J. D. Wanjura, USDA-ARS Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit, TAMU 2117, College Station, TX 77843, W. B. Faulkner, Texas A&M University, 201 Scoates Hall, 2117 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2117, C. B. Parnell, BAEN-TAMU, TAMU 2117, College Station, TX 77843, B.W. Shaw, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, TAMU 2117, College Station, TX 77843, and S.C. Capareda, 201 Scoates Hall, College Station, TX 77843.
Particulate matter (PM) sampling of cotton harvesting operations was conducted in Texas during 2006 and 2007. Two protocols were utilized to measure PM emissions from the harvesting operations. First, ground level TSP and PM10 samplers were used to measure the increase in downwind PM concentrations resulting from the harvesting activities and a dispersion model was used with the concentration and meteorological data measured onsite to back-calculate emission fluxes from the source. The second protocol used to determine emission rates from the operation employed a system designed to measure emission concentrations onboard a six row cotton picker. This work reports the results of the two year study to develop accurate PM emission factors from cotton harvesting.
