acid rain

Lackawanna Energy Center to receive acid rain permit capping emissions

The Lackawanna Energy Center is on track to receive a permit capping its emissions of a major acid rain component.

The state Department of Environmental Protection recently announced that it intends to issue an acid rain permit to Invenergy LLC’s natural gas power plant in Jessup.

The document, part of the plant’s operating permit, regulates emissions of sulfur dioxide, DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said. Sulfur dioxide is one of the primary components of acid rain.

The permit ensures that the plant remains below the Environmental Protection Agency’s threshold that caps emissions at 39.9 tons of sulfur dioxide in any 12 consecutive months, she said. However, “it is likely that this facility may emit less than this maximum amount,” Connolly said.

Invenergy spokeswoman Beth Conley said the Lackawanna Energy Center does not expect to exceed the limit.

Although he could not comment on the Lackawanna Energy Center specifically, Syracuse University professor Charles Driscoll explained that natural gas plants generally have “a lot lower” sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury emissions compared with coal-powered plants. Driscoll’s areas of expertise include acid rain, air pollution, climate change and health impacts of climate change.

Compared to “big, old, inefficient coal plants” that can release thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide annually, the energy center’s maximum of 39.9 tons is a drop in the bucket, he said.

“It would be less than — way less than — 1 percent of the total amount of emissions,” Driscoll said.

According to the EPA, about 2.7 million tons of sulfur dioxide was released in the United States in 2017. In 1970, 31.2 million tons of sulfur dioxide was released in the country, according to the EPA.

“If there’s a new facility coming on, it is going to contribute to the problem, but the problem is much reduced compared to what it was in the ’70s and ’80s,” Driscoll said.

Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and ammonia all contribute to acid rain, Driscoll said.

When sulfur dioxide reaches the atmosphere, it becomes sulfate, which helps create sulfuric acid, he said.

In addition to its role in acid rain, sulfate is a fine particulate that can have health implications for people, such as asthmatics, who are sensitive to air pollution, he said. The particulates can exacerbate chronic conditions, as well as causing cardiovascular disease, Driscoll said.

Environmentally, acid rain can strip important nutrients from soil, and it can cause soil to release aluminum, he said. Aluminum is naturally occurring in soil, but when it becomes acidified, it can be toxic to plants, he said.

If soil can’t neutralize acid rain, the acidity makes its way into surface water, creating toxic conditions for fish, Driscoll said.

“It takes a long time for these systems to recover,” he said, explaining it takes soil centuries to fully recover and “a long time” for biology to return to contaminated water. “Even though acid rain has been greatly reduced, we’re still seeing legacy impacts from it.”

The Creamton Flyfishing Club keeps a watchful eye on its portion of the Lackawaxen River near the Prompton State Park, club President David Ersek said. Creamton is about 16 miles northeast of the energy center.

“We’re sensitive to the fact that things could change pretty rapidly,” he said.

The club does water testing and bug surveys, and some of its insect populations are zero tolerance, which means they would immediately be affected by pollution, Ersek said. The fly populations are large, which means the river is healthy, he said.

“If there’s a spike, we would notice it,” he said.

The river has rainbow, brook and brown trout, and club fishermen log the fish they catch, Ersek said. If there’s a decline in fish being caught, they would try to determine why and take corrective action, he said.

Driscoll thought it was unlikely residents would see any drastic changes, such as plants dying off, as a result of the sulfur dioxide emissions.

Although the EPA has thresholds for sulfur dioxide, the further emissions are below the threshold, the better, he said.

“There will be benefits as we continue to improve air quality through reduced emissions from power plants,” Driscoll said.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Automotive Coatings market set to exceed USD 35.82 billion by 2026

The global automotive coatings market is anticipated to reach USD 35.82 billion by 2026. According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research.

Escalating demand for coating materials in automobiles owing to its growing popularity of protecting car paints from extreme heat, acid rain, dust, UV radiations etc. along with its inherent characteristics of enhancing vehicle appearance are expected to be the major factors driving the demand for automotive coatings.

These products are used for coating surfaces of automobiles and are capable of producing long-lasting surfaces in automobile satisfying customers’ needs along with maximizing efficiencies, enhancing appearance and meeting environmental regulations.

Browse Report Summary Of Automotive Coatings Market Analysis:

www.polarismarketresearch.com/indu…m_content=Content

Current trends for automotive coating and its application process are aggravated by its shrinking cost of manufacturing, delivering buyer satisfaction by means of corrosion protection and enhancing aesthetic features, along with mitigating environmental concerns. Tremendous quantity of consideration has already been put into the current used automobile coating systems, and they carry a level of sophistication that has been satisfying most customers globally.

The advent of the new smart coatings has almost alleviated the problem of corrosion, appearance and durability of car topcoats making them perfectly acceptable for lifetime of any vehicle. The emergence of two-layer topcoats worldwide and the gloss, color, and chip resistance offered by these products remains functional in its first seven to ten years of use.

