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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320862
Research Project: Enhancing the Quality, Utility, Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Western and Long-Staple Cotton through Improvements in Harvesting, Processing, and Utilization

Location: Cotton Ginning Research

Title: Application of particle size distributions to total particulate stack samples to estimate PM2.5 and PM10 emission factors for agricultural sources

Author
item Whitelock, Derek
item BUSER, MICHAEL - Oklahoma State University
item WANG-LI, LINGJUAN - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/27/2015
Publication Date: 7/27/2015
Citation: Whitelock, D.P., Buser, M., Wang-Li, L. 2015. Application of particle size distributions to total particulate stack samples to estimate PM2.5 and PM10 emission factors for agricultural sources. ASABE Annual International Meeting, July 16-29, 2015, New Orleans, LA. Paper No. 152189735.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Particle size distributions (PSD) have long been used to more accurately estimate the PM10 fraction of total particulate matter (PM) stack samples taken from agricultural sources. These PSD analyses were typically conducted using a Coulter Counter with 50 micrometer aperture tube. With recent increased concern for and tightening of federal regulation on finer particulate, PSD analyses, more specifically laser diffraction techniques in conjunction with total PM samples, have been used to estimate PM2.5 emission factors for agricultural sources. There is disagreement in the research community about how best to apply PSD results to total PM source sampling data to obtain the most representative estimate of the true smaller PM fraction. In particular, one school of thought contends that PM larger than 100 micrometers that would not likely remained entrained in the ambient air and not impact airshed PM concentrations be eliminated from the total PM sample before applying the PSD results. The other school argues that the larger PM remain. This paper will examine the difference between the two methods and discuss their impact on emission factor estimation.