This research used high-volume air sampling (PS-1) and micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) to measure concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the air of a agricultural residue open burning area in Jhushan and Singang station during the rice straw non-burning and burning periods. And PAHs of different size distributions are analyzed. Finally, absolute principal component analyze (APCA) model confer the probable sources of pollution in open burning area. The average PAHs concentrations were 330.04 and 567.81 ng/m3 during the rice straw non-burning and burning period in Jhushan station, the average PAHs concentrations were 427.16 and 571.80 ng/m3 during the rice straw non-burning and burning period in Singang station, respectively, in the rice straw burning period, which were higher than those on the non-burning days. The results of APCA model analysis showed that the contributions of PAHs from mobile source (gasoline and diesel) were 66.50 ¡Ó 7.99 %, burning incense in temple source were 14.83 ¡Ó 6.68 % and burning coal and wood source were 18.67 ¡Ó 6.17 % during the rice straw non-burning period. PAHs from mobile (gasoline) and rice straw non-burning source were 57.27 ¡Ó 6.90 %, mobile source (diesel) were 42.73 ¡Ó 6.89 % during the rice straw burning period in Jhushan station. The results of APCA model analysis showed that the contributions of PAHs from mobile (diesel) and burning incense in temple source were 45.67 ¡Ó 6.43 %, mobile (gasoline) and plastics incinerator source were 54.33 ¡Ó 6.39 % during the rice straw non-burning period. PAHs from burning incense in temple, rice straw, mobile (gasoline and diesel) source were 50.69 ¡Ó 4.55 %, plastics incinerator source were 36.78 ¡Ó 4.24 % and other source were 12.53 ¡Ó 2.71 %¡C

This work investigated the characteristics of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins anddibenzofurans (PCDD/F) in stack-flue gases from six stationary emission sources in five types ofincinerators: industrial waste incinerator (IWI), small-scale municipal solid waste incinerator(MSWI), medical waste incinerator (MWI), cement kilns (CK), and crematories (CR). These characteristics were further investigated using factor analysis and cluster analysis. Experimental results reveal that PCDDs dominate MSWI and CR, and PCDFs dominate IWIa, IWIb, CK and MWIs. The factor analysis results showed that CR and MSWI have similar fingerprints, as do IWIb and MWI3. The cluster analysis showed that if a vertical line is cut at a rescaled distance of four, then the PCDD/F congener profiles fall into four groups. The indicators of PCDD/Fs are OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD. The emission factors of PCDD/Fs herein were from 0.0433

The high-volume air sampling (PS-1) and micro-orifice uniformdeposit impactor (MOUDI) were used to measure the concentrations ofpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmosphere for fourseasons at Tuzo-Yin and Hsiung-Kong site in Kaohsiung city, in the airof a agricultural residue open burning area in Jhu-Shan and Sin-Gang siteduring the rice straw non-burning and burning periods, together with thesize distributions. Also, the receptor model was employed to determinethe potential sources of PAHs. The results show that the highest concentrations of PAHs occurred inwinter, being 143.9 ng/m3 and 182.9 ng/m3 at Tzuo-Yin and Hsiung-Kongsite, respectively; while the lowest concentrations of PAHs occurred insummer, being 81.4 ng/m3 and 95.2 ng/m3. The low-weight PAHs in thetwo sites were abundant in gaseous phase, being 43.8−96.7% and65.2−97.5% at Tzuo-Yin and Hsiung-Kong site, respectively. Meanwhile,the high-weight PAHs were almost present in particulate phase, being40.5−95.2% and 24.8−94.1 % at Tzuo-Yin and Hsiung-Kong site,respectively. The average PAHs concentrations were 330.04 and 567.81 ng/m3during the rice straw non-burning and burning period in Jhu-Shan site, theaverage PAHs concentrations were 427.16 and 571.80 ng/m3 during therice straw non-burning and burning period in Sin-Gang site, respectively,in the rice straw burning period, which were higher than those on thenon-burning days. The results of by CMB receptor modeling indicated that the major sources of pollution was exhaust emission (49.5−63.3%) in Tzuo-Yin site,and was burning source (49.1−63.7%) in Hsiung-Kong site in Kaohsiungcity. The results of APCA model analysis indicated that the major sourcesof pollution was mobile source (gasoline and diesel) were 66.5¡Ó8.0%during the rice straw non-burning period, and was mobile (gasoline) andrice straw non-burning source were 57.3¡Ó6.9% during the rice strawburning period in Jhu-Shan site in Central Taiwan. The results of APCAmodel analysis indicated that the major sources of pollution was mobile(gasoline) and plastics incinerator source were 54.3¡Ó6.4% during the ricestraw non-burning period, and was burning incense in temple, rice straw,mobile (gasoline and diesel) source were 50.7¡Ó4.6% during the rice strawburning period in Sin-Gang site in Central Taiwan.

