Agriculture and air pollution in Europe: Current and future stakes - Laurence ROUÏL Head of the " Environmental modelling and decision making " ...

Agriculture and air pollution in Europe: Current and
future stakes

Laurence ROUÏL
Head of the « Environmental modelling and decision making » department,
INERIS
Chair of the EMEP Steering Body
Laurence.rouil@ineris.fr

Air pollution : one of the highest environmental concern

                                                      Source: Special Eurobarometer 416 (2014)
                                                      Attitudes of European citizens towards
                                                      the environment

Air pollution : still 1st cause of premature deaths in Europe

•   August 2003: heat wave in Western Europe and ozone
    episode responsible for 30 000 premature death
•   APHEKOM (2011): 25 European cities (39 M inhabitants). PM2.5 concentrations
    exceeding WHO AQ guidelines would be responsible for 19 000 premature
    deaths each year.
•   IARC classified in 2013 air pollution and particulate matter as carcinogenic.
•   In 2013, WHO revised evidences of health aspects of air pollution in Europe
    within the review of the EU Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution (TSAP)
•   WHO in 2014, revised its estimation of the health burden :” almost 600 000
    deaths in Europe” (outdoor and indoor air pollution), and :
        Premature death in people with heart or lung disease,
        Nonfatal heart attacks,
        Irregular heartbeat,
        Aggravated asthma,
        Decreased lung function,
        Increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways,
          coughing or difficulty breathing

Particulate matter (PM) : a multi-factors and multiform issue

                                                                Dusts and
                                                                terrigenous
                                                                particles

                                                                     March 2014

                                                                 PM2.5

                                                                High resolution (7km)
                                                                CHIMERE runs
                                                                performed
                                                                by INERIS

PM status in Europe

 PM10 concentrations in Europe range from 5 (Scandinavia) to 55 (busy cities in
  southern Europe) mg/m3 (annual mean)
 PM2.5 concentrations in Europe range from 3 (Scandinavia) to 27 (Spain, Italy)
  mg/m3 (annual mean)
 Complex composition: Sulfates, nitrates, ammonium,
  mineral dusts, EC, organic compounds, heavy metals sea salt, water

                                                         2009
                                                         Daily limit value (PM10) : 50 µg m-3
                                                         Annual limit value (PM10): 40 µg m-3
                                                         Annual limit value (PM2.5): 25 µg m-3

In France the CARA network ….

                                Sites du programme CARA à fin 2014

Coordinated by the National
Reference Laboratory
(LCSQA)
and implemented by local
 AQ monitoring networks
 (AASQA)

                              PM10
                              filtres
                               24H
Provides data on the
chemical
                              ACSM
composition of PM during
episodes
                              AE33

Chemical caracterization of PM episodes

   Winter and spring typologies can be clearly qualified by the chemical composition:
   A French example (station in North-West region) that can be generalized to a large
   part of Europe

Ammonium nitrate formation

  Ammonium nitrate: NH4NO3 (fine particulates)
  NH3 + HNO3  NH4NO3

 Ammonia          Nitric acid

  Ammonia : More than 90% of ammonia emissions are issued from
   agricultural activities (manure, fertilizer spreading, livestock farming)
  Nitric acid : results from the oxidation of nitrogen oxides (more than 50% of
   NOx emissions are from road traffic, about 10-15% from soils )

  Meteorological conditions (sunshine) facilitates chemical processes involved
   and stable atmosphere increases concentrations
  Impact higher in the fertilizers spreading period
  Ammonia volatilization from soils because of quite high temperatures

Ammonia volatilization

   A real issue for farmers and professionals
   Depends on meteorological conditions (temperature) and the pH of
    soils

A typical spring PM episode in France (and Western Europe)

                                          4 ACSM sites in France (6 March to
                                                             25 March 2015

Understanding the impact of ammonia emissions (March 2014- France)

                                          Ammonium nitrate concentrations simulated by
                                          CHIMERE

Reducing ammonia and NOx emissions ….

