News Archive
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CEM Conference proceedings now available on CD
The 10th International Conference on Emissions Monitoring conference proceedings are now available to purchase on CD. Experts from around the world presented to an international audience on the latest legislation, technology, case studies and applications to effect the Emissions Monitoring Industry. Sessions in this informative meeting included: • Legislation and its effects on the industry - are you ready for the industrial emissions directive? • Monitoring of particulates and trace species -...
China's transparency faces reality
Data transparency over air pollutants in China's major cities has led to officials stating it could be 20 years before city dwellers breath healthy air. According to Wu Dui, a haze expert at the Guangdong Meteorological Agency, Europe and the US took 50 years to deal with pollution problems, and even if China were to half this time, it would still be 20 to 30 years before pollution was under control. The sober tone comes as the government plans to publically release data on PM2.5, which account...
Scottish government accused of environment 'u-turn'
Targets made by the Scottish government for cutting traffic growth have been dropped, raising further health concerns after recent results showed larger cities in the country have breached EU safety limits. The government is now planning for up to 20 per cent more journeys on Scotland's roads by 2020, with more rush-hour bottlenecks expected, it has been reported by The Herald. Environmental groups have accused the government of 'watering down' its commitment to reduce harmful greenhouse gasses....
Harmful emissions and air pollution to blame for drought and flooding
A new study by researchers in the US and Israel has found that increases in air pollution and other particulate matter can strongly affect cloud development, it has been reported by Nature Geoscience. Air pollutants, such as those from aerosols, can alter cloud density and the radiative balance of the atmosphere which leads to changes in cloud microphysics and atmospheric stability. The effects on cloud development can reduce precipitation in cool and dry regions; while increasing rain and the i...
Polish lawmakers appeal for softening of ETS
The emission trading system (ETS), considered to be the cornerstone of EU law to cut greenhouse gases, has been challenged by a group of Polish lawmakers, who claim the laws are damaging economic growth. The Solidarna Polska group is planning to call on the EU regulator to propose a revision of the 2008 climate package that bolstered the European carbon cap-and-trade program, according to Bloomberg. The group will require the support of one million EU citizens from at least one- quarter of the 2...
Hong Kong pollution is worst ever
Major pollutants, such as respirable suspended particles and nitrogen oxides, were found to be at their worst level ever in Hong Kong, and ten times as bad as they were in 2005, according to the city's Environmental Protection Department. The figures, reported in Reuters, showed that vehicle emissions and industrial pollution from Pearl River Delta, which is one of the most densely urbanised regions in the world, are already forcing large commercial organisations to move elsewhere over health co...
Air pollution control at IFAT ENTSORGA 2012 – Great potential in energy-efficiency and resource recovery
The waste-recovery and disposal industry makes use of technologies to reduce air pollution in many different ways. For example in the extraction of harmful substances in biomass combustion processes, in environmentally friendly operation of processing plant and in purifying the emissions resulting from the recycling of electronic waste. As a spin-off, more and more systems are recovering energy or secondary raw materials from the emissions streams. This is an area with great potential therefore...
PM promises action over worrying report in Czech Republic
The Czech prime minister Petr Necas has promised to take action over pollution in the country, after the 2010 environmental report revealed worrying environmental figures, it has been reported by Prague Daily Monitor. According to the report, which was conducted by the Environmental Ministry, urban areas of the country have seen increased concentrations of arcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It also revealed that 48 per cent of the Czech population live in areas with excessive concentr...
Criegee biradical could have 'cooling effect'
Criegee biradicals could have a 'cooling effect' on the planet by converting pollutants into compounds, leading to cloud formation that will shield the earth from the sun. Scientists from the University of Manchester have found that pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, react with Criegee biradical which then neutralises the pollutants. The 'clean-up' effect has been found to react faster than expected, leading to bigger impact than previously thought. The study shows that th...
Existing technologies 'could save millions of lives'
Measurements that are based on existing technologies and that can be implemented immediately could save millions of lives, according to new research by Drew Shindell from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Limiting how much soot and methane reaches the atmosphere using existing technologies alone could save almost five million lives a year, and increase global crop yields significantly, according to the report. It could also slow global warming down by around half a degree by 2050. Coun...
