Climate Change and Geologic Sequestration
With climate change becoming the center of attention globally and pending mandates to reduce carbon footprints, our authors provide detailed insight into why Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) may be a mitigation strategy. Our focus is on Illinois to provide you with details on state-specific feasibility.
The United States Department of Energy (USDOE) is leading the CarbonSAFE program across the U.S. to conduct research for the development of technologies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The state of Illinois hosts a portion of the program called CarbonSAFE – Illinois.
CCS applies to facilities that are point-source emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2), including ethanol plants, various manufacturing facilities, and fossil-fuel power plants. Through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, facilities that capture and sequester CO2 can qualify for federal tax incentives (45Q). These facilities can reduce net carbon emissions by employing CCS, which prevents CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere, promotes them as environmental stewards, and helps foster economic growth.
Geologic sequestration of CO2 (GS) requires a Class VI injection well permit. Under the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program, a Class VI injection well injects supercritical CO2 (i.e., highly compressible fluid without distinct solid and gas phases) into deep geologic formation(s). These sequestration wells’ regulations fall under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) oversees a well-developed state UIC program and holds primacy for regulating UIC well classes I-V. IEPA does not currently hold primacy for Class VI UIC wells; primacy resides with the USEPA Region 5.
Suitability of Geologic Sequestration in the Illinois Basin
In Illinois, Class I and Class II UIC wells demonstrate the utility of UIC for permanent waste disposal or enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The well-studied geologic characteristics of the Illinois Basin drive successful Class I and II UIC wells and hydrocarbon production. As geologic units within the basin proved to be successful hydrocarbon reservoirs, the research focuses on their utility for permanent CO2 sequestration and injection of CO2 for EOR. The only permitted, and active Class VI UIC wells in the U.S. are in Macon County, Illinois. These wells are part of a CarbonSAFE – Illinois project, the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP). According to the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL, 2017), this successful project is the only completed large-scale injection of CO2 into a saline formation. The project is paving the way for future commercial-scale CCS.
While the Illinois Basin is generally considered feasible for CCS, we cannot assume that any location within the basin will be suitable to host Class VI UIC. GS is not applicable in all locations, and feasibility depends on several geologic conditions. We must investigate the appropriate subsurface geology to minimize project risk and comply with SDWA requirements. Geologic feasibility must be assessed as part of initial project scoping to determine if a location is suitable for underground CO2 storage. The permitting process for Class VI UIC is long and requires large capital expenditures upfront during the pre-operational phase. Fortunately, careful scoping early in the process regarding geologic suitability will minimize uncertainty, project risk, and long-term project costs. This maximizes the likelihood of success in the permitting process.
Mapping Tools Help Determine Where Class VI UIC Will Succeed
SCS Engineers has developed mapping tools to provide information for prospective Class VI UIC projects in Illinois. These maps provide a high-level sense of the feasibility of Class VI UIC across Illinois and indicate whether a project could proceed to the detailed feasibility study stage. They provide information on whether or not fatal flaws or complications exist that prohibit or deter a Class VI UIC project before conducting a comprehensive, site-specific feasibility study.
The geologic suitability map indicates categorically whether:
Should category A or B apply to a potential project, SCS can assess the presence and density of existing artificial penetrations to give potential clients a sense of their project’s complexity.
The geologic suitability map considers geologic conditions that must be present for underground storage of supercritical CO2 and other conditions that may lead to challenges, including:
In addition to general geologic suitability, SCS created a map showing the density of deep artificial penetrations (>3,000 feet) in Illinois. Due to oil and gas production, artificial penetrations (wells) are common across Illinois, particularly in the state’s southern half. Improperly plugged or abandoned artificial penetrations can act as conduits for injection fluids, so it is essential to be aware of these penetrations and their depths when choosing an injection location. We obtained the data from the Illinois State Geological Survey’s (ISGS) Illinois Oil and Gas Resources ArcGIS online application. Each penetration has unique attributes assigned in the mapping tool that allows for assessing parameters such as depth, current status, and ownership. The findings give an additional sensitivity to be aware of should the prospective Class VI UIC project proceed to the detailed feasibility study phase.
Use the map to screen your site location(s) for whether or not Class VI UIC may be applicable. Suppose your facility is in a Category A (green) area. In that case, there are no fatal flaws to Class VI UIC identified, and SCS will assist you directly with a detailed feasibility study. Areas in Category A should also consult SCS’s artificial penetrations map. SCS can examine the location for artificial penetrations within various hypothetical Area of Review (AOR) scenarios.
