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COKE QUENCH TOWER EMISSION TESTING PROGRAM
Citation:
Laube, A. AND B. Drummond. COKE QUENCH TOWER EMISSION TESTING PROGRAM. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-79/082.
Description:
The report gives results of a field study to further define quench tower organic emissions, the character and magnitude of which are virtually unknown. (Limited testing in 1976 indicated that a large quantity of organic material was emitted from quench towers, but these data were inconclusive because so few samples were analyzed.) Sufficient stack samples were taken under controlled coke and quench water quality conditions to provide a statistically confident basis for emission factor determination. The samples were subjected to extensive organic chemical analysis for identification and quantification of similar functional groups and selected individual compounds known or expected to be carcinogenic. Fifty-three organic compounds were found in quench tower emissions; seven in sufficient quantity to be considered potential health hazards. The use of waste water from other coke plant sources for quenching greatly increases the organic load when compared to quenching with river water. Although the water itself is the principal source of organic emissions, the coke also appears to contribute. The majority of organics detected are either gaseous or associated with small particles, so they will contribute to ambient air loads beyond plant boundaries.