United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory FY02 Research Abstract Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) Goal 1.1.8 APM63 Significant Research Findings: Complete Construction and Begin Testing and Evaluation of the New Generation Smog Chamber for Chemical Mechanisms and Volatile Organic Carbon Reactivity Section 183(e) of the 1990 Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to develop a strategy for control of consumer or commercial product emissions that considers their reactivity in forming ozone. The U.S. Congress, partially in response to industry concern about the lack of credible scientific information in the reactivity area, conducted reactivity hearings in 1998. Based on these hearings, Congress instructed EPA to fund development of a new generation smog chamber facility that would provide the credible scientific information needed for implementing Section 183(e). A four year cooperative agreement was established in 1999 between the EPA and University of California, Riverside (UCR), as mandated by Congress, to build a new-generation smog chamber. This chamber will provide critical, scientific information to improve the treatment of atmospheric chemical processes and more accurately quantify Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) reactivity in air quality models. This new chamber is especially needed for studying reactions in low-Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) atmospheres, such as those above rural areas and less polluted urban areas, where the chemistry may be much different than with higher concentrations. Construction of this chamber is an essential part of developing the experimental tools needed to understand atmospheric reaction mechanisms and VOC reactivities for both high and low NOx atmospheric reaction systems. Research UCR has designed, analyzed, and built a new smog chamber to test the Approach reactivity of VOCs. This chamber was designed with a stable light source that closely simulates atmospheric solar radiation, has low contamination, can be operated at a wide variety of VOC and NOx conditions, and has precise temperature control. The chamber has been tested for performance, interferences, and contamination problems. Simple characterization experiments are being performed to test the production of ozone as a function Scientific Problem and Policy Issues National Exposure Research Laboratory — November 2002 ------- of initial conditions. Results and The major product of this work is a fully functioning, state-of-the-art, dual- Implications sided, collapsible smog chamber which is fully characterized and can be used to test a large variety of chemicals for mechanism evaluation and their reactivity for ozone and Particulate Matter (PM) formation. A presentation was made on the status of construction and testing of the UCR smog chamber to the Reactivity Research Working Group meeting on January 17, 2002. The QA plan for Experimental Studies performed in the UCR smog chamber was submitted on March 31, 2002. The QA Project Plan was received on May 13, 2002, and has undergone EPA review. An updated report on the UCR smog chamber, listing initial evaluation experiments performed in the chamber is scheduled for submission on September 30, 2002. This chamber will produce experimental data that EPA can use to do a better job of developing and evaluating chemical mechanisms used to predict ozone and secondary PM formation. These data will be better characterized and more relevant to current pollution control efforts, because it will be produced at conditions more representative of the ambient atmosphere - at lower NOx levels, at varying temperatures, and over multiple-day simulations. The work performed under this task serves the ultimate purpose of helping to develop more cost-effective and accurate, selective VOC control strategies for management of risks associated with elevated ozone concentrations. This work is highly responsive to needs of the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) and the Regional Offices (especially Region 9 at the current time). The project funding originated from a request by industry to Congress, so it is of great interest to industry and academia. All work being performed in this task is coordinated with the OAR/Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards and OAR/Office of Policy Analysis and Review. The evaluation of current reactivity science is also being done in collaboration with the California Air Resources Board. Future Research With the smog chamber characterization completed, smog chamber simulations will be performed to test the ozone production of a variety of chemicals of interest to regulators, industry, and academia. Plans are being developed to make this unique chamber available to research groups throughout the country to pursue specialized studies. Research Collaboration and Publications National Exposure Research Laboratory — November 2002 ------- Contacts for Additional Information For additional information contact: Deborah Luecken U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory, Maildrop D205-03 Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 Phone: 919/541-0244 Email: luecken.deborah@epa.gov National Exposure Research Laboratory — November 2002 ------- |