latest updates

Many projects are detailed in monthly updates under Industry Analysis in this Report’s Chapters. Click on the links below to view information on these projects.

New Tracking System for Cement Plants in the Report

With SCR now being mandated for one cement plant and others likely to be ordered with a rash of regulatory initiatives, McIlvaine has added an individual plant tracking system. This is now included in the report at

World Catalyst Consumption for Coal-Fired Generation Will Nearly Triple to 300,000 M³/Yr

New forecasts have been made for catalyst consumption by country through 2020. You will find it in the Specific SCR MW Forecast in Chapter 1. You can query by country or region. Here is the display when you click on “World”.

Classification	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Existing SCR	281,437.50	327,667.50	413,596.10	483,543.10	614,150.90	724,776.90
New Construction - SCR	0.00	20,815.00	41,727.00	31,563.00	51,865.00	42,483.00
SCR Catalysts (M3)	0.00	119,200.88	180,517.36	177,786.28	271,334.19	272,785.49
SCR Retirements	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
SCR Retrofits - Known	0.00	9,815.00	14,201.60	13,184.00	16,105.80	2,506.00
SCR Retrofits - Unknown	0.00	15,600.00	30,000.00	25,200.00	62,637.00	65,637.00
Total New SCR	0.00	46,230.00	85,928.60	69,947.00	130,607.80	110,626.00

Classification	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Existing SCR	833,950.90	935,386.90	1,016,381.90	1,069,052.90	1,122,214.40	1,164,874.40	1,206,674.40
New Construction - SCR	35,280.00	39,934.00	26,810.00	27,200.00	25,800.00	25,660.00	24,800.00
SCR Catalysts (M3)	295,429.35	308,296.49	303,024.75	283,212.50	294,911.06	292,423.02	300,263.62
SCR Retirements	-1,000.00	-1,000.00	-1,000.00	-1,000.00	-1,000.00	-1,000.00	-1,000.00
SCR Retrofits - Known	786.00	1,317.00	0.00	0.00	1,890.50	0.00	0.00
SCR Retrofits - Unknown	74,108.00	61,185.00	55,185.00	26,471.00	26,471.00	18,000.00	18,000.00
Total New SCR	110,174.00	102,436.00	81,995.00	53,671.00	54,161.50	43,660.00	42,800.00

BUSINESS

Settlement includes SCR on Container Glass and Portland Cement Facilities

The United States Thursday filed two major Clean Air Act settlements to reduce air emissions from Container Glass and Portland cement plants throughout the country. The settlements cover 15 U.S. plants owned by Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc., the nation's second largest container glass manufacturer, and all 13 U.S. plants owned by the Lafarge Company and two subsidiaries, the nation's second largest manufacturer of Portland cement. These settlements are the first system-wide settlements for these sectors under the Clean Air Act and require pollution control upgrades, acceptance of enforceable emission limits and payment of civil penalties.

Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc. of Muncie, IN has agreed to install pollution control equipment at an estimated cost of $112 million to reduce emissions of NO_x, SO₂, and PM by approximately 6,000 tons each year. The settlement covers 15 plants in 13 states. Two of the 15 plants have been closed by Saint-Gobain for independent business reasons. In addition, as part of the settlement, Saint-Gobain has agreed to pay a $2.25 million civil penalty. Of the $2.25 million civil penalty, Saint-Gobain will pay $1.15 million to the United States and $1.1 million to the 10 states and two local regulatory agencies that joined the case. The settlement covers the following 15 facilities located in the following cities: Burlington, WI. (two furnaces); Carteret, NJ (one furnace) (closed); Dolton, IL (three furnaces); Dunkirk, IN (two furnaces); Henderson, NC (two furnaces); Lincoln, IL (one furnace); Madera, CA (one furnace); Milford, MA (two furnaces); Pevely, MO (two furnaces); Port Allegany, PA (three furnaces) (one closed); Ruston, LA (two furnaces); Sapulpa, OK (three furnaces); Seattle, WA (four furnaces); Waxahachie, Texas (one furnace) (closed); and Wilson, NC (two furnaces).

Saint-Gobain has agreed to implement pollution controls, including the installation of the first-ever SCR system at a container glass plant in the U.S. Saint-Gobain will also install continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) at all of their glass plants.

Lafarge North America, Inc., based in Herndon, VA, and two of its subsidiaries have agreed to install and implement control technologies at an expected cost of up to $170 million to reduce emissions of NO_x by more than 9,000 tons each year and SO₂ by more than 26,000 tons per year at their cement plants. In addition, as part of the settlement, Lafarge has agreed to pay a $5 million civil penalty. Of the $5 million civil penalty, Lafarge will pay $3.4 million to the United States and $1.7 million to the 13 participating states and agencies. The facilities included in the settlement are located in or near: Whitehall, PA, Ravena, NY, Calera, AL, Atlanta, GA, Harleyville, SC, Paulding, Ohio, Alpena, MI, Tulsa, OK, Sugar Creek, MO, Buffalo, Iowa, Fredonia, KS, Grand Chain, IL and Seattle, WA.

