An ethanol production facility was required to demonstrate that the coarse particulate (PM10) and fine particulate (PM2.5) emissions from its grains-receiving and loadout building were at or below the ambient air quality standards. To meet this requirement, the facility decided to undertake a first-of-its-kind capture-efficiency-testing program rather than face potentially severe operational restrictions.
Barr was hired to develop a combined testing and air-dispersion-modeling approach and worked with the client and the regulatory agency to gain approval of the methodology. Our stack testing specialists measured the PM10 and PM2.5 emissions from the building over several days under various operating and weather conditions. The measurements were used to develop site-specific and wind-dependent (speed and direction) emission factors for operations occurring in the building. These factors were then incorporated into an air dispersion model, which demonstrated the facility’s compliance with ambient-air-quality standards.
Our client is now able to operate without significant restrictions on operations and is well-positioned to pursue future projects and maintain compliance with ambient standards. In addition, the approved methodology we developed has been cited by the regulatory agency as the standard for these types of capture-efficiency tests.