United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
. Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-92/197 December 1992
EPA Project Summary
Combustion Area Sources: Data
Sources
Daniel Bowman, Scott Lowe, Jean Purple, Randy Randolph, and David Winkler
Area source emissions of particulate
matter, sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitro-
gen, reactive volatile organic com-
pounds, and carbon monoxide are
estimated annually by the National Air
Data Branch of EPA's Office of Air Qual-
ity Planning and Standards. Area
sources include all mobile sources and
any stationary sources that are too
small, difficult, or numerous to be in-
ventoried as point sources. The origi-
nal National Emissions Data System
(NEDS) area source methodology and
algorithms were developed in 1973 and
1974, using 1960 census data. The
NEDS methodology has remained rela-
tively unchanged over the past 15 years,.
Current methods need to be updated
or revised using more recent data. DUD
to the recent groundswell of interest in
obtaining better emissions inventory
data, efforts are underway to update or
revise these "old" NEDS methodolo-
gies. The work discussed in this report
relates to the combustion category of
emissions. Information presented in this
report is intended to identify, document,
and evaluate data sources for station-
ary area sources, including solid waste
and agricultural burning.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Air and Energy Engi-
neering Research Laboratory, Research
Triangle 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).
Introduction
Area source emissions of particulate
matter, sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen,
reactive volatile organic compounds, and
carbon monoxide (CO) are estimated an-
nually by the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency's (EPA's) National Air Data
Branch. Area sources include all mobile
sources and any stationary sources that
are too small, difficult, or numerous to be
inventoried as point sources. The original
National Emissions Data System (NEDS)
area source methodology and algorithms
were developed in 1973 and 1974, using
1960 census data. The NEDS methodol-
ogy has remained relatively unchanged
over the past 15 years. Current methods
need to be updated or revised using more
recent data.
As part of the EPA's atmospheric ozone
and CO control program, state and local
air pollution control agencies responsible
for ozone and CO non-attainment areas
must estimate emissions from point, area,
and mobile sources to serve as a basis for
state implementation plans (SIPs). SIP
guidance for estimating stationary and
mobile source emissions is found in Proce-
dures for the Preparation of Emission In-
ventories for Precursors of Ozone
(EPA-450/4-88-021) and Procedures for
the Emission Inventory Preparation, Vol-
ume IV: Mobile Sources [EPA-450/4-81-
26d (Revised)], respectively. Stationary
area source guidance and data sources
are, in some cases, more than 15 years
old, despite recent (1992) updates to the
original guidance documentation.
EPA's Joint Emissions Inventory Over-
sight Group (JEIOG) has placed a high
priority on evaluating the stationary area
Printed on Recycled Paper
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source categories and recognizes that the
emissions inventory methodologies cur-
rently applied to these sources are out-
dated and need to be revised. This effort is
one of the initial steps of the revision pro-
cess.
The purpose of this effort was to iden-
tify, document, and evaluate data sources
for stationary area sources, including solid
waste and agricultural burning.
The following characteristics were iden-
tified for each data source: the cost and
timeliness of the data, the level of detail
available, the comprehensiveness and ac-
curacy of the data, and the available data
media. Section 2 of the report describes
the methodology used in the data source
Identification, documentation, and evalua-
tion process. Section 3 summarizes the
fuel combustion data sources and describes
the most promising data sources. Section
4 contains the same information for solid
waste combustion. Section 5 contains in-
formation for the category, "other burning."
Section 6 briefly evaluates satellite data
and potential sources. The full report also
Includes two appendices: one contains the
complete information data sheets for each
data source, and the other summarizes
related trade and professional associations.
Data Evaluation and Recording
Data sources were identified for three
major categories of area source emissions:
fuel combustion, solid waste combustion,
and other combustion. In the other com-
bustion category, the search focused on
two primary subcategories, forest fires and
agricultural burning. The basic technique
used to search for, evaluate, record, and
store the data sources was the same for
each major category.
The following methods were used to
identify data sources:
• Reviewing EPA library holdings and
local universities' collections
• Contacting the U.S. Departments" of'
Commerce, Energy, Agriculture, and
Transportation
• Searching the National Technical In-
formation Service (NTIS) and Gov-
ernment Printing Office (GPO)
databases
• Contacting trade, business, and manu-
facturing associations
The following characteristics were iden-
tified and recorded, to the extent possible,
for each source reviewed: title, author, date
published, frequency of update, document
number, type of data, timeliness of data,
available data media, resolution of data,
comprehensiveness and accuracy of the
data, and a brief description of the con-
tents of the document. A template was
developed and used to record the informa-
tion. A separate template was maintained
for each data source identified for this
effort. The completed templates were
stored in computer files and are included
in the full report. One of the actual sheets
for a document entitled Gas Facts is in-
cluded here as an example:
Area Emissions
Data Source Sheet
Title:
Gas Facts
Author:
American Gas Association
Date Published:
1988
Frequency of-Update:.~—-.-.-- -
Annual
Document Number: ,
AGA Catalog #F10187
Type of Data in Document:
Data on natural gas consumption, pro-
duction, and price
Timeliness of Data:
Current
Available Data Media:
Paper
Cost of Data:
$10.88
Format of Data:
Tables
Resolution of Data in Document:
Data are broken down to state and
regional level; statistics go back to
1965.
