On the source inversion of fugitive surface layer releases. Part II. Complex sources

The experimental measurement of fugitive emissions of particulate matter entails inherent complexity because they are usually discontinuous, of short duration, may be mobile, and are affected by weather conditions. Owing to this complexity, instead of experimental measurements, emission factors are used to inventory such emissions. Unfortunately, emission factor datasets are still very limited at present and are insufficient to identify problematic operations and appropriately select control measures. To extend these datasets, a source inversion methodology (described in Part I of this work) was applied to field campaigns in which operation-specific fugitive particulate matter emission factors were determined for several complex fugitive sources, some of which were mobile. Mobile sources were treated as a superposition of instantaneous sources. The experimental campaigns were conducted at ports (bulk solids terminals), aggregate quarries, and cement factories, encompassing powder handling operations and vehicle circulation on paved and unpaved roads. Emission factors were derived for the operations and materials involved in these scenarios and compared with those available in the emission factor compilations. Significant differences were observed between the emission factors obtained in the studied handling operations. These differences call into question the use of generic emission factors and highlight the need for more detailed studies in this field

Effect of the raw materials processing on their dustiness

En la manipulación y/o procesado de materiales pulverulentos en la industria cerámica, uno de los riesgos más importantes desde el punto de vista ambiental y de higiene laboral es la generación de polvo ambiental. En este sentido, un parámetro de gran interés es el poder de emisión de polvo, que cuantifica la tendencia de los materiales pulverulentos a generar polvo cuando se manipulan. En este trabajo, para determinar el poder de emisión de polvo de una composición cerámica (mezcla de materias primas empleada para la fabricación de baldosas cerámicas) se ha empleado un método de caída continua. Este método se ha seleccionado por ser el que mejor representa las operaciones de manipulación de materiales pulverulentos que tienen lugar en el proceso de fabricación de baldosas cerámicas. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que el poder de emisión de polvo de una misma composición cerámica se modifica sustancialmente durante el proceso productivo dependiendo de su forma de presentación. En este sentido, la muestra procedente de la molienda vía seca presenta un elevado poder de emisión de polvo, pudiéndose reducir significativamente (> 75%) aplicando la humectación y la aglomeración. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la presentación óptima desde el punto de vista de la minimización de la generación de polvo se alcanza en el proceso de atomización, llegándose a reducir el poder de emisión de polvo en más de un 95%.During the handling and/or processing of powdered materials in the ceramic industry, one of the most important risks regarding the environmental and occupational health is the potential generation of dust. In this regard, a parameter of great interest is the dustiness of the processed materials; this parameter quantifies the tendency of the powdered materials to generate dust when handled. In this study, to determine the dustiness of a ceramic raw material composition (mixture of the body raw materials), the continuous drop method has been used. This test apparatus was selected because it is considered to better simulate how ceramic materials are handled in the ceramic industry. The obtained results show that the dustiness of the same ceramic composition exhibits significant changes during the manufacturing process, depending on the presentation form. In this regard, the dry milling sample presents the highest dustiness, which can be significantly reduced (> 75%) applying the the moisturization and agglomeration. The obtained results also shown that the best presentation form, regarding the minimization of the dust generation, is achieved in the spray-drying process, where the dustiness is reduced by 95%

Strategic environmental communication tools

Ponència presentada a QUALICER'14, XIII Congreso Mundial de la Calidad del Azulejo y del Pavimento Cerámico, celebrat a Castelló, 17-18 febrer 2014The Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), pursuing its programme of actions aimed at transferring knowledge to the ceramic industry, presents the following work to facilitate the entry of ceramic coverings to markets demanding sustainable or green products and to national and international sustainable building certification programmes. At present, for the industry in general and for the ceramic industry in particular, companies seeking to respond to green market demands face serious difficulties owing to the vast number of existing certificates, ecolabellings, and eco-features, which adversely affect the decision-taking process in this sense. In this context, ITC has focused on developing, adapting, and fine-tuning a series of the most demanded eco-features, currently deemed the most complete for ceramic coverings

