197^ natural gas. It also produces clarified water, demineralized water and steam for sale to adjacent plants. The facility employs approximately 300 and is operating under effluent and emission permits from the State of Louisiana. In its earlier operating history, the facility apparently had some difficulty with discharges of mercury, phenol, suspended soljds, and BOD. Prior to 1971 waste treatment facilities were installed for handling sanitary wastes, phenol removal by activated carbon and control of mercury. Samples taper: on Pune 22, 1071 showed the following waste definiition. PARAMETER Volume 1,^100,000 gal/day pH O Phenol 2 pounds per day (ppd) COD 9,700 ppd TOC 3,Boo ppd Lead d ppd Copper 1.7 ppd Chromium 0.7 ppd (?) Mercury 0.02 ppd Zinc 23 ppd Suspended Solids 74,300 ppd B. Process The process employed by Monochem is reported to have been developed by UniRoyal, though it is a classical route to vinyl chloride via an addition reaction. Acetylene produced ASI 000017480 Monochem Vinyl Chloride Plant May 17, 197;+ from natural gas by partial combustion (BASF process) is reacted with anhydrous hydrogen chloride to produce vinyl chloride CpHg 4- HC1-->C2H3C1 The addition reaction proceeds in the vapor phase. The feedstocks, acetylene and anhydrous hydrogen chloride are fed into tubular reactors which are packed with mercuric chloride impregnated on granular activated carbon. The reactor effluent is sent through a three-coluinn distillation system for purification; purified vinyl chloride is taken as bottom from the last column. Because no water comes into direct contact with the reactants or product and no reaction 'water operated, tnere is no direct contact orocess 'waste water. are organic waste streams which reportedly are treated (?) and recycled, e.g, the bottoms from the vinyl chloride distillation can contain some mercury, a heavier chlorinated hydrocarbon, and vinyl chloride. Sodium bisulfite is believed to be used to remove aldehydes from the vinyl chloride. This can produce an aqueous waste stream containing organics. The final puri fication of the vinyl chloride is via contact with what are termed "activated carbon towers" normally packed with a mixture of potassium carbonate, flake sodium hydroxide, and activated carbon. Although this is a dry solids/liquid ',1) There is only one other plant utilizing this process to produce vinyl chloride in the U. S., the Tenneco Facility at Plaquemine, Louisiana, ASI 000011481 Page 4 Monochem Vinyl Chloride Plant May 17, 1974 contact, the recharging of these columns and the recharging of the reactor system can generate wastes. Contaminated rain water or housekeeping wastes from operations are collected and treated for mercury removal. The treatment process has not been completely identified, however it is believed to be percipitation of mercuric sulfide using sodium sulfide followed by carbon treatment. There are purge gas streams from tar.n car loading and from possibly the stills. These, however, do not pose any significant problems relative to existing air control; but, they do generate the standard problem relative to vinyl chloride which is being experienced by all VCM producers. 'J' f fluent Control The Monochem plant discharges through one outfall to the Mississippi River. The process waste volumes (average) Cx* -1. .J, ^ W v^nyl Cnloride Plant... gal/day Acetylene Plant................ ...724,000 gal/day Utility Operations.......... -935,000 gal/day Sanitary Wastes.................. ...140,000 gal/day The average effluent loading from the plant discharged to the Mississippi River is as follows; PARAMETER AVERAGE CON CENTRATION PPM NET LOADING PPD Volume 1,500,000 gpd pH 6-9 BOD 130 1,500 COD 290 2,000 AS I 000017482 Page 9 Monochem Vinyl Chloride Plant May 1?, 1974 parameter (contd.) Total Suspended Solids Average Con centration PPM 1,600 Net Loading, PPD 2,100 Chromium Mercury Cil h Grease 0.3 0.0006 1 4 0.01 60 Ammonia is found in the effluent to a minor extent, however, this is attributed to pick-up of air contamination in the eool'.Mf" tower operations. There is some thought that it may or.lgina.te from amine treatment of tne steam condensate. The facility operates a sanitary treatment unit with aeration, clarification, and chlorine disinfection oefore discharge. Tira plant is provided with significant area containment to insure collection of contaminated waste 'waters. At the present time the effluent contra 1 program calls for completion of process engineering and development work to define the process to reduce the BO.O loading by mid-1975* The BCD reduction facilities would then be installed reaching an operating state by mid-1977. D. EPA Negotiations Monochem filed a Corps of Engineers Application in 1971. A modified application was submitted on February 1, 1974 at the request of EPA Region VI. There have been meetings with the EPA for development of a draft permit. The draft permit is expected to be released to the facility during the next four weeks with permitting anticipated during the third quarter of 197^- In the negotiations with the EPA, the Monochem personnel AS I 000017483 page 6 Monochem Vinyl Chloride Plant hay 17 j 197zl have stressed the control that exists at the site and the past abatements. Ir, addition they have attempted to shovi that the existing discharge has a negligible effect on Mississippi River water quality. /1 W. M. Reiter WMR/nm cc: 7. J. von Prank AS I 000017484