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 HCI and saturated with water vapor. All 18 components were stable for a twoweek period; however, an Interference caused a 10-fold increase In the FID response of trlchloroethylene, toluene, and chlorobenzene. No Interference of the ECD response was found for any of the 11 compounds detected with the ECD including trlchloroethylene. 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.     

Biofiltration: An Innovative Air Pollution Control Technology For VOC Emissions

Biofiltration is a relatively recent air pollution control (APC) technology in which off-gases containing biodegradable volatile organic compounds (VOC) or inorganic air toxics are vented through a biologically active material. This technology has been successfully applied in Germany and The Netherlands in many full-scale applications to control odors, VOC and air toxic emissions from a wide range of industrial and public sector sources. Control efficiencies of more than 90 percent have been achieved for many common air pollutants. Due to lower operating costs, biofiltration can provide significant economic advantages over other APC technologies if applied to off-gases that contain readily biodegradable pollutants in low concentrations. Environmental benefits include low energy requirements and the avoidance of cross media transfer of pollutants. This paper reviews the history and current status of biofiltration, outlines its underlying scientific and engineering principles, and discusses the applicability of biofilters for a wide range of specific emission sources.     

Designing for Air Pollution Control

This paper was one of several presented at the Workshop on Air Pollution Control in Portland, Oregon, on May 6, 1968. The Workshop was sponsored by the Manufacturing Chemists Association and the Chemical Industry Council of the Pacific Northwest in cooperation with the Association of Oregon Industries, Association of Washington Industries, and the Environmental Committee of the Portland Chamber of Commerce. While many of the papers were of localized interest, this paper speaks to anyone designing air pollution control systems.     

Treatment of Halogenated Organic Vent Streams for the Reduction of Air Emissions

Abstract

This work presents a three-stage treatment system to process halogenated organic vent streams for compliance with the Hazardous Organic NESHAP (HON) Rule. The three stages are incineration, energy recovery, and wet scrubbing. In particular, this work concentrates on the design of the scrubber, which the HON Rule states must remove at least 99% of any halogens or hydrogen halides generated during the combustion step. Computerized process simulation was found to be ineffective in designing a scrubber for this application, so laboratory data on the partial pressure of the hydrogen halide species over aqueous solutions was employed. The number of overall gas transfer units required for 99% removal was found to be slightly less than 5, and the overall gas transfer unit height was found to be approximately 0.5 m.     

A Finite Line Source Dispersion Model for Mobile Source Air Pollution

The body of information presented in this paper is directed to individuals interested in dispersion modeling, and in particular to those concerned with evaluation of air quality in the vicinities of airports and roadways. The paper describes briefly the formulation and application of a finite line source dispersion model constructed on the basis of a Gaussian-type transport kernel. The formulation is sufficiently general that any arbitrary orientation of the line can be handled. For cases where the line is at small angles with respect to the wind, approximate expressions as well as segmentation of the line, if necessary, are used. These are Integrated into the general algorithmic scheme by means of a series of geometric tests. The general capabilities of the model are tested first with some hypothetical cases and then with actual air quality data. The latter case studies correspond to three separate periods of air quality monitoring at O’Hare Airport during which the aircraft emissions and the ground vehicle emissions play alternately important roles. The generally good agreement between model predictions and air quality data provides support for the validity of the approach. The overall efficiency of the model in terms of computer time as well as its limitations are briefly discussed.     

Industrial Planning for Air Pollution Control

Seven general planning concepts for air pollution control are presented for industry’s consideration in this text of a speech delivered at the Air Pollution Control Workshop, New England Conference on Urban Planning for Environmental Health, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, September 9, 1965.     

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.     

Air Pollution Control Philosophies

Most air pollution control programs rest on one or more of the following four basic philosophies: emission standards, air quality standards, emission taxes, and cost benefit analysis. Frequently they rest on mixtures or combinations of these four. This paper examines each of the four separately, tries to show why each is different from the others, and compares their advantages and disadvantages.     

Odor Determination Techniques for Air Pollution Control

Abstract

An airborne lidar was used to study the smoke plume from the burning of a controlled oil spill on the ocean. The ratio of the amount of light (at a wavelength, λ, of 0.532 u.m) backscattered by the smoke to the amount of light extinguished by the smoke was determined by measuring the strength of a laser beam after it had passed through the smoke plume, been reflected from the ocean, and passed through the smoke plume again, and comparing this to the strength of the laser beam reflected directly from the ocean. The optical depth of the smoke (at λ = 0.532 µm) was typically between 0.2 and 0.5. The mass fluxes of smoke particles that passed through four vertical cross sections of the (nonsteady state) smoke plume were estimated from lidar measurements to be 142, 175, 423, and 414 g ^s-1, compared to an average smoke mass production rate of ~770 g s^-1. The spatial distribution of smoke mass along the long axis of the plume was also estimated from the lidar measurements; derived smoke mass concentrations were generally <300 µg ^m-3, with a few isolated values up to ~800 µg ^m-3.     

Graduate Education for Air Pollution Control Personnel

Tendergreen bean plants were grown from seeding to seed maturity under continuous exposure to HF gas at fairly uniform concentrations averaging 0.58, 2.1, 9.1, and 10.5 µg F/m³. Progeny of these plants and of comparable control plants were grown in a clean atmosphere to determine if subsequent generations were affected by HF treatment of the parents.

No effects of HF were found among the progeny of the plants grown at 0.58 µg F/m³. The F₁ generation progeny of the other HF treated plants were less vigorous than control plant progeny, as shown by later emergence, smaller primary leaves, and slower stem growth. This probably was a consequence of the lower starch content of the seed of the HF treated plants. The primary leaves of some F₁ progeny of the plants grown in the three highest HF treatments were severely stunted and distorted. This also may have been due to the low starch content of the seed, or perhaps it resulted from damage to the plumules in shriveled, distorted seed produced in these treatments.

Some of the early trifoliate leaves of many F₁ generation progeny of the plants grown at 2.1 µg F/m³ and higher were abnormal in the separation and number of their leaflets. This abnormality apparently was heritable, for in the next (F₂) generation it occurred most frequently among plants whose parents were abnormal. However, considerably fewer F₃ generation plants had abnormal trifoliate leaves, indicating rapid reversal to the normal form.     

Industrial Ovens Designed for Air Pollution Control

Abstract

A sample preparation method has been developed in which a powder may be aerosolized and collected onto filter media in the form of a uniform layer of participate matter similar to the EPA Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) aerodynamic diameter. Samples of dusts and powders as small as 100 mg may be prepared for metals analysis by XRF with this method. The method is also applicable to the preparation of samples such as ores, soils, sediments, etc., which may be ground to pass through a #400 Tyler equivalent sieve (37 um geometric diameter) prior to aerosolization. Samples prepared in this manner present a representative aliquot with minimal matrix interferences to the XRF instrument for elements with atomic number as low as 13 (aluminum). This method is equivalent to EPA's Method 3050A digestion and subsequent analysis by either ICP or GFAA for many analytes, while other species (notably Cr) are not as favorable in comparison.