Viabilidad de la implantación de sistemas de cerramiento total para reducir las emisiones difusas de partículas

Following the entry into force of the IPPC directive, the activities that it affects, which include the ceramic sector, have needed to control fugitive particle emissions by implementing corrective measures that often entail significant economic costs. In the most demanding cases, the Integrated Environmental Authorisations (IEA) awarded to companies in the ceramic industry require total enclosure of the raw materials handling operations. This paper evaluates the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of the implementation of a total enclosure or containment system as a way of reducing fugitive particle emissions, as this is considered one of the Best Available Techniques (BAT). The study was carried out on the raw materials reception, handling, and storage operations at a ceramic company that manufactures spray-dried powder granule

Effects of water and CMA in mitigating industrial road dust resuspension

Water spraying and/or chemical suppressants such as salts and polymers have been suggested to reduce road dust resuspension due to their capability to increase adhesion, and therefore the effective size and weight of particles, but contrasting results have been obtained so further testing are needed. This study presents the first results of street washing and Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) efficiencies at two industrial roads (paved and unpaved) in the Mediterranean region where the high solar radiation, warm climate, and scarce precipitation, may play a key role in determining the efficiency of mitigation techniques Results show that, at both sites, street washing (water only) was more effective than CMA. Street washing made observe 18% (daily basis) and >90% (first hour) reductions of kerbside PM10 concentrations for the paved and unpaved road respectively, while with CMA PM10 decrease was generally lower and with less statistical significance.his work was funded by AIRUSE LIFE+ ENV/ES/584 project. The study was also partially funded by Spanish Ministry of Environment through the Fundación Biodiversidad, with project acronym EMIDIF. The logistic support from the City Hall of L'Alcora, and the Cantera La Torreta (grupo ORIGEN MATERIALES) company is also acknoweldged. Fulvio Amato is beneficiary of the Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral grant (JCI-2012-13473). Support is acknowledged to Generalitat de Catalunya 2014 SGR33 and to AXA Research Fund

Metodologías para la cuantificación de las emisiones difusas de material particulado en entornos industriales

El transporte, almacenamiento y manipulación al aire libre de materiales sólidos pulverulentos conlleva frecuentes episodios de contaminación atmosférica por emisiones difusas de material particulado (PM), cuyo impacto sobre la calidad del aire y el medio ambiente puede llegar a ser significativo. Desde un punto de vista técnico y legislativo a este tipo de emisiones se les ha prestado tradicionalmente una atención limitada, debido probablemente a la complejidad inherente que conlleva la cuantificación y control de las emisiones difusas de PM En este contexto y con el objeto de conocer con mayor detalle y rigor el alcance de las emisiones difusas de PM en entornos industriales, se ha desarrollado un modelo de dispersión de contaminantes ad hoc para la cuantificación de las mismas y se han determinado factores de emisión específicos por operación y globales por tipo de instalación para las principales actividades y eficacias de medidas correctoras.The transport, storage, and handling in the open air of dusty solids entail frequent episodes of air pollution by fugitive emissions of particulate matter (PM), which can, in certain cases, significantly affect the environment and human health. From a technical and regulatory viewpoint, management and control of fugitive PM emissions have traditionally drawn little attention. This situation is likely due to the inherent complexity involved in quantifying and controlling PM fugitive emissions. With a view to determining in greater detail the extent of PM10 fugitive emissions and to identifying how best to control these, a pollutant dispersion modelling consistent with the peculiarities of PM fugitive emissions has been developed. The applied methodology has allowed to determine specific emission factors per operation and overall emission factors per type of facility for the main activities and the efficiency of corrective measures

On the source inversion of fugitive surface layer releases. Part I. Model formulation and application to simple sources

