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Effluent Guidelines
Petroleum Refining
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On October 18, 1982, EPA finalized the effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the petroleum refining point source category.
First, EPA studied the petroleum refining industry to determine whether differences in raw materials, final products, manufacturing processes, equipment, age and size plants, water usage, wastewater constituents, or other factors required the development of separate effluent limitations and standards for different segments of the industry. EPA then identified the constituents of wastewaters which should be considered for effluent limitations quidelines and standards of performance. Next, EPA identified several distinct control and treatment technologies, including both in-plant and end-of-process technologies, which are in use or capable of being used in the petroleum refining industry.
- What is Petroleum Refining Industry
- Facilities Covered
- Final Rule
- Guidance and Background Documents
- For Additional Information
- Proposed Rule
What is Petroleum Refining Industry
The petroleum refining industry is defined by Bureau of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2911. The raw material of this industry is petroleum material. Petroleum refineries process this raw material into a wide variety of petroleum products, including gasoline, fuel oil, jet fuel, heating oils and gases and petrochemicals. Refining includes a wide variety of physical separation and chemical reaction processes.
Facilities Covered
The petroleum refining industry is defined by the North American Industry Classification System code 2911. The raw material of this industry is petroleum material. Petroleum refineries process this raw material into a wide variety of petroleum products, including gasoline, fuel oil, jet fuel, heating oils and gases and petrochemicals. Refining includes a wide variety of physical separation and chemical reaction processes.
Final Rule
- Petroleum Refining Point Source Category (PDF) (31 pages, 2.8MB) (39 FR 16559; May 9, 1974)
- Petroleum Refining Point Source Category Effluent Limitations Guidelines, Pretreatment Standards, and New Source Performance Standards (PDF) (25 pages, 2.4MB) (44 FR 75925; December 21, 1979)
Guidance and Background Documents
- Petroleum Refining: Section 7 of the Technical Support Document for the 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan (PDF) (127 pp., 707 K; EPA-821-R-04-014) August 2004
- Preliminary Data Summary for the Petroleum Refining Category (PDF) (128 pp., 3.2 MB; EPA 821-R-97-003) April 1996
- Pretreatment Streamlining Rule Fact Sheet 4.0: Equivalent Concentration-Based Limits for Flow-Based Standards (PDF) (4 pp., 78 K)
Additional Information/Contacts
For additional information regarding petroleum refining industry effluent guidelines, please see petroleum refining contacts.
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Proposed Rule and Support Documents
- Court Cases
- Sierra Club v. Union Oil Company of California (PDF) (111K, 11 pages)
- Supplemental Flow Questionnaire (PDF) (390L, 7 pages)
- Petroleum Refining Technical Development Document
- I. Conclusion/II. Recommendations/III. Introduction (PDF) (2.7MB, 54 pages)
- IV. Industry Subcategorization (PDF) (470K, 8 pages)
- V. Waste Chracterization (PDF) (313K, 8 pages)
- VI. Selection of Pollutant Parameters (PDF) (1.2MB, 20 pages)
- VII. Control and Treatment Technology (PDF) (1.5MB, 22 pages)
- VIII. Cost, Energy, and Non-Water Quality Aspects (PDF) (1.0MB, 30 pages)
- IX. Best Practicable Control Technology Currently Available (PDF) (1.5MB, 26 pages)
- X. Best Available Technology Economically Achievable (PDF) (256K, 6 pages)
- XI. New Source Performance Standards (PDF) (182K, 4 pages)
- XII. Acknowledgements/XIII. Bibliography/XIV. Glossary and Abbreviations (PDF) (783K, 17 pages)
Preliminary Rule Development
Data Collection
The data gathering efforts for the petroleum refining industry was used in developing the proposed regulations were summarized in the preamble to the proposed petroleum refining regulations published on December 21, 1973 (44 FR 75926). EPA has gathered the following reports concerning data it has acquired on this industry since the December 1979 proposed Flow Model, and a report entitled Petroleum Refining Industry, and Surrogate Sampling Program.
Benefits Cited
EPA estimates that achievement of best available technology (BAT) effluent limitations will remove approximately 123,00 pounds per year of chromium, 86,180 pounds per year of phenols, and substantial quantities of other toxic pollutants. EPA estimates that achievement of best conventional pollutant technology (BCT) effluent limitations will remove approximately 48.7 millions pounds per year of conventional pollutants.