United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA/600/S7-87/001 Apr. 1987
4>EPA Project Summary
Ammonia Emission Factors
for the NAPAP Emission
Inventory
David C. Misenheimer, Thomas E. Warn, and Sharon Zelmanowitz
This report was prepared for the Na-
tional Acid Precipitation Assessment
Program (NAPAP) to provide informa-
tion on certain sources of ammonia
emissions to the atmosphere for use in
NAPAP emission inventories. Major an-
thropogenic sources of ammonia emis-
sions to the atmosphere are identified,
and emission factors for these sources
are presented based on a review of the
most recent data available. The emis-
sion factors developed are used to esti-
mate nationwide emissions for base
year 1980 and are compared to ammo-
nia emission factors used in other emis-
sion inventories. Major anthropogenic
source categories covered are cropland
spreading of livestock wastes, beef cat-
tle feedlots, fertilizer manufacture and
use, fuel combustion, ammonia synthe-
sis, petroleum refineries, and coke
manufacture. Approximately 840,000
tons* of ammonia are estimated to
have been emitted in the U.S. in 1980,
over 64% of which is estimated to have
been from livestock wastes.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Air and Energy Engineer-
ing Research Laboratory, Research Tri-
angle Park, NC, to announce key
findings of the research project that is
fully documented in a separate report
of the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
"Certain nonmetric units are used in this Summary
for convenience Readers more familiar with met-
ric units may use the following to convert to that
system: 1 bbl = 158.99 liters, 1 ft3 = 28.32 liters,
1 gal. = 3.79 liters, 1 Ib = 0.45 kg, and 1 ton =
907.19 kg.
Introduction
The focus of emission inventory activ-
ities within the National Acid Precipita-
tion Assessment Program (NAPAP) is to
estimate emissions of compounds be-
lieved to be involved in the acid deposi-
tion process. Ammonia (NH3) has been
identified as a compound that plays a
role in atmospheric chemistry relating
to acid deposition. This document sum-
marizes the results of a preliminary ef-
fort to gather data available for estimat-
ing ammonia emissions from
significant anthropogenic sources of
the compound. The purpose of this ef-
fort is to provide the NAPAP Emission
Inventory with information for estimat-
ing ammonia emissions for base year
1980 and to identify areas where better
data are needed.
Because of the limited amount of data
available on ammonia emissions and
because of the difficulty in estimating
emissions from area sources such as
livestock wastes, this document should
be considered a first step in developing
a complete and accurate ammonia
emissions inventory. The reader is cau-
tioned against using the emissions in-
formation contained in this document
to try to develop an exact assessment of
emissions from any particular facility or
location. It is possible, in some cases,
that order-of-magnitude differences
could exist between actual and calcu-
lated emissions, depending on differ-
ences in source configurations, control
equipment, and operating practices.
Approach
The approach used in developing
these emission factors began with a lit-
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erature search to identify potential
emission source categories and to nar-
row these to major emitters (sources
over 100 tons NH3/year). Eight major
source categories were identified as a
result of this effort: (1) beef cattle feed-
lots, (2) collection of livestock wastes
from confined areas and subsequent
application to cropland, (3) fossil fuel
combustion, (4) fertilizer manufacture,
(5) application of anhydrous ammonia
to cropland, (6) petroleum refineries,
(7) ammonia synthesis, and (8) coke
manufacture.
Potentially significant source cate-
gories not included in this document
and not currently included in NAPAP's
natural sources program are waste-
water treatment, range and wild animal
excrement, cigarette smoking, forest
fires, and human breath and perspira-
tion. Further investigation of these
sources should be conducted for the
NAPAP Emission Inventory for the 1985
base year. Source categories eliminated
from the study because of estimated
emissions under 100 tons/year or be-
cause of a lack of data include cement
manufacture, sodium carbonate manu-
facture, open burning of wood waste,
coal refuse piles, and manufacture of a
number of synthetic chemicals includ-
ing fumaric acid, melamine, aniline, and
nitroaniline.
After identifying major emission cate-
gories, the next step was to determine
an appropriate emission factor for each
source category. When available, emis-
sion factors based on actual emission
tests were chosen. Emission factors
were evaluated using a methodology
analogous to the AP-42 rating system.
Factors were rated on a scale of A
through E, with A representing data
from a large data base covering a good
cross section of the industry, and with a
high confidence level. Data rated E were
developed from a small data base, not
necessarily representative of the indus-
try, and with a low confidence level. Rat-
ings of B through D represent data with
intermediate confidence levels. Emis-
sion factors and associated ratings are
listed in Table 1.
The emission factors and associated
1980 national emission estimates for
each category covered by this report are
shown in Table 1. The emission esti-
mates presented were calculated by
multiplying an assumed level of activity
(e.g., production/use rates) for each
source category in 1980 by the emission
factor for that source category. Activity
levels used to estimate nationwide
emission in the 1980 NAPAP database
were derived from those in the National
Emissions Data System (NEDS). Based
on the emission factors chosen and the
activity levels assumed for each source
category, it is estimated that approxi-
mately 840,000 tons of ammonia was
emitted in 1980 from the sources listed
in Table 1. Over 64% of the total is esti-
mated to have been emitted from
sources in the livestock waste manage-
ment category.
There are several reasons for the defi-
ciencies encountered in the ammonia
database. One reason is the lack of a
standardized test method for ammonia.
