EPA Municipal Waste Gasification Regulations

Gasification heats materials at very high temperatures to create hydrogen and carbon monoxide, also known as synthetic gas, or syngas, which can be used to power a gas turbine or steam power generator. The waste-to-energy process garners attention because it reduces discarded waste and provides an alternative to fossil fuel. Syngas produces energy and byproducts (sulfur and chlorine) that can be sold to chemical manufacturers. However, gasification produces harmful air pollutants that must be regulated to prevent releases of unsafe levels to the atmosphere.

Municipal Waste Combustors

• Gasification facilities that use municipal waste as feedstocks are regulated by the EPA under 40 CFR 60 - Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources - Municipal Waste Combustors. These regulations establish the minimum standards that must be met by facilities; specifically, emission levels for various pollutant materials: organics (dioxins, furans), metals (cadmium, lead, mercury), particulate matter (opacity), acid gases (hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide) and fugitive gas emissions. Gasification facilities must be equipped with control technologies so that emissions are below established safe levels. Additionally, these regulations establish siting requirements, feedstock separation guidelines, and operating practices, such as carbon monoxide load, flue gas temperatures, particulate matter controls, and operator training and certification.

Clean Air Act - Title V Permits

• States, local governments and tribes are the permitting authorities that actually grant permits, codifying air emissions standards the facility must meet during operation. Permits must meet the minimum federal requirements laid out in 40 CFR 60 but can be more stringent based upon local needs. As of 2010, Massachusetts has put a moratorium on gasification plants in the state, whereas Florida has granted a permit for a plasma gasification plant in St. Lucia County. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection required an emergency syngas flaring system as part of the permit to ensure the "safe release of products of combustion" if the syngas cannot be handled by the multistaged thermal oxidizer, emission control system or specialized fans.

Clean Air Act - Compliance Assurance Monitoring

• As part of the Title V permitting process, the EPA promulgated regulations for facilities with significant emissions that use control devices to meet permissive standards. Control devices are technologies that remove pollutants or transform them to passive emissions. For these facilities under which gasification is classified, compliance monitoring programs are required and included in each permit granted. For example, the St. Lucia plasma gasification plant is required to monitor oxygen and carbon dioxide content of flue gas as regulated by 40 CFR 75, which describes continuous emission monitoring.