United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Industrial Environmental Research
Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
ve/EPA
Research and Development
EPA-600/S2-81-083 Aug 1981
Project Summary
Fugitive Emission Sources and
Batch Operations in Synthetic
Organic Chemical Production
D. G. Erikson, F. D. Hobbs, 0. D Ivms, V Kalcevic, and W. L. Troxler
The Project Report upon which this
summary is based was developed for
use in assessing the potential magni-
tude of fugitive volatile organic com-
pound (VOC) emissions from agitator
seals, cooling towers, and batch
operations in the production of 378
designated chemicals.
The information presented in this
report has been developed based on a
review of the available open literature.
Included in this review were published
articles and reports, selected state air
emission inventory questionnaires,
and trip reports from visits to specific
plant sites. Information on the type of
operation, for example, batch or
continuous, and the quantity of spe-
cific fugitive source types associated
with each process was evaluated and
overall industry estimates were made.
Tabular groupings were developed
and are presented for each of the
designated chemicals in the Project
Report. A qualitative assessment of
miscellaneous fugitive VOC emis-
sions, unique to batch operations, is
presented in the Project Report.
This Project Summary was develop-
ed by EPA's Industrial Environmental
Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH,
to announce key findings of the re-
search project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the
same title (see Project Report ordering
information at back).
Introduction
This report presents an initial data
base for certain types of previously un-
quantified sources of fugitive volatile
organic compound (VOC) emissions
from the 378 designated chemicalsthat
comprise the synthetic organic chemi-
cal manufacturing industry (SOCMI)
One type of fugitive emissions problem
studied was the use of batch operations
in organic chemical production, since it
is known that batch-operated facilities
have unique fugitive emission sources
as compared to continuously operated
facilities Other fugitive emission
sources studied were agitator seals and
cooling towers that recirculated process
water contaminated with VOC
The information presented in the final
Project Report was based on a review of
the available open literature Included m
this review were published articles and
reports, selected state air emission
inventory questionnaires, and trip
reports from visits to specific plant sites
Information on the type of operation,
le, batch or continuous, and the
quantity of specific fugitive source types
associated with each process was eval-
uated and overall industry estimates
were made Tabular groupings were
developed with computer assistance
and are presented for each of the
designated chemicals mthefmal report,
which also presents qualitative assess-
: US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1961 -757-012/7258
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ment of miscellaneous fugitive VOC
emissions unique to batch operations.
To assist m defining further research
needs, the final data report provided an
approximate assessment of the
prevalence of the various types of
fugitive VOC sources The final report
covers the period December 1979 to
April 1981
Conclusions
Results of the survey are shown in a
series of tables in the final report Listed
are the OCPDB numbers, chemical
names, brief process descriptions, and
designation of whether the process is
estimated to be generally batch, contin-
uously operated, or not in SOCMI For
the 378 listed chemicals, the final report
discusses 51 6 processes of which 1 54
are estimated to be batch operated, 31 3
estimated to be continuously operated,
6 identified as combination batch and
continuously operated, and 143 identi-
fied as not being in SOCMI (because the
process either is not currently used or
does not meet the definition of SOCMI)
Ten processes are listed twice—once as
batch operated and once as continu-
ously operated because the literature
indicate that two different production
methods are currently used by industry
at different production sites.
The final report also presents data for
batch-operated processes Those data
include designations of data quality,
major unit processes, unit operations,
number of production sites, and produc-
tion and capacity data
Other tables in the final report list
those processes that are generally con-
tinuously operated in SOCMI
Also presented are data on the 10
processes which the literature indicates
are currently operated batchwise and
continuously at different production
sites, and information on the 6 pro-
cesses which are estimated to include
both continuous and batch operations
Other data detail processes esti-
mated to utilize agitation Included are a
data quality designation, an indication
of whether agitation is used in the unit
processes and unit operations, if
known, number of production sites,
estimates of the number of agitators,
and production and capacity informa-
tion when available From this data base
it is estimated that there are 3080
agitators currently used in VOC service
in SOCMI Identified potential sources
of VOC-contammated process water in
SOCMI and disposal routes where
known are also presented in the final
report '
Based on the information compiled, it
is estimated that there are 70 cooling
towers within SOCMI that incorporate
the recirculation of VOC contaminated
process water The final report includes
a discussion of the possible control
techniques that could be used to mini-
mize or eliminate this potential source
of fugitive VOC emissions
Results of the qualitative assessment
of potential fugitive VOC emission
sources unique to batch operations are
discussed in the report The types of
emissions assessed include displace-
ment emissions from fluid movement,
displacement emissions from tempera-
ture change, displacement emissions
from pressure letdown, inert-gas
blanketing emissions, and emissions
from equipment openings
The report also includes a discussion
of each type of emission, graphical plots
that can be used to estimate the magni-
tude of the loss, and a discussion of
applicable control techniques that can
be used to reduce or eliminate these
losses
D. G. Enkson, F D Hobbs, O D. Ivins, V Ka/cevic, and W L Troxler are with IT
Enviroscience, 9041 Executive Park Drive, Knoxville. TN 37923
Robert C. Weber is the EPA Project Officer (see below)
The complete report, entitled "Fugitive Emission Sources and Batch Operations
m Synthetic Organic Chemical Production," (Order No. PB 81 -216 848; Cost
$9.50, subject to change) will be available only from
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield. VA 22161
Telephone 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at
Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
U S Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
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