Additionally, SCS can plot hypothetical scenarios within the mapping tool and generate a corresponding list and map of penetrations falling within each hypothetical AOR. Due to the available deep subsurface geologic data, a high density of artificial penetrations may be beneficial. Conversely, this could be problematic if these wells penetrate the confining or injection zone(s) and are improperly plugged or abandoned, resulting in a potential vertical pathway for injected CO2 to migrate into the protected USDWs.
Suppose your facility is in Category B. Before proceeding with a feasibility study, there may be additional challenges and uncertainties, so we use the artificial penetrations map to develop data that address these challenges. SCS works with you to determine challenges and cost-effective ways to overcome them. We discuss alternatives if the additional assessment uncovers considerable permitting challenges or project risks. Then, we move on to a detailed feasibility study after minimizing risks.
If your facility is in Category C, on-site Class VI UIC is most likely not feasible due to the geologic conditions present. SCS does not recommend proceeding with a feasibility study for on-site storage but works with you to determine alternatives.
We aim to kickstart your thinking about the Class VI UIC permitting process and what challenges or complexities may exist.
Contact Kacey, Charles, or to discuss your projects and goals. We will work with you to design solutions suitable for your company to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and obtain the 45Q tax credits.
Meet the Authors:
Kacey Garber, M.S., Project Professional ()
Charles Hostetler, Ph.D., Senior Project Advisor ()
Additional Resources:
The average oil or gas well produces about 500 tons of oil-based mud drilling waste; less than 1% is recycled. The rest typically gets landfilled, stored in reserve pits, or delivered to a land farm. These options create long-term liabilities and produce significant greenhouse gas emissions as the hydrocarbons biodegrade.
Despite investing considerable time and money in exploring alternative means to manage this waste stream, landfilling remains the number one method due to its economic feasibility. But clean tech waste-to-energy company Recover is hoping to change this.
Cofounder and Recover’s Vice President of Land & Regulatory, Mike Biersteker, explains: “We take a waste stream that otherwise has zero or a negative value and recover the diesel as a transportation fuel. Simultaneously, we’re reducing waste going into a landfill by 33% and avoiding the formation of greenhouse gas emissions that result from landfilling.”
Oil-based muds have operational benefits
When drilling modern shale natural gas or oil wells, operators select oil-based muds due to their improved ability to drill faster and longer within shale formations. In the United States, diesel is the predominant fluid used in these muds. The fluid is used for flushing the drilled solids from the well and bringing the solids back to the surface.
Once at the surface, the oil and gas company tries to recover as much mud as possible. However, a significant volume of oil remains on the drilled solids due to current limitations with solids handling technology. The oil and gas company must dispose of the drilling waste at that point.
The waste handling technology is where Recover comes in. After 15 years of research and development, they have found an economical way to recover and recycle the hydrocarbons within this waste stream. By recovering these hydrocarbons, they can avoid the subsequent emissions related to biodegradation.
A multi-step process produces two reusable products
Recover has a solvent extraction process, a time-proven technique leveraged worldwide to extract many other biofuels. But Recover has adapted the technique and added steps. Through its specialized application, the solvent dissolves oil-based mud into a solution. The liquid phase is sent to a distillation tower where the solvent boils, evaporates, and is collected and converted from vapor to liquid again for reuse. Since the diesel has a higher boiling point, it collects in the tower bottom.
“Through our patented clean-tech process, we are taking advantage of different boiling points to separate, capture, and use these valuable materials, each for their respective purposes,” Stan Ross, President, CEO, and Cofounder explains.
The solids phase is ejected and called Recover Dry™. It is suitable for reuse as stabilization material at industrial landfills or road base material.
The environmental benefits of the Recover technology are obvious. Life Cycle Associates, a leading greenhouse gas life cycle firm based in California, reports reductions of 855 metric tons of emissions generated by 500 tons of landfilled mud drilling waste.
Ross puts these figures in perspective: An automobile emits about 10 tons of greenhouse gas annually, so mitigating emissions from a single well compares to taking 85 cars off the road. Carbon impact adds up: there are nearly a million oil and gas wells in the U.S. alone [Ref].
Making the economics sustainable
Unlike most of its peers in the green space, there is no cost to being more sustainable. Generators pay no processing fees. Recover’s revenue comes from recovering and selling its diesel fuel.
“That’s how we make our model economical, and by being economical, we are truly sustainable. We don’t believe in being green at any expense. If an environmentally friendly process costs more than the status quo, it’s a harder sell to any industry – companies won’t always buy in,” Biersteker says.
