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Chevron Corporation’s has reported that the startup of the hydrogen unit at its Pascagoula refinery in Mississippi resulted in the emission of more than 1,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide.

According to a government filing with the U.S. National Response Center, the amount of nitrogen oxide released during the startup process exceeded the permissable amount under its operating license.

The Pascagoula Refinery processes 330,000 barrels, or 13.9 million gallons, of crude oil per day. The plant's primary products are motor gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel. Other products include fuel oils such as bunker fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), aviation gasoline, petroleum coke and sulphur.

The facility also manufactures chemicals including paraxylene, a pure compound used as a feed stock in the textile and plastics industry, and benzene, used in the manufacture of a wide range of products including automobile tires, sporting goods, nylon and pharmaceuticals.

The Pascagoula Refinery’s manufacturing, storage and shipping facilities consist of 20 major refining process units, more than 200 tanks (600 million gallons total capacity), and marine terminals.