Air Emission Control Research Articles

New air emission control requirements approaching quickly

Environmental Quality ManagementVolume 4, Issue 3 p. 127-133 Article New air emission control requirements approaching quickly Brian G. Donohue, Brian G. Donohue Brian G. Donohue is of counsel with the Washington, DC, law firm ofCrowell & Moring, where he handles matters involving all areas of environmental law. He was formerly senior attorney with the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and is a frequent lecturer with respect to Superfund and hazardous waste issues.Search for more papers by this author Brian G. Donohue, Brian G. Donohue Brian G. Donohue is of counsel with the Washington, DC, law firm ofCrowell & Moring, where he handles matters involving all areas of environmental law. He was formerly senior attorney with the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and is a frequent lecturer with respect to Superfund and hazardous waste issues.Search for more papers by this author First published: Spring 1995 https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.3310040314 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume4, Issue3Spring 1995Pages 127-133 RelatedInformation

Control of Air Emissions

For any industry faced with the prospect of having to implement new emission control procedures the important question is what technique or technology should be used. This paper discusses both source reduction and abatement techniques and provides an overview of the technologies. It is concluded that:

Automobile Fuel Pricing for Air Emission Control Policy

According to previous studies, the fuel price control was shown one of the most efficient policies for NOx problem of automobile exhaust, where the number of automobile by engine type were estimated and predicted by the cohortmodel.This study takes into consideration the social cost of exhaust gas composed of NOx, CO2, CO, HC, and SPM, and estimates the fuel price level such that emission level of 2015 is the same level of 1990, 1995, and 2000, respectively.

Landfill gas pretreatment for fuel cell applications

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed regulations [1] to control air emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. If these regulations are adopted, they would require waste methane mitigation in order to prevent emission into the atmosphere and reduce the effect on global warming. One potential use of the waste methane is in a device which produces energy, the fuel cell. This device would reduce air emissions affecting global warming, acid rain, and other health and environmental issues. By producing useable energy, it would also reduce our dependency on foreign oil. This paper discusses the US EPA program underway at International Fuel Cells Corporation to demonstrate landfill methane control, and the fuel cell energy recovery concept. In this program, two critical issues needed to be addressed: (i) a landfill gas cleanup method that would remove contaminants from the gas sufficient for fuel cell operation, and (ii) successful operation of a commercial fuel cell power plant on that lower-heating value waste methane gas.

Biotreatability of Blow Heat Condensates with and without Hydrogen Peroxide Pretreatment

Pulp mill modifications implemented by kraft mills for the purposes of controlling air emissions, such as the installation of indirect secondary condensers installed in blow heat handling systems, may result in altered characteristics of wastewater treatment plant influents. This study examines the impacts on biological treatment processes associated with the presence of blow heat condensates in the influent stream. In addition, the effectiveness of pretreatment of the condensate stream with hydrogen peroxide, in the presence of the ferric ion, is examined under controlled conditions through the use of bench-scale bioreactors. The study results indicate that the presence of blow heat condensates may adversely impact the mixed liquor settleability properties in the activated sludge process, although subsequent trials conducted to re-create this condition were not successful. Effluent soluble BOD5 was not affected by the presence of the condensates. Ferric/peroxide pretreatment was found not to be effective at destroying either the methanol or the turpentine present in the condensate stream. However, a significant improvement in Microtox biological response was observed, presumably due to a reaction between the ferric ion and reduced sulfur compounds. Furthermore, no adverse impacts on settleability were observed in a bio-reactor receiving condensates which were pretreated with ferric/ieroxide.

Potential mechanistic routes for the oxidative disintegration of ketones on carbon adsorbents

Solvent recovery and air emission control are among the many industrial uses of activated carbon. The efficient use of activated carbon technology for these applications requires some understanding of carbon-solvent interactions and associated system behavior, especially in an oxidizing atmosphere. The oxidative activity characteristics of a number of organic solvents adsorbed on activated carbon were determined using temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. Thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal gravimetry (DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were employed to provide some insights on the thermal behavior of the carbon-solvent systems in oxidative and inert atmospheres. The thermal desorption patterns and oxidation stabilities of selected ketones were monitored, and the formation of products due to incomplete combustion was established. Based on the observed results, plausible mechanisms associated with the decomposition of these oxidizable organic solvents on activated carbon are discussed to delineate the types of reactions that initiate carbon bed combustion and/or carbon degradation.

