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                    United States
                    Environmental Protection
                    Agency
                     Office of
                     Research and Development
                     Washington DC 20460
                                                           EPA/600/N-94/003
                                                           March 1994
                                                           Vol. 15
   ORD ENGINEERING

   HIGHLIGHTS
A bimonthly compilation ofEPA's Office of Research and Development engineering research activities
and results and related research activities in pollution prevention and mitigation. To discuss any of
these activities, contact the ORD lead person listed below. For general information, contact Charlotte
Bercegeay of the Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration, Phone: 919-
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                                                          Pollution Prevention

                                                          Pollution Prevention
                                                          Demonstrations
                                                          Completed
                     The Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
                     (AEERL) successfully completed demonstrations at two
                     small facilities to reduce VOC and air toxic emissions from
                     cleaning operations by pollution prevention. The demon-
                     strations investigated the use of alternative cleaners, the
                     consolidation of materials used for cleaning, the reduction
                     in the quantity of material used for cleaning, and the
                     standardization of cleaning practices. A report, "Improved
                     Equipment Cleaning in Coated and Laminated Substrate
                     Manufacturing Facilities (Phase II)," will document these
                     demonstrations. ResultsVill be presented at two technical
                     conferences during 1994: the Pressure Sensitive Tape
                     Council's (PSTC's) 1994 Technical Meeting in Chicago on
                     May 4-6,1994; and the Summer National American
                     Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Meeting in
                     Denver on August 14-17,1994. (Michael Kosusko, AEERL,
                     919/541-2734; Wade Ponder, AEERL, 919/541-2818)
                                                                  Printed on Recycled Paper

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                             ORD Engineering Highlights
                   Bioremediation
                   Tracer Study Conducted
                   on Slaughter Beach,
                   Dover, DE
A Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory (RREL) researcb.
team conducted an in-depth tracer study to determine the;
nutrients needed for the proposed bioremediation study to
be conducted in the summer of 1994 at Slaughter Beach, [
Dover, DE. Detailed beach surveys were also conducted to
determine the elevation of the beach and how it has     ;
changed over time. The State of Delaware is applying for a
permit to release small quantities of oil on the beach so a
controlled study can be conducted to determine the
effectiveness of the organisms in anticipation of any future
needs. (Albert D. Venosa, RREL, 513/569-7668)
                   Regional or State

                   Assistance

                   AEERL Provides Technical
                   Assistance to State of Ohio
                   on Municipal Waste-to-
  	    Energy Facility

A municipal waste-to-energy facility in Columbus, OH, is
the focus of public attention after it was found to be
emitting approximately 13,000 ng/dscm of chlorinated
dioxins and furans (CDD/CDF). While new EPA regula-
tions will require the facility to comply with CDD/CDF
emission limits of approximately 30 ng/dscm in 3 or 4
years, it is desirable to substantially reduce emissions over
the interim period. In January, officials from EPA Region V,
EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, and
AEERL met with representatives of the Solid Waste
Authority of Central Ohio, who own and operate the
facility. AEERL's municipal waste combustion expert
presented research results on the control of CDD/CDF
emissions, and technical strategies for interim control of
emissions were discussed. (James D. Kilgroe, AEERL,
919/541-2854)	
                \   Hazardous Waste

                     New Storage Tank System Increases Operation of Incineration Research
                     Facility                    |
                     On January 24,1994, the U.S. EPA Incineration Research Facility (IRF) in Jefferson, AR, was given
                     permission to begin using a storage tank system for hazardous scrubber water generated during
                _    IRF tests. The system provides total scrubber water storage capacity of 19,000 gallons.  Before
installing the permitted tanks, the IRF was limited to 90-day management of hazardous scrubber water in temporary
tanks under the generator accumulation provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The in-
creased capacity and longer-term storage options enhance the operation flexibility at the IRF. Completion of the system
fulfills the last of the terms of an October 1992 Consent Administrative Order with the Arkansas Department of Pollution
Control and Ecology. (Gregory J. Carroll, RREL, 513/569-7948)

