Air Quality Modeling of Non-Point Source Emissions at Pulp and Paper Mills, 1993 Environmental Conference Proceedings

The purpose of this paper is to discuss air quality dispersion modeling procedures necessary to accurately characterize concentrations from non-point source emissions of air pollutants from pulp and paper mills.

Traditionally, air quality dispersion modeling studies have focused on point source emission types (i.e. power boilers, recovery furnaces, lime kilns, etc.) Increased emphasis on risk assessment and more sophisticated approaches to determining total air quality impacts require the evaluation of non-point source emissions such as evaporative emissions from ponds, liquid spills, and releases of dense gases. With increasing frequency, regulatory agencies are also requiring modeling of emissions from fugitive particulate matter sources including roadways, chippers, chip pilers, and coal storage piles. Modeling of these emission sources requires additional physical information on the emission source and consideration of additional meteorological conditions. Regulatory guidance on modeling procedures for these source types must also be considered in preparing permit applications. This paper discusses the technical and regulatory aspects of modeling non-point source emissions and the data required to adequately characterize these emission sources.