Our air monitoring is focused on volatile organic compound (VOC) and NOx and SOx emissions.
Volatile organic compounds (VOC)
VOC emissions may lead to local low level ozone creation, smog formation and associated health problems for people in surrounding areas.
All our businesses will continue to manage VOC emissions from sites in line with regional legal requirements. In future, VOC ambitions will be set at business level, but monitored at company level. The VOC reduction focus for our paints and coatings businesses is increasingly concentrating on low/zero VOC product design, rather than controlling VOCs in our operations. Reducing VOC emissions from our sites remains part of the scope of our OEE program, while our Research, Development and Innovation groups are working on projects to reduce the solvent content of our products – the zero VOC challenge. (See “VOC in products”).
Volatile organic compounds in kilotons
VOC emissions per ton of production were down 14 percent to 0.19 kg/ton (2010: 0.22 kg/ton), mainly due to a detailed investigation of the emission sources at the largest sites. Total VOC emissions were down 16 percent to 3.6 kilotons (2010: 4.3 kilotons).
NOx and SOx
NOx and SOx emissions contribute to acidification. In 2009, we strengthened our NOx and SOx reporting to include the contribution from fuel burned across our operations.
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NOx and SOx emissions | ||||||||||||
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in kilotons |
20081 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 | ||||||||
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NOx |
1.1 |
2.1 |
2.0 |
2.0 | ||||||||
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NOx kg/ton |
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0.12 |
0.10 |
0.11 | ||||||||
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SOx |
4.8 |
6.2 |
7.1 |
7.7 | ||||||||
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SOx kg/ton |
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0.37 |
0.36 |
0.41 | ||||||||
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SOx emissions (from process emissions and energy) per ton of production were up 14 percent to 0.41 kg/ton of production (2010: 0.36 kg/ton). Absolute emissions were up 8 percent at 7.7 kilotons (2010: 7.1 kilotons). Although the emissions per ton for the three sulfur derivatives plants in Germany, the US and Argentina were stable, the increase from our Pakistan operations continues as a result of scarcity of natural gas, leading to higher oil consumption for power generation
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NOx emissions from our sites per ton of production were up 10 percent at 0.11 kg/ton (2010: 0.10 kg/ton). Total emissions were stable at 2.0 kilotons (2010: 2.0 kilotons)
Ozone depleting substances
Emissions of ozone depleting substances are mainly due to fugitive emissions of Freon 22 in closed air conditioning and cooling units. These units are continuously being replaced.
