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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320654
Research Project: Enhancing the Quality, Utility, Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Western and Long-Staple Cotton through Improvements in Harvesting, Processing, and Utilization

Location: Cotton Ginning Research

Title: Update on the development of cotton gin PM2.5 emission factors for EPA's AP-42

Author
item MOORE, THOMAS - Oklahoma State University
item BUSER, MICHAEL - Oklahoma State University
item Whitelock, Derek
item Wanjura, John
item HAMILTON, DOUG - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2015
Publication Date: 5/11/2015
Citation: Moore, T.W., Buser, M.D., Whitelock, D.P., Wanjura, J.D., Hamilton, D. 2015. Update on the development of cotton gin PM2.5 emission factors for EPA's AP-42. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference, January 5-7,2015, San Antonio, TX. p. 486-492.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A cotton ginning industry-supported project was initiated in 2008 to update the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Compilation of Air Pollution Emission Factors (AP-42) to include PM2.5 emission factors. This study develops emission factors from the PM2.5 emission factor data collected from the industry supported project (hereafter referred to as “National Study”) for 17 cotton gin systems and rates their quality using EPA’s new Emission Factor Development Procedures (published August 2013). Stack emissions were collected using Method 201a with a PM10 and PM2.5 cyclone and Method 17 in combination with particle size analysis. Unrepresentative test runs were removed from the National Study dataset if gin operation was erratic, laboratory errors occurred, or if indicated to be an outlier by either of two outlier tests. The remaining test runs were assessed for quality using the EPA’s Test Quality Rating Tool and assigned Individual Test Ratings (ITRs).The test runs and ITRs were averaged for each method used at a gin. The averages were used to develop emission factors and their representativeness ratings. This resulted in eight “poorly” and nine “moderately” representative emission factors, and a range of 0.002 (mote trash) to 0.032 lbs. of PM2.5 per bale (unloading). While no factors received a rating of “highly representative,” having PM2.5 emission factors developed from sampled data, as opposed to being estimated from PM10 factors, will provide science based data for regulating the industry. Slides used in this presentation are shown in Figure 1.