Benson, Ariz.-Apache Nitrogen Products, which produces nitric acid and ammonium nitrate-based products for the mining, industrial, and agricultural markets, says it knows what happened when ammonia pollution levels in two instances jumped more than nine times state emissions limits and prompted the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to issue a notice of violation. Apache attributes the March 23 and 24 readings to an incident that occurred during performance testing when a snorkel lift used by the testing company apparently drifted slowly downward and settled on the backpressure valve on the neutralizer scrubber stack, causing a loss of pressure that resulted in an instantaneous release of ammonia. “The June 25 performance test results still indicated ammonia levels above our permit limit and a plugged line appears to be the likely cause,” Pamela Beilke, Apache director of compliance and quality, told Green Markets. Beilke said the entire scrubber will be replaced once the revised permit is received from the state. “The draft permit has been received from ADEQ and ANPI (the testing company) has submitted comments,” Beilke reported. “The permit will go to public comment and once the final permit is received, the new scrubber will be installed.”
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