Encarnación Rodríguez

Development of a high-resolution emission inventory for Spain using the SMOKE modelling system: A case study for the years 2000 and 2010

Emission preparation is a critical stage in air quality modelling. The generation of input information from regulatory emission inventories compatible with the requirements of eulerian chemical-transport models needs a computationally efficient, reliable, and flexible emissions data processing system. The Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel System (SMOKE) was developed in the United States and redesigned by the US Environmental Protection Agency to support air quality modelling activities in the framework of the USEPA Models-3 system. In this contribution the adaptation of the SMOKE system to European conditions is discussed. The system has been applied to the Iberian Peninsula and the Madrid Region (Spain) to process Spains official emission inventories and projections for the years 2000 and 2010. This software tool has been found useful to generate emission input information for the CMAQ model as well as providing a valuable platform for emission scenario analysis. The model has been proved flexible enough to accommodate and process emissions based on the EMEP/CORINAIR methodology, although the lack of meaningful ancillary information may hinder its application outside the US. This study has established a practical methodology for the adaptation of the SMOKE system to Spain and potentially to any other European country.

Implementation of a module for risk of ozone impacts assessment to vegetation in the Integrated Assessment Modelling system for the Iberian Peninsula. Evaluation for wheat and Holm oak

A module to estimate risks of ozone damage to vegetation has been implemented in the Integrated Assessment Modelling system for the Iberian Peninsula. It was applied to compute three different indexes for wheat and Holm oak; daylight AOT40 (cumulative ozone concentration over 40 ppb), cumulative ozone exposure index according to the Directive 2008/50/EC (AOT40-D) and POD(Y) (Phytotoxic Ozone Dose over a given threshold of Y nmol m(-2) s(-1)). The use of these indexes led to remarkable differences in spatial patterns of relative ozone risks on vegetation. Ozone critical levels were exceeded in most of the modelling domain and soil moisture content was found to have a significant impact on the results. According to the outputs of the model, daylight AOT40 constitutes a more conservative index than the AOT40-D. Additionally, flux-based estimations indicate high risk areas in Portugal for both wheat and Holm oak that are not identified by AOT-based methods.

Methodology to quantify the effect of policies and measures in emission reductions from road transport

This paper will develop a methodology to quantify the effect of policies and measures on emission reductions from road transport. Atmospheric emissions from road transport have increased all around the world since 1990 more rapidly than from other pollution sources. Moreover, they contribute more than 25% of the total emissions in the majority of European countries. This situation confirms the importance of road transport when complying with emission ceilings (e.g. the Kyoto Protocol and the National Emissions Ceilings Directive). The developed methodology illustrates the effect on transport emissions of the most influential variables and their relationships. Therefore, it would be a policy instrument to design emission reduction measures. Firstly, the influence of the main variables was studied: mileage or mobility (passengers or tons) per vehicle type (cars, buses, light duty vehicles, heavy duty vehicles, mopeds, and motorcycles); fuel used (diesel, petrol, biofuels, natural gas, and LPG); driving mode (urban, rural, and highway) and vehicle speed; technology used (Euro types, hybrid vehicles, and electric vehicles by power); vehicle characteristics (power, load factor, age, operational life, etc. The second step consisted of defining several scenarios, changing the variables in order to analyze both the individual and combined effect of these on emissions (sensitivity analysis). These scenarios evaluate the effect of changes in the previous factors, according to realistic policies and measures (e.g. penetration of Euro 5 and 6, the increase of biofuel use, scrapping systems, etc. The third step included the development of a holistic model to estimate emissions, which allows the quantification of the effect of both technical and non-technical measures. The model is called EmiTRANS and it estimates the emissions in a flexible and coherent way. It contributes to incorporating scientific data in the decision making process. Finally, this methodology has been successfully proven for the calculation of emission projections from road transport in Spain, up to 2020, under several scenarios.

