APCT Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting
March 27, 2007
Attendees: Drew Trenholm (RTI International), Michael Kosusko (US EPA/Air Pollution Prevention and
Control Division), Praveen Amar (NESCAUM), Robert Bessette (Council of Industrial Boiler Owners),
John Bosch (EPA), Chebryl Edwards (EPA), Jenni Elion (RTI International), Vic Engleman (Engleman
Associates, representing AWMA), Debbie Franke (RTI International),Teresa Marten (EPA), Rick Larsen
(SJF Ventures), Julie Levinson (W.L. Gore Associates), John Paul (Regional Air Pollution Control
Agency), John Pinkerton (National Council of Air & Stream Improvement), Gene Praschan (representing
ASTM), Tim Smith (EPA), Richard Van Frank, Ravi Srivastava (EPA), David Ensor (RTI International),
Karin Foarde (RTI International), Maureen Avakia, Kerry Bullock (EPA), John Mycock (ETS).
Overview (Drew Trenholm). Before the meeting, Drew Trenholm emailed an agenda and an update for
the APCT Center (attached).
ETV Update (Teresa Marten). Teresa Marten showed funding for the ETV Program. The 2007 ETV
budget situation was still not clear. She commented on the length of time for verification. The timing is
inherent in the process and influenced by stakeholder involvement and emphasis on collaboration and
consensus.
APCT Center Update (Drew Trenholm). The Center is focusing on existing technology areas where
vendors pay for the cost of verification. Vendors choose to verify their technologies through ETV over
testing in-house, other independent labs, or other testing programs because of the value perceived by
end users of verified data.
Biofilters (Drew Trenholm). Possible verification of a modular biofilterto control styrene emissions from
a fiberglass parts manufacturer. Primary performance measure is a percent reduction in VOC and target
compounds based on a mass balance of gas and liquid streams. Verification test would be conducted
onsite in a temporary total enclosure. Discussion focused on test conditions and whether they would be
representative of real-use conditions.
Mobile Sources (Drew Trenholm). Drew showed a figure illustrating the avenues of communication
between the various entities with a vested interest in controlling emissions from mobile sources. The
Center's primary partnership is with EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ). ETV
applicants can use their verification data to submit to OTAQ's National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC).
OTAQ was a major stakeholder in developing the protocols. OTAQ provides grants to retrofit school
busses; grantees must use ETV verified products. California Air Resources Board (GARB) also has diesel
retrofit program. GARB allows companies to submit ETV data to the GARB certification program. Texas
provides grant funding under its New Technology Research and Development (NTRD) program to
evaluate NOx control technologies to be used in non-compliance areas (Houston and Dallas). Grants
awarded before FY06 are administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Later grants are awarded and administered by the Texas Environmental Research Commission (TERC)
through the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC). Texas also has a program to evaluate low-
emission diesel (LED) fuels intended for non-compliance areas. Companies can test their alternative fuel
products against the standard fuel; one testing path is through ETV.
Mobile Sources (Jenni Elion). Verifications for two applicants interested in OTAQ's NCDC and one for
Texas' low-emission diesel (TxLED) fuel program are nearing completion. The Center has completed the
emissions testing for all three applicants. Two verification reports have been submitted to EPA for
technical and QA review; the third verification report is still being written. Within the next six months, the
Center expects to finalize test plans for 2-4 applicants with NTRD awards administered by TCEQ. This
work will include verification of the first SCR technology. The APCT Center and the ETV program plan to
conduct a QA systems audit at SWRI on the verification test of the SCR technology.
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For TERC/HARC NTRD grants, the Center expects as many as 10 from the first round of awards and
then more in second round (applications now being reviewed). The Center anticipates that future work will
require some modification to the protocols. RTI is working with OTAQ to develop a test protocol for hybrid
vehicles. This protocol could potentially be used by ETV in the future, including for some of the NTRD
grant applicants.
