United States Environmental Protection Agency Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory Research Triangle Park. NC 27711 Research and Development EPA/600/SR-92/084 Sept. 1992 Project Summary Development of a Core Combustion Research Program Plan for EPA G. EMair Martin In a report entitled, "Future Risks: Research Strategies for the 1990s," pre- pared for then-EPA Administrator Lee Thomas, the EPA Science Advisory Board stated, "EPA should plan, imple- ment and sustain a long-term research program ... in areas where it has unique responsibilities and capabili- ties." Combustion and thermal destruc- tion was specifically identified as a can- didate core research area. This report describes the plan that evolved from a review of the state of the art in com- bustion research. A strawman plan was prepared and reviewed by a panel of representatives from industry, acade- mla, and government organizations. The plan identifies four cornerstone areas where technology gaps are perceived to exist, and a keystone of basic and engineering research needed to gener- alize the technological developments to a variety of systems. This Project Summary was developed by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory, Research Tri- angle Park, NC, to announce key find- Ings of the research project that Is fully documented In a separate report of the same title (see Project Report ordering information at back). I. What is the Problem? The combustion of fuels and waste will continue to create environmental problems. However, the development of technology to solve these problems will generate major opportunities for U.S. Industry. Combustion, Friend or Foe? The combustion of fossil fuels and waste plays a major role in our lives. Energy consumed by a country is one measure of its development as an industrialized na- tion. However, combustion by-products may create problems. They may: 1) con- stitute health risks, and 2) have the poten- tial to damage the environment. Society must not buy the benefits of combustion at the expense our environment. New Problems are Inevitable In the next decade changes in the com- position of wastes and fuels will affect the composition of combustion by-products. The developed countries cannot solve glo- bal environmental problems abne. The developing nations must assist in the cost- effective development and deployment of environmentally acceptable combustion technology to prevent the continued dete- rioration of the global environment. Printed on Recycled Paper ------- New Problems will Create New Opportunities The national and international markets for environmentally acceptable technolo- gies will grow rapidly in the next decade. This creates a major opportunity for U.S. industry. Reduced imports of petroleum products and the export of environmental technologies could help to reduce this country's trade deficit. II What is the Solution? The EPA has a unique mission to protect the environment and can further It by establishing a core research program In combustion and thermal destruction. Combustion Research is Crosscutting Basic combustion processes are com- mon to the combustion of all gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels and wastes. Re- search on the formation and destruction of a particular combustion by-product is applicable to a wide range of combustion systems. The application of knowledge generated by a basic research program will identify and solve environmental prob- lems of the next 20 years. Core Research Program Objectives 1) Drive pollutai.i reduction technology to the limit of technical and economic fea- sibility. 2) Develop the capability to predict the amount of all pollutants present in the effluent streams of all combustion sys- tems. 3} Promote the development of low pollutant technology for existing equipment and new advanced systems. 4) Provide a technology base for improved regulations. III. What is the EPA Role? The Agency can provide a leadership role by formulating and executing a core research program that will solve environmental problems associated with all types of combustion systems, fuels, and wastes well Into the next century. The EPA can Develop a Core Research Program The EPA is the only Agency with the authority to regulate all combustion sys- tems that have the potential to emit pollut- ants in harmful concentrations. Also, the Agency has the unique mission to protect human health and welfare and to con- serve the environment. In certain areas the EPA is cooperating with other coun- tries to control pollutants that spread be- yond national boundaries. A core research program in combustion and thermal de- struction can be started by the Agency to generate basic information that will: 1) pro- vide the impetus for industry to develop new technologies, 2) help the develop- ment of future regulation by providing a sound scientific base, and 3) help to iden- tify and solve environmental problems cre- ated by combustion of fuels and waste in the future. Focused on Prevention The EPA core research plan in com- bustion and thermal destruction should be distinguished from the efforts of other agencies It must provide for a balance between in-house and extramural activi- ties. Most importantly, the plan must con- centrate upon preventing pollutant forma- tion thereby avoiding the additional com- plexity and expense of downstream con- trols. Resuts Must be Quantifiable The plan is closely coupled with real world problems. It is applicable to all fuels and pollutants. It will generate identifiable products in both the near and the long term. These products may be procedures, solutions to problems, or prototype pollu- tion control systems; therefore, the results of the research plan can be readily quan- tified. The EPA Role The EPA can assume a leadership role. The program needs the participation of industry. There should be a balance be- tween in-house and extramural activities. The existing infrastructure within the Agency should be upgraded and a stron- ger technology base developed. The suc- cessful execution of the plan requires that the technical leadership reside within the EPA laboratories. The EPA should make a long-term commitment to combustion research to attract and retain top flight researchers to assume this leadership role. Because of the diversity of equipment manufacturers, there is a need to transfer the results of the research to many indus- tries who can then use the information to develop proprietary products. Industry must take part, but the EPA can serve in an impartial role ensuring that the benefits of this important core research program are readily available. IV. What is Proposed? The Core Research Program Is based on two components, cornerstones (applied, system- specific development projects) and a keystone (broadly based fundamental research). Cornerstones and Keystones Cornerstones are vertically integrated development projects targeted at specific problems with outputs: new systems, ret- rofit technologies, and design procedures. The keystone is the heart of the plan. It includes basic and engineering research programs that have long-term applicability to a wide range of problems. Initial Cornerstones Defined Figure 1 shows the proposed Core Re- search Program in Combustion and Ther- mal Destruction. A review of the environ- mental problems of combustion systems and a survey of the activities of other agencies indicated that the EPA program should concentrate upon incineration, steam generators, area sources, and bio- mass systems. Figure 1 shows typical cor- nerstone programs in each of these areas and keystone projects. The format of a typical cornerstone program involves sev- eral coupled projects and an integrated government, academic, industry team. V. What are the Products? The core research plan was presented to a Blue Ribbon Panel of experts. Based on the panel's recommendations, 10 products have been Identified as outputs for the first 5 years. The Plan has been Reviewed A Blue Ribbon Panel of experts from industry, academia, and government re- viewed the first plan. Panel members were enthusiastically supportive of the plan. The panel made many suggestions, most of which were incorporated into the final ver- sion. Ten priority products were identified for the first 5 years of the program. The 10 Products Products 1 through 6 are the result of cornerstone programs and the remainder are products of the keystone. ------- 1. A general assessment procedure to evaluate environmental conse- quences of new fuels, wastes, and combustion systems. 2. An integrated small scale incinera- tor. 3. Feed systems for solid and viscous liquid wastes. 4. Optimized biomass combustion sys- tems. 5. Low NO combustion systems for liquid fuels. 6. An evaluation of the total pollutant emissions resulting from the use of alternate fuels in internal combus- tion engines. 7. An investigation of the chemistry of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-di- oxin/polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/PCDF) synthesis from products of incomplete combus- tion (PICs). 8. An evaluation of metal release from wastes and fuels. 9. The development of surrogates to ensure equipment compliance on a real time basis. 10. An expert system for monitoring and control of combustion systems. ES OF THE FUT UAbU, AKiD LNGINEERING iSEAitCH Figure 1. J^a structure of the Core Combustion and Thermal Destruction Research Program 'U.S. Government Printing Office: 1992 — 648-080/60081 ------- The EPA author, (also the EPA Project Officer, see below), is G. Blair Martin. The complete report, entitled "Development of a Core Combustion Research Program Plan for EPA," Order No. PB92-180868/AS; Cost: $17.00; 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: 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 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 BULK RATE POSTAGE & FEES PAID EPA PERMIT No. G-35 EPA/600/SR-92/084 ------- |