AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS

OBJECTIVES Air Quality Regulations in U.S.

What are Air Quality Standards?

What is a PSD program?

Discuss various Clean Air Act amendments.

How is emission trading used to manage air quality?

What is ISO14000?

AIR POLLUTIONo A threat to the ecosystem in recent years.

o Global problem affecting human beings, trees, lakes, crops, and animals.

o Damages ozone layer.

o Creates acid rain.

o The effects are diverse and numerous.

WATER POLLUTION Contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers,

oceans, and ground water.

Problems are more noticeable and immediate in their effect.

Often recognized before it reaches crisis proportions.

Public complaints are immediate.

Why Air Pollution Laws Were Not Developed?

Serious health related problems take a long time to show up as a result of exposure to air pollutants. Therefore, public may not appreciate the importance of air pollution laws.

Often disregarded as a health and safety issue.

GOALS OF AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS Protect and enhance air quality.

Protect and promote human health and public welfare.

Air pollution control at state and local level.

Reduce the most significant risks to human health or the environment.

Determine risk-based priorities.

Essential Items

Human Effort

Money

Technical Knowledge

HISTORY OF AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS• Prior to 1940: Very little by way of formal regulations. Air Pollution Control

Ordinance (around 1815)

• 1940 - 1955: Initiation of practical efforts in the US as a result of LA type fog

• 1955 -1990: Development, Implementation, and Modification of Regulations

• 2001 onwards: New approaches to apply standards, Review of standards

Note : Before passage of 1970 Clean Air Amendments, Air Pollution Laws were sometimes similar to Water Pollution Laws

HISTORY OF AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS

• 1955 : Research for scope and sources of air pollution

• 1963: Research for techniques to minimize air pollution

• 1970: Regulated emissions from stationary and mobile sources

• 1977: Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) of air quality for non-attainment areas

• 1990: Control of Acid Deposition

HISTORY OF AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS

• 2003: Modern pollution-control equipment for power plants built before 1977

• 2004: Reducing pollutants emitted by diesel-powered equipment

• 2005: NOx emission standard for aircraft engines

• 2007: Benzene control technologies for refineries

• 2009: Reporting of GHG emissions from all the sectors

Role of Business Cycle in Regulations The US is moving from a “manufacturing industry” to a

“service industry” with an emphasis on “recreational” type of activities.

Conventional pollutants during early phase (visible emissions)

Toxic pollutants (invisible pollutants) after Bhopal accident

Small sources, non-point sources (area sources, fugitive emissions)

Global problems (GHGs, Climate change)

FEDERAL REGULATIONS ON AIR POLLUTION

TYPES OF LAWS Common:

The body of law that has grown out of common tradition and usage, as stated in court decisions - usually concerns private rights.

Statute:The body of law that has been passed by legislators (e.g: US Congress) and stated in formal documents - usually concerns rights of general public.

Statute laws usually do not take away a citizen's right to sue

OTHER LEGAL TERMS Tort :

A willful or negligent injury to a person, property, or reputation

Nuisance : Unlawful invasion of a possessor's interest in the reasonable use and enjoyment of property Private Nuisance:

Only the plaintiff or a small, well defined class of plaintiffs are affected Plaintiff(s) could take action

Public Nuisance Many people in the community are affected Only government could take action

MANAGEMENT OF AIR QUALITY Emission Standards

Air Quality Standards

Pollution Taxes

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Risk Standards Based on Pollution

EMISSION STANDARDS Emission Standards: limit the amount or concentration of a

contaminant that may be emitted from a source.

Visible emission standards.

Particulate emission standards.

Particulate process weight (or mass) standards.

Gas concentration standards.

Prohibition of emissions.

Regulation of fuel.

Zoning restrictions.

Dispersion based standards.

