On the source inversion of fugitive surface layer releases. Part II. Complex sources

The experimental measurement of fugitive emissions of particulate matter entails inherent complexity because they are usually discontinuous, of short duration, may be mobile, and are affected by weather conditions. Owing to this complexity, instead of experimental measurements, emission factors are used to inventory such emissions. Unfortunately, emission factor datasets are still very limited at present and are insufficient to identify problematic operations and appropriately select control measures. To extend these datasets, a source inversion methodology (described in Part I of this work) was applied to field campaigns in which operation-specific fugitive particulate matter emission factors were determined for several complex fugitive sources, some of which were mobile. Mobile sources were treated as a superposition of instantaneous sources. The experimental campaigns were conducted at ports (bulk solids terminals), aggregate quarries, and cement factories, encompassing powder handling operations and vehicle circulation on paved and unpaved roads. Emission factors were derived for the operations and materials involved in these scenarios and compared with those available in the emission factor compilations. Significant differences were observed between the emission factors obtained in the studied handling operations. These differences call into question the use of generic emission factors and highlight the need for more detailed studies in this field

Environmental profile of Spanish porcelain stoneware tiles

Purpose Porcelain stoneware tile (PST) iscurrently the ceram- ic tile of greatest commercial and innovation interest. An envi- ronmental life cycle assessment of different varieties of PST was undertaken to enable hotspots to be identified, strategies tobedefined,differencesbetweenPSTvarietiestobeevaluated andguidanceforPSTmanufacturerstobeprovidedinchoosing the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) programme that best suited their needs according to grouping criteria. Methods Analysis of previous information allowed three main parameters (thickness, glaze content and mechanical treatment) to be identified in order to encompass all PST var- iations. Fifteen varieties of PST were thus studied. The cover- age of 1 m 2 of household floor surface with the different PST varieties for 50 years was defined as functional unit. The study sets out environmental data whose traceability was verified by independent third parties for obtaining 14 EPDs of PST under Spanish EPD programmes. Results and discussion The study presents PST inventory anal- ysis and environmental impact over the entire life cycle of the studied PST varieties. The natural gas consumed in the manufacturing stage accounted for more than 70% abiotic deple- tion – fossil fuels and global warming; electricity consumption accounted for more than 60% ozo ne layer depletion, while the electricity generated by the cogeneration systems avoided signif- icant environmental impacts in the Spanish power grid mix. The variationsinPSTthickness,amountofglazeandmechanicaltreat- ments were evaluated. The PST variety with the lowest environ- mentalimpactwastheonewiththelowestthickness,wasunglazed and had no mechanical treatments. Similarly, the PST variety with the highest environmental impact was the one with the greatest thickness, was glazed and had been mechanically treated. Conclusions The PST life cycle stage with the highest envi- ronmental impact was the manufacturing stage. The main hotspots found were production and consumption of energy and raw materials extraction. Variation in thickness was a key factor that proportionally influenced almost all studied impact categories; the quantity of glaze strongly modified abiotic de- pletion – elements and eutrophication, while the mechanical treatments contributed mainly to ozone depletion. The study of all PST varieties led to the important conclusion, against the current trend, that differences among them were found to be so significant that declaring a number of PSTs within the same EPD is not directly possible, and it needs preliminary verifi- cation to ensure compliance with the product category rule

Depuración de emisiones ácidas en un horno de ladrillos que usa coque de petróleo como combustible

