Particulate matter effects

Removal of Particulate Matter. The amount of particulate entering a cooling system with the makeup water can be reduced by filtration and/or sedimentation processes. Particulate removal can also be accompHshed by filtration of recirculating cooling water. These methods do not remove all of the suspended matter from the cooling water. The level of fouling experienced is influenced by the effectiveness of the particular removal scheme employed, the water velocities in the process equipment, and the cycles of concentration maintained in the cooling tower. 

Receptor Models. Receptor models, by their formulation, are effective in determining the contributions of various sources to particulate matter concentrations. In classic studies, sources contributing to airborne particle loadings have been identified in Washington, D.C. (78), St. Louis (9,24), Los Angeles (7,12), Portiand, Oregon (78), and Boston (79—81), as well as other areas including the desert (82). 

Optimized modern dry scrubbing systems for incinerator gas cleaning are much more effective (and expensive) than their counterparts used so far for utility boiler flue gas cleaning. Brinckman and Maresca [ASME Med. Waste Symp. (1992)] describe the use of dry hydrated lime or sodium bicarbonate injection followed by membrane filtration as preferred treatment technology for control of acid gas and particulate matter emissions from modular medical waste incinerators, which have especially high dioxin emissions. 

Applications of Dielectrophoresis Over the past 20 years the use of DEP has grown rapidly to a point at which it is in use for biological, colloidal, and mineral materials studies and handfing. The effects of nonuniform elec tric fields are used for handling particulate matter far more often than is usually recognized. This includes the... 

When a liquid or solid substance is emitted to the air as particulate matter, its properties and effects may be changed. As a substance is broken up into smaller and smaller particles, more of its surface area is exposed to the air. Under these circumstances, the substance, whatever its chemical composition, tends to combine physically or chemically with other particles or gases in the atmosphere. The resulting combinations are frequently unpredictable. Very small aerosol particles (from 0.001 to 0.1 Im) can act as condensation nuclei to facilitate the condensation of water vapor, thus promoting the formation of fog and ground mist. Particles less than 2 or 3 [Lm in size (about half by weight of the particles suspended in urban air) can penetrate the mucous membrane and attract and convey harmful chemicals such as sulfur dioxide. In order to address the special concerns related to the effects of very fine, iuhalable particulates, EPA replaced its ambient air standards for total suspended particulates (TSP) with standards for particlute matter less than 10 [Lm in size (PM, ). 

Although it is entirely possible for erosion-corrosion to occur in the absence of entrained particulate, it is common to find erosion-corrosion accelerated by a dilute dispersion of fine particulate matter (sand, silt, gas bubbles) entrained in the fluid. The character of the particulate, and even the fluid itself, substantially influences the effect. Eight major characteristics are influential particle shape, particle size, particle density, particle hardness, particle size distribution, angle of impact, impact velocity, and fluid viscosity. 

The major purpose of ambient particulate sampling is to obtain mass concentration and chemical composition data, preferably as a function of particle diameter. This information is valuable for a variety of problems effects on human health, identification of particulate matter sources, understanding of atmospheric haze, and particle removal processes. 

The three major characteristics of particulate pollutants in the ambient atmosphere are total mass concentration, size distribution, and chemical composition. In the United States, the PM q concentration, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 /nm, is the quantity measured for an air quality standard to protect human health from effects caused by inhalation of suspended particulate matter. As shown in Chapter 7, the size distribution of particulate pollutants is very important in understanding... 

For any pollutant, air quality criteria may refer to different types of effects. For example. Tables 22-1 through 22-6 list effects on humans, animals, vegetation, materials, and the atmosphere caused by various exposures to sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead. These data are from fhe Air Quality Criteria for these pollutants published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Effective with the 1982 model year, particulate matter from diesel vehicles was regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the first time, at a level of 0.37 gm km . Diesel vehicles were allowed to meet an NO level of 0.93 gm km under an Environmental Protection Agency waiver. These standards were met by a combination of control systems, primarily exhaust gas recirculation and improvements in the combustion process. For the 1985 model year, the standards decreased to 0.12 gm of particulate matter per kilometer and 0.62 gm of NO per kilometer. This required the use of much more extensive control systems (1). The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (2) have kept the emission standards at the 1985 model level with one exception diesel-fueled heavy trucks shall be required to meet an NO standard of 4.0 gm per brake horsepower hour. 

To remove insoluble contaminants, various types of full-flow filters can be used. Two general types are usually selected surface filters and depth filters. Both types of filters are effective for the removal of particulate matter. 

Airborne particulate matter, which includes dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets emitted into the air, is small enough to be suspended in the atmosphere. Airborne particulate matter may be a complex mixture of organic and inorganic substances. They can be characterized by their physical attributes, which influence their transport and deposition, and their chemical composition, which influences their effect on health. The physical attributes of airborne particulates include mass concentration and size distribution. Ambient levels of mass concentration are measured in micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m ) size attributes are usually measured in aerodynamic diameter. Particulate matter (PM) exceeding 2.5 microns (/i) in aerodynamic diameter is generally defined as coarse particles, while particles smaller than 2.5 mm (PMj,) are called fine particles. 

The particles most likely to cause adverse health effects are the fine particulates, in particular, particles smaller than 10 p and 2.5 mm in aerodynamic diameter, respectively. They are sampled using (a) a high-volume sampler with a size-selective inlet using a quartz filter or (b) a dichotomous sampler that operates at a slower flow rate, separating on a Teflon filter particles smaller than 2.5 mm and sizes between 2.5 mm and 10 mm. No generally accepted conversion method exists between TSP and PM,o, which may constitute between 40% and 70% of TSP. In 1987, the USEPA switched its air quality standards from TSP to PMk,. PM,q standards have also been adopted in, for example, Brazil, Japan, and the Philippines. In light of the emerging evidence on the health impacts of fine particulates, the USEPA has proposed that U.S. ambient standards for airborne particulates be defined in terms of fine particulate matter. 

Airborne particulate matter emissions can, to a great extent, be minimized by pollution prevention and emission control measures. Prevention is frequently more cost-effective than control and, therefore, should be emphasized. Special attention should be given to pollution abatement measures in areas where taxies and buses associated with particulate emissions may pose a significant environmental risk. 

TTte most cost-effective methods of reducing emissions of NO are the use of low-NO burners and the use of low nitrogen fuels such as natural gas. Natural gas has the added advantage of emitting almost no particulate matter or sulfur dioxide when used as fuel. Other cost-effective approaches to emissions control include combustion modifications. These can reduce NO emissions by up to 50% at reasonable cost. Flue gas treatment systems can achieve greater emissions reductions, but at a much higher cost. 

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