A case study of greenhouse gas inventory and mitigation measures in the cement industry of Taiwan

A greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is a systematic attempt to account for the production and release of certain gasses generated by an institution from various emission sources. The gasses of interest are those which have become identified by climate science as related to anthropogenic global climate change. This document presents an inventory of GHGs generated during fiscal year (FY) 2008 by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored entity, located in southeastern Idaho. Concern about the environmental impact of GHGs has grown in recent years. This, together with a desire to decrease harmful environmental impacts, would be enough to encourage the calculation of a baseline estimate of total GHGs generated at the INL. Additionally, the INL has a desire to see how its emissions compare with similar institutions, including other DOE-sponsored national laboratories. Executive Order 13514 requires that federally-sponsored agencies and institutions document reductions in GHG emissions in the future, and such documentation will require knowledge of a baseline against which reductions can be measured. INL’s FY08 GHG inventory was calculated according to methodologies identified in Federal recommendations and an as-yet-unpublished Technical and Support Document (TSD) using operational control boundary. It measures emissions generated in three Scopes: (1)more » INL emissions produced directly by stationary or mobile combustion and by fugitive emissions, (2) the share of emissions generated by entities from which INL purchased electrical power, and (3) indirect or shared emissions generated by outsourced activities that benefit INL (occur outside INL’s organizational boundaries but are a consequence of INL’s activities). This inventory found that INL generated a total of 114,256 MT of CO2-equivalent emissions during fiscal year 2008 (FY08). The following conclusions were made from looking at the results of the individual contributors to INL’s baseline GHG inventory: • Electricity is the largest contributor to INL’s GHG inventory, with over 50% of the net anthropogenic CO2e emissions • Other sources with high emissions were stationary combustion, fugitive emissions from the onsite landfill, mobile combustion (fleet fuels) and the employee commute • Sources with low emissions were contracted waste disposal, wastewater treatment (onsite and contracted) and fugitive emissions from refrigerants. This report details the methods behind quantifying INL’s GHG inventory and discusses lessons learned on better practices by which information important to tracking GHGs can be tracked and recorded. It is important to stress that the methodology behind this inventory followed guidelines that have not yet been formally adopted. Thus, some modification of the conclusions may be necessary as additional guidance is received. Further, because this report differentiates between those portions of the INL that are managed and operated by the Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) and those managed by other contractors, it includes only that large proportion of Laboratory activities overseen by BEA. It is assumed that other contractors will provide similar reporting for those activities they manage, where appropriate.« less

Analyzing greenhouse gas emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants using pollutants parameter normalizing method：a case study of Beijing

A greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is a systematic attempt to account for the production and release of certain gasses generated by an institution from various emission sources. The gasses of interest are those which have become identified by climate science as related to anthropogenic global climate change. This document presents an inventory of GHGs generated during fiscal year (FY) 2008 by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored entity, located in southeastern Idaho. Concern about the environmental impact of GHGs has grown in recent years. This, together with a desire to decrease harmful environmental impacts, would be enough to encourage the calculation of a baseline estimate of total GHGs generated at the INL. Additionally, the INL has a desire to see how its emissions compare with similar institutions, including other DOE-sponsored national laboratories. Executive Order 13514 requires that federally-sponsored agencies and institutions document reductions in GHG emissions in the future, and such documentation will require knowledge of a baseline against which reductions can be measured. INL’s FY08 GHG inventory was calculated according to methodologies identified in Federal recommendations and an as-yet-unpublished Technical and Support Document (TSD) using operational control boundary. It measures emissions generated in three Scopes: (1) INL emissions produced directly by stationary or mobile combustion and by fugitive emissions, (2) the share of emissions generated by entities from which INL purchased electrical power, and (3) indirect or shared emissions generated by outsourced activities that benefit INL (occur outside INL’s organizational boundaries but are a consequence of INL’s activities). This inventory found that INL generated a total of 114,256 MT of CO2-equivalent emissions during fiscal year 2008 (FY08). The following conclusions were made from looking at the results of the individual contributors to INL’s baseline GHG inventory: • Electricity is the largest contributor to INL’s GHG inventory, with over 50% of the net anthropogenic CO2e emissions • Other sources with high emissions were stationary combustion, fugitive emissions from the onsite landfill, mobile combustion (fleet fuels) and the employee commute • Sources with low emissions were contracted waste disposal, wastewater treatment (onsite and contracted) and fugitive emissions from refrigerants. This report details the methods behind quantifying INL’s GHG inventory and discusses lessons learned on better practices by which information important to tracking GHGs can be tracked and recorded. It is important to stress that the methodology behind this inventory followed guidelines that have not yet been formally adopted. Thus, some modification of the conclusions may be necessary as additional guidance is received. Further, because this report differentiates between those portions of the INL that are managed and operated by the Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) and those managed by other contractors, it includes only that large proportion of Laboratory activities overseen by BEA. It is assumed that other contractors will provide similar reporting for those activities they manage, where appropriate.

