Efforts to implement US MACT regulation to control HAPs from municipal waste combustors in Korea

Efforts have been made to control hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from industrial facilities by implementing US MACT in Korea. Several governmental organizations have suggested the need of more stringent regulating scheme for reducing and controlling HAPs emission in the country. Major industrial emission sources of HAPs have been identified and the prioritized industries were chosen to investigate in details by surveying management and emission status. They included combustion facilities of municipal waste combustor (MWC), polymer manufacturing, petroleum industries, etc. The existing regulation and management guidelines for subject industries in Korea were summarized and compared with US MACT regulations. Based on the results of on-site sampling and measurement, the appropriate guidelines for such industries were suggested. One of the object facilities was a MWC, thus this presentation will introduce summarized result of attempts to utilize MACT to Korean MWCs management. First, the details of US MACT rule, 40 CFR Part 60, for large MWCs was summarized and compared with the existing Korean regulations. Second, several general facts (i.e., incineration capacity, waste composition, air pollution control devices arrangement, etc,) were surveyed and the performance of facilities was investigated. Third, stack sampling was carried out to measure air pollutants that should be considered. Measured HAPs mainly included dioxin/furan, mercury, heavy metals, particulate, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The sampling of particulate and heavy metals was made by the Korean methods. Mercury sampling and analysis were carried out by Ontario Hydro Method. VOCs sampling and analysis were done using US EPA methods. Finally, the draft guidelines to regulate MWCs were suggested and will be proposed to formulate the future regulation.