Evaluation of the Effectiveness of The Lead Peroxide Method for Atmospheric Monitoring of Sulfur Dioxide

This paper presents a simplified analysis to determine the variables that affect the empirical correlation factor used in the lead peroxide method. The rate of sulfation has been determined from two different models. In the first model, the mass transfer rate is calculated from the gas phase resistance alone whereas in the second model, the diffusion resistance in the gel phase is assumed to be the rate limiting step. Although the gas phase and the gel phase resistances may be both important in the actual case, it has been found that the correlation factor based on the first model is adequate to describe general experimental observations. Reasonable agreement has been obtained between the measured and the calculated va|ue of the correlation factor.     

Objective Evaluation of Emergency Plans for Oxidant Control

Emergency plans for oxidant controls provide the basis for taking preventive action to protect public health. Historic oxidant data (1970 to Sept. 1974) from the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB), were evaluated to assess episode characteristics in an area where emergency strategies are most likely to be enforced. These findings, together with an objective study of a test case episode (June 1974) using a photochemical air quality simulation model, suggest that the currently conceived emergency plans for oxidant control are unlikely to be effective. It is concluded that, because of the chemical and mefeorofogfcal complexities of the episodes, they are extremely difficult both to predict and concurrently to control over their short-lived duration.     

Emissions from Slash Burning and the Influence of Flame Retardant Chemicals

Pollutants sampled during the burning of 30 lb ponderosa pine fuel beds yielded emission factors for CO, hydrocarbon gases, and par-ticulate matter of 146, 8.4, and 9.1 lb/ton of fuel, respectively. When similar beds were treated with diammonium phosphate flame retardant, these factors increased to 166, 11.7, and 19.3 lb/ton of fuel, respectively.

Gas chromatographic analysis of hydrocarbon gases showed that 15-40% of this material was composed of methane and eth-ylene. Ethane and acetylene were the next most abundant materials, with photochemically important materials constituting minor portions of this gaseous component. Fuel beds treated with flame retardant produced more oiefins, and this production lasted throughout the smoldering phase of burning.

These tests showed that the smoldering phase of combustion is of major importance to air pollutant production during slash burning. The initial 80% of the fuel burned accounted for only 20-30% of HC and CO emissions. This suggests that a rapid mop-up of slash burns could substantially reduce air pollutant production.     

Stack Sampling of Hygroscopic Particulates In an Entrained Water Environment

Reference methods for the determination of mercury emissions from stationary sources typically include collection of mercury by solutions which are acidic and oxidizing. In the presence of high levels of SO₂ the oxidizing capacity of these absorbing solutions will be degraded and the collection efficiency for mercury compromised. This seriously limits the usefulness of the reference methods as they apply to the mining and smelting industries. In the present work peroxide is used to remove SO₂ and acidic permanganate is used to collect mercury. At a mean sampling rate of 10 L/min concentrations of at least 12 mg/m³ mercury can be satisfactorily collected in the presence of up to 20,000 ppm SO₂.     

interpretation of air quality data with respect to the national ambient air quality standards

San Diego Gas &; Electric has developed a quality assurance program for continuous emission monitors (CEM). Extractive, rather than in situ, monitors were selected as a result of an in-house evaluation program. Two extractive systems have been certified and a good operating and maintenance record has been established on these systems. A successful program requires the involvement and support of all affected personnel. It is desirable to have one or two key personnel coordinate the development of the program. It is also highly desirable to have good in-house source testing capabilities.     

Infrared Photography as an Air Pollution Surveillance Instrument

Remote sensing is an extremely new science which developed from World War II technology. At that time, infrared sensitive film (false color) was used to detect such things as troop movements and camouflaged war materials. In essence, the film displayed a color contrast between the artificial and organic vegetation.     