Odour Solution for Sewage Pump Sites
Fanquip technologies are being used to alleviate noxious odour problems at government and private pump sites in waste transfer applications. Such sites can see megalitres of raw sewage flowing into it each day, operations and maintenance personnel normally find it near impossible to enter the premises due to a high degree of unpleasant odour hydrogen sulphide (HS2). To counter the problem, Australian air movement specialist Fanquip positions a number of its hooded roof fans to channel expulsion...
Innovative car to tackle urban pollution
An innovative car has been designed by manufacturers in Spain to curb inner-city pollution, as well as solve city transport problems and create new jobs. The new eclectic cars, named ‘Hiriko’, have been developed in the Basque country and have the ability to fold up like a child’s collapsible buggy. It is powered by electric, and can run 120 kilometres (75 miles) without a recharge. The speed of the car is also set to city limits to increase the appreciation of road safety in the urban areas. Th...
Continuing discrepancies in Beijing data
Beijing has started to record PM2.5 pollutants in the city as the Chinese begin an overhaul of their data collection methods, but early results still show discrepancies with US data, according to the Wall Street Journal. Early measurements from Monday morning showed that pollution levels were at 'moderate' according to Beijing readings, which registered at around 30 micrograms per cubic meter. However, US readings showed readings of 66 micrograms per cubic metre, which is considered an 'unhealt...
Pollution-related asthma cost spiralling
The cost of asthma that is being caused by pollution is far higher than past records, according to researchers in the US, who estimated that the cost of asthma caused by traffic-related pollution in certain areas could be over $18 million per year. The study was conducted in Long Beach and Riverside in California, America, which are both areas with high regional air pollution levels and which have large roads near residential neighbourhoods. Researchers used new techniques that allowed them to...
Pollution control products boost in demand
Increased production of vehicles alongside the tightening of global air pollution regulations has led to a significant increase in demand for diesel-engine pollution control products. Corning Inc, a major supplier of the pollution control products, has reported a drastic increase in sales as companies invest more in complying with international pollution law, it has been reported by Democrat and Chronicle. Heavy duty sales are expected to grow from 125,000 in 2010 to about 225,000 this year in t...
Severe health warnings in Delhi
Gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, bronchitis and vitamin D deficiency are all being linked with severe weather conditions and pollution in Delhi, according to the Times of India. The North Indian city is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16.7 million inhabitants in the territory at the 2011 Census. The cramped environment and the excessive air pollution has made life difficult in the city, with 7,525 deaths in 2010 from complications from respiratory diseases, a 41 p...
Scotland first UK nation to launch pollution alert system
A pollution alert system has been launched in Scotland in a bid to make information more accessible and improve public health. It is the first UK nation to offer pollution alerts. A report last year found Scotland's major cities are being exposed to "dangerous levels" of air pollution. Know & Respond alerts those who sign up to the system when poor air quality is forecast for the day ahead. Users get alerts via text message or email. Poor air quality can particularly affect people with heart con...
Intercontinental crop losses caused by pollution
Ozone pollution generated in North America caused Europe to lose 1.2 million tonnes of wheat a year, according to a new study. The research, conducted by the University of Leeds in the UK, found that fossil fuels are damaging crop growths of wheat, maize, soybean, cotton, potato and rice not only locally, but also travelling thousands of miles downwind. The new research reflects the importance of international strategies to curb carbon emissions. The 2009 Copenhagen summit, which fell apart with...
Increased pollution effort and open awareness in Scotland
The Scottish parliament will require extra efforts in order to achieve emission goals; it has been reported by the Press Association, as the government attempts to improve awareness over air pollution in the area. Legislation passed by Holyrood targeted a 42 per cent drop in emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. However, the ambitious targets will require extra actions, after the independent advisory body the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) declared action on pollution and a tightening up of the...
India revealed to have 'worst air pollution in the world'
The annual Environmental Performance Index has been revealed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, finding that India has overtaken China as having the worst air pollution in the world. China dropped to 125th place out of the 132 countries surveyed, leaving India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh at the back as having the worse air effects on human health. The data is compiled using satellite data from environmental research centres at Yale and Columbia Universities. A New York Times...
