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Air Pollutant Source Investigation using Next Generation Emission Measurements and Models; Early Case Studies of 1,3-Butadiene Emissions in Louisville, KY
Citation:
Thoma, E., R. Duvall, I. George, T. Wu, H. Brantley, D. Whitaker, K. Oliver, N. Carlton-Carew, J. Spann, T. Bell, P. Deshmukh, J. Cansler, T. Cousett, A. Cooley, S. Gravette, K. Zimmerman, B. Dewitt, B. Paris, W. Tang, A. Chou, D. Chung, T. wu, M. Farquhar, A. Quijano, AND M. Scholl. Air Pollutant Source Investigation using Next Generation Emission Measurements and Models; Early Case Studies of 1,3-Butadiene Emissions in Louisville, KY. EPA National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) Second Annual Technical Information Exchange, Denver,CO, August 21 - 23, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Investigations Center (NEIC) Second Annual Technical Information Exchange, August 21-23 at the Denver Federal Center in Denver, Colorado. NEIC is hosting the Technical Information Exchange to facilitate cooperation, innovation, and further development in the field of environmental monitoring, analysis and hazard assessment. Enabled by the emergence of lower-cost sensors and new inverse modeling approaches, next generation emissions measurement (NGEM) systems are creating new ways to detect and analyze source emissions from remote vantage points. Described here are a subset of NGEM approaches currently explored in the west Louisville, KY industrial district called “Rubbertown” in a collaborative project between EPA and the Louisville Air Pollution and Control District. This presentation provides an early case study of a multi-day 1,3 butadiene source emission event simultaneously observed by a high-resolution auto gas chromatograph (GC), a next-gen field GC, a high time-resolution emission detection sensor called the SPod, along with supporting information from evacuated canister grab samples and time-integrated passive samplers. These data are processed using three successively more complex inverse modeling systems to provide location diagnostics for the emission source under difficult meteorological conditions.
Description:
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) can be emitted from a variety of sources in industrial facilities, energy production, and commercial operations. Stochastic industrial sources (SISs) represent a subcategory of emissions from fugitive leaks, variable area sources, malfunctioning processes, and improperly controlled operations. These difficult to predict sources can create significant impacts to nearby populations, generating contentious issues. From the shared perspective of industries and communities, cost-effective detection and mitigation of SIS emissions can yield benefits such as safer working environments, cost savings through reduced product loss, lower airshed pollutant impacts, and improved transparency and community relations. Enabled by the emergence of lower-cost sensors and new inverse modeling approaches, next generation emissions measurement (NGEM) systems are creating new ways to detect and analyze source emissions from remote vantage points. Described here are a subset of NGEM approaches currently explored in the west Louisville, KY industrial district called “Rubbertown” in a collaborative project between EPA and the Louisville Air Pollution and Control District. This presentation provides an early case study of a multi-day 1,3 butadiene source emission event simultaneously observed by a high-resolution auto gas chromatograph (GC), a next-gen field GC, a high time-resolution emission detection sensor called the SPod, along with supporting information from evacuated canister grab samples and time-integrated passive samplers. These data are processed using three successively more complex inverse modeling systems to provide location diagnostics for the emission source under difficult meteorological conditions.