In response to questions, NTRD grants are awarded by the Texas Emissions Reduction Council and
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; RTI is not part of the evaluation panel although RTI did
help write some of the criteria. Funding from Texas cannot directly replace reduced funding from EPA;
generally, the state monies are awarded to vendors, who may use the funds to pay for the verification
costs.
Baghouse Filtration Products (Drew Trenholm). This technology area looks at fine PM penetration of
bag media. Bench-scale testing is done at ETS, including pulse-jet preconditioning. After the protocol was
completed in 2001, over a dozen products were tested, and then there was a slowdown. Interest renewed
in 2005, in part due to new fabrics, the growing market for replacement bags, and broad exposure of the
ASTM test standard based on the ETV test method. Using verified products eases the test burden on end
users; South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) requires compliance testing every year
for baghouses, but only once every five years if the baghouse material has been verified. Future activities
in this area include developing an ISO standard based on the ETV test method.
This technology area has continued because vendors are developing new fabrics. Drew clarified that
only the fabric is tested, not the baghouse. The ASTM and ISO tests are more focused on obtaining
operational characteristics where ETV focuses on PM; these various tests build on each other to provide
a more complete picture of baghouse performance. The APCT Center would like to test baghouse
performance at sites where verified fabrics are being used, but hasn't been able to secure funding.
Baghouse Filtration Products (Jack Mycock). Jack discussed how the protocol could be adapted to
test other materials, such as coatings, in the future. The SAC expressed concerns about mercury
emissions, especially from China.
Outdoor Wood-Fired Hydronic Heaters (Chebryl Edwards). There is no national emission standard
for OWHH and units significantly compromise air quality. Existing units may last as long as twenty years
and there are currently no EPA plans to look at retrofitting older units. This is a two-part voluntary
program to reduce OWHH emissions. Part 1 is intended to get improved units with lower emissions on
the market by spring 2007; part 2 is a model rule that states and local communities may adopt in setting
their own standards. EPA developed a test method for use in Phase 1 of the program. EPA plans to
specify the ASTM method when it is finalized. Although work has been done, this technology area may
move into the ETV program under the APCT Center. Stakeholders were in agreement that this was a
worthwhile thing to do.
Pesticide Spray Drift (Kerry Bullock). Kerry Bullock described the EATE pesticide drift reduction
project.
Open Discussion (Drew Trenholm). RTI hasn't defined new target areas because of the funding
uncertainties. The Center is focused more on keeping existing technology areas active, and expanding
those areas where the market is especially strong. There was some discussion of looking at mercury
control technologies. Bob Bessette, representing the Council of Industrial Boiler owners, noted that 1.7
million boilers will have to comply with area source MACT when the regulation goes into effect, and an
unbiased verification protocol would be helpful in identifying efficient control technologies. Drew said
there was an ESTE project proposal to look at mercury sorbents but the proposal wasn't funded by EPA.
No date was set for the next SAC meeting.
