TECHNOLOGY CRUCIAL FOR COMPLYING WITH THE
AMBITIOUS EMISSION CEILINGS OF THE NEW AIR POLLUTION PROTOCOL
Geneva, 4 April 2000
"Technological progress could
make or break the new Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and
Ground-level Ozone," according to Kaj Barlund, Director of the Environment and
Human Settlements Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
"And the countries that have signed up to it should spring into action and apply the
new technologies available to them."
The Protocol’s Parties will,
nevertheless, be free to design the combination of control options, techniques and/or
alternative measures that they think will work best for them. "Yet, regardless of the
compliance regime that they choose, technology will always be at the forefront of their
strategies," adds Andrzej Jagusiewicz of the UN/ECE secretariat, who assisted
the Protocol’s technical negotiations. Technology is necessary to achieve cleaner
production processes, energy efficiency, the sustainable storage and distribution of
petrol. It is also needed for the production of low-emission fuels, or simply for
preventing or reducing emissions at source. Technological advances backed up by effective
economic instruments are a prerequisite for complying with the ambitious new Protocol.
The technology-related part represents
more than 80% of the Protocol’s main body and its six Guidance Documents. It is vital
that all Parties move swiftly in all the sectors that are targeted. To achieve its biggest
impact, the Protocol should also enter into force by the year 2002.
In accordance with the Protocol’s
emission ceilings, most countries are committed to cutting their annual totals of SOx,
NOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia by the year 2010 – some by as much
as 90%. This can be achieved with a mix of measures, including primarily limit values for
selected sources and control techniques based on Best Available Technology (BAT).
These techniques reflect recent progress
and have been commercially available only for the past few years. Sulphur emissions can be
effectively controlled with integrated gasification combined-cycle technology (IGCC).
Where coal gasification takes place, power is generated in a gas and steam turbine and raw
gas is cleaned upstream of the turbine. Reburning as a NOx control technology is now
available for all combustible fuels and can be applied in large oil-fired units, e.g. in
refineries. The use of low-organic-solvent or organic-solvent-free materials and
processes, such as water-based paints or water-based degreasing, is also widely
recommended as a primary measure to control VOC emissions. Carcinogenic tailpipe emissions
from diesel-fuelled passenger cars can be controlled by installing a particulate trap.
Finally, ammonia emissions from livestock housing systems can be considerably reduced by
improving the slurry and manure removal efficiency.
For more information, please contact:
Andrzej JAGUSIEWICZ
UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 321
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 23 60
Fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07
E-mail: [email protected]
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