Minimising Nuisances by Covering Compact Sewage Treatment Plants

Stringent effluent quality programs to limit wastewater discharges into receiving waters require extensive upgrading of conventional wastewater treatment plants. Large facilities built some decades ago are now often located in densely urbanised areas where land is unavailable. Since nitrogen and phophorus removal often require additional unit processes, innovative solutions have to be found to upgrade existing plants for nutrient removal. This paper shows large scale examples of compact technology and the additional upgrading flexibility provided. New facilities are implemented in sensitive neighborhoods by creative siting under sports stadiums, parks or buildings. In covered plants, air emission control becomes of primary importance. To reduce visual impacts and facilitate odour control, more and more underground treatment plants are constructed, allowing multiple use of plant surfaces. Several plants are illustrated in inner-city locations, avoiding infrastructure cost to pump sewage to remote sites. Most of the presented plants incorporate spacesaving settling facilities and high rate biological reactors to reduce the ‘footprints' of the installations and thus favour coverage. Parallel plates in primary setllers reduce the surface to about one tenth of conventional systems. Biocarbone aerated filters combine biodegradation with very high removal rates and retention of particles in one reactor, without additional clarification or filtration. Air treatment for large plant is mostly performed by chemical scrubbing, completely eliminating environmental nuisances. Performance results of both air and water treatment technology are given. Examples include recent sewage treatment plants on the French Mediterranean Coast. A physico-chemical treatment plant for 1 Million p.e. has operated since 1987 under a stadium in Marseille. In Monaco, the sewage treatment plant for 100 000 p.e.is located in the city center underneath a building of 3000 m2. Primary lamella settlers are followed by biological treatment on Biocarbone aerated filters and air is chemically deodourised. Similar technology is used in Antibes' 200 000 p.e. plant, integrated underneath a park close to the beach.

Full-scale remediation of a grey iron foundry waste surface impoundment

A large grey iron foundry was facing remediation of a surface impoundment containing approximately 300,000 cubic yards of EP-Toxic sludge. The sludge was generated by the settling of wastewater solids from air emission control systems connected with cupola melting operations. Bench-scale treatability testing was used to evaluate various chemical treatment possibilities for rendering the sludge non-EP-Toxic. Several phosphate sources and different engineering options were evaluated for cost-effectiveness of full-scale remediation. The most economical option was to dredge the solids continuously as a slurry (while the impoundment remained in operation) with injection of phosphoric acid into the slurry pipeline. The treatment process was controlled by monitoring residual phosphate in the treated slurry. The remediation process was tested in a month-long field trial using full-scale equipment, and was followed by successful remediation during a 6-month period. A technical overview and performance data on the remediation process are presented.

Continuous vapor-gas separation with a porous membrane permeation system

In contrast to adsorption processes in which the absorbent must be regenerated periodically, a thin porous membrane can be used to separate gaseous mixtures in an efficient and continuous manner. A Continuous Porous Membrane Permeator (CPMP) was constructed that allowed the condensible vapor in the feed stream to permeate preferentially through the membrane under the driving force of a pressure difference across the membrane. A mathematical model has been developed to describe and predict the CPMP performance under various design and operating conditions. The validity of the model simulation was verified by comparing the model prediction with the experimental results. A porous Vycor glass membrane was used to recover acetone and ethanol vapors from their mixtures with nitrogen gas. The separation performance, in terms of the apparent solvent permeability, separation factor, and solvent recovery, was evaluated systematically in a parametric study. A large solvent permeability and a high separation factor were obtained simultaneously when the feed solvent vapor pressure approached the capillary condensation vapor pressure. A semipermeable membrane system is also realized when the entire length of the membrane column is saturated with the solvent condensate. The results indicate that the CPMP is a potentially high performance membrane system for industrial application of solvent recovery from waste air emission and volatile organic compound pollution control.

Evaluating the costs of Packed‐Tower Aeration and GAC for Controlling Selected Organics

This article focuses on a preliminary cost analysis that compares liquid‐phase granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment with packed‐tower aeration (PTA) treatment, with and without air emissions control. The sensitivity of cost to design and operating variables is also discussed. For most of the contaminants examined, PTA appears to be more cost‐effective than liquid‐phase GAC, even when vapor‐phase GAC is required in the stripping system.