He and Ross are unaware of any other technologies attempting to accomplish what Recover is doing other than niche thermal processes where heat is applied to the drilling waste to evaporate the diesel. But that process comes with high operating costs. Getting the diesel to boil off in its fractions requires tremendous energy, increasing the carbon footprint of the recovered diesel.
It’s not just Recover’s multi-step process that stands out. How the firm leverages equipment is unique.
“Drilling waste contains a lot of very abrasive solids. They destroy machinery. Off-the-shelf options to address this challenge are limited or unproven. We modified our processing equipment to work well with this viscous, abrasive waste stream,” Ross says.
Opportunities in the U.S. backed by specialized O&G Environmental Engineers
Recover operates a commercial demonstration facility in Canada and is launching a facility in Howard County, Texas. The expansion into the Permian Basin requires SCS Engineers O&G specialists’ technical support.
Recover sought a professional environmental firm with solid permitting experience and a deep bench. SCS Engineers works closely and well with the Texas Railroad Commission. SCS designed Recover’s stormwater and spill control plans and provided preliminary land contour and groundwater investigative work.
“SCS’s track record with the regulators and ability to get through the permitting process efficiently and safely weighs big because time is money,” Biersteker says. “Regulators need to know we’re working with a highly regarded environmental engineering firm.”
While vetted during years of research and development, Recover’s innovative approach is new to the Railroad Commission. There were a lot of details that needed solid explanations backed by science.
The permitting piece of the puzzle is more than providing technical information, especially with new technology.
“Our team clearly described how drilling waste is generated, delivered, off-loaded, and processed at the Recover facility. We explained to regulators how the separated materials would be collected and moved to the next stage, including diesel recovery and dramatically reduced volumes for final disposal,” says O&G National Expert Neil Nowak and the SCS project director.
“This is a people business. You have to gain regulators’ trust. Our engineering seal means the processes are thoroughly vetted and exactly done as they should be,” Nowak says.
Every recycled drop does not have to be produced new
Recover is gaining traction as it reaches out to oil and gas companies. It’s an easy pitch because who doesn’t want to see waste recycled and reused while reducing their environmental footprint?
“We get their attention when we tell them about the value add we bring to the table. They will incur no processing costs. Clients see that they reduce their liability significantly while lowering their greenhouse gas emissions, leaving them time to focus on what they do,” Ross says.
The benefits of managing this challenging but potentially lucrative stream go further. Biersteker points out:
Additional Resources:
Landfill owners, operators, and engineers have long dreamed of using landfill acreage for more than disposal, and that’s just what the Lanchester Landfill in Pennsylvania is doing. Many disposal companies and municipalities are already controlling waste rather than seeing it go into landfills, take a moment to see the innovative Republic Inc. solutions.
Sustainability in the waste industry is becoming a reality with new recycling and reuse technologies, renewable energy, public/private and organizational coordination, and the backing of industry associations.
David Hostetter from SCS Engineers and Dennis Siegel from WM (Waste Management) join Inductive Automation to talk about the unique processes and challenges within the waste management industry, from residential to the engineering and life cycles of landfills. They discuss how operational improvements in this essential service and its environmental footprint are making the industry more sustainable. They dive into the 24/7 maintenance and monitoring of landfills, adjusting to changing conditions in real-time, reducing cost, generating renewable energy, improving the health and safety of operators, and being proactive in a changing world. These landfill systems, such as WM’s Connected Landfills are improving connectivity, mobility, and visualization by using data science to facilitate better decisions.
Visit the SCS RMC site. Learn more about Sustainability in Waste Management.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) reminded all stakeholders that enforcing the state’s new food diversion regulations begins April 1, 2023. The law governing these regulations, entitled “Solid Waste Management – Organics Recycling and Waste Diversion – Food Waste,” was enacted on January 1, 2023.
Diversion reduces waste at final disposal sites, such as landfills and incinerators. Food residuals include edible and nonedible materials derived from pre- and post-consumer vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, and meats.
A facility must implement food diversion techniques if it generates at least two tons of food residuals per week. Affected facilities include businesses, public and private schools, supermarkets, and government-run cafeterias.
SCS Engineers advises facility owners and operators to review MDE’S Determination of Applicability to determine if they are subject to enforcement. MDE strongly recommends that facility owners and operators submit a Waiver Application Form if they believe they are not subject to enforcement or cannot comply with the regulations.
