Topic - Air Management
Material Handling

The Material Handling category of emission sources includes sand and gravel operations, grain dryers, incinerators, and certain storage tanks, to name a few.

You need to determine if you are exempt

Most of the exemption levels for the material handling operations would require you to determine your maximum raw material usage for any one of the operations listed below. Some use actual production rates. The following measurements are usually used to determine the throughput:

1. Actuals:

1. quantity of raw materials used and handled for each process, which you may find using purchase records, inventory tracking or similar recordkeeping procedures you might have; and
2. hours of operation for the year.

2. Maximum:

1. manufacturer's specifications on the process equipment (in units like "tons per hour") to document the full operating capacity (100%), and
2. maximum hours you can operate in a year — some processes may need specific periods of down time for maintenance, or some industries only operate during certain times of the year (asphalt plants assume 6600 hours per year for the construction season, and grain operations may be allowed similar restrictions for the growing season); if you have no restrictions like that, it will be 8760 hours per year.

Any information used to show a restriction on 100% of the operating capacity or hours must be documented for DNR.

Each process in the list below has a certain exemption level (listed in the drop-down definition box that appears when clicking on each one) that your process must be less than to be exempt. If your process is not below those levels, or you cannot substitute materials or modify the process to bring it below those levels, then you are not exempt and will need to apply for a construction permit.

(Click on the drop-down topic below to review the exemption level, then refer to the fact sheets that follow.)

Topics with Clickable, Drop-down Exemption Levels

• Incinerators
• Grain Dryers
• Grain Storage Facilities
• Grain Processing Facilities
• Portland Concrete Batch Plants
• Ledge Rock Quarries
• Industrial Sand Mines
• Fixed Sand and Gravel Plants
• Portable Sand and Gravel Plants

Help with the Calculations

To determine whether you are exempt, you will need to calculate the hourly maximum emissions. For assistance on calculating emissions, refer to the following resources:

• The Actual Emissions worksheet [Excel] will help you perform the calculations needed to determine if you are exempt under the actual emissions based exemption. (Save the file to your own computer's hard drive after it opens.)
• The MTE Calculation Examples spreadsheet [Excel] will help with calculating maximum theoretical emissions (MTE) and will provide example calculations. (Save the file to your computer's hard drive after it opens.)

For emissions related to the dry material processes listed above, you may want to review the following fact sheet:

• Particulate Matter Emissions and Pollution Requirements [PDF]

Help from EPA

EPA may have emission factors available for your type of process in their resource AP-42.

• Go to their table of contents [exit DNR]. There may be a specific chapter that applies to your operations.
• If not, check Chapter 13: Miscellaneous Sources [exit DNR].

Hazardous Air Pollutant Guidance

These processes may also have hazardous air pollutant emissions. Please review the following guidance on hazardous air pollutant emission calculations:

• Wisconsin's Air Toxics Program — A web site containing information about hazardous air pollutants and state regulations.
• Hazardous Air Pollutant List — An interactive Excel spreadsheet that can show you the thresholds in the state rule for each of the HAPs that you emit. Just place an X in the Select column, then choose the X option from the drop down menu in the top row of that column, and only the information on your HAPs should be shown. Save it to your own computer as soon as the file opens.

If you've determined you are not exempt, please continue by clicking the "Not Exempt" button below. This link will take you to a pollution prevention option web page.