Challenges in Air Emission Management

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

• Understand federal and provincial regulations and programs that are drivers of air emissions management and control
• Determine the best methods for emissions calculation and reporting
• Understand how air dispersion modelling and monitoring are used to assess effects on ambient air quality
• Apply best practices, pollution prevention, and control techniques to address air pollutants, fugitive dust, or odours
• Evaluate the effectiveness and select the most suitable emission mitigation approach for your application

Description
The industry continues to face increasingly stringent requirements to reduce air emissions to meet current regulations and the increasing pressure coming from enhanced public awareness.

What will be the new requirements and what should we be doing now is the focus of the conference, which brings together industry, environmental consultants, and regulators to envision the upcoming requirements for the different industries, the available technologies and their best use with the objective of increasing industry’s preparedness to face the impending changes. By taking part in this course, you will enhance your understanding of the potential regulatory compliance requirements for emissions assessment and reporting, as well as the implementation of current emission reduction requirements.

By participating in this course, you will enhance your understanding of the potential regulatory compliance requirements to implement emission reductions.

Who Should Attend
Plant managers • Facility Engineers • Environmental & Engineering Consultants • EHS Managers & Staff • Facility Operators • Regulatory Personnel • Environmental Scientists 

Introduction, Course Preview, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Method

Air Emissions Management – General Concepts

Federal Regulation - Air Quality Management

• Federal and provincial jurisdiction over air quality and emissions
• Air aspects of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
• Atmospheric Environment considerations in Impact Assessment
• Environmental Emergencies
• The Federal Air Quality Management System (AQMS)
• Airsheds and air monitoring
• Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS)
• Base-level industrial emission requirements (BLIERS)

Permitting and Approvals

• Technical requirements for impact assessments and project permitting
• Standards, guidelines, and best practices
• Assessment criteria (in stack limits, effects on air quality, benchmarks)
• Ambient air quality standards and criteria
• Cumulative effects
• Air quality and deposition in health risk assessment
• Case Study

GHG Assessment

• GHG Programs, Frameworks, and ESG implications
• Emissions Scopes, Sources, Sinks, Reservoirs
• GHG Baseline and net GHG emissions determination
• Accounting and quantification methodologies
• Decarbonization strategies
• Best Available Technologies/Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) determinations
• Quality assurance and verification/validations

Emissions Reporting

• Annual reporting programs – NPRI, GHGs, CACs
• Approaches for data gathering and information management

 The Emission Inventory

• Developing the emission inventory
• Sources and source types
• Case study

Emissions Calculation

• Estimation methods
• Emission factors
• Mass balance
• Other Process methods - mass flow calculation
• Uncertainty and data quality

Air Dispersion Modelling

• Concepts in air dispersion modeling
• Screening and detailed models

• Introduction to AERMOD and CALPUFF
• Input requirements
• Regulatory guidance
• Interpretation of model output
• Special cases and challenges
• Case study

Emissions Measurement I - Source Testing

• Source testing methods (continuous monitoring and discrete sampling)
• Planning a source testing program
• Data management and use
• Uncertainty

Emissions Measurement II - Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS)

• CEMS equipment
• Installation and performance
• Data management, audit and calibration
• Relative Accuracy Test Audits (RATAs)

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring

• Planning an ambient monitoring program
• Instruments and approaches (discrete, continuous, passive, low-cost sensors)
• Equipment selection and operation
• Data management (QA/QC, interpretation, reporting)

Integrating Emissions Management and Control

• What drives the level of reduction needed
• Feasibility studies
• Developing and optimizing a mitigation plan
• Management practices and pollution prevention
• Managing secondary effects
• Effective emissions capture and transport
• Fans and exhaust system design considerations

Particulate Matter

• Particulate sizes, composition, and the effects on emissions management
• Particulate emissions abatement
• Fugitive dust and Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• Case study

Combustion and Combustion Gases

• Basics of combustion
• Fossil fuels and lower carbon fuels
• Combustion gases (O₂, NOx, SO₂, CO, GHGs)
• Emissions reduction and controls
• Mercury, dioxins and furans, and other contaminants
• Case study

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Odour

• Sources, characteristics and regulation of VOC and odour emissions
• Point source emission reduction
• Managing fugitive VOCs
• Odour assessment and best management practices for odour
• Case study

Final Discussion and Closure