Hazardous air pollutant emissions from gas-fired combustion sources: emissions and the effects of design and fuel type

Air emissions from gas-fired combustion devices such as boilers, process heaters, gas turbines and stationary reciprocating engines contain hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) subjected to consideration under the federal clean air act (CAA). This work presents a recently completed major research project to develop an understanding of HAP emissions from gas-fired boilers and process heaters and new HAP emission factors based on field emission tests of gas-fired external combustion devices used in the petroleum industry. The effect of combustion system design and operating parameters on HAP emissions determined by both field and research tests are discussed. Data from field tests of gas-fired petroleum industry boilers and heaters generally show very low emission levels of organic HAPs. A comparison of the emission data for boilers and process heaters, including units with and without various forms of NOx emission controls, showed no significant difference in organic HAP emission characteristics due to process or burner design. This conclusion is also supported by the results of research tests with different burner designs. Based on field tests of units fired with natural gas and various petroleum industry process gases and research tests in which gas composition was intentionally varied, organic HAP emissions were not determined to be significantly affected by the gas composition. Research data indicate that elevated organic HAP emission levels are found only under extreme operating conditions (starved air or high excess air combustion) associated with poor combustion.     

Framing community forestry challenges with a broader lens: case studies from the Brazilian Amazon

Community forestry initiatives have been shown to reduce rural poverty while promoting the conservation and sustainable use of forests. However, a number of challenges face communities wanting to initiate or maintain formal, community-based forest management. Through a grounded theory approach, this paper uses three case studies of community forest management models in the eastern Amazon to create a framework showing challenges faced by communities at different phases of formal management. The framework shows that, in the development phase, four root problems (land ownership, knowledge acquisition, community organization, and adequate capital) need to be addressed to obtain legal management permission. With this permission in hand, further challenges to operationalization are presented (deterring illegal loggers, maintaining infrastructure, obtaining necessary managerial skills and accessing markets). The interrelatedness of these challenges emphasizes that all challenges need to be addressed in a holistic manner for communities to maintain a profitable and self-sufficient operation. This contradicts current development approaches that only address part of this framework. The framework proposed here can be used as a starting point for community forestry initiatives in other regions.     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

Development of a field well head safety system for use with radiation generating devices

This paper discusses the design, testing and application of a new interlock system for field use with neutron generating bore hole probes at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Such probes produce 14 MeV neutrons at a yield up to 3×10⁸ neutrons/s, and present an ionizing radiation hazard to personnel particularly when operated in an unshielded configuration. This interlock system prevents personnel from being exposed to the relatively high radiation fields caused by an unsafe condition when an operating neutron generator probe is withdrawn from a well in the ground. An electromechanical interlock prototype system has been designed, built and tested, and has been found to be effective at preventing this event. The design is simple, is effective in mitigating the hazard, and can be installed in minutes. The system could be modified to interlock radiation-generating devices other than neutron generators that are used in similar environments.     

PFAS Experts Symposium: Statements on regulatory policy,chemistry and analytics,toxicology, transport/fate,and remediation for per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination issues

Sixty leading members of the scientific, engineering, regulatory, and legal communities assembled for the PFAS Experts Symposium in Arlington, Virginia on May 20 and 21, 2019 to discuss issues related to per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) based on the quickly evolving developments of PFAS regulations, chemistry and analytics, transport and fate concepts, toxicology, and remediation technologies.  The Symposium created a venue for experts with various specialized skills to provide opinions and trade perspectives on existing and new approaches to PFAS assessment and remediation in light of lessons learned managing other contaminants encountered over the past four decades. The following summarizes several consensus points developed as an outcome of the Symposium:

• Regulatory and policy issues: The response by many states and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to media exposure and public pressure related to PFAS contamination is to relatively quickly initiate programs to regulate PFAS sites. This includes the USEPA establishing relatively low lifetime health advisory levels for PFAS in drinking water and even more stringent guidance and standards in several states. In addition, if PFAS are designated as hazardous substances at the federal level, as proposed by several Congressional bills, there could be wide‐reaching effects including listing of new Superfund sites solely for PFAS, application of stringent state standards, additional characterization and remediation at existing sites, reopening of closed sites, and cost renegotiation among PRPs.
• Chemistry and analytics: PFAS analysis is confounded by the lack of regulatory‐approved methods for most PFAS in water and all PFAS in solid media and air, interference with current water‐based analytical methods if samples contain high levels of suspended solids, and sample collection and analytical interference due to the presence of PFAS in common consumer products, sampling equipment, and laboratory materials.
• Toxicology and risk: Uncertainties remain related to human health and ecological effects for most PFAS; however, regulatory standards and guidance are being established incorporating safety factors that result in part per trillion (ppt) cleanup objectives. Given the thousands of PFAS that may be present in the environment, a more appropriate paradigm may be to develop toxicity criteria for groups of PFAS rather than individual PFAS.
• Transport and fate: The recalcitrance of many perfluoroalkyl compounds and the capability of some fluorotelomers to transform into perfluoroalkyl compounds complicate conceptual site models at many PFAS sites, particularly those involving complex mixtures, such as firefighting foams. Research is warranted to better understand the physicochemical properties and corresponding transport and fate of most PFAS, of branched and linear isomers of the same compounds, and of the interactions of PFAS with other co‐contaminants such as nonaqueous phase liquids. Many PFAS exhibit complex transport mechanisms, particularly at the air/water interface, and it is uncertain whether traditional transport principles apply to the ppt levels important to PFAS projects. Existing analytical methods are sufficient when combined with the many advances in site characterization techniques to move rapidly forward at selected sites to develop and test process‐based conceptual site models.
• Existing remediation technologies and research: Current technologies largely focus on separation (sorption, ion exchange, or sequestration). Due to diversity in PFAS properties, effective treatment will likely require treatment trains. Monitored natural attenuation will not likely involve destructive reactions, but be driven by processes such as matrix diffusion, sorption, dispersion, and dilution.

