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Air Pollution 101: The Fundamentals of PollutantsPrepared by Tiffany L. Medley, PhD

May 13, 2014

Air Pollution 101

• Overview of the Criteria Air Pollutants

• NOx, CO, SO2, Particulate, VOC, Ozone

• Why are they regulated?

• Greenhouse Gases

• What are they?

• How are they being measured?

• Current and upcoming regulations that may affect your facility

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The Clean Air Act of 1970

• Set national ambient air quality standards for six criteria air pollutants

• CO

• NOx

• SOx

• Particulates

• Ozone

• Hydrocarbons

Air Pollution Emission Sources

Major Pollutants

Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)

• Nitrogen in air combines with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO, NO2,)

• What is N2O?

• Nitrous oxide – greenhouse gas

Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)

• Environmental Effects

• Contributes to acid rain

• Contributes to photochemical smog

• Health Effects

• In high concentrations it causes asphyxiation

• Respiratory irritant

• Damages alveoli which can lead to emphysema

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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)

• Organic compounds that evaporate readily

• With sunlight, can react with nitrogen oxides to form photochemical smog

• Sources include fuel tanks, paints, cleaners

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)

• Health Effects

• Organ damage

• Chronic diseases

• Lung cancer (benzopyrene, vinyl chloride)

Ozone

Ozone

• Health Effects

• Makes breathing difficult

• Irritates eyes nose and throat

• Bad Air Quality Days or Action Days in the summer

• NJDEP sends out alerts to subscribers

• Owners of emergency generators are not allowed to test generators on air quality action days

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

• Colorless, odorless pollutant released during the incomplete combustion of organic material such as wood, coal, oil, natural gas and gasoline

• Concentrations build up in major cities

• CO in urban areas can be 50 times greater than the global average

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

• Health effects:

• Interferes with bloods ability to absorb oxygen

• Can cause dizziness and drowsiness

Oxides of Sulfur (SO2, SO3)

• Gaseous pollutants that form where sulfur containing fuels are burned. Sulfur combines with oxygen in air to form SOx

• SOx can also combine with water in air to form sulfuric acid (potential harmful secondary pollutant)

Oxides of Sulfur (SO2, SO3)

• Health Effects

• Stings eyes and burns the throat

• Respiratory irritant

• Damages alveoli in lungs which can lead to emphysema

• Contributes to lung and heart diseases

• Environmental Effects

• Damages Plants

• Precursor to acid rain

Acid Deposition

• Acid fallout consisting of both acid rain (wet deposition) and dry deposition

• Originates from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide

• What acids are forming?

Acid Deposition

• Wet deposition

• Acids deposited in rain, snow and fog

• Dry deposition

• When dust particles containing sulfate or nitrate settle on Earth and react with water

Acid Deposition

• In the Eastern United States, sulfur dioxide is the main cause of acidity

• From the combustion of coal fired power plants with limited sulfur controls in the Upper Ohio River Valley

• In the Western United States, nitrogen dioxide is the main cause of acidity

• From automotive exhaust

Long Range Transport of Acids

• Sulfur dioxide can remain in the atmosphere for up to 40 hours and can therefore be transported hundreds of miles away from their release point

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (1980)

• Collect samples from more than 250 sampling locations each week

The data shaped Clean Air Act of 1990 regulations on reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions

•Goal was to achieve a 50% reduction is SO2 emissions by 2010

Impacts of Acid Deposition

• Erodes surfaces of structures made from sandstone, limestone, marble and other materials

Impacts of Acid Deposition

• Acidification of lakes and rivers results in decreased populations of fish species

Control of Acid Deposition

• Burning low sulfur coal rather than high sulfur coal

• Coal west of the Rockies has less sulfur than eastern coal

• Is this a long term strategy?

Control of Acid Deposition

• Installing Scrubbers as control devices to the smoke stacks of coal fired plants

Regulations to Decrease SOx emissions

• Include requiring ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (required in NJ for commercial emergency generators, boilers, heaters etc.)

• Being phased into Federal regulations for other States

Particulate Matter

• Small solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in air (could be for a few seconds or could be for months depending on size)

• TSP (total suspended particulate, PM-10, PM-2.5)

• Emitted from burning of fuels, road travel, cars

• Diesel particulate is now on the Hazardous Air Pollutants list in NJ

Particulate Matter

• Health Effects

• Respiratory irritant

• Known carcinogens

• Environmental Effects

• Dust can cover plants

Regulations to Decrease Particulate Emissions

• Diesel Retrofits on school buses, trucks, etc.

• Diesel particulate filters or diesel oxidation catalysts

• Rules to limit idling

Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

• Include CO2, CH4, N2O and CFC’s

• How are GHG’s being regulated?