Empirical Relationships between Observed Ozone Concentrations and Geographical Areas with Concentrations Likely to Be above 120 ppb

The extent to which existing ozone monitoring data can be used to represent concentrations outside the area immediately surrounding a monitoring station is investigated. The results should be of Interest to those who wish to define areas within which standards are likely to have been exceeded. Relationships are established between the observed second-maximum hour-average ozone concentrations and the area within which It is possible to state with reasonable probability that National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have or have not been exceeded. All pairs of SAROAD stations (Storage and Retrieval of Aerometric Data) separated by 500 km or less which had nearly complete annual data sets were considered for the years 1974 through 1977 to determine the probability that the NAAQS would be exceeded at one station of the pair, given station separation and the observed second-maximum hourly ozone concentration at the other station. The resulting relationship was applied to SAROAD data for 1977, and circles were drawn around each SAROAD monitoring site to show the area within which it is 90% probable that the 120 ppb NAAQS was exceeded during 1977.     

A New Real-Time Isokinetic Dust Mass Monitoring System

A new real-time dust mass monitor has been developed by combining an automatic isokinetic sampling probe with a tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM). Fly ash from a room temperature wind tunnel is sampled through the isokinetic sampler and collected on an astroquartz mat filter in the TEOM detector. The filter is first excited and oscillated at low frequency (about 200 Hz). As the particles deposit on the filter, the mass increase of the filter is reflected in a frequency reduction which yields the collected particle mass directly in real time. The TEOM detector normally has a high mass resolution (10^?9 g) and wide dynamic range (105⁵–106⁶). It is desensitized for high particle loading applications. Good agreement has been obtained between the mass collected through the isokinetic sampling system and the weight loss of the dust feeder, in real time. The body of information presented in this paper is directed to those concerned with particle emission and control in fossil fuel combustion systems.     

Some Heavy-Metal Pollutants in the Air of Naples

ABSTRACT

In this paper, assumptions regarding future land use as a key uncertainty is considered and its impact on risk analysis for contaminated sites is assessed. Risks are assessed for two land use scenarios (current-use industrial and future-use residential) using probabilistic models that incorporate uncertainty and variability in the exposure parameters. Residual risks are calculated for both industrial and residential cleanup standards. A Superfund site in northern California is considered.

In general, for the unremediated case, the future-use residential scenarios produce larger risks (1 to 3 orders of magnitude) than current- (continued) use industrial scenarios. For the Superfund site studied, the residual risks calculated for the remedy selected was not sufficiently protective of future-use residents in that it did not meet .S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk goals, but was protective of current-use workers, even though the cleanup criteria were based on residential use. Alternative risk management practices, such as deed restrictions, can be used in such cases.     

Biogenic Sulfur Gas Emissions from Soils in Eastern and Southeastern United States

Data are presented for the first systematic measurements of biogenic sulfur gas flux from the major soil orders within the eastern and southeastern United States. Sulfur flux samples were collected and analyzed on-site during the fall of 1977, spring and summer of 1978 and summer of 1979. A total of 27 sampling locales in 17 states were examined. Eight additional sites were visited in 1980.

At some locales, two to four soils were examined, providing an even broader sampling of the soil orders. Three of the locales were revisited two or three times during the course of the study to establish the influence of seasonal climatology upon the measured emission rates and chemical composition of the sulfur flux mixtures.

The sulfur gas enhancement of sulfur-free sweep air passing through dynamic emission flux chambers placed over selected sampling areas was determined by combined cryogenic enrichment sampling and wall-coated, open tubular, capillary column, cryogenic gas chromatography (WCOT/GC) using a sulfur selective, flame photometric detector (FPD).

Sulfur gas mixtures varied with soil order, ambient temperature, insolation, soil moisture, cultivation, and vegetative cover. Statistical analyses indicated strong temperature and soil order relationships for sulfur emissions from soils.

Fluxes ranged from 0.001 g to 1940 g of total sulfur as S/m²/yr. The calculated mean annual sulfur flux, weighted by soil order, was 0.03 g S/m²/yr for the study land area, or 110,872 metric tons (mT). The estimated annual average sulfur flux increased from 65 mT per 6400 km² for the land grids in the northernmost east-west grid tier to an average 1800 mT for the land grids in the southern Florida grid tiers.

This systematic sampling of major soils provides a much broader data base for estimating biogenic sulfur flux than previously reported for isolated intertidal sites, and presents the first sulfur flux estimates for inland soils which make up approximately 93% of the land of the eastern United States.