Compliance of Italy with the POPs Protocol
Following the decision 2011/6 of the Executive Body of the Convention on Long Range
Transboudary Air Pollution, that requests Italy to submit information concerning the status and
details of its work to improve the emission inventory of POPs in question and any recalculated
emission data, Italy has the pleasure to transmit to the Implementation Committee, through the
Secretariat, more recent data on emission inventory for those POPs. Such information seem to
show, on the basis of the present available data which are however affected by a lot of uncertainty,
an increasing with respect to 1990 data for the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH). Although these data are recently updated and they have to be considered at the moment as
the best estimates available on the basis of the present status of the knowledge, have to be said also
that these data have to be still considered in any case as provisional. In fact, the inventory of PAH is
under revision waiting for incorporating the results of a survey on wood consumption and
combustion technologies and the results of a research study that should provide emission factors for
different small combustion technologies and different kind of biomass used in non-industrial
combustion plants based on an intensive measurement survey. Both the studies are under
conclusion. The results will be published soon, and we planned to incorporate them into the next
submission. Moreover, an updating of the EMEP/EEA Guidebook is waited following the decision
2011/13 of the Executive Body, and this fact should lead to a further improvement of the PAHs
emission inventory. As regard the emissions of hexaclorobenzene (HCB), such emissions have been
recently recalculated, and they show a reduction with respect to 1990 data.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
The national atmospheric emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons show an increasing trend
between 1990 and 2010, from 99 Mg to 153 Mg. Figure 1.1 and Table 1.1 illustrate the emission
trend from 1990 to 2010. Figure 1.1 also illustrates the share of PAH emissions by category in 1990
and 2010 as well as the total and sectoral variation from 1990 to 2010.
other
6C
2
1A4
1A3
1A1
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Share 1990
3.0 9.2
21.5
2.0
19.3
1A 1
1A 3
1A 4
2
6C
other
1.3
19.9
21.8
45.0
1A 1
1A 3
1 A 4other
2
6C
2
other
Share 2010
3.7
1.8
51.4
Total
6C
1A4
1A3
1A1
-50
0
50
100
150
Figure 1.1 PAH emission trend, percentage share by sector and variation 1990-2010
200
250
300
1990
1995
2000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Mg
Combustion in energy and
transformation industries
9
8
7
6
7
7
6
4
6
Non-industrial combustion
plants
19
25
32
47
51
66
69
75
78
Combustion - industry
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
Production processes
44
44
42
44
45
43
41
23
33
Road transport
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
Other mobile sources and
machinery
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Waste treatment and
disposal
21
31
30
34
33
31
32
33
30
Total
99
113
115
136
140
152
153
139
153
Table 1.1 PAH emission trend from 1990 to 2010 (Mg)
Between 1990 and 2010, total emissions show a growth of about 54%. Among the most significant
changes, emissions from non industrial combustion plants - residential plants account for 48% of
the total and show a strong increase (about 297%) due to the increase in wood consumption for
heating; emissions from production processes - processes in iron and steel industries and collieries
account for 22% of the total and show a decrease of 25%; emissions from waste treatment and
disposal - open burning of agricultural wastes, except stubble burning, accounting for 20% of the
total, show an increase of 43%. Emissions from combustion in iron and steel integrated plants
account for 4% of the total and show a decrease of 35%. Emissions from plants in agriculture,
forestry and aquaculture, accounting for 2% in 2010, show a large growth from 2000 onwards, due
to the use of biomass in plants. The share of other sub sectors is less than 1.5%.
Therefore, the two major sources of PAH emissions, in the Italian inventory, are biomass
combustion considered in “non-industrial combustion plant” and iron and steel production
considered in “industrial processes”, while different and particular consideration have to be done on
the present emission data coming from the third important source of PAH emission, that is the open
burning of agricultural waste in “waste treatment and disposal”. In fact, these data are presently
largely uncertain. The usage to burn on field the agricultural waste was widely diffuse, particularly
in the past and in the South of Italy, but presently a lot of local authorities, particularly in the North
and in the Centre of Italy, have banned the open burning of agricultural waste. So it is highly
probable that a large amount of these waste resulting from the official statistics is actually burned
elsewhere (e.g. into the domestic plants). In any case, these removable wastes are assumed to be all
burned in open air (e.g. on field) or in fireplaces without abatement technology control, but the final
judgment on where these waste are burned could influence also the emission, due to the consequent
choice of the emission factor to be used (presently, for this sector, we use in the inventory the
emission factor of 8.58 g/t coming from TNO, 1995). Studies and analysis on this issue are in
progress, and the results will be incorporated in future updating of the inventory.
Regarding the iron and steel production, estimated emissions derive from pig iron tapping; the
relevant emission factor, drawn from the Guidebook EMEP/EEA 2007, is equal to 3.45 g/Mg of pig
iron and used for the whole time series. As for other iron and steel activities, a series of technical
meetings with the most important Italian manufacturers was held in the framework of E-PRTR in
order to clarify methodologies for estimating the four PAH considered in the protocol. The analysis
of data supplied by Industry is still ongoing and improvements in emission estimates are expected
for the next years.
