Air quality permits are required for the construction of all new surface mining operations.
An air quality permit requires a surface mining operation to estimate the type and amount
of pollutants the facility will produce. During surface mining the most common pollutant
is particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns (PM10).
The Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) model, created by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), is a model used for predicting dispersion
of pollutants from industrial facilities, including surface mines and quarries. The use of
this model is required when applying for a surface mining permit. However, the U.S.
EPA and mining companies have repeatedly demonstrated that this model over-predicts
the amount of PM10 dispersed by surface mining facilities, resulting in denied air quality
permits.
Past research has shown that haul trucks create the majority (80-90%) of PM10 emissions
from surface mining operations. Therefore, this research concentrated on improving the
ISC3 model by focusing on modeling PM10 emissions from mobile sources, specifically
haul trucks at surface mining operations.
Research into the ISC3 model showed that its original intended use was for facilities that
emit pollutants via smoke stacks. The method used to improve the ISC3 model consisted
of applying the dispersion equation used by the ISC3 model in a manner more
representative of a moving haul truck. A new model called the Dynamic Component
Program was developed to allow modeling of dust dispersion from haul trucks.
To validate the Dynamic Component Program, field experiments were designed and
conducted. These experiments measured PM10 from haul trucks at two different surface
mining operations. The resulting analysis of the Dynamic Component Program, ISC3
model, and the actual field study results showed that the Dynamic Component Program
was a 77% improvement over the ISC3 model overall.
