Feasibility and Influential Analysis of Tightening the Dioxin Standard for Secondary Aluminum Smelters in Kaohsiung from the Viewpoints of Emission Prediction, Waste Treatment Cost, and Civil Penalty

• Main Authors: Hui-min Wei, 魏慧敏
• Other Authors: Wei-Hsiang Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/94nv3g

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 環境工程研究所 === 104 === As dioxin is a hazardous air pollutant, the control of the associated emissions has become an important environmental issue of public concern. The Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (TWEPA) started the management of dioxin from 1996 by regulating the emission standards for major emission sources such as waste incinerators, electric arc furnaces in steel making industries, or sintering furnaces in steel industries and other stationary sources. To date, the TWEPA is actively reviewing and revising the relevant standards and regulations, with the annual inspections of the emissions sources and update of the national emission databases. In these years, the emission of dioxin from secondary non-ferrous metal smelting industries has become another topic that draws attentions of many developed countries in the world. In 2006, it has been regulated that the dioxin emissions from secondary aluminum or copper smelting industries are required to be inspected at least once every two years, further addressing the important concern of dioxin emission from secondary non-ferrous metal smelting industries in Taiwan. With the focus on the stationary sources in Kaohsiung City, mainly the public and private secondary aluminum smelting factories, this study collected information from the emission inventories and environmental monitoring data, reflecting the current scenario of dioxin emission in the city area of concern. Furthermore, by considering the viewpoints of emission variation, waste treatment cost, and civil penalty, this study attempted to investigate the impacts of tightening the current dioxin emission standard to 0.5、0.4、0.3 ng I-TEQ/Nm3 on these sources, with respect to the influences on the dioxin emissions, additional costs for waste treatment, civil penalties, and benefits due to reduction of dioxin emission into the atmosphere. This study is expected to provide insights into the effects of tightening dioxin emission standards from different points of view for other legally-responsible agencies, governmental or non-governmental organizations with related interests to develop proper solutions for improving the management strategies or regulatory systems. Given the emission conditions of dioxin in Kaohsiung City from 2008 to 2014, for the impact of tightening the regulatory standard on the dioxin emission, lowering the dioxin emission standard to 0.5、0.4、0.3ng I-TEQ/Nm3 could reduce the amount of the emission by 0.208、0.640 、1.256 g I-TEQ/yr, respectively. The reduction ratios were 3.12%、9.61%，18.86% for three different standards. However, dioxin not released into the atmosphere is transferred to solid wastes such as ashes produced in the smelting processes. Considered that excess dioxin is transferred and contained in the solid wastes due to more stringent dioxin emission standards, the possible cost increases of treating additional solid wastes from 2008 to 2014 were estimated. In 2008, the treatment cost was NT $100,302,150, increased to NT $121,018,000 in 2011, and dropped to NT $118,928,000 in 2014. Except 2011 in which a larger variation and maximum of the treatment cost was observed, the activity intensities were not significantly different from 2008 to 2014. The treatment cost is dependent on the activity intensity that determines the amount of solid waste produced in the process of secondary aluminum smelting. As a result, the treatment costs under the scenarios of different dioxin emission standards were expected to be not significantly different and not investigated further in this study. By calculating the civil penalties under the current and three different scenarios of regulating the dioxin emission standard, the total penalty from 2008 to 2014 was NT $2,100,000, with total 5 flue tests exceeding the dioxin emission standard. If the emission standard was 0.5 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, total 8 flue tests exceeded the new dioxin emission standard, as the civil penalty increased to NT $2,910,000. If the emission standard was 0.4 and 0.3 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, total 8 and 15 flue tests exceeded the respective new dioxin emission standards, as the civil penalty further raised to NT $3,630,000 and NT $6,300,000, respectively. Given the potential costs and benefits resulted by tightening the dioxin emission standard, it was recommended in this study to establish a proper emission standard of 0.5ng I-TEQ/Nm3, in which case 6 out of 19 factories and 11 out of 35 flue stacks (31.6%) would be affected. If the emission standard was lowered to 0.4、0.3 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, all factories would be affected with respect to the emissions needed for reduction and possible civil penalties, causing significant impacts on all secondary aluminum smelting factories.