Maryland generates an estimated 1.86 million tons of compostable materials and 927,926 tons of food waste annually. Although a major waste component, only a small amount is reused or recycled. What remains ends up being disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Diverting edible foods can help address the 1 in 8 (12.5%) food-insecure Marylanders. Preventing food scrap and organics disposal using methods such as composting or donating to those in need conserves energy and resources, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Meet Charles Hostetler, of SCS Engineers, at Session 4B Soil and Groundwater Characterization and Conceptualization on Tuesday, April 18, 3:30-5:50 for a discussion of CCR detection monitoring to minimize false positives.
CCR groundwater monitoring programs require routine detection monitoring around regulated units. Routine detection monitoring aims to identify situations where groundwater quality could be impacted by contaminants mobilized from CCR. Background data are collected to characterize the statistical distributions of groundwater quality parameters in the aquifer where there is no potential impact from regulated units. During operational, closure, and post-closure care activities, the same groundwater quality parameters are sampled periodically downgradient from the regulated unit and compared to these background data. Any statistically significant increases over background data spur an investigation of the potential result of CCR leachate impacting groundwater quality.
The procedure for designing and implementing a groundwater monitoring plan foresees that all routine detection monitoring programs will generate false positive results. The EPA’s Unified Guidance recommends that the design of monitoring plans minimize the site-wide false positive rate. For CCR detection monitoring programs, site-specific and regulatory requirements fix the number of well/parameter pairs and sampling frequencies, leaving the CCR permittee with two focus areas to minimize the site-wide false positive rate. The first is a robust background characterization that captures the site’s spatial and temporal variability. The second is a complete characterization of leachate composition, including unregulated constituents, and incorporating correlation into the statistical comparison to the background. These two focus areas can minimize costly assessment and corrective action activities.
Learn more about USWAG here. Register for USWAG here.
Additional Information located on CCR and Utilities is on the SCS website.
After reviewing hundreds of nominations, Waste360 announced five of the most influential women in the waste and recycling industry for their leadership, achievements, and empowering others. Congratulations and thanks to Anne Germain, Joy Grahek, Dana Gunders, Michelle Leonard, and Ana Wood. Be sure to say hello to them all at Waste Expo! Read more about these five remarkable people on Waste360.
About Michelle Leonard
Michelle has invested more than 35 years into a career focused on solid waste management, working to lead communities nationwide in their efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste materials. She is a leader and influencer in the waste industry and at SCS Engineers. Michelle sits on the firm’s Board of Directors as a senior vice president and leads the future-focused practice of sustainable materials management (SMM). SMM to reduce waste directly correlates with climate change as an implementable solution to reduce emissions. A recent quote from one of her clients epitomizes her impact, “Even if I already knew, I still get amazed every time realizing how knowledgeable you are.”
Michelle mentors, guides, and influences all SCSers and young professionals.
She is particularly interested in promoting the cause of women, diversity, and equity in the industry and at SCS. She guides and mentors young female professionals on their professional journey in her practice and the broader company. “As someone newer to this industry, I feel very fortunate to work with Michelle. She constantly supports my growth within the industry and our company,” states Kelli Farmer, an SCS young professional and SMM team member.
In the words of SCS President and CEO Jim Walsh, “Michelle informs some of the country’s largest cities and waste company programs. Her knowledge and dedication to her clients, industry, and within SCS earn our respect.”
Recognized for her positive influence on the waste industry, Michelle is a sought-after speaker at industry organizations and has served on their boards and key committees. Look for her presentation Why is Multifamily Recycling So Hard? at Waste Expo.
She is well-known for her guidance in successfully helping businesses, educational institutions, and municipalities adopt a sustainable materials management program as a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycle. As one of five influential women, Michelle’s work finds new implementable opportunities to minimize environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs across the nation.
A History of Serving
In 2016, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker appointed Michelle to serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) from October through the term of the Committee’s charter in August 2018. Michelle represented SCS and the U.S. environmental technology industry’s waste management and recycling segment. Following her term of service, Michelle said, “I was honored to help support the unique role environmental technologies play in advancing the solid waste industry. We can safely help mitigate many global environmental problems.”
Michelle is a Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) member and has been on the Board of Directors of SWANA’s Southern California Founding Chapter since 2009. She has led the organization in various key roles as International Board Past President and Past Director of SWANA’s Recycling and Special Waste Technical Division.
Michelle is the past Southern California Waste Management Forum Director and the Women’s Environmental Council President. She serves on the leadership team of Southern California Women in Solid Waste and Recycling.