Mayoral candidates asked to address public health crisis
A campaign group called Clean Air in London has called upon mayoral candidates to address the 'biggest public health crisis for decades'. Clean air is set to be a dominant theme in the run up to the 2012 election for the next mayor of London, with a new manifesto been launched for Clean Air in London. The manifesto highlights several priorities that should be included in the candidate's campaign, including championing the case for air quality with the UK and European governments, cutting traffi...
First Emissions Management Programme for Ports Launched Amid Growing Calls to Implement CSR Policy
The growing emphasis on port-led CSR has prompted Carbon Positive, the carbon management consultancy for the maritime sector, to launch the first emissions management programme specifically to help ports to adopt a single, long-term strategy to manage their energy and natural resource requirements and reducing their carbon footprint, ultimately contributing to carbon emissions reduction targets for the shipping industry as a whole. Environmental CSR is becoming increasingly significant for ports...
Ehovoc provides VOC treatment plant to Taiwan
Ehovoc is making a breakthrough into the Asian markets with the biggest sale in the history of the company. Finland-based Ehovoc will deliver a VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) treatment plant to a Taiwanese flexo print concern in January 2012, with an option for the delivery of another incineration plant later on. Ehovoc’s catalytic incineration plants purify polluting VOC gas emissions that are dangerous to health and the environment. The gases are usually organic solvents that occur as a by-p...
Emerson helps Tata Steel improve safety, emissions, and energy self-sufficiency
Tata Steel’s Port Talbot facility in Wales has upgraded control of its largest steam boiler using energy management technologies and services from Emerson Process Management. The new controls enable Tata to increase energy efficiency and maximise use of waste fuels, reducing emissions as well as reliance on purchased fuels. The Port Talbot facility is Britain’s largest integrated steel mill, maki ng over four and a half million tonnes per year of high-quality sheet steel for the automotive, cons...
Pollution could lead to cognitive decline
A recent study has revealed that long term exposure to air pollution could lead to cognitive decline in older adults. The study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, accompanies three other pollution-related tests recently conducted around the world that have linked exposure to pollution to health impacts. Two studies have linked pollution with cardiovascular risks, with PM 2.5 particles indicated to be the most detrimental in all the studies. Higher exposure to both PM 2.5 to 10 and PM...
Short-term air pollution expose 'can be harmful'
A new study by researchers in France has revealed that being exposed to air pollution for only a short time can increase the risk of cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack. The Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre compared the risk of suffering a heart attack at various levels of industrial and traffic-related air pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and very small soot-like particles. The researchers found that even small effects of pollution can add up, with small part...
Car pollution can 'increase the risk of a stroke' for pensioners
A new study has revealed that moderate levels of car pollution in the city can increase the risk of a stroke in pensioners by a third. The study, which has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the chances of women living in Boston, US, with an average age of 71 were 34 per cent more likely to have a stroke when pollution was 'moderate' than when it was 'good'. Lead author Gregory Wellenius of the Centre for Environmental Health and Technology at Brown University, wro...
New study reveals cost of pollution in China
A new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed that air pollution cost the Chinese economy $112 billion in 2005, compared with $22 billion in 1975. The study, by researchers at the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, takes into account costs associated with health impacts from ozone and particulate matter, which can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Researchers addressed the long term impacts as well as the immediate costs ai...
Smoky coal raising pollution level in Northern Ireland
The level of cancerous pollutants in the air over urban centres in Northern Ireland exceeds European targets, according to a report. The Department of the Environment said the pollutants are fuelled by households in Northern Ireland burning smoky coal. The report indicates that current levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) could lead to 12 cases of lung cancer in Northern Ireland over a 70-year period. PAHs are highly carcinogenic compounds, which most commonly arise as a result o...
Beijing takes action to cut pollution
China's capital Beijing has released plans to reduce air pollution levels by 15 per cent by 2015 and 30 per cent by 2020, according to state media. The plans will look to phase out old cars, relocate factories and plant new forests in an attempt to bring air levels down to a safer level. In recent months the smokestack emissions, vehicle exhausts, dust and aerosols have covered the city in a pungent cloud of smog which caused flight cancellations and forced many residents to stay in their homes....
