Mesabi Nugget LLC, Erie Nugget Plant - Permitting Information
1. Facility Information
Mesabi Nugget LLC, Erie Nugget Plant
2. Location
Hoyt Lakes Mining Area, Hoyt Lakes, St. Louise County, MN 55750
3. Distance from US/Canada Border
approximately 50 miles
4. Facility Type and Size
The Mesabi Nugget facility will be the first iron full-scale iron nugget plant to be built. The raw materials for the process will consist of various coals, fluxes, and binders, as well as iron ore concentrate from Silver Bay, Minnesota. The coals and fluxes will be pulverized on-site, mixed with binders and iron ore, and fed into a rotary hearth furnace. The furnace will convert the ore into iron nuggets and slag. The iron nugget will then be loaded onto railcars. The facility will have the capacity to produce approximately 600,00 tons of iron nuggets per year.
5. Sources of Emissions
Sources of emissions include a rotary hearth furnace (RHF), green ball dryers, coal and flux pulverizer/dryers, material handling and storage, a backup generator, and cooling towers.
6. Type of Fuel
coal, natural gas
7. Type and Quantity of Emissions
Total Facility Potential to Emit Summary
| Pollutant, tons per year | Total Facility Limited Potential Emissions |
|---|---|
| PM |
514
|
| PM10 |
514
|
| SO2 |
417
|
| NOx |
954
|
| CO |
449
|
| VOCs |
170
|
| LEAD |
4.2
|
| Fluorides |
108
|
| Sulfuric Acid Mist |
112
|
| Single HAP (Manganese Compounds) |
63
|
| All HAPs |
210
|
8. Emission Control Technology
Wet scrubber, low-NOx burners, staged combustion, SNCR (pilot project only to determine feasibility)
9. Date Permit Application Received
Permit was public noticed 5/16/05.
10. Stack Height and Diameter
RHF H=60 meters d=4.23 meters, Pulverizer H=40 meters, d=1.98 meters
11. Permit Agency Contact
Richard Cordes
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
520 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN 55155-4194
(651) 296-8157