Process Emissions and Their Control—Part II

Publisher Summary Soil preparation operations, such as agricultural tilling, are a major source of fugitive particulate emissions. In an emissions inventory in 1976, agricultural tilling was found to be the third largest open source of particulate emissions in the United States. Pesticides include inorganic, synthetic organic, and non-synthetic organic insecticides and herbicides that are applied either in pure form or as part of a formulated product. Traditionally, heavy oils and solids were burned in open smudge pots to provide the heat necessary to prevent frost formation on the surface of fruit, ornamental, and foliage trees. However, this practice is no longer used. Today, fuel oil is burned in orchard heaters in many areas of the United States to provide frost protection. Emissions from harvesting consist of particulate matter composed of plant material, soil, and, often, trace levels of pesticides and other agriculturally applied chemicals. Three activities in this industry contribute significantly to air pollution: (1) wood pulping, (2) veneer drying and sanding, and (3) slash burning. Exciting new process developments are taking place in wood pulping, the most innovative being the application of biotechnology and chemi-mechanical techniques to pulping.