This project evaluates the characteristics of the open burning of NOSIH AA-2 sheet waste propellant at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant. The project considers the plume and burn characteristics, the removal of nitroglycerin from the waste, the emission of metals into the air, and the modeling of pollutant emissions from open burning. The plumes generated from open burning fall well below the mixing heights. By burning at 2:30 PM and under Army regulations, the risk of inversions is essentially eliminated. The meteorological conditions influence the duration of the burns, and a dimensionless parameter is developed in this study to correlate the conditions to the burn duration. Over 99 percent of the lead and copper in the propellant waste emits to the atmosphere. The removal efficiency of nitroglycerin in the propellant by open burning exceeds 99.9999 percent. A worst-case analysis is conducted using the Trinity INPUFF™ model. Based on this conservative estimate, the concentrations of lead, copper, and NO_x compounds do not exceed the Short-Term Exposure Limits. However, the analysis exposes limitations in the model in the plume height calculations and the sampling time method. / Master of Science

This dissertation examines the contestations over the politics of knowledge, risk, and environmental justice in three fenceline sites. Mobilizing the fenceline standpoint to study risk strengthens our objective understanding of the social situatedness of risk. To illustrate how a fenceline standpoint contributes to stronger objectivity of risk contestations, I survey public discourse of coal slurry extraction in Black Mesa, Arizona using an environmental justice framework. Discursive justifications for the construction of the slurry pipeline reveal how environmental injustice in the fenceline community emerged through urban controversies over water and power generation that excluded a fenceline standpoint. Insights from Black Mesa frame the next two cases: open burning hazardous waste at Radford Army Ammunition Plant, and M6 Disposal at Camp Minden, Louisiana. At Radford, scholar-activist research examines the contestations of risk at one of the most hazardous waste facilities in the nation. I analyze the construction of risk from open burning of hazardous waste from a fenceline standpoint. I discursively situate the controversy over fenceline community risk from open burning, by showing the inadequacies of official risk assessments. Critical discourse analysis of risk shows the extant contestations over the practice of open burning. In juxtaposition to Radford, the Camp Minden open burn controversy demonstrates how a fenceline movement successfully constructed alternatives to open burning. Fenceline success in Minden is forcing scrutiny over the risks produced by the practice of open burning explosives across the United States. The activation of fenceline knowledge and expertise, through grassroots organizing, is propelling inquiry from scientific and technical experts of the American Chemical Society who are questioning why the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency have approved the use of open burning at other sites despite safer alternative technology. Synthetically, each case illustrates the importance of fenceline knowledge as a crucial site of expertise. I present an argument for how a fenceline standpoint can challenge regulatory and producer constructions of fenceline risk. The creation of a program of research: Critical Risk Analysis, offers a model for scholar-activist intervention on the fenceline. The Camp Minden Dialogue demonstrates a successful example of how fenceline expert-activists can influence the construction of risk. Normatively, I build the argument that environmental justice research within Science and Technology Studies ought to situate the fenceline standpoint as equal to the competing epistemological claims of production and regulatory experts in order to strengthen the objectivity of our research in contested fenceline sites. / Ph. D.