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AGENDA
Air Pollution Control Technology Verification Center
Environmental Technology Verification Program
Stakeholders Advisory Committee (16th meeting)
RTI International - Dreyfus Auditorium
Research Triangle Park, NC
March 27, 2007
8:30 am Welcome/Introductions
Mike Kosusko, APCT Center Manager, EPA
Drew Trenholm, APCT Verification Center Director, RTI
8:40 am ETV Program Update
Teresa Marten, ETV Program Manager, EPA
9:10 am APCT Center Update
Drew Trenholm, RTI
9:25 am Biofilter Update - New Verification
Drew Trenholm, RTI
9:45 am BREAK
10:00 am Mobile Sources (Diesel Engine - The retrofit scene
Drew Trenholm, RTI
10:15 am Mobile Sources (Diesel Engine) Update
Verifications, Texas NTRD Grants
Jenni Elion, RTI
10:45 am Baghouse Update - Revised plan, Verifications, SCAQMD rule
Drew Trenholm, RTI
11:05 am Baghouse - Opportunities to Expand the Protocol
John Mycock, ETS
11:45 am LUNCH
12:45 pm Outdoor Wood Hydronic Heaters - EPA Voluntary Program
Chebryl Edwards, EPA
1:05 pm Pesticide Drift Reduction Technologies - Protocol Development
Kerry Bullock, EPA
1:25 pm Committee Discussion
2:25 pm Summary/Wrap-Up/Next Meeting
Drew Trenholm, RTI
3:00 pm ADJOURN
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HRTI
INTERNATIONAL
APCT Center Update of Recent Activities January 2007
Verifications in Progress
Diesel engine retrofit controls: In the last quarter, the Air Pollution Control Technology Verification
Center (APCT Center) initiated and completed verification testing of three verifications of diesel engine
retrofit controls. They are currently in data review or reporting. Two of the technologies are for control
of particulate matter (PM). One is the PMF GreenTec diesel particulate filter (DPF) system submitted by
PUREM North America, LLC. It consists of a precious metal diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) plus a
DPF. The second PM technology is a DOC muffler plus a closed crankcase filtration system submitted
by Cummins. The third technology is a diesel fuel reformulation plus an additive for nitrogen oxides
(NOx) emissions control submitted by Flint Hills Resources, LP. The verification tests were all
conducted using a highway transient engine operating cycle.
The Flint Hills verification is the first verification conducted under the APCT Center's alternative fuels
verification test protocol. Flint Hill's intent is to submit the data to the Texas Council on Environmental
Quality's (TCEQ) Texas Low Emission Diesel (TXLED) program. The TXLED rule specifies a diesel
fuel composition that is the only fuel that can be sold in counties in non-compliance with the ambient
ozone standard. The TXLED fuel is lower in aromatic content which reduces NOx emissions. The rule
provides for approval of alternative fuels if the vendor demonstrates through comparative testing that their
fuel is equivalent or better than the TXLED fuel. A vendor can conduct a test according to procedures in
the rule and submit the results directly to TCEQ for approval or an alternative in the rule states "The
demonstration required under this subsection may be satisfied by the verification of an alternative diesel
fuel formulation by the Air Pollution Control Technologies Center, a center under the EPA's
Environmental Technology Verification Program, and the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air
Quality's (OTAQ) Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program, demonstrating at least a 5.78% reduction in NOX
emissions".
Baghouse Filtration Products: Southern Filter Media's verification testing was completed and the
report is in EPA review. They are verifying their 16-ounce, singed micro-denier polyester felt filter
media. Two additional verifications were initiated both from Donaldson Company. One for an 8-opsy
Polyester Spunbond with Tetratex PTFE membrane and the other for a 10-opsy Pleatable PPS with
Tetratex PTFE membrane. The first has completed testing and is in reporting and the other is scheduled
to be tested this month.
Funding
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We now anticipate some EPA funding to the APCT Center from FY06 funds. This will be sufficient to
continue operating into FY08 at a reasonable level of activity. Availability of FY07 funds approved by
the House and Senate Committees, but not signed by the White House, remains uncertain. EPA is now
expected to operate on a continuing resolution for the remainder of the fiscal year. We still anticipate
increased numbers of verifications (see discussions below) with technology vendor fees that fully cover
testing costs.
Other Activities
Diesel engine retrofit controls: Routine conference calls continued with OTAQ's Voluntary Diesel
Retrofit Program to coordinate discussions with vendors interested in verifications. Several vendors are
currently discussing a verification. Coordination activities were expanded to include a monthly
conference call with OTAQ and Texas's New Technology Research and Development (NTRD) grants
program.
The NTRD grants provide funding to develop or verify technologies that can reduce NOx emissions in
areas in non-compliance with the ambient ozone standard, primarily the Houston-Galveston and Dallas-
Ft. Worth areas. The primary focus is NOx emissions from diesel engines. TCEQ administers grants that
were awarded in prior years. Of eight proposals funded that included an ETV verification, several have
expired when the vendor made no progress and none has yet to sign a contract with the APCT Center.