En el trabajo que se presenta se ha estudiado un sistema de depuración de emisiones gaseosas de compuestos ácidos basado en el uso de hidróxido cálcico como reactante y filtros de mangas como sistema separador gas-sólido. Concretamente, el sistema se ha instalado en la empresa Herederos de Márquez Villar, S. L., dedicada a la fabricación de ladrillos cerámicos. El horno estudiado utiliza como combustible gas natural (precalentamiento) y coque de petróleo micronizado (en las zonas de mayor temperatura). Operando en esas condiciones, aparte del material articulado, el contaminante más crítico para cumplir los requisitos medioambientales impuestos a la empresa en su Autorización Ambiental Integrada son los óxidos de azufre (SOx). La aplicación de estos sistemas de depuración basados en el uso de hidróxido de calcio y filtros de mangas es muy común para la depuración de compuestos ácidos (HF, HCl y SOx). En el caso de los compuestos de flúor, suelen presentar elevados rendimientos (>90%), pero según la bibliografía [1] presenta un rendimiento menor y muy variable en la depuración de compuestos de azufre (7-80%), por lo que el diseño del sistema debe realizarse de forma más detallada para obtener rendimientos adecuados que permitan cumplir las especificaciones impuestas por la normativa medioambiental. El trabajo que se presenta es fruto de la colaboración de la empresa Márquez, en cuyas instalaciones de Bailén se ha realizado el estudio; de la empresa Talleres Movigi, S.L., que ha desarrollado las actividades de diseño y construcción del sistema de depuración, y del Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica, que ha realizado la caracterización de las emisiones gaseosas y del material residual recogido en los filtros de mangas,y también ha participado en el diseño y definición de los parámetros de operación del sistema de filtración estudiadoThis work studies a system of purification of gaseous emissions of acid compounds based on the use of calcium hydroxide as a reactant and bag filters as a gas-solid separator system. Specifically, the system has been installed in the company Herederos de Márquez Villar, S.L., dedicated to the manufacture of ceramic bricks. The kiln studied uses natural gas as a fuel (preheating) and micronized petroleum coke (in the areas of highest temperature). When operating in these conditions, apart from the particulate material, the most critical pollutant to meet the environmental requirements imposed on the company in its Integrated Environmental Authorization are sulphur oxides (SOx). The application of these purification systems based on the use of calcium hydroxide and bag filters is very common for the purification of acid compounds (HF, HCl and SOx). In the case of fluorine compounds, they typically have high outputs (> 90%) but, according to literature [1], they present a lower and highly variable output in the purification of sulphur compounds (7-80%). For this reason, the design of the system must be performed on a more detailed way to achieve more appropriate outputs that comply with the specifications imposed by environmental regulations. The work presented is a collaboration of the company above mentioned, in whose facilities in Bailén the study has been carried out; the company Talleres Movigi, S.L., which has developed the activities of design and construction of the purification system, and the Institute of Ceramic Technology, which has developed the characterization of gaseous emissions and the residual material collected in the bag filters, and has also participated in the design and definition of the operating parameters of the filtration system studie

Environmental development of the Spanish ceramic tile manufacturing sector over the period 1992–2007

The Spanish tile manufacturing sector has grown steadily over the years covered by the three benchmark studies, carried out in 1992, 2001, and 2007, from which data are compared in this paper. In that period, production output doubled, although since the last study was published, the situation has undergone a radical change and current production output stands at a level similar to that of 1995. Nevertheless, despite the world economic crisis, which has also severely impacted the ceramic wall and floor tile sector, it is worth noting that the sector’s environmental parameters have demonstrated a constant and positive trend, both in companies’ individual environmental performance and in the actual manufacturing processes itself. To a large extent, this situation was forced upon the sector as it had to adapt to numerous environmental regulations, which in general terms call for harsher and more stringent conditions than before. In this sense, the adoption of IPPC regulations, which affect practically the entire ceramic tile sector, and the approval of EU Directive 2003/87 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading were significant factor

Strategic environmental communication tools

Ponència presentada a QUALICER'14, XIII Congreso Mundial de la Calidad del Azulejo y del Pavimento Cerámico, celebrat a Castelló, 17-18 febrer 2014The Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), pursuing its programme of actions aimed at transferring knowledge to the ceramic industry, presents the following work to facilitate the entry of ceramic coverings to markets demanding sustainable or green products and to national and international sustainable building certification programmes. At present, for the industry in general and for the ceramic industry in particular, companies seeking to respond to green market demands face serious difficulties owing to the vast number of existing certificates, ecolabellings, and eco-features, which adversely affect the decision-taking process in this sense. In this context, ITC has focused on developing, adapting, and fine-tuning a series of the most demanded eco-features, currently deemed the most complete for ceramic coverings

Estimación de la huella hídrica de baldosas de gres porcelánico esmaltado

Resumen de la Presentació oral presentada al LIII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio (SECV) y XII Congreso del Técnico Cerámico (ATC), celebrat a l'Escola Española de Cerámica y Vidrio, Alcora (Castellón) del 23 al 25 d'octubre de 2013.En este trabajo se presenta un primer estudio de la estimación de la huella hídrica de las baldosas de gres porcelánico esmaltado, realizado a partir de datos sectoriales, es decir, no es un estudio específico de ninguna empresa en particular y con el soporte de bases de datos de ACV (concretamente PE International, ILCD)

Effects of water and CMA in mitigating industrial road dust resuspension

Water spraying and/or chemical suppressants such as salts and polymers have been suggested to reduce road dust resuspension due to their capability to increase adhesion, and therefore the effective size and weight of particles, but contrasting results have been obtained so further testing are needed. This study presents the first results of street washing and Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) efficiencies at two industrial roads (paved and unpaved) in the Mediterranean region where the high solar radiation, warm climate, and scarce precipitation, may play a key role in determining the efficiency of mitigation techniques Results show that, at both sites, street washing (water only) was more effective than CMA. Street washing made observe 18% (daily basis) and >90% (first hour) reductions of kerbside PM10 concentrations for the paved and unpaved road respectively, while with CMA PM10 decrease was generally lower and with less statistical significance.his work was funded by AIRUSE LIFE+ ENV/ES/584 project. The study was also partially funded by Spanish Ministry of Environment through the Fundación Biodiversidad, with project acronym EMIDIF. The logistic support from the City Hall of L'Alcora, and the Cantera La Torreta (grupo ORIGEN MATERIALES) company is also acknoweldged. Fulvio Amato is beneficiary of the Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral grant (JCI-2012-13473). Support is acknowledged to Generalitat de Catalunya 2014 SGR33 and to AXA Research Fund

