BIOS, ABSTRACTS, PHOTOS – MAY 6, 2010

ROBERT A. ASHWORTH - CLEARSTACK COMBUSTION CORPORATION

BIO: Mr. Ashworth is a chemical engineering graduate from West Virginia University (BS CHE 1960) and has presented over 50 technical papers on fuels and environmental controls.  Relating to the subject of global warming, he has written two papers, “CFC Destruction of Ozone – Major Cause of Recent Global Warming” and “No Evidence to Support Carbon Dioxide Causing Global Warming,” both have been published. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union.  He was one of 115 scientists who signed the Cato Institute newspaper advertisement to President-Elect Obama’s attention debunking CO₂ causing global warming.

He is a Past Advisor to the University of Pittsburgh International Conference on Coal Conversion. He was Session Chairman, Coal Gasification, Liquefaction and Conversion to Electricity, Fifth International Conference, University of Pittsburgh, August 1978. He gave a guest presentation, "Production of Methanol via Wood Gasification, to Companhia Energética de São Paulo (CESP), and the Technical Institute of Sao Paulo, Brazil, November 1978.  He was Session Chairman, Industrial Wood Utilization Workshop, "Wood Gasification", Mitre Corporation/U.S. DOE, April 1979.    He also gave a guest presentation to the National Coal Board on coal gasification for combined cycle power generation, Leatherhead, England, April 1979.  Power Magazine Energy Systems Guidebook (1980) included an article he wrote entitled "Making Co-Generation More Attractive".

His fortes are conceptual design, mass and energy balances and data analysis.  He holds 16 U. S. patents. ClearStack is working to commercialize two of his patents, a three-stage oxidation technique that reduces sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury and a dry scrubber that removes nitrogen and sulfur oxides from flue gas.  In 2001, Governor Paul Patton commissioned him a Kentucky Colonel for his work on clean coal technology. 

ABSTRACT:  The Ashworth Gasifier-Combustor^TM is a three-stage pulverized coal oxidation technique that dramatically reduces the major air pollutants (NO_X, SO_2, Hg and other air metal toxics) associated with coal combustion.  Why do we call it a clean “green coal” technology?  Real pollutants are removed and carbon dioxide is produced that does not cause the earth to warm; it only increases plant growth.

JOHN H. PAVLISH - EERC

BIO: John H. Pavlish is a Senior Research Advisor and the Director of a multiyear, multimillion dollar Center for Air Toxic Metals^® Program, and the Manager of the Energy Conversion Systems Group at the EERC. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University and has completed over half of the M.S. requirements in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas. He received an A.A.S. in Power and Machinery from the University of Minnesota – Crookston. Prior to his current position, he served as Unit Leader/Systems Engineer at Black & Veatch Engineers-Architects in Kansas City, Missouri.

Mr. Pavlish’s principal areas of interest and expertise include research and consultation on air toxic issues; hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) with emphasis on mercury; CO₂ capture and the coal combustion process; the effects of fuel quality and ash on combustion, gasification, and power plant system performance; generation recovery; steam generator performance and reliability; emission reduction control technologies and flue gas-processing equipment; and economic and feasibility analyses on control technologies and energy conversion systems.

Mr. Pavlish is a registered professional engineer in the state of Kansas, a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a member of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA). He serves on numerous professional and technical committees such as the BiNational Strategy Utility Mercury Reduction Committee, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Research Advisory Committee, MPCA Utilities and Taconite Subcommittee, and B&W Advanced Emissions Control Development Air Toxics Program Advisory Committee.

Mr. Pavlish has authored and coauthored numerous publications including peer-reviewed journal articles. He was the Program Manager and Technical Coordinator for the conference on Air Quality: Mercury, Trace Elements, and Particulate Matter, held in McLean, Virginia, December 1-4, 1998. He is also a Technical Coordinator for the second conference on Air Quality: Mercury, Trace Elements, and Particulate Matter, which will be held in McLean, Virginia, in September 2000. He has served as a session chair at various conferences, most recently at the A&WMA International Specialty Conference on Mercury.

ABSTRACT: Through the Center for Air Toxic Metals^® (CATM^®), the Energy & Environmental Research Center has been conducting trace metal research for nearly two decades. While mercury has received greatest attention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will likely release regulations in later 2010 that cover several trace metals considered hazardous air pollutants. This presentation will provide an overview from several projects showing trace metal emissions from several full-scale plants of different configurations and coal types.

JON NORMAN – UNITED CONVEYOR CORPORATION

BIO: Jon Norman, P.E. is the Technology Manager for United Conveyor Corporation Dry Sorbent Injection (UCC DSI).  In this role, Mr. Norman is responsible for applying dry sorbent injection to meet the needs of the coal-fired power and industrial/commercial boiler market, as well as developing continual enhancements to the technology.  He is a chemical engineer with over 25 years of experience in air pollution control and regulatory compliance.

ABSTRACT: Jon Norman of UCC Dry Sorbent Injection will discuss how injection of hydrated lime, trona, or sodium bicarbonate can be used cost-effectively to remove mercury, HCl/HF, and other HAPs from coal-fired boilers for compliance with the impending MACT standards.  Results from full-scale testing will be presented.  Strategies for using dry sorbent injection's flexibility to control HAP emissions below MACT applicability thresholds, and for controlling SO₂ or SO₃ emissions in combination with HAP removal will also be explained.

NATALIE VAUGHT – WESTON SOLUTIONS

BIO: Natalie Vaught has worked in the environmental field for the past 13 years, 8 of which have been with Weston Solutions, Inc. Natalie serves as the report coordinator for the Integrated Air Services division of Weston.  As report coordinator, Natalie is responsible for over 300 reports a year.  Natalie has worked closely with the EPA during the ICR programs to trouble shoot the EPA’s Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) and has been responsible for submitting data for several of these programs.

ABSTRACT: Reporting Information Collection Request Responses

It seems like that every few weeks we see a Federal Register announcement about a new or reauthorization of an existing EPA Information Collection Request (ICR). From an air quality management perspective, these ICRs typically seek data to support New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) or Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards.  Many times, ICRs focus on the reporting of existing data.  But in the case of MACT standards development, EPA needs new data to guide the standards development process. For MACT standards development, ICRs can be extensive, requiring the facility to submit detailed operational information and to collect new emission test data. Increasingly, EPA is requiring the submittal of ICR data in electronic form using prescribed reporting interfaces.  This is a significant departure from past ICRs when electronic reporting meant submittal of emission testing results in a PDF®, Word®, or Excel® format. This presentation will highlight EPA’s ICR reporting requirements, focusing on the Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) used to report emission test data for the Electric Utility Steam Generating Unit MACT ICR.