PA EFFEC. DATE EXTENDED FOR "KO88" LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS

PA EFFEC. DATE EXTENDED FOR "KO88" LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1997

EFFECTIVE DATE EXTENDED FOR "KO88" LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS

EPA extended the effective date for the Land Disposal Restrictions (LDRs) treatment standards for spent aluminum potliners, a hazardous waste known as "KO88". Generators will have a six-month extension to come into compliance with the new LDR requirements. The effective date has been extended from Jan. 8, to July 8, 1997. In the meantime, generators of KO88 must continue to send the waste to hazardous waste disposal facilities. EPA delayed the effective date because the only commercially available treatment facility for KO88 has experienced difficulties in effectively treating the waste. EPA judged that requiring treatment of waste under less than optimal conditions would not be environmentally productive. Reynolds Metal Co., in Gum Springs, Ark., which is the only commercially available treatment facility for KO88, is presently taking steps to identify and correct the situation. Reynolds Metal Co., is currently working with EPA Region 6 to determine the causes and potential solutions to a leachate problem that has led to high levels of arsenic, cyanide and fluoride. Spent potliners are generated from basic aluminum production. Contaminants from aluminum production enter the linings of the "pots" used to hold the molten aluminum, and over time, the contaminants build to unacceptable levels and the potliner must be removed. These removed potliners are contaminated with toxic constituents including cyanides and fluorides. EPA identified these spent potliners as hazardous waste designating it KO88 under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1989. Under RCRA, hazardous waste must be treated before it can be land disposed. EPA evaluated the different treatment technologies available for KO88 and established several numerical limits for the toxic constituents on April 8, 1996 (61 FR 15584). The Federal Register Notice is expected to be published today.

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