Harvesting equipment to reduce particulate matter emissions from almond harvest

Abstract

Almond harvest accounts for an estimated 12 Gg of PM₁₀ emissions in California each harvest season. Emissions from three new, “low-dust” almond harvesters (Exact Harvest Systems E4000; Flory Industries 8550; Weiss-McNair 9800 California Special) and one exhaust abatement device (Joe DiAnna, Clean Air Concept) were compared to those from a conventional harvester operating in the same orchard. Emissions of TSP and PM₁₀ trended lower for all new harvesters and were significantly lower for most harvesters (α < 0.10). Significant reductions in PM_2.5 emissions were observed from two harvesters as well. Fractionation analysis was not conducted on nut samples collected in the second year of the project, but differences observed in the composition of material that would be delivered to the huller between the Exact E4000 and conventional harvesters were functionally insignificant. The results of these tests imply that new harvest technologies are able to reduce PM₁₀ emissions from one of the largest sources in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California without affecting product quality. As such, use of these new harvesters should be considered a conservation measure that would help the SJV Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) meet the requirements of their PM₁₀ maintenance plan.

Implications:

The results of this research indicate that new harvesting technologies have the potential to substantially reduce PM emissions from almond harvest operations over traditional harvester designs without negatively affecting product quality. As such, use of these new harvesters could aid the SJVAPCD in maintaining its attainment status for PM₁₀ and should be considered as candidate conservation management practices for producers.

Acknowledgments

The researchers acknowledge support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant program (grant 68-9104-0-127) and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for funding this project, along with participating equipment manufacturers and Paramount Farming for in-kind contributions of equipment and personnel.