Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Membranes for Air Venting and Retaining VOCs in Gasoline Storage Tanks

EPA Contract Number: EPD04053
Title: Membranes for Air Venting and Retaining VOCs in Gasoline Storage Tanks
Investigators: Nemser, Stuart
Small Business: Compact Membrane Systems Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: II
Project Period: April 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007
Project Amount: $225,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase II (2004) Recipients Lists
Research Category: SBIR - Pollution Prevention , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Description:

Hydrocarbon volatile organic compounds (VOCs) vapor venting loss and ambient air contamination from gasoline storage tanks are serious environmental and economic problems. Specifically, there are significant gasoline vapor losses at the local retail service station level. Reducing the gasoline vapor losses at the local level will result in more efficient and economic use of the channels of distribution as well as alleviate environmental concerns. In California, a new air quality regulation has mandated that by April 2009 service stations must reduce emissions of gasoline vapors using Enhanced Vapor Recovery (EVR) equipment. As a result of this Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) effort, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) has developed a simple, low-cost membrane-based vapor processor that will be environmentally effective and economical in minimizing gasoline vapor venting at the local distribution sites. Project objectives included developing and building key prototype membrane and ancillary equipment and demonstrating significant (greater than 95%) gasoline venting reduction with little or no penalty in terms of operation charges. This technology has additional applications in refinery tank fields, secondary trucking distribution locations, and rail tank cars used for gasoline storage and transportation.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

In this project a membrane system that has gone far beyond conventional SBIR expectations was identified by actually demonstrating air-VOC separation on a field test site in Sacramento, California in preparation for certification and the introduction of novel VOC separation techniques that go well beyond the underground storage tank. This project further defined and optimized the air-VOC separation membrane system and associated equipment for an effective VOC recovery system.

This Phase II project’s research and development accomplishments are as follows:

1. CMS has identified a reliable, competent partner, and established a hollow fiber supply agreement with that partner that will enable CMS to establish air-VOC separation module manufacturing.
2. CMS has optimized the air-VOC separation modules and has demonstrated greater than 95 percent VOC recovery.
3. Methods have been developed for membrane quality assessment and pin hole/defect/leak minimization and elimination.
4. The key immediate customer base has been identified in the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirement for VOC venting reduction. CMS/Vapor Systems Technologies (VST) is the only supplier qualified/certified to fulfill this CARB requirement.
5. Successful field testing was achieved.
6. Economic evaluation of the CMS/VST System has demonstrated significant economic advantage over alternative VOC abatement approaches, such as vent flaring.

Conclusions:

This project exceeded all key milestones. Novel membranes in a vapor recovery system were demonstrated and commercialized. The targeted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goal of developing low-cost environmentally friendly systems to reduce the contribution of VOCs to the environment at service stations has been demonstrated. In addition to this success, CMS has engaged a key partner for the fabrication of systems as well as field testing of the units for CARB certification.

The broad objectives of the SBIR project were to demonstrate that a low-cost membrane-based system can be simply developed and simply applied. Specifically, the results of our efforts demonstrate:

• A simple, membrane-based, gasoline vapor recovery system was developed.
• The system exceeds the new CARB standards.
• The system has passed all requirements for certification by CARB and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL).
• Installations in California can commence after CARB paperwork is complete later this year.
• CMS will supply the membrane element.
• VST will supply the processor system.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

small business, SBIR, chemically resistant membranes, organic separations, VOC, gasoline storage tank, underground storage tank, UST, California Air Resources Board, CARB, emissions, reverse separation membrane, RSM, pollutants/toxics, air, sustainable industry/business, technology for sustainable environment, sustainable environment, air toxics, chemicals, environmental engineering, environmental chemistry, membrane technology, volatile organic compounds, hazardous emissions, membrane process, air pollutants, air venting, underground gasoline storage tanks, air pollution control, emissions control, VOC recovery, VOC filters, soil vapor extraction, EVR, Enhanced Vapor Recovery,, Sustainable Industry/Business, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Environmental Chemistry, air toxics, Chemicals, Environmental Engineering, hazardous emissions, membrane technology, emissions control, membrane process, soil vapor extraction, air venting, VOC recovery, VOC filters, air pollutants, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), underground gasoline storage tanks, air pollution control

SBIR Phase I:

Membranes for Air Venting and Retaining VOCs in Gasoline Storage Tanks  | Final Report