Emission Sources

Air General Permits - Secondary Aluminum Sweat Furnaces

The Clean Air Act directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate the emissions of 188 chemical compounds designated as Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). Some of these emissions, including dioxins, are known or suspected of causing cancer and are harmful to humans.

The EPA issued a final rule in March, 2000, whose compliance dates are now effective, to control HAPs emissions from secondary aluminum production facilities. The rule protects people working or living near sweat furnaces by establishing an emission standard for dioxins and furans, thus reducing exposure by reducing emissions. The rule provides an alternative standard for sweat furnaces equipped with afterburners meeting specified design and operational criteria. Units with the specified equipment are not required to conduct compliance tests for dioxin/furans, but still must meet operational and record keeping requirements.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has established an Air General Permit (i.e., a permit by rule) at Rule 62-210.310(5)(k), F.A.C. (Florida Administrative Code), for secondary aluminum sweat furnaces that are subject to the federal emission limiting standards and other requirements of Title 40 Part 63 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 63), Subpart RRR, and that choose to comply with these requirements by installing and operating an afterburner device. Eligible sweat furnace owners are not required to use the secondary aluminum sweat furnace Air General Permit, but instead may choose to obtain a regular air operating permit. The Department, however, expects the Air General Permit process to be less costly and burdensome than the regular permit process.