Comprehensiveness and Accuracy of
Data:
Data cover many aspects of natural
gas statistics. Data are based on a
number of surveys and survey-based
publications.
Abstract of Document:
This publication contains detailed sta-
tistics for 1987 and summary statis-
tics for 1965-1986 for the gas utility
industry, which, by definition, consists
of companies engaged in natural gas
distribution and transmission. The
publication also contains relevant data
on the gas producing segment of the
industry and key statistics on other
energy industries. To evaluate spe-
cific data sources, both the publisher
of the source and the subject area
that categorizes the source had to be
investigated. For instance, if specific
census publications were evaluated,
the quality of the Census Bureau's
information as a whole had to be de-
termined, and census information in
general also had to be examined.
From this process, the key data
sources that exist for each of the three
stationary combustion area source
categories (fuel, solid waste, and
other) that were analyzed were as-
certained.
Fuel Combustion Data Sources
Eighteen area source fuel combustion
data sources were identified during this
effort. The data sources listed below con-
tain the most useful information from those
sources reviewed:
• State Energy Data Report—data on
energy consumption at the state and
national levels
• Annual Energy Review—energy data
on the census and national levels
• Gas Facts—natural gas consumption
data on the national and state levels
• Gas Househeating Survey—fuel con-
sumption and costs for natural gas
househeating
« Petroleum Supply Annual, 1989, Vol-
umes I and ll—data on petroleum
products consumption
• Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales—data
on sales (consumption) of fuel oil and
kerosene products
• Natural Gas Annual—data on re-
gional, state, and national levels
Additional combustion data sources
were reviewed and may provide some use-
ful information on one or more fuel con-
sumption areas. However, the sources may
be inadequate because they have been
published only once. The U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) provides the highest qual-
ity of data sources for the category of fuel
combustion. DOE data are updated fre-
quently (generally monthly or annually) and
are usually comprehensive and consistent.
Specifically, State Energy Data Report,
Annual Energy Review, and Household
Energy Consumption and Expenditures are
DOE publications that have quality data for
multiple fuels on a national level. Several
other DOE publications have data on spe-
cific fuels at regional or state levels;.e.g.,
Natural Gas Annual and Petroleum Supply
Annual. Other high quality fuel combustion
information sources include the American
Gas Association (Gas Facts and Gas
Househeating Survey), the American Pe-
troleum Institute, and the National Coal
Association. For each of the three catego-
ries (fuel, solid waste, and other), a table
was developed summarizing all of the data
sources in the category.
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Solid Waste Data Sources
The solid waste data source summary
table is divided into two sections for ease
of reference: a Census Bureau data source
section and a section for other sources.
Seventeen solid waste data sources were
identified during this project. Seven cen-
sus data sources were identified during
this effort. The data sources listed below
contain the most useful information from
those census sources reviewed:
• Census of Retail Trade—the quantity
and types of retail establishments re-
solved to metropolitan areas
• Summary of Population and Housing
Characteristics, 1991—data resolved
to county and most current data
• The County and City Data Book,
1988—comprehensive data resolved
to cities
• Statistical Abstract of the U.S.—data
on the social, political, and economic
organization of the U.S.
The following potentially useful census
data will be available in 1992 and
1993:
• General population characteristics for
metropolitan statistical areas
• Social and economic characteristics
• Detailed housing characteristics
In addition, the Guide to the 1987 Eco-
nomic Censuses and Related Statistics is
. a very useful tool for locating sources of
economic activity data for retail and whole-
sale trade, service industries, transporta-
tion, manufacturers, mineral industries, and
construction industries. Ten non-census
data sources were reviewed for this effort.
The data sources listed below contain the
most useful information from those non-
census sources reviewed:
• Characterization of Municipal Solid
Waste (MSW) in the United States:
1990 Update-Hiatibrial MSW data
• The 1991 Resource Recovery Year-
book, Directory & Guide—all waste-
to-energy projects in the U.S., broken
down by region and state
• Municipal Waste Combustion (MWC)
Study—MWC characterization by
technology and emission control sys-
tems
• Estimates of U.S. Biofuels Consump-
tion—energy produced from solid
waste by industrial sector and region
• A Comprehensive Report on the Sta-
tus of Municipal Waste Combustion—
MSW annual status update
The 1990 Annual Fire Report covers
only the southeastern region of the U.S.