The consensus message from the Symposium participants is that PFAS present far more complex challenges to the environmental community than prior contaminants. This is because, in contrast to chlorinated solvents, PFAS are severely complicated by their mobility, persistence, toxicological uncertainties, and technical obstacles to remediation—all under the backdrop of stringent regulatory and policy developments that vary by state and will be further driven by USEPA. Concern was expressed about the time, expense, and complexity required to remediate PFAS sites and whether the challenges of PFAS warrant alternative approaches to site cleanups, including the notion that adaptive management and technical impracticability waivers may be warranted at sites with expansive PFAS plumes. A paradigm shift towards receptor protection rather than broad scale groundwater/aquifer remediation may be appropriate.     

Assessment of the use of industrial by-products to remediate a copper- and arsenic-contaminated soil

Two water treatment sludges (WTS-A, WTS-B), two red muds (RM), and red gypsum (RG), all rich in iron oxy-hydroxides, were added to a soil highly polluted with As and Cu at 2% (w/w) to reduce metal bioavailability. Because the amendments increased soil pH to approximately 6, a lime treatment to the same pH and an unamended treatment were included for comparison. All the amendments had significant positive effects on the soil microbial biomass and growth of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. cv. Avance), but only WTS-A improved lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Tom Thumb) growth. The mineralization of added ammonium nitrogen was not significantly affected by the treatments, while a physiologically based extraction test (PBET) showed that bioaccessibility of As was low (< 5%) and decreased only in the WTS-A treatment. Concentrations of As in soil pore water and extractable As only decreased in the WTS and RG treatments. In contrast, Cu concentrations in soil pore water and extractable Cu decreased in all treatments, by more than 84% in the WTS, RM, and RG treatments. Non-isotopically exchangeable As and Cu were present in colloids in the soil pore water. Untreated soil had < 4% isotopically exchangeable As and this decreased by approximately 50%, with WTS, RM, and RG. The labile Cu pool represented a large proportion (34%) of the total Cu pool, and the isotopically exchangeable and soluble Cu were strongly correlated with soil pH. Acidification of the treated soils showed that the labile As and Cu both increased in the treated soils compared with untreated soils. The significance of the treatment effects on soil fertility and potential off-site transport of As and Cu to ground water are discussed.     

Surface runoff losses of phosphorus from Virginia soils amended with turkey manure using phytase and high available phosphorus corn diets

Many states have passed legislation that regulates agricultural P applications based on soil P levels and crop P uptake in an attempt to protect surface waters from nonpoint P inputs. Phytase enzyme and high available phosphorus (HAP) corn supplements to poultry feed are considered potential remedies to this problem because they can reduce total P concentrations in manure. However, less is known about their water solubility of P and potential nonpoint-source P losses when land-applied. This study was conducted to determine the effects of phytase enzyme and HAP corn supplemented diets on runoff P concentrations from pasture soils receiving surface applications of turkey manure. Manure from five poultry diets consisting of various combinations of phytase enzyme, HAP corn, and normal phytic acid (NPA) corn were surface-applied at 60 kg P ha(-1) to runoff boxes containing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and placed under a rainfall simulator for runoff collection. The alternative diets caused a decrease in manure total P and water soluble phosphorus (WSP) compared with the standard diet. Runoff dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) concentrations were significantly higher from HAP manure-amended soils while DRP losses from other manure treatments were not significantly different from each other. The DRP concentrations in runoff were not directly related to manure WSP. Instead, because the mass of manure applied varied for each treatment causing different amounts of manure particles lost in runoff, the runoff DRP concentrations were influenced by a combination of runoff sediment concentrations and manure WSP.     

Soil solid-phase controls lead activity in soil solution

Lead pollution of the environment is synonymous with civilization. It has no known biological function, and is naturally present in soil, but its presence in food crops is deemed undesirable. The concern regarding Pb is mostly due to chronic human and animal health effects, rather then phytotoxicity. However, not much is known about the chemistry and speciation of Pb in soils. We determined the activity of Pb2+, in near neutral and alkaline soils, representative of alluvial, desertic and calcareous soils of Egypt, using the competitive chelation method. Lead activity ranged from 10(-6.73) to 10(-4.83) M, and was negatively correlated with soil and soil solution pH (R2 = -0.92, P < 0.01 and R2 = -0.89, P < 0.01, respectively). It could be predicted in soil solution from the equation: log(Pb2+) = 9.9 - 2pH. A solubility diagram for the various Pb minerals found in soil was constructed using published thermodynamic data obtained from the literature, and our measured Pb2+ activities compared with this information. The measured Pb2+ activities were undersaturated with regard to the solubility of PbSiO3 in equilibrium with SiO2 (soil). However, they were supersaturated with regard to the solubilities of the Pb carbonate minerals PbCO3 (cerussite) and Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2 in equilibrium with atmospheric CO2 and hydroxide Pb(OH)2. They were also supersaturated with regard to the solubilities of the Pb phosphate minerals Pb3(PO4)2, Pb5(PO4)3OH, and Pb4O(PO4)2 in equilibrium with tricalcium phosphate and CaCO3. The activity of Pb2+ was not regulated by any mineral of known solubility in our soils, but possibly by a mixture of Pb carbonate and phosphate minerals.