Eladio M. Knipping, Ph.D.

January 16, 2014

Air Quality Applied Science Team (AQAST) Meeting

Rice University, Houston, TX

Air Quality Research from the Perspective of the Electric Power

Research Institute

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Scope of Discussion

• Provide a general view of key elements where the research community can inform or provide tools useful to various stakeholders

– Select EPRI Research on key topics in air quality management– An initial brainstorm of additional research that would be

advantageous to the general stakeholder community

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Clean Air Act: Regulatory Acronyms …

NAAQS NSPS SIPs

NSR PSDNBP

CAIR/CSAPRFuture TR

HAPS:MATS

NESHAPRHR ARP

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… Simplified: From Emissions to Ambient Levels

• In addition to emissions standards ….– NSPS and Utility NESHAP (MATS Rule)

• … sources must comply with air pollution programs…– CSAPR/CAIR, Acid Rain Program, NOx Budget Trading Program

• … and demonstrate compliance (via modeling) with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and Regional Haze Rule

• Permitting, State Implementations Plans (including §110(a)(2)(D) interstate pollution abatement SIP provisions), Regional Haze Rule SIPs

• Science helps inform the air quality management process

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General Research Perspectives

• In general, stakeholders are concerned with two issues:– Contribution

• Emissions, concentrations, haze, deposition• Absolute and relative• Source: individual to sector-wide• By different region

– Response to emissions changes• Sensitivity to different controls (individual to sector-wide, by

region)• Verification of trends• Impacts of new sources

• Models, constrained by measurements, provide tools to explore these issues thereby informing the development and implementation of regulations

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Research Directions

• Research can be classified in two different ways:– Specific to the regulation

• Ozone NAAQS, Regional Haze Rule

– Specific to improving tools and processes used therein• Insights from model simulations and measurements• Developing science modules for atmospheric models

• The following slides provide a selection of examples of EPRI research as well as ideas on other research that may be useful for a broad stakeholder community

• Many activities are aligned with research being conducted by AQAST members

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Air Quality Model Evaluation

• EPRI Research:– Evaluate how the performance (at a particular site or for a

particular pollutant) of a “modeling system” relates to its ability to provide• consistent “relative response factors”• consistent “relative contributions”

– Use this information to determine acceptable levels of model performance prior to the use of a “modeling system” for various applications

• Additional Research:– Use of satellite, aircraft and ground-based observations to verify

the ability of models to replicate trends in key pollutants– Improve elements of the modeling system

• Emissions: NH3, NOx, POA to IVOC to VOC (from various sources)

• Deposition rates: O3, OVOC, NHx, NOx, SOx, Hg

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Air Quality Model Development

• EPRI Research:– Organic PM Module based on the Volatility Basis Set (VBS)

approach for CMAQ and CAMx– Plume-In-Grid Module (Advanced Plume Treatment) for use in

CMAQ– CMAQ-RH: Sensitivity of organic PM to relative humidity in CMAQ

• Additional Research– Improved dry deposition modules– VOC reactivity– ClNO, HONO, N2O5, halogen chemistry

– Lake/coastal effects– Bidirectional exchange of NH3, Hg

– Aqueous-phase chemistry– Alkyl nitrate chemistry

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Ozone NAAQS (and Future Transport Rule)

• EPRI Research– Evaluating impacts of emissions changes on the W126 metric for

ozone vegetation exposure– Ozone production efficiency

• VOC/NOx sensitivity• OPE from different sources, regions

• Additional Research– Background and natural ozone– Use of different tools for calculating ozone

contributions and sensitivity to emissions (OSAT, HDDM)

– Exceptional events (STE, fires)– Vegetation research; alternative metrics

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PM2.5 NAAQS

• EPRI Research– Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization (SEARCH)

Network• Host to the SOAS campaign• Performing a variety of analysis• Biogenic-anthropogenic interactions

– Deployment of ACSM in Atlanta and GreatSmoky National Park

– Laboratory experiments of SOA formation– Development of SOA modules

• Additional Research– Sensitivity of NH4NO3 formation to NH3 and NOx emissions

– Heterogeneous aging of organic PM– Brown carbon, glyoxal, isoprene, … chemistry

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SO2 and NOx NAAQS

• EPRI Research– Nitrogen deposition modeling– Analysis of the Aquatic Acidification Index (AAI)– Development of inexpensive flux chambers– Improved air dispersion models and permitting

tools for use with 1-hour primary standards

• Additional Research– Improved NH3 emissions, NOx emissions

– Effect of organic acids in soils and water onlake and stream ecosystems

– Calculation of weathering rates– Can we use satellites to help site compliance

monitors for 1-hour standards?

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Regional Haze

• EPRI Research:– Transboundary contribution to regional haze– Additional methods to help constrain

the OM/OC ratio spatially and temporally– Evaluation of the hygroscopicity of OM– New “IMPROVE Equation”– Visibility valuation

• Additional Research– Continued use of modeling and observations

to help inform issues listed above

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Some Final Thoughts

• The AQAST community is engaged in valuable research that touches many important air quality management issues

• Communication with the broad stakeholder community will allow for additional perspectives to be considered that may be valuable in the design and analysis of a variety of research topics