Several methods of sampling and anal-
ysis were identified in the gathering of
data contained in this document. How-
ever, none of these have been endorsed
by EPA as a standard for ammonia, and
there appears to be no consensus on
which of these methods is the most reli-
able. Another reason for data deficien-
cies is the fact that several of the major
sources are area sources which are par-
ticularly difficult to characterize. Also,
no federal mandate exists for gathering
ammonia emissions data, as there is for
criteria pollutants and other hazardous
compounds. And finally, much of the
data that currently exist were gathered
during research projects under condi-
tions which are not representative of
those found in actual working environ-
ments.
Conclusions
Several conclusions resulted from
this effort.
• The largest anthropogenic source
categories of ammonia are live-
stock waste management (64%),
and fertilizer production (27%).
• Source test data gathered by reli-
able test methods for likely operat-
ing conditions are needed to better
characterize ammonia emissions
from several source categories:
livestock waste management, am-
monium nitrate manufacture, fertil-
izer application, fossil fuel combus-
tion, and coke manufacture.
• Several source categories should
be investigated for possible inclu-
sion in the NAPAP Emission Inven-
tory for the 1985 base year: waste-
water treatment, range and wild
animal excrement, cigarette smok-
ing, forest fires, human breath and
perspiration, and natural sources.
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Table 1. Ammonia Emission Estimates for the 1980 NAPAP Emissions Inventory
Source
Emission
factor
Emissions3
ttons/yr)
Emission factor
rating
Livestock Waste Management
Beef cattle feedlots
Cropland spreading
beef cattle
dairy cows
swine
sheep
laying hens
broilers
turkeys
Combustion Sources
Coal
Fuel oil
Natural gas
utility boilers
industrial boilers
commercial boilers
Mobile sources
leaded gasoline
unleaded gasoline
diesel
Ammonium Nitrate Manufacture
Neutralizer
Solids formation
evaporation/concentration
high density prill towers
low density prill towers
granulators
high density prill coolers
low density prill coolers
low density prill dryers
granulator coolers
Anhydrous Ammonia Fertilizer
Application
Petroleum Refineries
FCC units
TCC units
Reciprocating engine
compressors
Ammonia Synthesis
Carbon dioxide regeneration
Condensate stripping
Urea Manufacture
Solution formation/
concentration
Solid formation
nonfluidized bed prilling
agricultural grade
fluidized bed prilling
agricultural grade
feed grade
drum granulation
rotary drum cooler
Coke Manufacture
Oven charging
Door leaks
Coke pushing
Quenching (contaminated water)
13 Ib/animal
1.8 Ib/animal
26 Ib/animal
3.1 Ib/animal
2.0 Ib/animal
0.19 Ib/animal
0.024 Ib/animal
0.16 Ib/animal
0.00056 Ib/ton coal"
0.8 lb/103 gal. fuelb
3.2 /fa/706 ft3 gas"
3.2 lb/106 ft3 gasb
0.49 lb/106 ft3 gas"
0.42 lb/103 gal. fuelb
0.63 lb/103 gal. fuelb
0.95 lb/103 gal. fuel"
*18lb/tone
*17 lb/tone-f
*57.2 Ib/ton'
* 0.26lb/tonf
*50 lb/tone-f
* 0.04 lb/tonf
* 0.30 lb/tonf
* 1.6lb/tone-f
* 1 lb/tone'f
19 Ib/ton fertilizer
*54 lb/103 bbl feeds
* 6 lb/103 bbl feeds
* 0.2 lb/103 ft3 gasb
* 2.0 Ib/tonf
* 2.2 Ib/tonf
•18.2 Ib/ton'
0.87 lb/tonf
2.9 Ib/ton'
4.1 Ib/tonf
2.2 Ib/ton <
0.0051 lb/tonf
0.02 Ib/ton coal charged
0.06 Ib/ton coal charged
0.1 Ib/ton coal charged
0.28 Ib/ton coal charged
150,000
97,000
130,000
98,000
NA
21,000
45,000
NA
180
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
36,000
12,000
130,000
67
47,000
9
NA
NA
620
50,000
8,400
87
NA
1,500
1,600
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
480
710
1,400
4,700
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
C
C
C
D
D
E
De
De
A
A
De
A
A
De
De
B
B
A
A
A
A
A
A
D
D
D
D
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Table 1. Ammonia Emission Estimates for the 1980 NAPAP Emissions Inventory—Continued
Source
Ammonium Phosphate
Manufacture
Minor Point Sources
TOTAL
Emission
factor
* 0.14lb/tonf
NA
Emissions3
(tons/yr)
770
3,800
840,000
Emission factor
rating
A
—
—
"Emission estimates are for 1980.
bPounds of ammonia emitted per unit of fuel burned.
CNEDS activity levels for fossil fuel combustion sources were not applied to the related emission factors in the Emissions Inventory System.
Therefore, emission estimates for these sources categories were not included in the 1980 NAPAP Emissions Inventory.
dNEDS activity levels for mobile sources were not applied to the related emission factors in the Emissions Inventory System. Therefore, emission
estimates for these source categories were not included in the 1980 NAPAP Emission Inventory.
eEmission factor is from midpoint of range reported in AP-42. Associated rating is lower than that reported in AP-42 because of the listing of
a single factor rather than a range (as in AP-42).
''Pounds of ammonia emitted per ton of product.
spounds of ammonia emitted per W3 barrels of feed to the cracking unit.
*- Emission factor and associated factor rating is from AP-42.
NA - Not available.
D. Misenheimer, T. Warn, and S. Zelmanowitz are with Alliance Technologies
Corporation, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
J. David Mobley is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Ammonia ^Emission Factors for the NAPAP
Emission Inventory," (Order No. PB 87-1%2 336/AS; Cost: $13.95, subject
to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield. VA22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory ,/*
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
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