The purpose of this report is to provide a technical data base for proposal of effluent limitations guidelines by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Pesticide Chemicals Industry. Effluent limitations guidelines for expanded Best Practicable Control Technology Currently Available (BPT), Best Conventional Pollutant Control Technology (BCT), Best Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT), New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), and Pretreatment Standards for Existing Sources (PSES) and New Sources (PSNS) will be proposed under authority of Sections 301, 304, 306, 307 (b) and (c) of the amended Clean Water Act from the results of this study and review by EPA. Guidelines will address 126 priority pollutants, as well as conventional and nonconventional pollutants and thirteen subcategories based on wastewater matrices. The principal groups of pollutants detected or likely to be present in untreated pesticide process wastewaters were: phenols, volatiles (aromatics, halomethanes, and chlorinated ethanes and ethylenes), nitrosamines, dienes, cyanide, copper, zinc, and pesticides. Treatment units recommended for the control of these pollutants are activated carbon, resin adsorption, hydrolysis, steam stripping, chemical oxidation, metals separation, and biological oxidation.

Cover title: Development document for effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the pesticides point source category. "Proposed"--Cover. "November 7, 1982." Includes bibliographical references (section XVIII, pages 1-30). "EPA 440/1-82/079-b."