PurposeBy applying a framework for implementation analysis, the authors aim to examine the evolution of Japan's national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, assess the extent to which each condition for effective implementation has been met and identify factors that may contribute to transparency-related capacity building in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThe case description was based on interviews and document reviews. The authors coded the collected data into the variables as identified under the framework for implementation analysis, and they evaluated the effectiveness according to the code of assessment.FindingsFirst, this study finds that the development of the endogenous research base can contribute to the continuous improvement in GHG inventories. Second, it highlights the boundary-spanning role played by a private-sector actor's facilitation of interactions among relevant actors. Third, the assessment revealed the criticality of the causal linkage, pointing to the importance of a commitment to emission reductions as a strong driver for the quality improvement of GHG inventories. Lastly, this study indicates a lack of data compatibility, which may potentially hinder effective policy implementation, suggesting the importance of integrated development of the national statistics.Originality/valueThe primary contribution of this paper lies in its use of a framework for implementation analysis, creating new possibilities for both practitioners and researchers. The present study pays attention to the fact that the national GHG inventory preparation, although a highly technical task, is crucial to each country's climate change policy implementation, an aspect that has not been focused on by prior studies.

Climate Change is a complex problem, which, although environment in nature, has consequences for all spheres of existence on our planet. At the very heart of the response to Climate Change lies the need to reduce emissions. Maintaining national Greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories provided by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) offers the means to monitor the trend of GHG emissions worldwide. Under the UNFCCC, all Parties are required to provide national Greenhouse Gas (GHS) inventories. A perusal of available GHG data, from the UNFCCC website and from such reliable sources as the World’s Development Indicators of the World Bank, indicates that the inventories are not up-to-date. The Greenhouse Gas Information System (GHGIS) of UNFCCC’s secretariat enables inventories to be searched and presented at various levels of detail, and in different combinations. Using data from GHG inventories of African countries, this paper contains illustrations of the kinds of Cross-Country Comparison/Aggregation of GHG inventories data, which can be generated by the GHGIS.

Developing countries need to build long-term institutional capabilities for a national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory under the transparency framework of the Paris Agreement. By selecting three Southeast Asian countries as the cases, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, the present study comparatively examined their institutional designs for producing the GHG inventories. They are common in terms that their national focal points make the overall coordination and other relevant line ministries provide activity data. A major difference exists regarding who is tasked to perform calculations of GHG inventories. By using the framework of Hood concerning the choice of whether to work through specific performance contracts or through direct employment, this study discussed that the variations between the countries may be associated with their differences in the following two factors: One is the number of potential service providers, as expressed by the number of GHG inventory experts as registered in the roster of the United Nations, and the other is the level of uncertainty about how the task is to be done, as measured by a share of the agriculture, forestry and other land use sector in the national GHG inventory. The development of the endogenous research base can contribute to the long-term improvement in GHG inventories. The finding has implications for assistance in building the transparency-related capacity. Development cooperation with developing countries may extend to identifying the categories that are crucial for their current GHG inventories and collaborating relevant research activities with national experts, including young researchers.

Embedded energy and total greenhouse gas emissions in final consumptions within Thailand

cCaO-Hellas S.A., 6 th km Langada-Thessalonikis Rd., 57013,Thessaloniki, Greece seferlis@cperi.certh.gr The optimal design of a solvent based post combustion CO2 capture unit in a quicklime production plant is investigated. A 30 % weight aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) solution is used as the absorption agent for the treatment of a 14 % mol CO2 flue gas stream. The objective function in the design optimization incorporates several equipment capacity and operating factors that have a direct impact on capital expenditure and energetic cost of the unit. A reliable and accurate equilibrium model is developed for the prediction of the process behavior. The model employs an orthogonal collocation on finite element formulation enabling structural flexibility for design purposes and efficient model reduction for computational facilitation. Nonlinear programming techniques are used for the identification of the optimal column configuration and the operating conditions. The ability of the optimally designed absorption/desorption column to achieve acceptable performance under varying separation operating conditions such as flue gas CO2 concentration, flowrate, and temperature is investigated. European policies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction have already been adopted in order to meet the ambitious but necessary targets set for climate change prevention. Satisfaction of such targets will not only affect the global economy and specifically the energy intensive industrial sector, but also secure the competitiveness of industry in a constantly demanding market. Amongst the industrial contributors in GHG emissions, the cement and quicklime industry are significant contributors to the overall amount of released CO2. In 2008 alone, 38.5 % of the total European industrial CO2 emissions came from the cement industry, a percentage corresponding to 3.2 % of the total CO2 emitted (European Commission DG JRC, 2010). Especially in the case of the cement plants, up to 60 % of the emitted CO2 is derived from the calcination of limestone (Bosoaga et al., 2009). It is therefore evident that emissions control during the production of quicklime through the calcination step is a major contribution towards the overall reduction of CO2.