Better computer models required to tackle pollution
University of Iowa engineering professor Gregory Carmichael has called for better computer models and increased research to tackle pollution, particularly in atmospheric brown cloud (ABC). The professor recently made the claims at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, where he said that scientific data on ABC pollution is lacking. Asia was put into the spotlight, with the professor claiming that pollutants from the region are getting i...
Tar sands to be labelled 'highly polluting'
Canada has threatened that European Union moves to label tar sands as 'highly polluting' could spark a trade war across the Atlantic, it has been reported by the Guardian. Canada fears that the EU plans would set a global precedent, making it difficult for the country to export its tar sands, which are the biggest fossil fuel reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia. However, environmental groups maintain that the 'oil sands' could be catastrophic for the global climate, and could have adverse e...
Space readings show 'worrying pollution levels in China'
Researchers from Yale and Columbia Universities, along with Battelle Memorial Institute, have used satellite readings to produce data on pollution levels in China. The satellite provided the first estimates of ground-level annual average concentrations of the pollutant PM 2.5 for all of China over the last decade. This news will be welcomed among environmental groups and environmental organisations, which have been pushing China to record levels of PM2.5 in cities, rather than the less harmful...
Bio-based contraption absorbs harmful air pollutants
Graduates of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in India have created a device that promises to reduce air pollution at traffic signals. Shailee Jain and Palvi Raikar’s device MossThatch has been showcased at the Car Cycle and Bike Expo, and has been found to efficiently absorb harmful air pollutants such as heavy metals and remove oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The device has both absorption and adsorption features, which facilitate physical and biochemical absorption. Jain sai...
UK MP snuffs EU regulation as 'too costly'
The UK's environment secretary Caroline Spelman has admitted that the costs of meeting EU pollution targets may not match the benefits, after a key report on air pollution by a committee of MPs was deemed too costly. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) responded to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) saying: "The government … supports further EU ambitions to reduce health and environmental impacts of air pollution … However, there was never an intention for any of...
Time for a ‘Plan B’ on Climate Change, Say Leading Environmental Economists
Governments have done so little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they should consider investing into the Rand D of large scale geo-engineering projects and their governance, according to 26 of the world’s leading environmental economists. Examples could include firing sulphates into the atmosphere, Iron fertilisation of the oceans or oceanic ‘heat pipes’. A ten point consensus, published this month in a book edited by two top environmental economists at The University of Manchester, argues th...
Shanghai to invest $1.6 billion to tackle air pollution
Shanghai, China's most populated city, is to spend 10.3 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) on reducing air pollution in the city, according to local environmental protection authorities. This is a 40 per cent increase on the amount spent over the last three years combined, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection said in a statement. The city will also adopt the new PM2.5 air quality standard in June, which is a welcomed introduction after recent pressure over the less accurate PM10 s...
Chinese authorities combat air quality issues
The Chinese government has announced that it will combat air quality problems by setting tougher rules on air monitoring of PM2.5. The move has come in response to online environmental activists, which is surprising given China's strict control of the internet. The environmental legislation rules were agreed at an executive meeting of the state council presided over by the premier, Wen Jiabao. News on China's pollution problems have been rife of late, and a new report released by the Washingto...
UK air quality debate intensifies
A new report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) which accused the British government of failing to adequately tackle air pollution has been dismissed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), sparking a big row over EU commitments. The row broke out between environment secretary Caroline Spelman and the chairwoman of EA Joan Walley MP, after the government refused to accept a report accusing Defra of failing to adequately tackle air pollution. Defra formally dis...
The Swing Check Valve
Val-Matic Valve & Mfg. (USA) has introduced the AWWA Swing Check Valve. The Swing Check Valve incorporates many features and characteristics that will provide energy savings, ease of maintenance and extended valve life for municipal and industrial water and wastewater applications. The Swing Check Valve features a 100% unrestricted flow area, a full-access domed cover for easy maintenance, heavy duty stainless steel shafts and replaceable body seats, replaceable resilient seats with integral O-r...