About three of these may still result in a verification, though it is difficult to forecast. The Texas
Environmental Research Consortium (TERC) has been administering the NTRD Program since January
of 2006. TERC engaged the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) as the technology and research
manager for the program. HARC released a $7.5 million request for grant applications (RFGA) under the
NTRD Program on March 31, 2006, for "Development, Verification and Testing of Technologies to
Reduce Oxides of Nitrogen Emissions from Diesel Engines." There were 12 awards for development
and/or verification of diesel retrofit technologies, mostly selective catalytic reduction systems. A number
of verifications are expected as a result of these grants starting later this year. HARC has also released
two further RFGAs that focus on application of new engine technologies to retrofits and to marine
applications.
Biofilters: The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) funded
development of a biofilter to control styrene emissions from a fiberglass parts manufacturing facility. The
technology developer and NYSERDA are interested in a verification and NYSERDA will provide funds
to partially cover the cost. A meeting was held at the vendor's facility in December, 2006 and planning
was started. A test is forecast for this summer.
Outdoor Wood Furnaces: EPA/OAQPS has developed a voluntary program with industry for verifying
the emissions performance of outdoor wood hydronic heaters (OWHH). The EPA program will have a
label indicating lower PM emissions that can be placed on heaters with emissions below a target level.
Phase 1 of the program allows heater vendors to conduct tests and submit results to EPA. For Phase 2,
"EPA's goal is to have the ETV process in place for purposes of the EPA OWHH Program by fall 2007."
Vendors would "seek verification through the ETV Program and the ETV Program would arrange for
accredited laboratories to conduct the testing." A stakeholder developed protocol from the voluntary
program would be reviewed and adapted as an ETV protocol.
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Meetings and Papers: A paper has been accepted for the Air & Waste Management Association's
(A&WMA) 100th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh, June 2007 on baghouse media
verifications.
ETV Case Study Booklets: EPA just published a second booklet of case studies entitled "Environmental
Technology Verification (ETV) Program Case Studies: Demonstrating Program Outcomes, Volume II."
This is the second in a two-volume set and it is currently up on the web
at http://www.epa.gov/etv. This volume includes studies on:
• Baghouse Filtration Products
• Continuous Emission Monitors (CEMs) for Mercury
Fuel Cells
• Microturbine/Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Technologies
• Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration for Removal of Microbiological contaminants
Nanofiltration for Removal of Disinfection Byproduct
• Immunoassay Test Kits for Atrazine in Water
Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection for Secondary Wastewater
Related Activities: EPA/OTAQ funded a project to develop a verification test protocol for emissions
reductions from hybrid, heavy-duty diesel vehicles. The protocol covered vehicles with batteries,
capacitors, or hydraulic systems for energy storage. RTI prepared a background information report,
assisted with two stakeholder meetings in February and April, 2006, and drafted the protocol. The draft
protocol is currently under review by OTAQ.
Last year, the EPA created a new program element under its current ETV Program called Environmental
and Sustainable Technology Evaluations (ESTE). This effort is designed to support the Agency's ability
to address high-risk threats to the environment (and environmental sustainability) and to human health.
As part of ESTE, innovative, commercial-ready technologies showing potential to solve high-risk
problems are selected by EPA for verification testing. One technology selected was drift reduction
technologies (DRT) for controlling drift of pesticide containing spray off of fields. EPA's ORD
collaborated with the Office of Pesticide Programs and various stakeholders to develop a verification test
protocol for new drift technologies. EPA's objective for the DRT project is to encourage the use of
verified DRTs, such as improved sprayer designs, low drift nozzles/atomizers, drift retardant spray
adjuvants, and natural/artificial barriers that significantly reduce spray drift from ground boom or aerial
applications to row and field crop agriculture. A stakeholder technical panel was formed and met twice to
provide input to a protocol. A draft of the protocol is now in EPA review. This project is expected to
continue through initial tests of technologies this summer. The APCT Center may incorporate the
protocol after it is completed. A presentation will be made at the A&WMA Annual Conference in June.
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