In South Korea, Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) collates greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. However, the settlement category lacks a clear definition of land use and activity data. This study proposed a method for examining the settlement spatial extent and constructing activity data to estimate GHG emissions and absorption as a pilot calculation, as well as to provide data for land use classification. Utilizing cadastral maps (CDMs), settlement spatial extents were determined, with settlements occupying approximately 11% of the total land area in 2019, or 9% excluding overlaps. Activity data for settlements were established through a sampling method and analysis of aerial orthoimages from 2000 and 2019. After removing overlaps with digital forest type maps and smart farm maps, settlement activity data covered approximately 18.47% based on CDMs, or 12.66% excluding overlaps. In 2019, CO2 emissions and absorptions were estimated at 622.16 ktCO2yr−1 based on CDMs and 242.16 ktCO2yr−1, excluding overlaps. To enhance GHG inventory calculation consistency and compliance with TACCC principles, clear spatial extents for settlements must be established. This entails constructing activity data and assessing GHG inventories accordingly. GHG inventory statistics should also inform future nationally determined contributions.

In greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories of companies and products emissions of purchased energy, especially electricity, make up a significant proportion. Therefore, companies are interested in sourcing and accounting for green electricity with a low emission factor. The market- and location-based approaches are two different accounting methods leading to different results. If companies base green claims on the method that produces the result most beneficial to their GHG inventory, this can lead to double counting of renewable energy attributes. This harbors the risk of overestimating the amount of energy sourced from renewable energy sources, and hence, the associated positive environmental impacts of companies’ renewable energy consumption. Moreover, it limits the comparability of companies’ GHG inventories, reduces transparency and credibility of GHG reporting and associated green claims. In this commentary, we outline the problem of leaving a de facto choice between location- and market-based accounting approaches for emissions from electricity procurement when making green claims. To achieve credible green claims for customers and a level playing field for companies, we suggest a consistent application of the market-based approach. We propose introducing a requirement to base green claims on this method, if a market region allows for the use of contractual instruments meeting standardized quality criteria.

The Cuajimalpa campus of the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM) is located in the western region of Mexico City. In 2016, its global average population (students, faculty and staff) was around 2750 people. Campus policies include sustainability as one of its main aims. To evaluate and eventually reduce the environmental impact of the campus, its greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory was assessed and the carbon footprint was calculated, using the GHG protocol (GHGP): Scope 1: direct GHG emissions; Scope 2: indirect GHG emissions; and Scope 3: other indirect GHG emissions, on a calendar year basis. Scope 1 includes mobile and stationary sources and leakage of refrigerants; Scope 2 includes electrical energy usage; Scope 3 includes consumption of paper, food, water, gases, cleaning products, solvents, wastewater treatment, municipal and hazardous wastes and academic travel. In 2016, the campus produced around 3000 tons of CO2 equivalent, with Scope 1, 2 and 3 accounting for 4%, 24% and 72%, respectively. Emissions analysis by activity indicated 51% for commuting; 24% for electricity usage; 14% for academic travel; 11% for other activities. The inventory will aid the establishment of policies for reduction and mitigation of GHG, resulting in environmental and potential economic benefits.

The administrative jurisdiction of the Province of Siena (Tuscany, central Italy) and the waste company (named Siena Ambiente S.p.A.), that operates within the provincial boundaries, have equipped themselves of the Greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories of the solid waste disposal plants in the integrated management system with the aim to obtain a planning tool. The GHG inventories have been processed in time series (2008–2011) and include 3 landfills, 1 incinerator, 2 composting, 1 selection and valorization production lines. Results show a 12% reduction of the total GHG emissions from 2009 to 2011 due to better landfill management. Moreover, a further GHG emission reduction equal to almost 34% could be obtained if electricity from renewable resources is used (i.e. burned wastes, biogas recovery from landfills and photovoltaic panels). On this way, the consumption of the imported electricity from the national grid, which is mainly obtained by traditional thermoelectric technologies, is avoided. The present experience could be adopted as a reference model for public and private organizations, considering that the provided planning tool could suggest time series emission reduction strategies for interacting with waste disposal facilities. Territorial systems at different scales (cities, municipalities, regions and nations) might be involved in this type of analysis, so as to calibrate the waste management system according to the estimates obtained by GHG inventories, which may be verified ISO 14064 by an independent third organization in order to increase the result reliability.

Carbon footprint of a conventional wastewater treatment plant: An analysis of water-energy nexus from life cycle perspective for emission reduction

Identifying a sustainable rice-based cropping system via on-farm evaluation of grain yield, carbon sequestration capacity and carbon footprints in Central China

An explicit spatial carbon emission map is of great significance for reducing carbon emissions through urban planning. Previous studies have proved that, at the city scale, the vector carbon emission maps can provide more accurate spatial carbon emission estimates than gridded maps. To draw a vector carbon emission map, the spatial allocation of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is crucial. However, the previous methods did not consider different carbon sources and their influencing factors. This study proposes a point-line-area (P-L-A) classified allocation method for drawing a vector carbon emission map. The method has been applied in Changxing, a representative small city in China. The results show that the carbon emission map can help identify the key carbon reduction regions. The emission map of Changxing shows that high-intensity areas are concentrated in four industrial towns (accounting for about 80%) and the central city. The results also reflect the different carbon emission intensity of detailed land-use types. By comparison with other research methods, the accuracy of this method was proved. The method establishes the relationship between the GHG inventory and the basic spatial objects to conduct a vector carbon emission map, which can better serve the government to formulate carbon reduction strategies and provide support for low-carbon planning.