AIR QUALITY STANDARDS Air Quality Standards: Prescribe the pollutant levels

that cannot be legally exceeded during a specific time period in a specific geographic region

1970 : Primary Standards

Protection of public health (to be achieved regardless of cost and within the specified time limit)

Secondary Standards To protect public from known and anticipated adverse effects Time schedule to be determined by state and local governments

NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

(Source: USEPA)

EPA

NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS

POLLUTION TAXES Used in the US on a limited scale Home energy efficiency improvement tax credits

Windows and Doors Insulation Roofs Heating and cooling equipments

Residential renewable energy tax credits Solar energy systems (solar water heating and solar electric systems) Small wind systems Geothermal heat pumps Residential fuel cell and Microturbine systems

Automobile tax credits Hybrid Gas-Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles Plug-In Electric Vehicles Plug-In Hybrid Conversion Kits Low Speed & 2-3 Wheeled Vehicles

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS Economic evaluation of health and environmental

interventions is important

Quantification of impacts for health, crops, materials, social and economic factors

Compare the effectiveness of one intervention against another

Help policy makers allocate limited budget

Demonstrates economic return of investments

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS Direct impacts

Tropospheric ozone formation that effects: Public health Crops Materials Ecosystems

Health impacts from primary and secondary pollutants Ecosystem acidification Damage to building and other materials

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS Indirect impacts

Changes in GHG emissions with controlled pollutant levels

Social and economic effects from impacts and measures recommended for their control

CLEAN AIR ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1970

To protect human health and the air environment

To establish a national research and development

program to prevent and to control air pollution

To provide federal assistance and leadership to state

and local governments for air pollution programs

To develop specific standards for hazardous air

pollutants

CLEAN AIR ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1970o Important legal event in the US federal air pollution control

field o Creation of Environmental Protection Agency

HEW (prior to 1970) EPA (post 1970)Primary emphasis on

voluntary controlconciliation education persuasion encourage and support state

and local action

Enactment and enforcement of effective pollution standards litigation fines injunctions jail terms

Policy

PROBLEM

A power plant stack gas (SO2) at 440°C contains 2200 ppm. If the volume rate of gas emitted is 15000 m3/min. What is the SO2 emission rate in kg/sec? The stack pressure is 1.0 bar.

SOLUTION Step1: Calculate density P = ρRT

ρ = {P/RT}

Sp. Vol. α = {RT/P} = 0.926 m3/kg

Step2: Calculate volume Vol. of SO2 emitted = {15000/60}(m3/sec)*2200*10-6

= 0.55 m3/sec Step3: Mass rate of emission = Density * Volume

=(0.55/α) = (vol. of SO2 /α)

= 0.55/0.926= 0.594 kg/sec

AIR QUALITY CRITERIA Expressions of the latest scientific knowledge based on

the knowledge of experts.

Describe the effects that can be expected to occur beyond "excedence" pollutant level for a specified time period.

Miscellaneous Exposure Combination of pollutants etc

CASE FOR NATIONAL STANDARDS Unfair economic advantages (by state) Competition for lower standards. Federal Standards for : automobiles aircraft industries supplying basic needs "New Source " performance standards Initial NSPS issued on December 23, 1971 Steam Generators Portland Cement Plants Incinerators Nitric acid and H2SO4 plants

Air Quality Control Regions AQCRs were developed in 1967.

Basis: Common meteorology, topography, and climate

Ohio is divided in 14 AQCRs

Toledo: 124 AQCR; Lucas and Wood counties

PREVENTION OF SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION

Applies to new or modified sources constructed after March 19,1979.

Potential emissions of 100 tons/year of any single pollutant, or a combined total of 250 tons/year of all pollutants.

Best available control technology (BACT) applies to all sources covered.

In regions where ambient air quality standards are not being met, a new source is required to provide “Emission Offsets”.

PREVENTION OF SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION

Class I: This class covers pristine areas of the country

and no change from current air quality will be allowed

Class II: Almost all other areas where moderate

change in air quality will be allowed

Class III: Industrialized areas where substantial growth

will be allowed, and where the increase in

concentration of pollutants up to the federal

standards will be insignificant

APPLICATION OF THE PSD INCREMENT

NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS (NESHAPS)

Beryllium

Mercury

Vinyl Chloride

Radio nuclides

Benzene

Asbestos

Others Proposed

HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATORS Incineration was an economic alternative to solve

hazardous waste crisis.

The NESHAP for hazardous waste combustors was developed in two phases.

Phase I, September 30, 1999, addresses hazardous waste burning incinerators, cement kilns, and lightweight aggregate kilns.

Phase II, September 14, 2005, Hazardous waste burning industrial boilers, process heaters, and hydrochloric acid production furnaces.