Combustion Control of Organic Emissions from Municipal Waste Combustors

Abstract More than two decades ago, researchers identified benzo(a)pyrene and other organic species in the emissions from incineration of solid waste. Chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and-furans (CDD/CDF) were first detected in municipal waste combustor (MWC) emissions in 1977. Since then, CDD/CDF and a substantial number of other potentially hazardous trace organic species have been observed in the emissions from many MWC facilities. From fundamental perspectives, organic emissions are products of incomplete combustion and can be controlled to low concentrations through the optimization of the combustion process and the application of appropriate flue gas cleaning devices. CDD/CDF are some of the most widely studied organic compounds of environmental concern. EPA has announced that it intends to propose new rules for control of MWC air emissions. Technical background studies for these rules considered the control of CDD/CDF as a surrogate for controlling emission of “MWC organics.” These studies on the control of CDD/CDF from MWC facilities provide useful information on strategies for controlling total organic emissions from combustion sources. Good combustion practice (GCP) is defined as those combustion conditions which lead to low emissions of trace organic pollutants. This article (1) identifies specific combustion conditions which are postulated to lead to low emission of organics (components of GCP); (2) summarizes experimental correlations between GCP components and organic emissions; and (3) briefly discusses strategies for applying GCP to ensure continuous control of organic emissions. Background information on CDD/CDF formation theories is also presented and additional reasearch needed to establish the effectiveness of combustion strategies for control of MWC organic emissions is discussed.

The Impact of Particulate Emissions Control On the Control of Other MWC Air Emissions

On December 20, 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed revised new source performance standards for new municipal waste combustion (MWC) units and guidelines for existing sources. The proposed national regulations require tighter particulate matter control and address pre-combustion, combustion, and post-combustion controls, the latter two depending on capacity and age of the facility. The air pollutants of concern when municipal solid waste (MSW) is burned will be discussed. Generally, particulate control is an inherent part of the systems used to limit the emissions of these air pollutants. The relationships between MWC air emissions (acid gases, trace organics, and trace heavy metals) control and particulate control will be discussed. Test results to quantify air pollutant emissions from MWC units and their control will be presented and compared with the proposed regulations.

Control of PCDD/PCDF emissions from municipal waste combustion systems

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is revising air pollutant emission rules for new municipal waste combustors and preparing guidelines for existing combustors. These rules, to be proposed in late November 1989, will limit emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs), carbon dioxide, and acid gases (HCl and SO 2) as well as require tighter control of particulate matter emissions. Five modern units were tested to characterize or determine the performance of representative combustor types and associated air emission control systems in the regulatory development process. Test results for uncontrolled (combustor outlet) and controlled (flue gas cleaning system outlet) PCDDs and PCDFs are reported along with pertinent information on other tests.

Evaluation of canisters for measuring emissions of volatile organic air pollutants from hazardous waste incineration.

Regulation to control air emissions of toxic organic compounds require the collection and analysis of effluent gas from low level sources such as hazardous waste incinerators. The standard SW-846 Method specifies the use of Tenax and Tenax/charcoal adsorbent traps for collection of volatile organics from incinerators. This study evaluates passivated stainless steel canisters as an alternative to adsorbent traps to eliminate some of the problems associated with adsorbent sampling. Initially the stability of 18 nonpolar, volatile organic compounds was determined in Summa-treated stainless steel canisters with greater than 100 ppmv HCl and saturated with water vapor. All 18 components were stable for a two-week period; however, an interference caused a 10-fold increase in the FID response of trichloroethylene, toluene, and chlorobenzene. No interference of the ECD response was found for any of the 11 compounds detected with the ECD including trichloroethylene. A pilot scale incinerator was sampled using canisters, and the destruction efficiency of 1,1,1-trichloroethane was determined at a concentration of less than 0.5 ppbv while determining 1,1-dichloroethylene, the major product of incomplete combustion, at a concentration of 8000 ppbv from the same sample.

Combustion control of trace organic air pollutants from municipal waste combustors

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering the use of combustion techniques for controlling air emissions of chlorinated dioxins, chlorinated furans, and other trace organics from municipal waste combustion (MWC) facilities. Recommendations for good combustion practice (GCP) for controlling trace organics were initially published in June 1987. These recommendations provided key criteria for the design, operation, control, and verification (compliance testing) of three types of combustors: waterwall mass burn, refuse-derived fuel, and modular starved-air combustors. This paper provides a summary of the technical considerations on which the initial GCP were based. It also discusses current activities in revising the initial GCP and in developing GCP for other classes of municipal waste combustors. GCP is one of the pollution control options being considered for MWC air pollution standards. Standards which are to be applicable to new MWC facilities, and emission guidelines which are to be applicable to existing MWC facilities, are to be proposed in November 1989 and promulgated in December 1990.