Air Pollution Control Available in any Colour You Like…..as Long as it’s Green
Unlike the Model T Ford, which Henry Ford famously said was, ‘available in any colour so long as it is black’, environmental equipment from Spooner Anguil (UK) really is available in a variety of different colours. Whether to blend with surroundings, meet a corporate colour or simply to be in vogue, the only essential requirement of any environmental installation is that it must be ‘green’. Yorkshire based specialist paper makers, Weidmann Whiteley used to ship their paper to the USA to be print...
State Secretary Atsma Inaugurates World-Scale Hydrogen Plant in Rotterdam Botlek
Air Products (Netherlands) and ExxonMobil celebrated the start-up of a new world-scale hydrogen production plant in Rotterdam. Joop Atsma, State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment, Mayor Aboutaleb of Rotterdam and Hans Smits, CEO Port of Rotterdam, participated in the official ceremony. Integrating ExxonMobil’s refinery with Air Products new hydrogen plant will lead to a 15% improvement in energy efficiency and reduce related CO2 emissions by 200.000 tons per year. The Air Product...
UK suffering from eastern Europe pollution
Recent air monitoring records have shown that polluted air spread eastwards across the UK at the end of January, and stayed for the first half of February, according to the Guardian. Poor domestic air quality was also exacerbated by cold, frosty nights, which allowed traffic pollution to build up in our cities, spreading out from roads to residential areas. This led to a densely polluted month for major cities, with London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow bearing the brunt, as well as coastal town...
US environmental figures show decrease in CO2 emissions
The annual air monitoring report from the US Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that fuel efficiency in new cars and light duty trucks has increased, which complemented decreasing figures in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This decrease is the seventh annual reduction to be reported in the annual report Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2011. Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, sai...
Hong Kong begin monitoring PM2.5
The Hong Kong government has bowed to environmentalist pressure for greater transparency on air quality as it prepares to start releasing hourly reading of PM2.5. The Environmental Protection Department has started to release real time updates of fine suspended particulates on its website, as measured at 14 locations around the southern trade hub. A spokesman said that the department had been monitoring the particles since 1999, but the results have not being publically released until this week...
China removes air quality figures within a week
Shanghai's air quality watchdog removed the data from its website at noon yesterday, only days after it began reporting the amount of PM2.5 particles in the air on Monday. Air monitoring systems for PM2.5 particles were placed in the Shanghai districts of Putuo District and the Pudong New Area, both of which failed to meet the new standard. Some readings were more than two and a half times higher than the country's target. Fu Qingyan, chief engineer at the center, said that the release of PM2....
Odour Control Project in Qatar
BioAir Solutions (USA), provider of biological odour and emission control solutions, has been selected by Ashghal—the government agency that controls the sewerage network servicing Doha, Qatar—to install a demonstration unit of the company’s innovative new technology for wastewater treatment plant and pumping stations. Ashghal is responsible for operating more than 150 pumping stations that handle the transport of sewage to the city’s wastewater treatment facilities in the capital city of Doha....
Cape Grim station hailed 'world leader' for air monitoring
The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station snuggled into Tasmania's northwestern tip in Australia has been hailed as being a 'world leading' air monitoring facility by the Bureau of Meteorology. The location of the pollution station and its access to constant wind makes it a perfect spot for researchers to observe and analyse air quality in the region. The site was first set up by a band of young CSIRO scientists who set up a caravan full of instruments there in 1976. Since then, it has becom...
Commercialisation of the Arctic posing significant climate change challenge
The increasing commercialisation of the Arctic is posing significant risks to climate change, with more trade opportunities rising as the frozen planet begins to melt. The Guardian has recently reported that there are two main areas of commercialisation, the first of which is transport. Making a sea journey from Western Europe to China and the Far East is currently a 15 day trip through the Suez Canal, which is faced with dangers along the way such as pirates operating off the Horn of Africa. Th...
Air quality 'unsafe' in industrial Sheffield
Air quality in some Sheffield neighbourhoods has been found to be more than six times over the world-recommended safe limit, it has been reported by the Star. Air pollution has been monitored in locations around the industrial city, finding that pollution levels reached 125 on the edge of the city centre, which is over six times the recommended 20 set by the World Health Organization. Much of the pollution is visible in the area, with a haze hanging over the city in calm, still air. This is pr...