The Boiler MACT Rule & Assistance Program
The big buzz in the industry lately has been all about the Boiler MACT Rule. The Boiler MACT Rule was introduced by the EPA in March 2011, requiring emissions control technologies to be implemented for all industrial and commercial boilers by March 2014. The rule was created to ensure compliance with the EPA’s strict air requirements, aimed at reducing emissions of hazardous air pollutants (including PM, Hg, HCI, and CO) from boilers and process heaters. This new requirement affects industries of all kinds, specifically companies who are labeled as major sources of emissions by the EPA. (Major sources are facilities that emit 10 tons per year or more of any single air toxin or 25 tons per year or more of any combination of air toxins).
The Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Application Center’s have devised a plan, the Boiler MACT Assistance Program, to help the more than 650 facilities affected by the Boiler MACT Rule. The program has been created to provide technical assistance to these facilities by promoting cleaner, more efficient boilers and presenting cost-effective clean-energy strategies for compliance. To learn more about the Boiler MACT Assistance Program, click here.
The Boiler MACT Rule has not only been a hot topic in industry, but also in Washington. Some in Congress claim the rule as a “job killer” and debate that there are insufficient domestic manufacturing resources to comply within the time frames set by the EPA. The American Boiler Manufacturer’s Association (ABMA) has diligently worked to educate politicians and the public on the truth about the Boiler MACT and a new website, www.boilermactfacts.com, has been developed to list the associations stand on the rule.
Despite claims, the Boiler MACT can be achieved with existing, affordable, state-of-the-art, technologically-advanced and fuel-flexible products, along with innovatively-designed-and-engineered application solutions, provided by members of the ABMA to meet boiler facilities that will be impacted. As stated online, “Implementation may not be cheap or easy, but it's entirely doable – and critically important for long-term public health, environmental quality and business stability.” ABMA members have the combined experience in meeting tough air-quality regulations with real-world solutions and are ready to help those affected by these rules to comply with them in a timely and affordable manner. While doing so, jobs will be generated not only for the boiler and pollution control technology industry, but also for small businesses that install, repair and tune-up boilers and boiler systems.
Resources are available to assure compliance with the boiler MACT rule in an affordable and timely manner, and the members of the ABMA, including Nationwide Boiler, are here to help.
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In February of this year, the Boiler MACT rule was published in the Federal Register, causing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to propose new regulations calling for system upgrades on boilers and auxiliary equipment in many plants. The costs associated with these upgrades can reach up to $35 billion according to the EPA, but because the costs will be specific to each individual plant, no one will know the real costs until the boiler equipment is evaluated to comply with new and future regulations. Boiler operators are hesitant to spend the money due to the uncertainty of regulations, but eventually something will need to be done.
There are resources available, and the U.S. boiler and combustion equipment industry is readily able to meet the demand for these system upgrades. Randy Rawson, President of the American Boiler Manufacturer’s Association (ABMA), said, “We have the workforce resources to meet the needs of our customers, as long as our customers don’t push compliance go the last minute.”
The largest air districts in California have passed rules that require NOx compliance as low as 5 ppm by the year 2015. Few burner manufacturers have been successful with developing new ultra low NOx (ULN) burner technology that easily and safely performs at 9 - 7 ppm NOx. Many users that have tried ULN burners suffer the consequences of high FGR or excess air rates that compromise not only efficiency, but also the operational limits of boiler equipment, resulting in limited turndown capabilities, flame pulsations and unstable operation.
Today, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology has taken over as the best available control technology for complying with ultra low NOx emission requirements. Nationwide Boiler, having invested in SCR technology for our rental fleet over the last ten years, has both the experience as an user and a supplier of the CataStak™ SCR system. Our SCR systems have met or exceeded emission requirements for over one hundred boilers, steam generators and gas turbines installations.
The Nationwide Boiler CataStak™ SCR system is proven to decrease emissions, increase energy efficiency, reduce fan horsepower and provide greenhouse gas / carbon reductions. Typical users can save significant energy costs by reducing flue gas recirculation which substantially reduces fan horsepower (HP) and when compared with a typical 9 ppm burner, fan HP can be reduced by as much as half.
If you are concerned or have questions about how your facility is planning to comply with local air quality regulations, send am email to info@nationwideboiler.com and together we can come up with a solution that can perform as low as 2.5 ppm NOx and pass any current air regulation with the lowest carbon footprint.
On December 20, 2012, the EPA finalized the Boiler MACT, a specific set of adjustments to existing Clean Air Act standards, for boilers and certain solid waste incinerators. These adjustments set standards to cut emissions of hazardous air pollutants, such as mercury, dioxin, and lead, from large boilers in a range of industrial facilities and institutions.
The DOE will offer technical assistance to affected sites currently burning coal or oil, highlighting strategies such as natural gas combined heat and power (CHP), and more efficient boilers, to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs. DOE will also provide site-specific technical and cost information to the major source facilities currently burning coal or oil through its regional Clean Energy Application Centers (CEACs).
The CEACs will visit these facilities to discuss strategies for compliance, including CHP, as well as provide information on potential funding and financing opportunities available for CHP, controls, boilers and energy efficiency assessments. Facilities that make use of this technical assistance can potentially develop strategies to comply with the regulations while adding to their bottom line.
Contact Nationwide Boiler today to discuss how we can help you come up with a solution that will cut emissions in your facility. Call: 1-800-227-1966.
Information on financial incentives available at the local, state, utility and federal levels to assist facilities with the costs of investing in CHP, boiler tune-ups, controls and/or energy efficiency assessments is available at:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/states/pdfs/incentives_boiler_mact.pdf
Information about the rule, including links to the regulatory dockets, technical information on how the limits were developed, and impact assessments, is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/actions.html