Source inversion by dispersion modelling of fugitive particulate matter (PM) emissions entails considerable difficulty. Fugitive PM sources are rarely steady or point sources. They occur near the ground, where there are high vertical gradients of wind velocity and potential temperature. To resolve the source from the background concentrations, measurements need to be conducted very close to the source. In this study, a dispersion model was developed that consists of numerically solving the pollutant transport equation, while incorporating the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory. By using this numerical approach, in contrast to Gaussian dispersion models, wind shear effects and plume meandering were accounted for directly. A series of controlled experiments were conducted, in which the fugitive PM sources were parameterized as much as possible. The developed model was used to obtain operation-specific PM10 emission factors (EFs). This is the first of two articles describing the model and the field campaigns in which it was applied to determine the EFs. Part I describes the mathematical model and its application to two relatively simple sources.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the Spanish National Plan for R&D&I (2008–2011), by funding project CGL2009-14680-C02-01

On the source inversion of fugitive surface layer releases. Part II. Complex sources

The experimental measurement of fugitive emissions of particulate matter entails inherent complexity because they are usually discontinuous, of short duration, may be mobile, and are affected by weather conditions. Owing to this complexity, instead of experimental measurements, emission factors are used to inventory such emissions. Unfortunately, emission factor datasets are still very limited at present and are insufficient to identify problematic operations and appropriately select control measures. To extend these datasets, a source inversion methodology (described in Part I of this work) was applied to field campaigns in which operation-specific fugitive particulate matter emission factors were determined for several complex fugitive sources, some of which were mobile. Mobile sources were treated as a superposition of instantaneous sources. The experimental campaigns were conducted at ports (bulk solids terminals), aggregate quarries, and cement factories, encompassing powder handling operations and vehicle circulation on paved and unpaved roads. Emission factors were derived for the operations and materials involved in these scenarios and compared with those available in the emission factor compilations. Significant differences were observed between the emission factors obtained in the studied handling operations. These differences call into question the use of generic emission factors and highlight the need for more detailed studies in this field

Evaluation of the Dustiness of Different Kaolin Samples

Several samples of kaolin with different mean particle size were prepared and tested using the continuous drop method, one of the reference test methods according to standard EN 15051:2006 “Workplace atmospheres – Measurement of the dustiness of bulk materials – Requirements and reference test methods.” On the other hand, with a view to relating the dustiness of the materials to their properties, particle size distribution, specific surface area, and Hausner ratio of these samples were determined. This article presents a characterization of these samples and an assessment of the influence of some material parameters on dustiness. The results show that dustiness may significantly be affected by mean particle size, specific surface area, and Hausner ratio. Moreover, it is highlighted that a detailed study of the influence of fine particles content on the dustiness was carried out. This information is deemed essential for establishing the most efficient preventive and/or corrective measures to reduce the generation of fugitive emissions of particulate matter during kaolin processing, both into the outside atmosphere (air pollution) and inside the facilities (occupational health)

Diffuse PM10emission factors associated with dust abatement technologies in the ceramic industry

In this paper, an analytical methodology is proposed for estimating diffuse dust emissions from bulk solids managing (storage, handling, and transport) activities in the ceramic industry. The methodology is based on analytical methods drawn from the AP-42, US Environmental Protection Agency reports and the Emission Estimation Technique (EET) Manual for Mining from Environment Australia. The analytical methods were evaluated by means of experimental campaigns in open and closed bulk solids storage and managing facilities in ceramic plants. Dust concentrations and meteorological variables were recorded in experimental field studies in order to implement the experimental models: a method based on Reverse Dispersion Modelling (RDM) was applied in open facilities, and the Roof Monitor Method (RMM) was used to estimate diffuse dust emissions in closed facilities. The proposed methodology was applied to 13 ceramic plants with different technological scenarios. The methodology enabled the diffuse PM10 emission factors associated with different dust abatement technologies to be determined. This methodology thus allows the Best Available Techniques (BATs) to be selected for reducing these emissions in ceramic and similar facilities.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development, and Technological Innovation 2008–2011, by funding project CGL2009-14680-C02-0