AN INNOVATIVE CONTINUOUS EMISSIONS MONITOR FOR AIR TOXIC METALS

THE CLEAN AIR ACT (CAA) AMENDMENTS OF 1990 DEFINED 189 INDIVIDUAL HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS WHICH MUST BE MONITORED AND CONTROLLED. THIS LIST OF AIR TOXICS CONTAINS 11 INORGANIC (METAL) CONSTITUENTS AND INCLUDES ARSENIC, BERYLIUM, MERCURY, ANTIMONY, CADMIUM, CHROMIUM, COBALT, LEAD, MANGANESE, NICKEL, AND SELENIUM. CURRENT TECHNOLOGY FOR MEASURING THESE COMPONENTS IN EMISSION STREAMS DEPENDS UPON EXTRACTION OF A SAMPLE FROM THE STACK FOLLOWED BY ANALYSIS FOR THE METALS OF INTEREST WITH A SEPARATE ANALYTICAL PROCEDURE. THIS PROJECT DESCRIBES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL CONTINUOUS EMISSIONS MONITOR (CEM) FOR AIR TOXIC METALS. IT WILL DEVELOP THE FOUNDATION FOR EXTENDING THE TECHNOLOGY OF PLASMA EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY INTO THE NEW AREA OF IMMEDIATE ANALYSIS OF AIR TOXIC METAL SPECIES. THIS TECHNIQUE PROVIDS THE BASIS FOR DIRECT SIMULTANEOUS MONITORING OF PART PER BILLION LEVELS OF SEVERAL TOXIC SPECIES IN FLUE GAS. PHASE I BEGINS WITH ASSEMBLY OF A LABORATORY INSTRUMENT FOLLOWED BY MEASUREMENT OF THE EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF AIR TOXIC METAL SPECIES IN FLUE GAS MIXTURES WITH THIS INSTRUMENT. THE SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED PHASE I SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE THE DESIGN BASIS AND IDENTIFY CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN THE PHASE II PROTOTYPE INSTRUMENT WHICH WILL BE TESTED AT ACTUAL PLANT SITES. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF PHASES I AND II WILL UNDERLIE PHASE III COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE ANALYZER.