This project is a continuous regulatory or control plan. The main purpose of the plan was to manage the emission of volatile organic compound air pollutants in accordance with the regulations announced by the Environmental Protection Administration, regulate the CPC Corporation’s Taoyuan refinery as a special project, and provide public- and private-venue consultations within the jurisdiction regarding the installation of continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS), as well as assess monitoring results and transmitted data accuracy. This will ensure sufficient understanding of the status of pollutant emissions, and effectively improve the air quality of Taoyuan County.
This plan was executed over 12 months from March 24, 2012, to March 23, 2013. The various relevant operations were executed according to a predetermined schedule. These operations included volatile organic compound regulation, pollution reduction counseling and guidance, inspection and detection operations, special project regulation of the CPC Corporation’s Taoyuan refinery, 3D optical radar monitoring, supervising regular detection and online declaration operations, maintaining and updating the information system of the CEMS, CEMS regulation compliance assessments, assistance with air pollution control fee reviews, and performance of promotional information sessions regarding regulations.
The key project tasks and achievements for this year are listed below.
(a) Professional regulation of the CPC Corporation Refining Business Division’s Taoyuan refinery, including the monitoring and checking of 9 self-initiated improvement items and pollution reduction strategies and operations related to regulation compliance. Execution achievements for this portion of the plan include the following: (1) Complete reinventorying and establishment by barcode and imaging regarding the equipment components for the 24 manufacturing processes performed in the refinery. The number of total equipment components had increased by approximately 3-fold compared to that for 2009. This information was synchronously transmitted for component declaration operations involving permits, air pollution fees, emissions volumes, and quarterly declarations. Furthermore, forward looking infrared (FLIR) facilities and flame ionization detectors (FIDs) were introduced for equipment component leak selection and detection. Following inspection and regulation, the number of equipment component leaks identified for the manufacturing processes exhibited a declining trend in the subsequent quarterly declaration. (2) Flare exhaust gas recycling and reduction operations were implemented. Online flow monitoring of 11 elevated and low flares has been conducted with the Environmental Protection Bureau. Additionally, 96% of the exhaust emitted by 3 elevated hydrogen sulfide flares is recycled at sulfur factories or recovery units or reused by the fuel system. The construction of 2 flare gas recovery systems (FGRS) for a further 8 carbon-hydrogen elevated and ground flares began on March 9, 2013, and is expected to be complete by June 26, 2014. (4) Regarding public petitions, a total of 18 cases were recorded between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, which is 14% lower than that in 2011.
(b) From the perspective of CEMS regulation, because of the 3 cases of false monitoring data in 2011, a parallel comparison system has been installed, and related trends between parallel comparison data and monitoring data are downloaded and analyzed every quarter as specified by the Environmental Protection Bureau. The analysis results have not highlighted any cases of inconsistent trends. Furthermore, pollutant emission trends do not appear as stable as that in previous years
(c) During the current year, inspection and regulation operations were synchronized and integrated with technological instruments, as explained below. (1) The use of 3D optical radar to monitor the pollutant sources in the Guanyin Industrial Park that cause abnormally high readings of PM10 and SO2 concentrations at observation stations during the night was implemented, and round-the-clock inspections and regulations were conducted. Analysis of Guanyin Industrial Park data measured at the air quality observation station in January 2013 showed a clearly declining and stabilizing trend in PM10 and SO2 concentrations. (2) In accordance with the Environmental Protection Bureau’s application of infrared thermal imaging devices combined with FIDs to combustion prevention or control devices, 11 illegal polluters or businesses with illegal emissions were identified. Among those identified, 6 copper clad laminate manufacturers have been retroactively fined for 5 years of air pollution fees totaling NT$43,532,391.
Other specific results include completing 356 facility-wide inventory and regulation compliance assessments, 5,034 equipment component checks, inspections and detections of 77 samples regarding stationary pollution sources, pollutant reduction counseling or guidance operations for 9 factories (volatile organic compounds have been reduced by 1258.797 metric tons per annum), 13 CEMS function examinations, 101 regular monitoring operations, 1,131 online declaration reviews, and the broadcasting of 107 news items with 215 related details on electronic boards to achieve promotional effects. The content and results of the operations are detailed in various sections of this report.
We recommend that this project adopt progressive methods to continue the assessment operation model for synchronizing and integrating inspection and regulatory operations with technological instruments as begun in 2012. In this way, pollution inspection and follow-up counseling and guidance operations can be continued, enhancing the degree and power of inspection and regulation and pursuing outstanding air pollution fees as an incentive for future counseling and guidance. Furthermore, feedback should be provided as to the actual pollutant emission situation in the county and a permit system implemented to achieve the nonmethane hydrocarbon reduction targets listed in Taoyuan County’s 2013 pollution control and prevention plans.
