To meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s goal of accelerating the pace of our nation’s environmental successes, we understand the need to bring innovative environmental protection technologies to the marketplace. Instead of being viewed by some as a source of conflict, EPA is working to be seen as a source of collaboration—and by advancing the development of novel technologies we are changing the perception of environmental protection in the 21stscentury. In moving the mindset toward shared innovation and opportunity, EPA champions a number of programs to support and foster technological entrepreneurs.
According to the Small Business Administration, there are approximately 22.9 million small businesses in the United States, employing about half the nation’s private workforce. In 1982, Congress established the Small Business Innovation Development Act to strengthen and support small businesses in federally funded research and development. Today, the EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
EPA’s SBIR program focuses on important areas related to environmental protection, including clean water, hazardous waste, solid waste, pollution prevention, clean-up and monitoring, stormwater runoff, diesel emissions and homeland security. We are also currently funding small businesses involved in nanotechnology and other pioneering research areas that support EPA’s mission.
EPA also supports businesses, both small and large, whose new technologies are ready for the marketplace. The EPA’s Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program was established in 1995 to verify the performance of innovative environmental technologies for monitoring, preventing, controlling and cleaning up pollution.
To date, ETV has provided independent performance information on over 340 technologies in air and energy, water and drinking water, pollution prevention and monitoring in all environmental media—air, water and soil.
The goal of this voluntary program is to provide credible, high-quality data on the performance of innovative commercial environmental technologies. This data is made readily available to potential customers. Technology purchasers, including permitters, financiers, underwriters, vendors and the public, have come to rely on ETV data to reduce the uncertainty surrounding the performance of new technologies.
Current efforts in the ETV program include diesel engine retrofitting, recovery of hydrocarbon vapors at oil and gas storage facilities, rapid detection of lead in dust, real time fugitive ammonia monitoring at animal feed operations and arsenic treatment for drinking water.
DIESEL ENGINE RETROFIT
The agency’s current focus on mobile source technologies is particularly relevant to a number of regulatory and environmental issues, as well as growing markets in both areas. EPA is committed to providing communities with alternatives that can help them meet ambient air quality standards, including information on technologies that can be used to control mobile source emissions. These technologies are used to retrofit older and current model heavy-duty diesel trucks, buses and non-road equipment.
Diesel engine retrofit technologies being explored include exhaust treatment emission control (or “after treatment”) devices, retrofit fuels, crankcase filtration systems and other combinations.
HYDROCARBON VAPOR RECOVERY
EPA is also looking at alternative technologies that can help to control the estimated 23.3 bscfy of methane, 7,000 tons per year of HAPs, and more than 22,000 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are vented into the environment each year by oil and natural gas storage tank batteries. Methane is a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change, and HAPs and VOCs have significant human health effects.
These emissions represent not only an environmental concern, but also a significant loss of revenue by the oil and gas industry. Emerging technologies, such as a recently verified non-mechanical eductor (or jet pump) that recovers gas from storage tank vents and other low-pressure hydrocarbon sources, have the potential to reduce harmful emissions while recovering important energy sources. EPA is actively encouraging the development and use of cost-effective technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions of methane from this industry.
The presence of lead in soil, dust and paint is a major health risk, especially for children. In response to these concerns, EPA is exploring new technologies to detect lead in dust. So far, the most promising new technologies include a number of field-portable analyzers that can report dust lead levels more quickly than traditional, fixed-site laboratory analysis methods. These technologies employ a variety of analysis methods, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). They can be used onsite, allowing the user to quickly identify hazardous lead levels, and take immediate action.
ATMOSPHERIC AMMONIA
Animal husbandry operations, which include animal feeding operations (AFOs) are regarded as the largest single source of ammonia in the United States. Ammonia in the atmosphere contributes to the production of particulate matter, which has significant human health effects. In 2003, the National Academies of Science identified the emission methods used to estimate ammonia emissions from these sources (i.e., that apply generic emission factors to estimates of livestock population) as generally inadequate, and recommended improvement in measurement protocols for ammonia. To address the concerns of the National Academies and others, as well as the uncertainties associated with estimates of AFO emissions, EPA is evaluating potential improvements to the measurement protocols for ammonia, including the use of ambient ammonia monitors.
ARSENIC TREATMENT
EPA recently lowered the drinking water standard for arsenic to 10 parts per billion (ppb) to protect the public from the health effects of arsenic. As a result, approximately 3,900 small drinking water systems will need to install cost-effective arsenic treatment technologies to comply with the new standard.
To meet this challenge, EPA researchers, technology developers, and others have focused their efforts on developing, identifying, and verifying technologies that that can be used to help America’s small drinking water treatment systems comply with the new standard.
Through ETV verification of 11 technologies and an arsenic demonstration program at 40 sites, EPA is documenting potential solutions to the removal of arsenic from drinking water to the required 10 ppb level. Technologies such as coagulation/filtration systems, adsorptive media processes, and reverse osmosis systems have been investigated, with an emphasis on easily transportable, package systems.
In early October, the EPA launched ENERGY STAR’s annual “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign, which celebrated one of the simplest ways for American’s to save energy, cut their electricity bills, and reduce pollution: by installing ENERGY STAR bulbs.
EPA will continue to rely on partnerships with businesses and individuals to bring new environmental technologies to the marketplace. Our “wish list” of innovative new technologies ranges from energy efficient bulbs to radiofrequency identification (RFID) for hazardous waster tracking, mold resistant wallboard, and hydrogen-based energy production.
With these and other technologies on the horizon, the EPA looks forward to a future where environmental protection celebrates shared opportunities and innovation. It is truly a bright future.
George Gray is Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development, and Brian Mannix is Associate Administrator, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, Environmental Protection Agency. |