Open Burning of Fiberglass Materials Studied
Human exposure to fiberglass combustion emissions from structural fires, fires at waste landfills, and fires at demolition
sites is an issue of increasing concern. Prompted by a request from the State of Alaska, AEERL performed a study to
Identify and quantify a broad range of pollutants that are discharged from the  open combustion of fiberglass and to report
those emissions relative to the mass of fiberglass material combusted. Two types of fiberglass materials (representing the
boating and building materials industries) were combusted in a controlled outbuilding designed to simulate an open
burning process. Volatile, semivolatile, and particulate-bound organics were collected and analyzed by gas chromatogra-
phy/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Quantification of hazardous air pollutants  (HAPs) listed in Title III of the Clean Air
Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) was the emphasis of these analyses, although further efforts were made to identify and
quantify other major organic components. Additional sampling and analysis for hydrogen chloride, particulate-phase
metals, and respirable fibers were also performed. Fixed combustion gases (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitric
oxide, oxygen, and total hydrocarbons) were monitored continuously throughout the test period. Analytical results show
substantial emissions of a large number of pollutants including arsenic, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, carbon monoxide,
dibenzofuran, lead, naphthalene, particulate, phenanthrene, phenol, styrene, and toluene. The final report titled, "Charac-
terization of Air Emissions from the Simulated Open Combustion of Fiberglass Materials," (EPA/600/R-93/239) was
published in December 1993. (Paul M. Lemieux, AEERL, 919/541-0962)	

                                            March 1994

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                               ORD Engineering Highlights
                 \   Global Climate
                     Candidate Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) Refrigerant Alternatives Also Show
                     Promise as Foam Insulation Products
  ^            ^   AEERL research has discovered that new chemicals evaluated as CFC refrigerant replacements
 are also potential alternatives to CFCs used in making foam insulation products. Two of the new chemicals, HFC-245ca
 and HFC-236ea, are now being evaluated as foam insulation blowing agents and meet processing requirements. Initial
 foams produced with HFC-245ca showed thermal performance similar to conventional CFC-blown foams. Additional
 thermal and accelerated aging tests will determine the ultimate performance of these new chemicals. Other new chemi-
 cals will be evaluated in this program to expand the number of potential replacement foam blowing agents. Currently,
 there is no accepted non-ozone-depleting alternative for this large CFC use. If HFC-245ca and HFC-236ea are viable
 substitutes, they probably will be produced commercially to meet the expanded market demands for. their use, thus
 resulting in a reduction of ozone-depleting chemicals on a wide scale. (Robert V. Hendriks, AEERL,"919/541-3928)  """

                     Indoor Air Quality
                     Contaminated Carpets Source of Indoor Air Pesticide Exposure
                     AEERL conducted experiments in its environmental chambers and research test house to investi-
                     gate the relationship between contamination of carpet with a pesticide and subsequent emissions
                     to the air. Following application by total aerosol release (a fogger to control household pests) in
                     the test house, researchers determined the mass of chlorpyrifos, the active ingredient in the
pesticide, deposited on and extractable from the carpet and carpet dust. They monitored air exchange rates and pesticide
concentrations over a two-week period in the test house and in small environmental chambers containing pieces of the
treated carpet. Chlorpyrifos concentrations measured in the treated area two hours following an "airing out" period of one
hour were near or in excess of National Academy of Science guidelines and remained near guideline levels for about 24
hours. Levels declined during the remaining two-week period of measurement. The Agency is developing effective
guidance to consumers concerning "airing out" of contaminated spaces to reduce exposure. The test results may also be
useful in the development and validation of indoor air exposure models and the evaluation of pesticide sampling meth-
ods. (Mark A. Mason, AEERL, 919/541-4835)

Air Purifiers Source of Increased Ozone Levels in a Suburban House
AEERL's research compared the emissions from three separate makes of home/office ozone generators in a suburban
house. Ozone generators are widely used in households, offices, hotels and motels, and restaurants as air purifiers.
Results of the study show that even when used in a single room setting, ozone generators can significantly increase
background ozone levels throughout the house. When the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) fan is off, pulses
from the generator distribution fan tend to be amplified in distant rooms and can result in concentration swings of 40%
above and below the average. When the HVAC fan is on, the ductwork acts as an attenuator, and ozone levels quickly
reach a uniform steady state. A generator emitting 200 parts per billion (ppb) ozone in one part of a house can contribute
as much as 40-50 ppb to a distant bedroom and pulses of as much as 80 ppb. This means that even on mildly smoggy days
with infiltration of outdoor air, the indoor air level of ozone can easily exceed the OSHA standard of 100 ppb for continu-
ous exposure in rooms relatively remote from the area where the generator is being used. AEERL will use the data as part
of an ongoing project to determine the efficacy of ozone as an indoor air cleaner. (Raymond S. Steiber, AEERL, 919/541-
2288)
                                            March 1994
                                                               &U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1994 - 550-067/Sfl2I2

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United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268

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