The clean air community service page of Al Armendariz
Hello. I'm an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Southern Methodist University.
In addition to my research, teaching, and service activities at SMU, I perform community service activities and volunteer my time to local environmental issues.
Dallas-Fort Worth Air Quality Issues
The area in which I live, the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, is classified as a non-attainment area for the ambient air quality ozone standard. Ozone is a toxic gas and numerous studies show that high levels of ozone are associated with increased respiratory and cardio-vascular problems. In addition, this area is gradually approaching the ambient air quality standard for particulate matter (PM). It is probably only a matter of time before DFW area violates PM standards, unless stringent air pollution control measures are implemented.
As you can read in the memos I link to below, I believe that with our growing population, growing industry, warming climate, and increasing traffic, the plan that the TCEQ has crafted to eliminate the DFW ozone problem will fall short. Until the State of Texas gets serious about mass transit, non-fossil fuel electricity generation, and significant cuts in emissions from industry, we are in for many years of non-attainment with the ozone (and soon the PM) standard.
Impact of Cement Kiln Emissions on DFW Air Quality
There are numerous industrial sources and electric utilities in the DFW area that emit pollutants that contribute to our ozone and PM problems. These include large aerospace and airline industries, a very large semiconductor and telecom industry, numerous natural gas and coal-fired power plants, automobile and truck assembly plants, and many other sources. However, the largest emitting single industry is the cement industry located in Ellis County, just south of the City of Dallas. The 3 cement plants in Ellis County are only 3 out of 225 "major" point source accounts in the 9-county DFW area, but they account for 25% of the industrial PM-2.5 emissions, 50% of the NOx emissions, and 80% of the SO2 emissions. The cement companies operate a total of 10 cement kilns in Ellis County. Only 3 of them use scrubbers (FGD) to reduce SO2 and metal emissions, even though scrubbers have been standard air pollution control technology for more than 30 years in other industries. None of the kilns use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to reduce their NOx, dioxin, hydrocarbon, and mercury emissions, even though SCR is standard technology at coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators, and numerous other heavy industries. Seven of the 10 kilns are "wet-process" cement kilns, which burn more fuel and generate approximately 40% more greenhouse gas CO2 and other pollutant emissions for each ton of cement produced than the 3 newer "dry-process" kilns. Overall, there is a lot this industry could be doing to help DFW get clean air.
Memos, Documents, and Other Information on DFW Air Quality
[December 2007] A report on the ozone problem in the western side of DFW, in Tarrant and Denton Counties.
[July 2007] You can read a comprehensive report I wrote about the DFW ozone problem, and what TCEQ and EPA should do about it on this page.
[February 2007] I suggested to the TCEQ that they more aggressively require cuts in car, truck, and industrial emissions to help reduce ozone levels and protect public health. You can read the comments I sent to TCEQ in this memo: Memo to TCEQ
[July 2006] A memo I wrote to TCEQ about the disproportionate impact of the cement industry on DFW air quality.
[July 2006] You can read a report written by a blue-ribbon panel of outside experts on what can be done to reduce the Ellis County cement kiln NOx emissions.
You can review my comments in support of the conclusions of the blue-ribbon panel.
What Other Experts Have Said About SCR Systems for Cement Kiln Pollution Control
Many engineering companies that make SCR systems are confident that SCR will work on cement and have advertised SCR systems for cement kilns:
Nippon Shukubai p. 2.
Argillon (English Translation).
ITIA/VUT p.3
Several cement companies are using SCR and others have made positive assessments about whether SCR will work to reduce cement kiln NOx emissions:
Italcementi (ESSROC) pp. 32 and 33
[November 2006] Here is a report about the success of SCR to reduce emissions of NOx and other pollutants on an Italian cement kiln (Cementeria di Monselice), written by a cement company manager, an SCR company engineer, and a professional engineer from the state of Florida.
[July 2006] You can read this report about the success of SCR to reduce emissions of NOx, dioxins, and other pollutants on a German (Solnhofen) cement kiln, an Italian (Monselice) cement kiln, and also on a municipal waste incinerator.
Links to Grassroots Groups Active on Cement Air Quality Issues
You can find more information about cement plants and air quality at the web pages of some of the grassroots groups that have been active on cement issues for a long time:
Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action
Dallas and Fort Worth News Links
The daily, weekly, and business newspapers in the area frequently cover environmental issues:
Star Telegram Environmental Blog (Planet DFW)
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Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
The contents of this Web page are the sole responsibility of Professor Al Armendariz and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of Southern Methodist University. The administrator of this Web page is Professor Al Armendariz who may be contacted at aja at engr.smu.edu or 214-768-1890.