Air


A Profitable Arrangement

Attention is typically given to regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) performance only when a specific problem or fault shuts the system down or when the system is out of compliance.

This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Air Quality News

This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

A Fresh Coat

Virtually all metal product manufacturers insist that their products perform well and look good. Often, a key factor in determining if these goals are met is the coating they receive before leaving the factory.

This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Leaving It (Oil) Behind

As competition for the world's oil resources increases with the advance of developing economies, the United States must seek out ways to reduce its petroleum usage or put its economic security at risk. The era of "cheap oil" may well be over, and as our imports increase we become more and more dependent on resources from such politically unstable regions of the world as the Middle East, Central Africa, and South America.

This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Tips: How to (Legally) Pass Your Next Vehicle Emissions Text

This article originally appeared in the 08/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

The Kyoto Protocol: Threat...or Opportunity?

In 2001, President George W. Bush took the United States out of the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement that commits the major industrial economies to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and several other substances.

This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Tallying Emissions

Now that the Russian Federation has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements will begin to take effect in those countries that have ratified the treaty.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Kyoto and Beyond

All roads leading to the control of greenhouse gas emissions pass through Kyoto, right? Wrong! The Kyoto Protocol is just one part of the burgeoning web of mandatory, voluntary, and market-based programs for addressing global climate change.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.



Have Lab, Will Travel

Even today, first responders, technicians, and professionals who need to monitor or evaluate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the environment have limited choices regarding gas measurement.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Fortifying the Last Line of Defense

What factors should you consider when faced with the dual hazards of chemical exposure and flash fire? The simple answer is barrier -- both chemical and thermal barrier. However, as much as we wish that personal protective equipment (PPE) selection could be a simple process, this one word '"barrier'" encompasses a number of both chemical-protective and flash-fire-protective properties that need to be considered during the protective clothing selection process.

This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Regulatory Climate Changes

In prior years one or two major issues have dominated regarding air pollution. This year, there will be a fascinating mix of significant issues, including hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), implementation of the new ambient air quality standards, Title V permitting, New Source Review (NSR), and enforcement.

This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.

Tackling Tough Contaminants

There are numerous case studies of failed remedial systems, which in turn can be linked to the remedial design team not fully understanding the site conditions. Often the most effective way to clean up these recalcitrant sites is source/migration control rather than intrusive remediation. The best solution can only be determined if the site is properly understood.

This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

Caught in the Avalanche

An existing consent decree (CD) provides that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required to issue a final particulate matter (PM) CD no later than December 19, 2003, and that EPA had to sign for publication notices of proposal and final rulemaking concerning its review of the PM national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).

This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

The Media Is the Message

Over the last several years there have been widespread misconceptions about which type of heat recovery media (HRM) is best for heat exchange and horsepower usage when used with a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), a type of air pollution control technology used to destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

Clearing the Air

Recent legal developments show that the Clean Air Act is broken. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the courts are responsible for the legal malfunction. The U.S. Congress has the authority to repair the statute, but may not have either the institutional will or a clear blueprint for doing it.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

On the Horizon

2004 will prove to be an interesting year for air pollution control. Just as last year, New Source Review (NSR) reform will continue to dominate the landscape with legislative, regulatory and judicial efforts to swing the pendulum in favor of particular viewpoints. Media attention on the NSR issue may overshadow equally important developments in Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) control, more stringent Title V permitting, implementation of new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and enforcement.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.

Spreading in New Directions

Many stakeholders -- including federal and state regulatory agencies, citizen groups, corporations, planning groups, industrial associations and legislative committees -- have been involved in the development of air quality management strategies.

This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.