MEMORANDUM

FROM: Daniel Charles Mussatti, Editor, EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual

TO: Users of the Manual

DATE: November 1, 2001

SUBJECT: The New and Improved Cost Manual

Dear Reader:

Welcome to the sixth edition of the EPA’s most used guidance document. For many of you who have

relied upon the Agency’s experience in air pollution control costing, we have some new and exciting

features for you. For those of you who are new to the Manual, you may not notice it, but the sixth

edition is much easier to use. 

For twenty-five years, the OAQPS Control Cost Manual has been the seminal work in costing those

devices that reduce and eliminate a number of air pollutants - mainly particulate matter (PM) and

volatile organic compounds (VOCs). And, astechnology changed over the years,so did the Manual.

Available at first only in hard copy, asthe number of chaptersin the original Manual increased,so did

its ability to reach its readers. In the early 1990s, the Agency offered its first electronic versions of

the Manual, available through the EPA’s bulletin board system, the TTN - the Technology Transfer

Network. When the Manual became available electronically, the demand for its information

blossomed. By the time the Manual became available on the World Wide Web through the EPA’s

information website, CATC - the Clean Air technology center - we were able to boast over ten

thousand copies of the Manual on desks at industrial sources across the country. By the end of the

century, the EPA estimates the Cost Manual had been downloaded in whole or in part over a quarter

of a million times!

But tremendous growth brings with it tremendous growing pains. As we switched froma paper media

to an electronic form of the Manual, the substance of each chapter lagged behind. Prices needed to

be updated. Technological discussions needed to incorporate the latest innovations. And, most

importantly, the Manual needed a thorough face-lift to get its visual impression to match its

importance in the field of pollution control costing and sizing. Consequently, we have introduced a

number of changes to this sixth edition that we think you will appreciate. 

First of all, we have completely re-done all of the figures and illustrations in the Manual to take

advantage of improved imaging technology. This gives us clear, crisp diagrams and images, rather

than the “copy of a copy of a copy” look that had begun to creep into the earlier versions of the

Manual. Next, we have standardized all of the typefaces, fonts, and layout parameters within and

across chapters. This standardization, along with the improved visual imaging in each section, gives

the Manual the feel of a textbook. We hope you appreciate the time and effort it took for us to finally

get these changesto you. Our last housekeeping detail handled by the sixth edition is updated pricing

information to at least 1990. Updating equipment costs is an on-going effort at EPA with a goal of

standardizing all costs to one base year. Price updates are developed by re-surveying affected

industries and vendors for equipment costs and technology innovations. As new cost information

becomes available, it is posted as addendums or chapter revisions.
Next, we have changed the layout of the Manual. If you expect to go to the sixth edition and

download a copy of Chapter 4 on Adsorbers, you will be surprised to learn that there really is no

chapter four, any more. Instead, the sixth edition is subdivided into major sections, each dedicated

to a specific type of air pollutant. Consequently, to find out about VOC adsorbers, you have to go

to Section 3 (VOC Controls), subsection 3.1 (VOC Recapture Controls), and then finally to

Chapter 1, Adsorbers. The only part of the Manual that retains much of its original layout is in

Chapters 1 and 2, which are now in Section 1. Section 2 has been dedicated to Generic Equipment

and Devices, Section 3 to VOC Controls, Section 4 to NOX Controls, Section 5 to SO2 and Acid Gas

Controls, and Section 6 to PM. I have attached a copy of the Table of Contents to the end of this

memo for you to see the layout of each section. I hope you like it. This format will allow us to add

new material and new controls in a much more flexible manner, rather than just adding each new

chapter to the end of the old Manual. 

As you can see, we are entering new and uncharted territory for part of the Manual. Previous editions

did not discuss NOX or SO2 controls, and this edition starts the process of correcting that oversight.

As you can see from the Table of Contents, we have an aggressive plan to expand into NOX

combustion controls and SO2scrubbers. Asthese chapters become available, we will add them to the

Manual on the CATC website. 

We also have plans for adding a chapter for mercury controls in the near future, depending on the

work being done at the Agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). And, in the future,

as new technologies become available for fine PM (2.5 microns or smaller), we will also add chapters

to discuss these new technologies.

One last thing: You may have noticed that the name has changed. Up until now, if you have used the

Manual, you have used the “OAQPS Control Cost Manual.” However, this did not give full credit

to other parts of the Agency who have provided immeasurable support to this effort. In particular,

ORD has been a source of technical expertise, editing and quality control, and, most recently,

authorship of the Manual. Consequently, we felt it was only fair to expand the name of the Manual

beyond its narrow focus on the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, and recognize this

partnership within the Agency’s air offices.

So, once again, welcome to the EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual, sixth edition. I hope you

find it useful. If you have any questions about the Manual, or you find an error that we need to

address, please feel free to contact me at:

Daniel Mussatti, editor, EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual

US EPA / OAQPS / ISEG

Mail Code C339-01

RTP, NC 27711

919-541-0032 (w)

919-541-0839 (f)
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual (Sixth Edition)

Section/Chapter Title

Section 1 Introduction

Chapter 1 Background 

Chapter 2 Cost Estimation: Concepts and Methodology

Section 2 Generic Equipment and Devices

Chapter 1 Hoods, Ductwork, and Stacks

Chapter 2 Fans, Pumps, and Motors 2

Chapter 3 Permanent Total Enclosures 2

Chapter 4 Monitors1

Section 3 VOC Controls

Section 3.1 VOC Recapture Controls

Chapter 1 Carbon Adsorbers

Chapter 2 Refrigerated Condensers

Section 3.2 VOC Destruction Controls

Chapter 1 Flares

Chapter 2 Incinerators

Section 4 NOx Controls

Section 4.1 NOx Combustion Controls

Chapter 1 Fuel Switching 2

Chapter 2 Low NOx Burners and other Combustion Controls 2

Chapter 3 Steam/Water Injection 2

Chapter 4 Natural Gas Reburn 2

Section 4.2 NOx Post-Combustion

Chapter 1 Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction 1

Chapter 2 Selective Catalytic Reduction 1

Chapter 3 Non-Selective Catalytic Reduction 2

Section 5 SO2 and Acid Gas Controls

Section 5.1 Pre-Combustion Controls

Chapter 1 Fuel Substitution 2

Section 5.2 Post-Combustion Controls

Chapter 1 Wet Scrubbers for Acid Gas

Chapter 2 Wet and Dry Scrubbers for SO2

2

Section 6 Particulate Matter Controls

Chapter 1 Baghouses and Filters

Chapter 2 Wet Scrubbers for PM 2

Chapter 3 Electrostatic Precipitators

Chapter 4 Inertial Impactors 2

Section 7 Mercury Controls 1

 1 New Chapter 

 2 Planned Chapter