New Brunswick's Clean Air Act - Glossary

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Backup Flare Stack
A flare stack that is kept available to replace one which may fail in operation or to replace the present technology being used instead of the flare. Also see Flare Stack.

Baghouse
One of the most common air pollution control technologies that removes particulate matter from the air waste stream being emitted from a broad range of industrial processes. The baghouse is sometimes referred to as a fabric filter system. The particulate-laden gas stream passes through a woven or felted fabric that filters out the particulate matter and allows the gas to pass through. This technology has been proven to operate at close 99% efficiency for particulate matter removal for sizes as small as of 0.5 um.

Baghouse Dust Collector
See Baghouse.

Baghouse Filter
A large fabric material, usually tubular bags made of glass fibres used in a baghouse air pollution control technology. The filter material allows the gas to flow through and traps the particulate matter. This filter operates like the bag of an electric vacuum cleaner, passing the air and entrapping the particles. As the particles build up on the inside surface of the bags the pressure drop increases. The bags must be relieved of some of the particles before the pressure drop becomes too severe. Regular cleaning or replacement of the bags is required.

Bark Feed Rate
The rate at which hog fuel (woodwaste, which includes but is not limited to, bark, shavings and sawdust) is supplied to a Hog Fuel Boiler for combustion. Also see Hog Fuel, and Hog Fuel Boiler.

Batch
See Batch Operations.

Batch Digesters
A device used to cook wood chips to form fibres typically used in the Pulp and Paper Industry. Wood chips and cooking liquor are charged into a device called a digester which is then sealed and raised to an operating pressure and temperature according to a pre-determined schedule. The heating is normally done indirectly with an exchanger with steam. After cooking or digestion the pulp is blown hot into a blow tank where it is diluted with black liquor and then pumped to the washing stage.

Batch Operations
An operation in which there is no continuous inflow and outflow of materials. Operations are carried out with discrete quantities of materials and items to make a final product substantially uniform. For example, an asphalt plant operates under batch conditions: A specific size and amount of dried aggregate is mixed with a specific type of asphalt tar in a batch mixer to produce asphalt pavement.

Benzene (C₆H₆)
The simplest aromatic hydrocarbon part of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) family. It is used extensively as an industrial solvent, in laboratories and in the manufacture of lacquers, varnishes, paints and is found in gasoline. Benzene is one of the most predominant VOCs being emitted to the atmosphere from fugitive emission sources, which include but are not limited to, petroleum product storage and handling facilities, automobiles, and laboratories.

Berm
An embankment generally constructed of impermeable soils used to form containment of bodies of water such as aeration lagoons and settling ponds used in effluent treatment systems.

Berm Roadway
A horizontal ledge cut at the top of the berm or between the foot and top of the berm and is typically used as the access road surrounding large effluent treatment aeration lagoons, and settling ponds.

Biennial Basis
There are specific conditions of approval for some industrial sources that require various types of ambient air quality monitoring and source testing to be carried out every two years.

Biogas
A gas which is predominately methane and carbon dioxide generated from the anaerobic biological degradation of organic matter. Biogas can be utilised as a source of fuel for some combustion equipment.

Biogas System
A system designed to collect and utilise the biogas being produced from the anaerobic biodegradation of organic matter. Typically the biogas is used as a fuel source for industrial and power boilers.

Biological Sludge
The sludge material escaping the primary stage of sludge treatment. This sludge is either solubilized or becomes entrained in the biomass during secondary treatment. Additional solids are generated by conversion of the dissolved organics into cellular material.

Biomass
The cellular material (or micro-organisms) that are available to metabolise the organic matter in the waste stream, which is the food source for the biomass.

Biomass Growth
The growth that takes place as the micro-organisms metabolise the organic material in the waste stream.

Biotic Processes
The processes that are related to living or biological in origin as applied to components of the environment. Examples may include, but are not limited to, biodegradation.

Bismuth (Bi)
A hard, brittle metal that is strongly repelled by magnetic fields. It forms compounds with halogens, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. Its most important uses include: an alloy in fire protection equipment, metal joining and heat-transfer media, in pharmaceutical and medicinal products for stomach trouble, in electrical equipment and as a catalyst.

Bitumen
A class of black or dark-coloured, cementitious substances, natural or manufactured, composed principally of high molecular weight hydrocarbons of which asphalt and tar are typical.

Bitumen Liquid Fuel
A fuel containing bitumen substances that is liquid under the conditions in which it is utilised. When used in reference to Orimulsion, it means a Bitumen liquid fuel containing approximately 30% water, 3% sulphur and 0.3% ash by weight. Also see Orimulsion.