Standard handbook of powerplant engineering

Section I: Energy Resources for Power Generation. Overview of U. S. Energy Resources. Coal. Oil and Natural Gas. Nuclear Energy. Hydroelectric Energy. Solar Energy. Geothermal Energy. Wind Energy. Biomass Energy. Waste Fuels. Section II: Steam Powerplants. Steam Fundamentals. Basic Powerplant Design. Steam Generators. Boiler Auxiliaries. Cooling Towers and Air-Cooled Condensers. Water Treatment. Section III: Prime Movers. Steam-Turbine Fundamentals. Steam-Turbine Design. Gas-Turbine Fundamentals. Gas-Turbine Design. Hydraulic Turbines. Oil- and Gas-Fired Reciprocating Engines. Section IV: Plant Electric Systems. AC Generators and Generator Protection. Transformers and Transformer Protection. Electrical Interconnections. In-Plant Electrical Distribution. AC Motors and Their Applications. Busway Applications. Cable Applications. Section V: Instrumentation and Control. Powerplant Instruments. Combustion Control and Burner Management. Turbine and Engine Governors. Key Systems and Components. Human Engineering: Human-Machine Interface. Section VI: Nuclear Plant Systems. Introduction. Fission Theory. Nuclear Steam Supply Systems. Nuclear Plant Operation, Maintenance, and Control. Reactor Safety. Regulation. Section VII: Hydroelectric Power Stations. General Features of a Hydroelectric Project. Dams, Spillways, Water Conductors, and Powerhouses. Auxiliary Mechanical Equipment. Hydroelectric Generators, Transformers, and Controls. Section VIII: Alternative Energy Plants--Emerging Technologies. Solar Power Systems in Space. Geothermal Power Systems. Wind Energy Technology. Wood/Biomass Powerplants. Waste-Fired Plant Design. Fuel Cell Plants. Section IX: Environmental Controls. Environmental Legisation and Regulation. Air Emission Controls. Water Emission Controls. Solid Waste Management. Powerplant Noise and Its Control. Section X: Appendices: Conversion Factors. Standard Nominal System Voltages and Voltage Ranges. Abbreviations.

Development of Federal Air Standards to Reduce Sulfur Dioxide Emissions from New Industrial Boilers

Federal new source performance standards to control air emissions of sulfur dioxide from new industrial boilers were proposed by EPA on June 19, 1986. These standards would require boiler owners to reduce SO2 emissions by 90 percent and meet an emission limit of 1.2 lb/MM Btu of heat input for coal-fired boilers and 0.8 lb/MM Btu for oil-fired boilers. In developing these standards, several regulatory options were considered, from standards that could be met by firing low sulfur fuels to standards that would necessitate flue gas treatment. The environmental, economic, and cost impacts of each option were analyzed. National impacts were estimated by a computer model that projects the population of new boilers over the 5-year period following proposal, predicts the compliance strategy that will be used to comply with the particular option (always assuming that the lowest cost method of compliance will be selected), and estimates the resulting emission reductions and costs. Impacts on specific industries and...

Air Pollution and Emission Control Techniques of Oxides of Nitrogen

Air Pollution and Emission Control Techniques of Oxides of Nitrogen

Control of air emissions from kraft recovery furnaces by wet scrubbing

Environmental ProgressVolume 4, Issue 2 p. 94-99 Article Control of air emissions from kraft recovery furnaces by wet scrubbing S. Prahaes, S. Prahaes Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, Pointe Claire, Que., CanadaSearch for more papers by this author S. Prahaes, S. Prahaes Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, Pointe Claire, Que., CanadaSearch for more papers by this author First published: May 1985 https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.670040209AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume4, Issue2May 1985Pages 94-99 RelatedInformation

Air Emission Control at Hazardous Waste Management Facilities

The control of toxic air emissions from hazardous waste management facilities is being investigated by regulatory agencies and the owners and operators of such facilities. Several methods that potentially could be used to control emissions are identified in this article, which addresses emission control methods for storage tanks, surface inpoundments, land treatment facilities, landfills and waste storage piles. Based on information obtained from the literature and emission control equipment manufacturers, estimates of the costs and emission control efficiencies of the methods are provided.