PM10 and PM2.5 Emissions from Pulp and Paper Mill Combustion Sources Using a Dilution Tunnel Sampler, 2003 Environmental Conference Proceedings

Dilution tunnel technology was employed, concurrently with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment Canada test methods, to sample PM10, PM2.5 and total particulate emissions from pulp and paper mill combustion sources. For the 14 stacks that we examined, the dilution tunnel provided very reproducible results, and was able to consistently obtain data for both dry (i.e., recovery furnaces and power boilers) and wet (i.e., smelt dissolving tanks and lime kilns) sources. In contrast, EPA Method 201a for PM10 and PM2.5 could not be used on wet sources, and in a number of instances, it could not be used on dry sources due to port size limitations. For stacks where both techniques were employed, the dilution tunnel results were quite comparable, and generally provided slightly higher results likely due to the capture of the condensable organic fraction. For the smelt dissolving tank, lime kiln and recovery furnace emissions, the PM10 fractions were primarily composed of PM2.5 (80–90%). For the power boiler emissions the contribution of the PM2.5 fraction toward PM10 was lower (40–75%) and more variable. Chemical characterization information was generated for the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions collected by the dilution tunnel sampler.