Air quality comparison between two European ceramic tile clusters

The European ceramic tile industry is mostly concentrated in two clusters, one in Castelló (Spain) and another one in Modena (Italy). Industrial clusters may have problems to accomplish the EU air quality regulations because of the concentration of some specific pollutants and, hence, the feasibility of the industrial clusters can be jeopardised. The present work assesses the air quality in these ceramic clusters in 2008, when the new EU emission regulations where put into force. PM10 samples were collected at two sampling sites in the Modena ceramic cluster and one sampling site in the Castelló ceramic cluster. PM10 annual average concentrations were 12–14 μg m−3 higher in Modena than in Castelló, and were close to or exceeded the European limit. Air quality in Modena was mainly influenced by road traffic and, in a lower degree, the metalmechanical industry, as evidenced by the high concentrations of Mn, Cu, Zn, Sn and Sb registered. The stagnant weather conditions from Modena hindering dispersion of pollutants also contributed to the relatively high pollution levels. In Castelló, the influence of the ceramic industry is evidenced by the high concentrations of Ti, Se, Tl and Pb, whereas this influence is not seen in Modena. The difference in the impact of the ceramic industry on the air quality in the two areas was attributed to: better abatement systems in the spray-drier facilities in Modena, higher coverage of the areas for storage and handling of dusty raw materials in Modena, presence of two open air quarries in the Castelló region, low degree of abatement systems in the ceramic tile kilns in Castelló, and abundance of ceramic frit, glaze and pigment manufacture in Castelló as opposed to scarce manufacture of these products in Modena. The necessity of additional measures to fulfil the EU air quality requirements in the Modena region is evidenced, despite the high degree of environmental measures implemented in the ceramic industry. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified four factors in Modena, attributed to: road traffic + metalmechanical industry, mineral, ceramic, and background; and three factors in Castelló, attributed to: mineral, ceramic (with influence of road traffic) and regional background. The additional measures to improve the air quality should be focused mainly on road traffic in Modena, and on the ceramic industry in Castelló

Impactos ambientales del ciclo de vida de las baldosas cerámicas: análisis sectorial, identificación de estrategias de mejora y comunicación (I)

El artículo analiza el impacto ambiental que generan las baldosas cerámicas mediante el Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (AC) a nivel sectorial en el que participaron más de 50 empresas españolas. Los resultados han servido para la redacción de las Reglas de Categoría de Producto (RCP) para los recubrimientos de materiales cerámicos, necesarias para la edición de Declaraciones Ambientales de Producto. (Debido a la extensión del artículo recogeremos en esta edición la primera parte, correspondiente a la definición de objetivos y alcance del estudio y el análisis del inventario. La segunda parte, que consta de la evaluación de impactos e interpretación, la identificación de estrategias de mejora, la comunicación ambiental y las conclusiones se publicarán en el número 236 de Piscinas XXI).The article analyses the environmental impact of ceramic tiles by means of a sector-level Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) involving over 50 Spanish firms. The findings were then used to draw up the Product Category Rules (PCR) for ceramic coverings, which are needed to be able to issue Environmental Product Declarations. (Due to the length of the paper, in this edition we will include only the first part, which covers the definition of the aims and scope of the study, as well as the inventory analysis. The second part, which comprises the evaluation of the impacts and interpretation, the identification of the improvement strategies, environmental communication and the conclusions, will be published in issue 236 of Piscinas XXI.

On the source inversion of fugitive surface layer releases. Part I. Model formulation and application to simple sources

Source inversion by dispersion modelling of fugitive particulate matter (PM) emissions entails considerable difficulty. Fugitive PM sources are rarely steady or point sources. They occur near the ground, where there are high vertical gradients of wind velocity and potential temperature. To resolve the source from the background concentrations, measurements need to be conducted very close to the source. In this study, a dispersion model was developed that consists of numerically solving the pollutant transport equation, while incorporating the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory. By using this numerical approach, in contrast to Gaussian dispersion models, wind shear effects and plume meandering were accounted for directly. A series of controlled experiments were conducted, in which the fugitive PM sources were parameterized as much as possible. The developed model was used to obtain operation-specific PM10 emission factors (EFs). This is the first of two articles describing the model and the field campaigns in which it was applied to determine the EFs. Part I describes the mathematical model and its application to two relatively simple sources.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the Spanish National Plan for R&D&I (2008–2011), by funding project CGL2009-14680-C02-01