Lafarge has agreed to install the first-ever SCR system at a cement plant in the United States. In addition, Lafarge has also agreed to install seven SNCR systems at long dry cement kilns. This is among the first application of this technology to this type of kiln in the United States. Lafarge will also install CEMS at all of their cement kilns.

New 8-hr Ozone NAAQS Proposed as 0.060-0.070 ppm

On January 6, 2010, EPA proposed to strengthen the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, the main component of smog. EPA is proposing to strengthen the 8-hour “primary” ozone standard, designed to protect public health, to a level within the range of 0.060-0.070 parts per million (ppm). EPA is also proposing to establish a distinct cumulative, seasonal “secondary” standard, designed to protect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas. EPA is proposing to set the level of the secondary standard within the range of 7-15 ppm-hours. The proposed revisions result from a reconsideration of the primary and secondary ozone standards set at 0.075 ppm in 2008.

EPA will take public comment for 60 days following publication of the proposal in the Federal Register. The agency also will hold public hearings on the proposal in the following three locations:

EPA is proposing an accelerated schedule for designating areas for the primary ozone standard. Also, EPA is taking comment on whether to designate areas for a seasonal secondary standard on an accelerated schedule or a 2-year schedule.

Peerless to Provide SCRs for Two Peaking Power Units in US

PMFG, Inc., parent of Peerless Mfg. Co., has been awarded contracts for three process products projects and two environmental systems projects with a combined value of approximately $30.0 million. The environmental systems orders are for two domestic SCR systems for installation on peaking units.

Will Americans be able to Speak International English?

A U.S. news columnist attended an international conference and was surprised to find that even though the conference was all in English, he and his fellow Americans could not understand the speakers. On the other hand those people who spoke English as a second language seemed to have no problem. He conjectured that we may reach a point where Americans would be the only ones not understanding International English.

His analysis was focused on the pronunciation, but there is a far more serious threat. The definition of English technical words is now being transformed by the Asians. Here is a very obvious example. If you Google the words “Denitration SCR” you see a display of links to articles in English by Chinese, Korean and Japanese authors. You also see U.S. patent references but all for applications by Asians.

We are helping the organizers of the The 14th Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Mercury and Fine Particle Pollution Control Technology Conference next May in Shanghai. Their website is much better than those for other Chinese conferences in terms of English usage. But they do use “denitration” instead of DeNO_x or NO_x reduction. The words “denitration” and denitrification have been used to describe elimination or reduction of nitrogen compounds. Since DeNO_x eliminates oxygen, denitration is theoretically incorrect, but in Asia denitration seems to be the word of choice instead of DeNO_x. Since definitions are ever changing and validated by usage, it will not be long before denitration is equally acceptable.

If there is even confusion at the highest fluency level, the problem is magnified tremendously as we move down the proficiency scale. Many English versions of conference programs and websites of Asian companies have words, phrases, and whole paragraphs that are either incomprehensible or confusing.

As part of its “Free News” site McIlvaine will be tackling this problem with the development of standard terminology in both English and in Chinese. The first step is to establish the standard classification terms in English. Here is the classification of FGD absorber options:

This is just the first attempt to achieve standardization. McIlvaine needs the input from Alert subscribers to determine the consensus usage. McIlvaine chose “sump scrubber” even though it is not commonly used because the distinguishing feature is a pool of slurry through which the gas must pass. But both Alstom and Chiyoda use the word “bubbling bed”. Our problem with this term is that the tray scrubber and moving bed scrubber are also bubbling beds. How do you vote?

Should CDS be the base term for circulating dry scrubbers and fluid beds or should it be an alias?

We have labeled the double contact absorber as just a “costumed” spray tower and not a separate category. We need some input from MHI and Advatech to review with the readership.

CATEGORY				ALIAS	COSTUME	COUSIN
Absorber				Scrubber
	Wet
		Spray Tower			Double Contact
		Tray Tower		Perforated Plate Tray Absorber
		Moving Bed Scrubber		Ping Pong Ball Marble Bed
		Sump Scrubber		Bubbling Bed Fan Powered	Jet Bubbling Reactor
		Venturi
	Dry
		Dry Sorbent Injection		Dry Injection		Duct Injection
	Semi-dry
		Spray Drier
			Rotary Atomizer
			Dual Fluid Nozzle
		CDS		Circulating Dry Scrubber CFB, Circulating Fluid Bed