Pollution Prevention and Control Procedure Case Study: An Application for Petroleum Refineries

Abstract There is global environmental concern about the pollution from industries and other organizations that should not only be controlled but also prevented. Many alternatives are available to those in charge of environmental protection, but they should be able to draw on a systematic procedure to help implement prevention and control measures. At present, there are three immediate tasks: defining the objective of any environmental study, identifying the potential pollution sources, and selecting alternatives to these sources. However, it is necessary to evaluate these alternatives by using as large a number of criteria as possible and making them cumulative so as to enable the classification and selection of the best available techniques for each pollution source. The petroleum refining industry plays an important role in the developed economies and also has a potential for pollution generation that must be controlled. The best solution for all (i.e., petroleum companies, the public, and the environment) is pollution prevention, because this option will protect all of them and will also reduce costs in terms of lower raw materials consumption as well as reducing potential fines.The procedure we have presented in this article has been applied successfully.

Modeling and model performance evaluation of sewage sludge gasification in fluidized-bed gasifiers using Aspen Plus

ABSTRACT A model was developed to simulate the sewage sludge gasification in an atmospheric fluidised bed gasifier using Aspen Plus. The model here presented was based on the Gibbs free energy minimisation and the restricted equilibrium method was used to calibrate it against previously published experimental data obtained in a lab-scale gasification plant. A sensitivity analysis of the model was carried out by modifying parameters such as the temperature, equivalence ratio (ER) and the steam-to-biomass ratio. The modeled results were in good agreement with the experimental data (especially when air was used as gasifying agent) and reproduced satisfactorily the experimental trends found for the gas composition, the carbon conversion (Xc) and the cold gas efficiency (CGE) under different gasification conditions. Operating at higher temperatures increased the production of H2 and CO, as well as the Xc and the CGE. The increase in ER produced higher Xc, yet the CGE experienced slight changes due to a decrease in the lower heating value of the resulting syngas, as well as the oxidation of combustible gases. The use of air+steam as gasifying agent increased the H2 content of the produced gases but decreased the accuracy of the model. Implications: Gasification is an available alternative to produce energy as well as several raw materials from sewage sludge. The syngas obtained from this technology totally depends on the type of gasifier and the operation conditions, which can be optimized with the help of models. In this work, a relatively simple model was built using ASPEN PLUS. Despite its simplicity, the outputs of the model are in good agreement with experimental results what makes its use interesting for assessing scaling-up possibilities from lab-scale to pilot-scale gasification processes.

Quantification Of The Effect Of Both TechnicalAnd Non-technical Measures FromRoad Transport On Spain’s Emissions Projections

Atmospheric emissions from road transport have increased all around the world since 1990 more rapidly than from other pollution sources. Moreover, they contribute to more than 25% of total emissions in the majority of the European Countries. This situation confirms the importance of road transport when complying with emission ceilings (e.g. Kyoto Protocol and National Emissions Ceilings Directive). A methodology has been developed to evaluate the effect of transport measures on atmospheric emissions (EmiTRANS). Its application to Spain in the horizon of 2020 allows the quantification of the effect of several measures on emission reductions. This quantification was done through scenario development. Several scenarios were calculated considering technical measures (e.g. vehicle scrapping systems, higher penetration of hybrid and electric vehicles, fuel substitution, etc.) and non-technical measures (mileage reduction, implementation of Low Emission Zones and/or Congestion Charges in main cities, reduction of average speeds, logistical improvements that affects heavy duty vehicle load factors, etc.). The scenarios show the effect of each measure on NOx, SO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5, VOC, CO2 and CH4 emissions. The main conclusion is the necessity to combine both technical and non-technical measures to increase global effectiveness. In the analysis of specific pollutants, there is a great dispersion on reductions effect: technical measures are more effective to reduce air pollutants while non-technical measures are better options to reduce greenhouse effect gases (even though they also reduce air pollutants in a less efficient way).