      Ammonia emission reduction by 30% de NH3 (agriculture) versus reduction of NOX
          traffic by 30% . Impact on ammonium nitrate concentrations (CHIMERE)

    Over Paris area : concentrations decrease by about 5% for NOx
     emission reduction while impact is larger for NH3 emissions
     reduction by -30%
    Reduction larger in percentage in the southern part of France but
     lower concentrations

… in consistent control strategies

   But high non linear behavior
    driven by chemical regimes

   NH3 in excess in rural areas
    while NOx in excess in
    urban area

   The largest the reductions
    are the largest the impact is
    (large increase for emission
    reductions exceeding 20%)

Ammonia : a priority for future legislations ?

    From the EU Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution (2014) and the 2016 assessment
     report of the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution

The revised NEC Directive (2016/2284)

    Directive adopted on the 14 December 2016 which sets national emission ceilings
     for main air pollutants
    For ammonia, low level of ambition in 2020 (Gothenburg Protocole) that increase
     in 2030
    Annex 3 part 2 focuses on emission control measures for agriculture in
     compliance with the Directive on Industrial Emissions (2010/75/EU)

Control measures recommended in the European legislation

   According to the revised NEC Directive
                                                                                                NH3 emissions   # of farms
    MS will have to establish national                                                   100%
    nitrogen budgets, including
                                                                                         90%
    agriculture activities
                                                                                         80%

                                                  Share of all farms/total NH3 emitted
                                                                                         70%                                 Farm sizes:
   Reduce use of inorganic fertilizers    60%
                                                                                     >500 LSU
                                                                                     100-500
     (based on urea)                       50%                                       50-100

   Use low emissions storage systems      40%
                                                                                     15-50
                                                                                     1-15 LSU
    for manure (after 2022)                30%                                       0

   Covering stores for solid manure       20%

   Reducing emissions from animal         10%

     housing                                0%
                                               NH3 emissions in EU-28 Farms in EU-28
   Develop low proteins feeding
    strategies
   …
   UNECE Guidance document on preventing and abating ammonia emissions from
    agricultural sources
    https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/documents/2012/EB/ECE_EB.AIR_120_ENG.pdf

Ammonia and air pollution : not only in spring

PM episode : 20 – 23 January 2017… mainly driven by local sources
in the cities but significant contribution of ammonia emissions

                                                         ACSM
                                                         Measurements

Questions and conclusions

   Unexpected ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate concentrations
   Where does ammonia come from : manure storage ? Livestock farms? Fertilizers?
    Combustion processes (Selective Catalytic Reduction) in new engines?
   Urgent need to better know emissions and practices. Field campaigns should help
   Cooperation with agriculture community is essential, to develop implementation of
    best available technologies and control strategies consistent with other
    environment areas

Thank you for your attention !
     Laurence.rouil@ineris.fr

Principe de formation du nitrate d’ammonium

 1 molécule de nitrate + 1molécule d’ammoniac produit 1 molécule de nitrate d’ammonium

 Composition massique: 22% Ammoniac et 78% Nitrate (du fait de la différence des
  masses molaires)
 Implication sur les réductions d’émission:

    • A niveau de concentrations moléculaires voisins, réduire l’ammoniac est trois plus
      efficace que réduire les oxydes d’azote (à masses de réductions équivalentes)
    • Cette grande efficacité de réduction est contrebalancée par des régimes chimiques
      moins avantageux (excès d’ammoniac en général dans l’atmosphère) limitant ainsi le
      niveau de réduction
    • L’efficacité de réduction d’émission d’ammoniac s’accroit lorsque le niveau de
      réduction augmente (ammoniac de moins en moins en excès)

 Ammoniac le plus souvent en excès dans l’atmosphère en zones rurales
 Acide nitrique peut être en excès en zone urbaine
 Implication: impacts différents d’une réduction des oxydes d’azote et de l’ammoniac en
  fonction des lieux