Developing a Method for Estimating the Quantity of Coal Tar Sealants Applied in an Area

Dr. Hugh Gorman, hsgorman@mtu.edu
Post Date: 09/22/2014
Capstone/Internship Possible: Yes/Yes
Description:

Hydrocarbons are one class of Atmosphere-Surface-Exchangeable Pollutants (ASEPs). One of the major sources of PAHs released to local environments is coal tar sealants used on paved surfaces. The research project would involve coming up with a method for estimating the amount of coal tar sealants applied in an area and the quantity of PAHs potentially draining into local water bodies. The research could involve:

• Use of GoogleEarth (or other source of aerial photos) to estimate quantity of area paved with asphalt.
• Research to determine how much sealant is typically used on a parking lot, the percentage or types of parking lots that use coal tar sealants, etc.
• Ground-truthing by applying the method in the L'Anse/Baraga area and by interviewing a sample of commercial-sized parking lot owners to determine their actual practices.
• Revising assumptions based on the ground-truthing
• A literature search to determine if there is a way to correlate parking lot size and location to releases of PAHs
• Applying the method to a larger urban area, such as Houghton/Hancock or Marquette.

A research report would be written to summarize the process and results. Such an estimate would be useful in analyzing the benefits of a coal tar sealant ban in an area.

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