Fire reports for different regions may also
be available from the National Forest Ser-
vice (NFS). No organizations in the area (if
solid waste combustion match the DOE's
quality for fuel combustion data sources.
However, the Bureau of the Census has
several relevant publications, and a fair
number of other competent individual data
sources exist. The Census' Census of Re-
tail Trade, Summary of Population and
Housing Characteristics, and The County
and City Data Book all have data relevant
to solid waste disaggregated in a variety of
ways. The EPA's Characterization of Mu-
nicipal Solid Waste in the United States
has estimates and projections of MSW
generation and recovery from 1960 to 2000.
The 1991 Resource Recovery Yearbook,
Directory & Guide, published by Govern-
mental Advisory Associates, contains data
on waste-to-energy projects.
Other Combustion Data
Sources
Thirty-two area source other combur>-
tion data sources were identified during
this effort. Three types of data sources
were recorded: documents, organizations,
and computer databases. The organiza-
tions and computer databases are listed in
the full report. The document sources of
other combustion data are listed below.
Most of the data sources concentrate on
satellite information that is relevant to for-
est acreage burning and potential agricul-
tural burning. Of the data sources reviewed,
those listed below contain the most prom-
ising data:
• Wildfire Statistics—state and geo-
graphic area data for state and pri-
vately owned lands
• 1990 Annual Fire Report—compila-
tion of southeastern U.S. forest fire
data
• Structural Fire Statistics—data on
housing fires
• Estimates of U.S. Biofuels Consump-
tion—energy produced from wood and
alcohol by industrial sector and re-
gion
• Global Biomass Burning—compilation
of satellite data on biomass burning
• Local Climatological Data: Monthly
Summary—climatological data from
U.S. weather stations
• Climatic Averages and Extremes for
U.S. Cities—annual compilation of
monthly climatological data
• Keyguide to Information Sources in
Remote Sensing—summary of insti-
tutions and individuals involved with
satellites and remote sensing
• Remote Sensing Yearbook—annual
updcite of satellite and satellite re-
lated industries
The 1990 Annual Fire Report covers
. only the southeastern U.S. Fire reports for
different regions may also be available
from the National Forest Service (NFS).
The other combustion area, because of its
broadly defined nature, has a multitude of
areas from which to draw data sources.
For forest fires, satellite data sources were
investigated thoroughly. This investigation
determined that satellite data are currently
too disorganized and expensive to be a
quality data source. Several data sources
for forest fires were discovered. The NFS
has published data pertaining to forest fires
on an annual basis. Examples of NSF
documents with forest fire data are Annual
Fire Report and Wildfire Statistics. Unfor-
tunately, the nine districts of the NSF pub-
lish independently of each other, making
the task of document location difficult. A
one-time publication by Massachusetts In-
stitute of Technology Press, Global Biom-
ass Burning, contains a compilation of
satellite data on biomass burning. The Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration (NOAA) has several publications
relevant to the other combustion category,
e.g., Local Climatological Data: Monthly
Summary and Climatic Averages and Ex-
tremes for U.S. Cities.
Remote Sensing and Image
Processing
With the development of satellite tech-
nology and image processing computer
systems, remote sensing has become a
viable source of land cover, topographic,
and interpretive data. Remote sensing is
the process of deriving information through
systems not in direct contact with the ob-
jects or phenomena of interest. Image pro-
cessing describes the manipulation of the
data produced by remote sensing systems.
The combination of these technologies can
yield a variety of spatial data. There are
two main sources of primary remote sens-
ing data: (1) the Earth Observation Satel-
lite Company (EOSAT) operates the
Landsat remote sensing satellite system
and distributes the primary data (and some
interpreted data) produced from this sys-
tem, and (2) the French company, Syst6me
Probatoire de la Observation de la Terre
(SPOT), has a satellite in orbit and a distri-
bution office in the U.S. Due to the disor-
ganization and the high cost of satellite
data, it was determined that the use of
satellite data for methodology development
is not realistic at present.
•U.S. Government Priming Office: 1992— 750-071/60156
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D. Bowman, S. Lowe, J. Purple, R. Randolph, and D. Winkler are with Alliance
Technologies Corp., Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
E Sua Klmbrough is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Combustion Area Sources: Data Sources," (Order
No. PB93-106623/AS; Cost: $19.50; 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:
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
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