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Understanding the Carbon Cycle

• Carbon exists in our bodies (49% of dry human weight), other organisms, the atmosphere, the ocean, ocean sediments and as calcium carbonate (rocks, shells and skeletons)

• Carbon is recycled rapidly

The Carbon Cycle

• Carbon dioxide enters tiny pores in the leaves of trees and other plants

• Inside the leaves carbon is combined with hydrogen from water to form sugar and other molecules (photosynthesis)

• When the leaves are consumed by an animal the carbon is digested and retained as muscle or converted to energy in cellular respiration

The Carbon Cycle

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The Carbon Cycle

• In humans, the carbon dioxide is exhaled from the lungs

• In plants it is released in the pores of the leaves

• Carbon is also released into the atmosphere when an organism dies and decomposes or via wastes that are decomposed

• Carbon can then reenter the cycle through plant photosynthesis

The Carbon Cycle

• The oceans also contain dissolved carbon dioxide

• Carbon may move through algae to crustaceans and up the fish food chain

• Some carbon will be released back into the water from cellular respiration

• Carbon may be retained in the shells of clams, oysters and corals

• Large quantities of carbon are locked up in coral reefs (the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia)

The Carbon Cycle

• Carbon dioxide is continuously being exchanged between the atmosphere and ocean

• When it increases in atmosphere, more is dissolved in the ocean

• When atmospheric CO2 decreases in atmosphere it is released by the oceans

The Carbon Cycle

• During the Carboniferous Period (250-300 million years ago), many plants were buried by sediment hence escaping decomposition

• Now our source of coal

• Photosynthetic marine organisms died and settled at the bottom of the ocean and were also buried in sediment

• Now our source of crude oil and natural gas

The Carbon Cycle

• 200 years ago humans discovered the potential of fossil fuels which has resulted in a dramatic increase in CO2 being released into our atmosphere

•From 1870 to 2008- CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by more than 30%

Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

• So what is being done to combat global warming?

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USEPA Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting

• Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities are currently exempt from Reporting

• For applicable facilities an annual CO2 equivalent (CO2e) must be reported

• CO2 is the most abundant greenhouse gas, but others have a larger impact per molecule

• So all gases (methane, etc.) are standardized to a CO2 equivalent value for ease in evaluating GHG impacts across facilities

Can GHG’s make me a Title V Facility??

CO2e and Title V Permits

• Why has NJDEP added CO2e to Title V Permits?

• On June 3, 2010, EPA published the final Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule

• GHG emissions are beginning to be treated as a major pollutant

GHG Tailoring Rule and Title V applicability

• Beginning after July 1, 2011, existing or newly constructed GHG emission sources (not already subject to title V) that emit or have a PTE equal to or greater than:

100,000 TPY CO2e, and

100 TPY GHGs mass basis

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NJDEP now requests a CO2 equivalent value for Title V Permits

• Have added CO2e to the total facility emissions inventory page (Section C)

• CO2e is based on the maximum potential fuel usage for all equipment by fuel type

• Use the EPA emission factors for GHG Inventories http://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/inventory/ghg-emissions.html

EPA deferral of CO2 from Biogenic sources (July 20, 2011)

• This action defers for a period of three (3) years the application of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Title V permitting requirements to biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from bioenergy and other biogenic stationary sources (i.e. landfill gas to energy engines, flares)

GHG Tailoring rule and PSD applicability

• The threshold for CO2e has been increased from 250 tpy for other Major pollutants to a 75,000 tpy increase for CO2e during modification

Concerns?

• If the July 20, 2011 deferral is NOT extended, biogenic emissions (potential) could put you over 100,000 tons of CO2e

• OR…If you become subject to PSD for another major pollutant and you exceed 75,000 CO2e during modification:

• You will be subject to BACT (Best Achievable Control Technology) for greenhouse gases

Concerns?

• Potential non-exemption for biogenic sources could also impact the Mandatory GHG Reporting.

• Wastewater treatment facilities may have to report if your emissions from the combustion of digester gas is greater than 25,000 CO2e

Things to Consider

• Take time to measure your initial CO2e from the existing sources in your permit

• It is likely that that number will be used in the future to determine if you have exceeded 75,000 tons of CO2e during a modification

In Conclusion…..

• Regulating Air Pollution is necessary

• Your Air Permit Compliance conditions are relevant and important to reducing air pollution

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Questions????

Tiffany L. Medley, PhD, Senior Project Manager

Cornerstone Environmental Group

754 Route 18 South, Suite 104

East Brunswick, NJ 08816

(845) 695-0265

Tiffany.Medley@CornerstoneEG.com