Use Of ETV Protocol For Baghouse Fabrics Benefits EPA Program Office

Research Triangle Park, NC -- Stephen Page, Director of the EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), recently issued a memorandum to air division directors in the EPA regional offices highlighting benefits from the use of objective, third-party performance verification for baghouse filtration media. The ETV Air Pollution Control Technology Center's "Generic Verification Protocol for Baghouse Filtration Products", was used as the basis for ASTM Standard D6830-02, "Characterizing the Pressure Drop and Filtration Performance of Cleanable Filter Media."

In response to ETV/ASTM verification of baghouse filtration products, the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted Rule 1156 which encourages the use of verified baghouse fabrics and provides incentive for cement manufacturing facilities to use these verified fabrics to control particulate emissions by reducing the frequency of compliance testing from one year to five.

In his memo, Page states that OAQPS plans to continue to consider the ETV/ASTM protocol in future federal regulations and encourages EPA regional offices to consider using these protocols in state and local regulatory programs. For more information on the ETV verifications for baghouse filtration products, please visit http://www.epa.gov/etv/center-apc.html.

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)