Recognized by SWANA with their Distinguished Individual Achievement Award (DIAA), the organization acknowledged Michelle’s success and service to their Technical Division and her clients for long-term achievements in the solid waste industry.
“Michelle Leonard’s influence and work are supporting communities and states to manage waste economically and responsibly,” said SCS President and CEO Jim Walsh, “Her work greatly benefits her clients, our industry, and the public.”
Impacting the waste and recycling industry
Michelle’s expertise in solid waste management regulations and practices has helped many city, county, and state regulators to manage successful and award-winning waste management and recycling projects. She is a proponent of integrating the principles of a circular economy into the waste industry. She promotes municipalities and private waste companies adopting circular strategies, which reduce waste going into landfills. Reducing waste reduces methane emissions, thus improving air quality and public health, and safety.
Michelle says, “Sustainable materials management can help meet the challenges of waste reduction and management as states impose disposal bans, diversion mandates, and emissions restrictions. It’s economically sound and socially responsible, too.”
Michelle stays attuned to evolving regulations, maintains relationships with regulators, and keeps her clients and the industry abreast of current issues. She publishes peer-reviewed papers, articles, blogs, and presents on these issues at various industry organizations.
Working at SCS
Born and raised in Southern California, Michelle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Berkley. While working on energy conservation projects in California, Michelle worked her way into a position at SCS Engineers. She is now a senior vice president and SCS Board of Directors member. As the firm’s National Expert on Solid Waste Planning, Recycling, and Sustainability projects and plans, she drives the firm’s strategies and response to California Senate Bill 1383. This experience and understanding of economic sustainability enable her to meet the growing need for composting strategies, technologies, and facilities nationwide as more states and regions aim to go greener.
Michelle is a mentor, guide, and influencer for the 341 women and young professionals at SCS Engineers. She is particularly interested in promoting the cause of women and diversity and equity at SCS Engineers and in the industry. Elizabeth Purington, a young professional at SCS and SMM team member, says, “As a young woman in the solid waste industry, I am inspired by all that Michelle has been able to accomplish in her career. She leads the Sustainable Materials Management practice and sits on the company’s Board of Directors, all while empowering other women to become leaders alongside her.”
Positive Influence
Michelle is instrumental in the education and certification of young professionals, municipalities, and members of professional organizations. She strives to help others find ways to reduce waste and recover more materials to meet their environmental responsibilities sustainably.
Michelle would be the only woman in the room at the start of her career. Today, Michelle is proud to see the industry evolve, albeit slowly, and noted, “I think there are a lot of very strong and vital roles that women are playing in our industry now.”
In various roles in the industry and at SCS, Michelle firmly encourages women to be smart, search for opportunities, and use personal strengths to their advantage. She firmly believes that women can play an important role in the environmental consulting and waste management industries and is happy to see women take on more critical roles.
Meet Kacey Garber, M.S. of SCS Engineers, on Wednesday, June 14, at her 8:30-10am session of the Carbon Capture and Storage Summit. Kacey will be discussing how Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is becoming increasingly attractive due to growing climate change concerns as well as tax incentives related to conducting CO2 capture.
Facilities that capture CO2 may consider storing captured CO2 via geologic sequestration (GS). GS at a given location requires a Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit for a Class VI UIC well(s) to inject supercritical CO2. These permits require multiphase flow modeling to delineate both the extent of the supercritical CO2 plume and areas that exceed a critical pressure threshold as a result of the injection.
At SCS, numerical modeling is also valuable during project scoping to provide a sense of the total CO2 storage capacity for a given project. CO2 trapping (storage) mechanisms must be considered to determine long-term storage capacity, including structural/stratigraphic, capillary, solution, and mineral trapping (depending on geochemistry).
Solubility trapping appears to be the ultimate trapping mechanism for injected CO2 under most geochemical conditions; therefore, solution storage efficiency will be a key metric for project scoping. Solubility trapping occurs when the CO2 dissolves from its separate, buoyant phase into formation pore water. If the total available pore space for the project and the solubility limit of CO2 can be estimated, then the total solution storage capacity can also be estimated.
Then numerical modeling can be used to estimate design and operational parameters to quickly examine under what conditions the most efficient use of pore space occurs. In Ms. Garber’s example, her team investigated what factors may promote solution storage efficiency using a multiphase flow model. This includes how supercritical CO2 injection rate, duration, and location(s) affect solution storage efficiency. This simplified study concluded that injection rate, duration, and location(s) all affect solution storage efficiency. Project-specific considerations need to be incorporated into the model in order to determine the conditions ideal for maximizing solution storage efficiency.
