The Environmental Cost of Reducing Agricultural Fine Particulate Matter Emissions

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 2006, reducing acceptable fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) levels; state environmental protection agencies in states with nonattainment areas are required to draft State Implementation Plans (SIPs) detailing measures to reduce regional PM 2.5 levels by reducing PM 2.5 and PM 2.5 precursor emissions. These plans need to account for increases in emissions caused by operating control technologies. Potential PM 2.5 emissions reductions realized by adding a second set of dust cyclones were estimated for the cotton ginning industry. Increases in energy consumption were calculated based on dust cyclone air pressure drop. Additional energy required was translated into increased emissions using published emission factors and state emissions inventories. Reductions in gin emissions were compared with increases in emissions at the power plant. Because of the electrical energy required, reducing one unit of agricultural PM 2.5 emissions at a cotton gin results in emitting 0.11-2.67 units of direct PM 2.5 , 1.39 -69

Managing Agricultural Emissions to the Atmosphere: State of the Science, Fate and Mitigation, and Identifying Research Gaps

“…Conservation tillage, no‐till practices, and a decrease in the area of summer‐fallow land were attributed to the reduction of PM emissions in Canada from 1981 to 2006 (Pattey et al, 2010). However, modifying machinery to capture PM before it enters the atmosphere can be costly and may result in the emission of other pollutants and greenhouse gasses (Funk, 2010). It is clear that much more research is needed for methods to accurately estimate emissions from agricultural sources, for determination of particle size, composition, and distribution, and for the development of methods to reduce emissions of PM.…”