Regarding non industrial combustion plant, emission factors for the combustion of biomass have
been updated in the 2011 submission in consideration of the figures published in the Guidebook
EMEP/EEA 2009 and the technologies used to burn fire wood. The detail of the emission factors
used has been reported in the submission to the Implementation Committee of the last year. This
update of EFs leaded to a recalculation of total PAH emissions with a reduction equal to 4% in 1990
and 16% in 2008. The increase of biomass combustion for heat and power generation including
burning of pruning has largely increased in the whole time series and contributed to the increase of
emissions for this category. Furthermore, at national level, this biomass use is also promoted
through an incentive mechanism named “Green Certificates” in the framework of the current
national climate policy. Therefore, the biomass combustion is increasing and is forecasted to further
increase in the future.
As just said into the introduction, further investigations in the key sectors are on going, with
particular reference to the biomass use in the non-industrial combustion, and the results of such
investigation will be incorporated into the emission inventory as soon as possible. A comprehensive
study, aimed at assessing the state of art for PAH emission data, taking into account the measures
already implemented to improve air quality, as well as the increase of the energy efficiency, is
under elaboration. More updated data on wood consumption and combustion technologies are
waited from a survey on going. An intensive measurement field which calculated emissions in
different small combustion technologies and from different kind of biomass should help us to better
identify emission factors more suitable to the real emissions in Italian non-industrial combustion
plants. In particular, the aim of this last study is to adjust the PAH emission factors with respect to
different combustion plants burning biomass. Moreover, improvement in the PAH emission
inventory is also waited from the follow up of decision 2011/13 of the Executive Body asking an
updating of the EMEP/EEA Guidebook, and this one should lead towards a further improvement of
the quality of the emission inventory of PAH.
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
The national atmospheric emissions of hexaclorobenzene show a decresing trend in the period
1990-2010, varying from 43 kg to 23 kg due to the decrease of the use of pesticide in agriculture.
Figure 1.3 and Table 1.3 illustrate the emission trend from 1990 to 2010. Figure 1.3 also illustrates
the share of HCB emissions by category in 1990 and 2010 as well as the total and sectoral variation
from 1990 to 2010.
45
4G
6C
1A 2
1A 1
1A 4
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
1A 1
Share 1990
0.6 11.3
3.0
Share 2010
1A 2
2.3
1A 1
2.0
1A 2
14.5
1A 4
1A 4
6C
6C
54.9
4G
30.1
Total
4G
6C
1A4
4G
48.0
1A2
1A1
33.1
-120
-70
-20
30
80
130
180
230
Figure 1.3 HCB emission trend, percentage share by sector and variation 1990-2010
280
330
380
430
480
1990
1995
2000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Mg
Combustion in energy and
transformation industries
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.001
0.001
0.000
Non-industrial combustion
plants
0.001
0.002
0.006
0.006
0.006
0.006
0.006
0.007
0.008
Combustion - industry
0.005
0.005
0.004
0.004
0.004
0.004
0.004
0.002
0.003
Agriculture
0.023
0.016
0.005
0.002
0.003
0.002
0.003
0.001
0.001
Waste treatment and disposal
0.013
0.014
0.010
0.008
0.014
0.014
0.013
0.013
0.011
Total
0.043
0.038
0.024
0.021
0.027
0.026
0.026
0.023
0.023
Table 1.3 HCB emission trend from 1990 to 2010 (Mg)
The sector contributing most to the general trend is waste treatment and disposal, waste incineration
(48% of the total), with exception of the years 2001-2003 where peaks are observed because of the
relevant weight of the commercial sector (i.e. sludge incineration with energy recovery) in these
years. In particular, the considerable increase of the amount sludge burnt at a specific incinerator is
the reason of the peaks observed. The other two relevant sectors are non industrial combustion
plants and combustion in industry, accounting for 33% and 15%, respectively; emissions from non
industrial combustion plants show a significant increase between 1990 and 2010 (487%) while a
decrease of 31% has to be noted for emissions from combustion in industry. The use of pesticide in
agriculture category is the main driver for the decreasing trend of the HCB national emissions.
For this category HCB emissions from the use of pesticides have been estimated. The category is
key category at level assessment in 1990. HCB emissions result from the use of HCB as pesticide
but also by the use of other pesticides which contain HCB as an impurity. The lack of data on the
use of HCB as a pesticide did not allow the first type of estimate but it was possible to estimate
emissions from pesticides where HCB is found as an impurity and with available data: lindane,
DCPA, clorotalonil and Picloram. On the basis of the amount of HCB contained in these pesticides
(lindane: 0.01%; DCPA: 0.1%; clorotalonil: 0.005%; Picloram: 0.005%) and applying the HCB
emission factor provided from the Guidebook EMEP/EEA, HCB emissions result in 23 kg for 1990
and 1 kg in 2010 for Italy. An international research work at European level (Berdowski et al.,
1997) estimated 400kg of HCB emissions from pesticide use for Italy in 1990 while in the last years
these emissions should be null. Moreover HCB emissions from road transport have been deleted
according to the EMEP/EEA Guidebook and to the information collected from the fuel producers. It
is worthwhile to point out that the HCB emission factor for diesel oil reported in the Guidebook are
based on the assumption that HCB is present in diesel oil as an additive. Nevertheless, it is
important to highlight that such an additive has never been used in Italy.