Learn more about the Expo here. See the Agenda here.
Additional Information located on the Deep Well Injection and Carbon Sequestration site.
On March 23, 2023, EPA hosted a live webinar entitled “Listening Session: CERCLA PFAS Enforcement.” EPA is currently preparing a CERCLA PFAS Enforcement Discretion Policy, and they presented an overview of their current thoughts on the topic. Following EPA’s 15-minute presentation, live comments from registered speakers (e.g., Anne Germain with National Waste and Recycling Association, Robin Wright with Delaware Solid Waste Authority) were provided.
SCS’s National Expert on Emerging Contaminants and on Innovative Technologies Jeff Marshall, provides these highlights from EPA’s presentation, delivered by Ken Patterson (EPA Office of Site Remediation Enforcement):
The policy discretion document is still being developed by EPA. The recording of the March 14 and 23, 2023, listening sessions will be posted soon on EPA’s CERCLA PFAS Enforcement Listening Sessions web page.
Follow SCS on your preferred social media site for updates. Please share this update with others whose operations will be impacted.
Additional Resources:
Video: Managing PFAS in Landfill Leachate and Sludge
Solutions: Liquids Management and Sequestration
Articles:
Deep Well Disposal for PFAS Attracts Heightened Interest as New Regulations Loom One thing that landfills, airports, wastewater treatment facilities, chemical companies, and other entities needing to manage liquid PFAS waste will not have to worry about is competing for deep well …
$2 Billion in EPA Grant Funding to Address PFAS in Drinking Water On February 13, 2023, the EPA announced the availability of $2 billion of grant funding to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water across the …
USEPA Effluent Guidelines Program Plan, Including PFAS Limits & Nutrient Study USEPA recently issued Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15, which includes a focus on PFAS discharges from multiple categories. In conjunction with Plan 15, EPA has determined that revisions to the …
Biosolids and PFAS – What’s in my Fertilizer? Many original PFAS compounds were phased out of production in the early 2000s, but they were replaced with other compounds still being evaluated for safety. Tony Kollasch looks at the …
PFAS Discharges: EPA Issues NPDES Guidance to States While the Office of Water works to revise Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) and develop water quality criteria to support technology-based and water quality-based effluent limits for PFAS in NPDES permits, this memorandum describes steps permit writers can implement under existing authorities to reduce the discharge of PFAS…
Odor attribution is a complicated process when nuisance odors are intermittent and come from more than one source. Today’s blog discusses technological advances in olfactometers and processes to investigate and resolve industrial or agricultural odors.
To investigate odors, SCS begins by reviewing odor complaints for patterns based on location, time of day, the month of the year, and local wind conditions. We then use a site survey to identify candidate sources of odor that may contribute to the region’s odor complaints. Next, we assess the relative contributions of the most probable sources identified by collecting odor samples at/near each source and upwind, downwind, and crosswind. Traditionally, a limited number of odor samples could be collected daily in Tedlar® bags and shipped overnight to a certified laboratory for analysis by an odor panel. The odor panel uses an olfactometer to sniff air samples at varying dilutions for odor concentration, character, and intensity following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods.
In certain situations, however, using a portable olfactometer in the field is more efficient. SCS recently implemented the Scentroid SS400 Six Station Portable Olfactometer Odor Lab for large odor studies. The Scentroid SS400 is the world’s only portable six (6) panel olfactometer compliant with European Standard EN 13725/2003 and ASTM E679-04 and is compact for easy transportation and deployment in remote locations. The Scentroid SS400 allows us to:
By having more data, our SCS professionals gain insight into complex nuisance odors and propose targeted mitigation measures that reduce odor concentrations downwind. With over 30 years of experience resolving odors from landfills, wastewater treatment plants, composting facilities, agricultural and manufacturing facilities, we’re confident we can help your facility come up smelling like roses too.
Meet the Author: Greg Hauser is an SCS Project Director responsible for environmental compliance projects. He has over 30 years of experience with compliance topics such as air quality permitting, emission inventories, dispersion modeling, health risk assessments, and odor impact assessments. Mr. Hauser is experienced conducting odor studies of composting, landfill, and wastewater treatment plant operations. He has surveyed facilities to identify sources of interest, collected field samples of odorous emissions, developed odor emission profiles based on odor concentrations and odor flow rates, and conducted dispersion modeling to predict odor concentrations at or beyond the facility’s property boundary. He also provides health risk assessments for aerospace, manufacturing, wastewater treatment, and oil and gas facilities.
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