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LOGO: Journal of Cotton Science

 

Mote Trash System PM2.5 Emission Factors and Rates for Cotton Gins: Method 201A Combination PM10 and PM2.5 Sizing Cyclones

Authors: Michael D. Buser, Derek P. Whitelock, J. Clif Boykin, and Gregory A. Holt
Pages: 479-488
Engineering and Ginning

This report is part of a project to characterize cotton gin emissions from the standpoint of stack sampling. In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized and published a more stringent standard for particulate matter with nominal diameter less than or equal to 2.5 µm (PM2.5). This created an urgent need to collect additional cotton gin emissions data to address current regulatory issues, because current EPA AP-42 cotton gin PM2.5 emission factors did not exist. The objective of this study is the development of PM2.5 emission factors for cotton gin mote trash systems based on the EPA-approved stack sampling methodology, Method 201A. The project plan included sampling seven cotton gins across the Cotton Belt. Two of the seven gins had mote trash systems where the exhaust airstreams were not combined with other major systems. In terms of capacity, the two gins were typical of the industry, averaging 25.1 bales/h during testing. Some test runs were excluded from the test averages because they failed to meet EPA Method 201A Test criteria. Also, other test runs, included in the analyses, had cotton lint fibers that collected in the ≤ 10 µm and/or ≤ 2.5 µm samples. This larger lint material can impact the reported emissions data, but EPA Method 201A does not suggest methods to account for these anomalies. Average measured mote trash system PM2.5 emission factor based on the two tests (six total test runs) was 0.0011 kg/227-kg bale (0.0024 lb/500-lb bale). The mote trash system emission factors for PM10 and total particulate were 0.0094 kg/bale (0.021 lb/bale) and 0.017 kg/bale (0.038 lb/bale), respectively. The mote trash system PM2.5 emission rate from test averages ranged from 0.025 to 0.03 kg/h (0.055-0.066 lb/h). System average PM10 and total particulate emission factors were lower than those currently published in EPA AP-42. The ratios of mote trash system PM2.5 to total particulate, PM2.5 to PM10, and PM10 to total particulate were 6.4, 11.7, and 54.5%, respectively.