Study of Air Quality Impacts
Resulting from Prescribed Burning on
Military Facilities
Karsten Baumann,
Mei Zheng,
Michael Chang, and
Ted Russell
Clean
Air
Act
Endangered
Species
Act
Fire Ecology
• The endangered Red Cockaded
Woodpecker (RCW) resides only in the
mature long-leaf pine forests of the SE US.
• Most of the forests old and large enough to
support the RCW are on federal and
military lands.
• Long-leaf pine ecosystems have adapted to
natural fire regimes (wildfires in ~3 to 7
year cycles) and now require periodic
burning to maintain health.
• Prescribed burning is a safe and effective
alternative to natural fire regimes.
To what extent does prescribed
burning impact local and regional
air quality?
O3
VOCs
NOx
PM
Motivation: Fall-line Air Quality Study
34.6
N
20x20
km
34.4
Atlanta
34.2
W
36
18
E
Bowen
34.0
36.8
N
McDonough
S
33.8
16.2
14.2
N
33.6
W
Yates
33.4
18
Urquhart
W
9
Griffin
33.2
E
18
Branch
N
17.9
7.8
S
E
9
18
N
32.6
Macon
9
17.2
14.1
FAQS measurement sites
significant point sources
point sources w/ CO:NOx > 1
Wind Roses with avg [PM2.5] for
S
E
18
32.2
18.2
15.9
S
32.0
-85.5
-85.0
S
Arkwright
W
32.8
W
Augusta
Scherer
33.0
32.4
E
9
Wansley
summer & winter in µg m
and wind frequency in %.
Columbus
-84.5
-84.0
-83.5
-83.0
-82.5
-82.0
-3
-81.5
Motivation
Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 30 min Average
Concentrations during FAQS Phase II (Fall 2001)
80
PM2.5
Griffin Augusta
Macon Columbus
µg/m
3
60
40
20
0
8
Griffin Augusta
Macon Columbus
Wind Speed
m/s
6
4
2
0
10/26/2001
10/31/2001
11/5/2001
11/10/2001
Time (EST)
11/15/2001
11/20/2001
11/25/2001
Motivation
Average Composition of PM2.5
Observed During FAQS Phase I (July 2000)
Columbus
Oxbow Learning Center
Columbus
Water Works
2%
1%
28%
29%
1%
2%
57%
59%
9%
9%
2%
2%
Average mass = 22 mg/m3
Average mass = 19 mg/m3
Organic Compounds
NH4
Other Elements
SO4
NO3
Elemental Carbon
More Motivation
In the continental U.S. prescribed burns and forest fires contribute
~37 % to the total direct fine PM emissions of ~1 Mio t per year*
Source contributions to organic carbon in PM2.5
Pensacola, FL
October 1999
Diesel
exhaust
20%
Other organic
carbon
30%
* Nizich
et al., EPA Report 454/R-00-002
(NTIS PB2000-108054), RTP, NC, 2000
Gasoline
exhaust
3%
Vegetative
detritus
2%
Meat cooking
6%
Wood
combustion
39%
Zheng et al., ES&T 2002
Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
To quantitatively characterize pollutants emitted from prescribed burning,
with emphasis on the detailed chemical composition of fine PM at OLC;
To study diversity of sites:
- Fort Benning as primary study site, including PM source
apportionment
and in situ gas phase sampling.
- Fort Gordon, Shaw and Eglin AFB as secondary study sites to include
in situ gas phase sampling only.
To identify conserved markers for biomass burning in ambient air;
To determine the contribution of gaseous precursors towards secondary
ozone and fine PM formation;
To determine how concentrations and chemical compositions differ with
conditions of burning (such as open flame versus smoldering), type of
biomass burned, moisture in the biomass, and season (summer versus fall).
Fort Benning
• Focus on Fort Benning in collaboration with WW & CSU
utilizing Columbus OLC site;
• OLC site upgrade for PM source apportionment and in situ
gas phase sampling started;
• Contacts to site operators and VOC sample takers
established, specific training in progress.
Met
Gas
45’ x 40’ Fence
4’
Guy wired
8m Tower
tilt down
33’ x 7’
level
Platform
~ 1’
above
ground
4’
11’
10’ x 12’ Shelter
a/c
14’
4 additional 20 A
circuit breakers
3’
POC
Stair step
4 quadruple outlets on
individual breakers
PCM
8’
10’ Gate
N
VOC
Particle Composition Monitor “PCM”
Channel 1:
NH3
Na+, K+, NH4+, Ca+2
Channel 2:
HF, HCl, HONO, HNO3, SO2,
HCOOH, CH3COOH,
(COOH)2
F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO4=,
HCOO-, CH3COO-, C2O4=
Channel 3:
EC, OC, WSOC, “SVOC”
Additional higher resolution
CO, NO, NOy, O3, PM-mass,
and basic meteorology
High-Vol Sampling and GC/MS Analyses
Quantification of >100 Particle-phase Organic Compounds
POC
n-alkanes, branched alkanes, cycloalkanes
n-alkanoic acids, n-alkenoic acids
alkanedioic acids
PAHs, oxy-PAHs
retene
steranes
hopanes
resin acids
pimaric acid
abietic acid
sandaracopimaric acid
aromatic acids
levoglucosan
Canister Sampling and GC/FID Detection of
Volatile Organic Compounds
Quantification of >60 compounds, incl. CO2 for “fire” samples
VOC
Subcontract with long-term collaborator Prof.
Don Blake, UC Irvine, CA 92697
http://fsr10.ps.uci.edu/GROUP/group.html
C2-C6 n-alkanes, alkenes, branched alkenes, alkynes
isoprene
Cyclic compounds
monoterpenes (a-, b-pinene)
Aromatics, organic nitrates, halogenated species
methylchloride
Linking Chemical Composition of Emissions
with Prescribed Burn Conditions…
•
•
•
•
Combustion: open flame versus smoldering
Biomass type and moisture
Seasonal differences: summer versus fall/winter
Site specific differences: background versus plume
…Requires close collaboration with individual facilities’ personnel
Fort Benning
Fort Gordon
Shaw AFB
Eglin AFB
Polly Gustafson
AQ Program Manager
(706) 545-7576
Polly.Gustafson@benni
ng.army.mil
Stephen Willard
AQ Program Manager
(706) 791-2403
willards@gordon.army
.mil
Terry Madewell
AQ Program Manager
(803) 895-9996
John Wolfe
AQ Program Manager
(850) 882-7677
john.wolfe2@eglin.af.
mil
Deliverables and Products
•
Sep ’02
OLC site modifications, implementations, and preparations completed;
•
Dec ’02
1st progress report describing the sampling in Fall 2002;
•
Mar ’03 2nd progress report with prelim results of Fall sampling chemical analysis;
•
Aug ‘03
3rd progress report with detailed analysis of Fall ‘02 & Summer ‘03 results,
including improved site specific prescribed burning emission factors;
•
Oct ‘03
Final Report with Recommendations,
– reporting the detailed chemical composition and concentrations from
prescribed burns,
– comparing plume emissions to the background samples,
– assessing the VOC emissions at three sites, and
– identifying specific burning practices with resultant air quality impacts.
•
Beyond
complement ongoing SERDP, State of GA, and US EPA research projects.
For more information:
• Dr. Karsten Baumann (PI)
kb@eas.gatech.edu
• Dr. Mei Zheng
mzheng@eas.gatech.edu
• Dr. Michael Chang
chang@eas.gatech.edu
• Dr. Ted Russell
trussell@ce.gatech.edu