These advantages associated with the products are the primary reasons anticipated to drive the market.

These products confront to almost every limitless environmental assault. Targeting specific customers’ expectations, along with maximizing the efficiencies and compiling environmental regulations with the new processes, are expected to augment demands for these products.

Request for sample pages of Automotive Coatings Market Analysis:

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Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the largest regional market by 2026. Presence of an established automobile manufacturing base in many nations of the region along with India’s increasing automobile production along with the other Southeast Asian countries are the major factors driving the industry.

Several research and development projects undertaken by many industry participants along with universities have been the major factors for the developing high-performance automotive coating materials market of the region. Presence of a well-established automobile manufacturing base in the U.S.

and significantly growing automobile production market especially in Mexico and Canada apart from the U.S. are the major factors driving the North American industry.

Some of the leading industry participants in this category of coating production globally includes Solvay, DSM, Lord Corporation, Jotun A/S, Eastman Chemical Company, Clariant AG, Cabot Corporation, Berger Paints, Beckers Group, Arkema SA, Sherwin-Williams Company, AkzoNobel, Valspar Corporation, KCC Paint, Bayer AG, Nippon Paint, Kansai Paint, PPG Industries, BASF and Axalta Coating Systems.

For more information on this press release visit:

https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/press-releases/automotive-coating-market

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Sulfur in winter wheat

By Wilma Trujillo

Logan County Extension agent

Yellow and stunted patches in winter wheat fields indicate sulfur-deficient areas. (Courtesy photo)

Sulfur (S) deficiencies in wheat have become more common in recent years. The main reason for this is the decreased input of industrially generated S into the atmosphere, resulting in less S deposition on farmland as acid rain. In the meantime, wheat responses to S are increasing because of declining organic matter levels in soil under intensive cropping, erosion losses of topsoil, decreased S in pesticides and increasing use of high-analysis low S fertilizers (anhydrous ammonia, urea and urea-ammonium nitrate) and high yielding varieties (higher nutrient removal). Sulfur deficiency reduces wheat yield and also negatively affects quality. Changes in dough mixing properties in wheat grown in soils with low S content are recognized even if yield responses of S applications are small or undetectable.

Wilma Trujillo Logan County Extension agent

Differences in soil S content may, therefore, cause unpredictable and unwanted variations in wheat quality, which causes difficulties for the milling and baking industry. Optimal S fertilization management is one important factor to ensure high yield and good and stable wheat quality.

Generally, S-deficient wheat is yellow and stunted and is observed in patches in the field (Picture 1), especially in areas where there has been previous soil erosion. Often, the patchy S-deficient areas of the field are found on hilltops or side-slopes where erosion has occurred and soil organic matter is low or where leaching is more pronounced. Wheat in areas where topsoil was removed or significant cuts were made (i.e. terraced or leveled fields) commonly shows symptoms.

Visual symptoms generally show up early in the spring, shortly after green up, before organic S is mineralized from soil organic matter and until wheat roots can grow into the subsoil to utilize any available S (sulfate). Deficiencies of S are often difficult to identify because the chlorosis is not always obvious. Sulfur deficiency has a pronounced delaying effect on crop growth and it is characterized by uniformly chlorotic plant, stunted, thin-stemmed, and spindly. Sulfur deficiency symptoms resemble nitrogen (N) deficiency and have undoubtedly led to many incorrect diagnoses. Unlike N, however, S is not easy translocated from older to younger leaves, therefore, deficiency symptoms occur first in younger leaves.

The best way to diagnose a deficiency is with a plant tissue analysis that includes an assay for both S and N. Sulfur concentrations in most plants should range from about 0.2% to 0.5%. Desirable total N to total S ratios range from 7:1 to 15:1. Wider ratios may point to possible S deficiency, but should be considered along with actual N and S concentrations in making diagnostic interpretations.

Soil S is present in organic (proteins) and inorganic forms (sulfate, SO4=). In many Colorado calcareous soils, sulfate is found in the subsoil as gypsum (Calcium sulfate, CaSO4). A soil test for available sulfate-S in the soil profile is available. For proper interpretation of this test, soil organic matter, soil texture, the crop to be grown, and yield goal all need to be considered. Since sulfate is mobile in the soil, sampling to a 24-inch depth is important. It is a key to remember that subsoil S may not be available to wheat in the early spring, especially where soils are cold.

Sulfur sources include atmospheric S, S in irrigation water, organic S, inorganic S and elemental S. Irrigation waters may contain significant quantities of sulfur. When the irrigation water exceeds about 5 parts per million (ppm) sulfates, an S deficiency is unlikely. Most S containing fertilizers (sulfates) are moderately to highly soluble in water. The most important water-insoluble sulfur source is elemental S, which must be oxidized through bacterial action to the sulfate form before it can be utilized by plants. Other S containing fertilizers are ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, gypsum, and 40-rock among others.

Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Logan and Morgan Counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.