Black Liquor
A liquid in the kraft pulp and paper process composed of spent pulping chemicals and wood residues. Weak black liquor refers to concentrations under 20% solids, strong black liquor refers to concentrations over 50% solids.

Bleach Plant
The pulps produced by either mechanical or chemical pulping methods are a colour ranging anywhere from a dark brown to a creamish white depending on the wood type and defibering process. In order to bring the pulp to a white colour bleaching is carried out on the pulps in a Bleach Plant.

Bleached Hardwood Kraft Pulp
Pulp cooked by the alkaline liquor consisting of a mixture of caustic soda and sodium sulphide that has also been bleached or brightened using a five or multi-stage sequence to achieve the desired brightness.

Bleachery Vents
The vents associated with the chlorine addition stages, the alkaline extraction stages, and the chlorine dioxide oxidation stages in the bleaching process that emit chlorine and chlorine dioxide to the atmosphere.

Blowdown
Refers to the liquid, which is generally water that is blown out of a closed loop cooling or heating system at an industrial facility.

Blowdown Water
A portion of the steam/water medium that is discharged from a process unit to allow for the addition of fresh make-up water, which will result in an increase in the efficiency of the heat exchange for the process unit. Typically, boiler heating systems have blowdown water.

Blowing-down
The operation of discharging part of the heating medium (typically water) to remove concentrated solids, which may impede the heat exchange efficiency.

BOD Matter
Matter present in effluent that exerts a biochemical oxygen demand. Therefore, any matter that consumes oxygen that may be available in water may be considered to be BOD. BOD matter is tested using the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th edition, 1992, subpart 5210B, jointly published by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation.

Boiler
A device that houses a combustion reaction of air with a fuel source such as natural gas, coal, fuel-oil, or hog fuel and uses the heat generated from the combustion reaction to heat indirectly supplied water to steam or hot water for space heating, processing or electrical production purposes.

Boiler Blowdown
See Blowdown Water, and Blowing Down.

Boiler Data
The information that is available on the boilers operation that may include, but not be limited to, the type of boiler, type of fuel it uses for the combustion reaction, amount of fuel it can burn per hour, heat output associated with the boiler, pressure and amount of steam produced from the boiler, and the operating loads expected under specific process conditions.

Boiler Gun
A device used to inject atomized oil into the boiler to produce a more efficient combustion reaction in the combustion chamber of the boiler. The atomized oil spray allows for more intimate contact of the combustion reactants, which results in a more efficient combustion reaction.

Booster Pump. A device used to pump the fuel source at a higher pressure into the combustion chamber of the boiler. Generally required as a result of long piping distance of the fuel storage tank to the boiler.

Breaching and Associated Ductwork
In most industrial operations with a number of sources, the off gases are collected via a localised exhaust system and piped to a common central stack where the sources of gases are treated before being released to the atmosphere. This localised exhaust and piping to the common stack is sometimes referred to as the breaching and associated ductwork.

Brine
A solution of salt and water. This solution is used as a raw material in the electrolysis reaction resulting in the formation of chlorine gas. Also, brine is an effluent waste stream that is a result of the milling process of potash. Brine is also sometimes used as part of a refrigeration system.

Brine Head Tank
A tank used to hold the treated saturated salt water solution (brine) before being discharged to the chlorine production cell in the Chlor-Alkali process.

Briquets
Is a block of some compressed substance, such as coal, dust, metal powder, or sawdust.

Bromine (Br)
Is a toxic and irritating brownish-red element. It is a corrosive liquid at room temperature. Its major industrial use has been in antiknock gasoline, where it acts to keep cylinders free from lead oxide deposits. It is also used as a raw material in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and dyestuffs, in bleaches for textiles and paper, as a catalyst, as a component of photographic materials, and as an ingredient for halogenated chemicals such as halons used in fire extinguishers.

Bronchial Dilators
A medical device, commonly known as an inhaler or puffer which contains a bronchodilator drug that improves airflow into the lungs. It is used in the treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis.

Bulk Plant
A system used or intended to be used by a petroleum wholesaler for the primary purpose of storage of a petroleum product that is to be delivered to a retail outlet or directly to a consumer by pipeline, tank vessel, tank vehicle or other container.

Bunker 6B Fuel
See No. 6 Fuel Oil.

Bunker Oil
See No. 6 Fuel Oil.

Butane (C₄H₁₀)
Is an alkane which occurs in natural gas and is produced at specific stages of the refining of crude oil in the Oil Refinery Industry. Butane is the fluid that is ignited during the use of a common lighter.

Butyl Tin
Is a highly toxic organic metal air emission that can be produced during the forming and finishing stage of glass container manufacturing. The lubricants (organic) used to lubricate the gob shears (metal) and gob delivery system experience thermal decomposition and as a result form an organic metal air emission.