Emissions

The document details the methodology for creating emissions inventories using top-down and bottom-up approaches, categorizes pollution sources into stationary, area, mobile, and natural, and evaluates various technical control devices and policy strategies to reduce air pollution in urban Asian environments.

• Emissions inventories are essential for air quality management (AQM) as they identify key sources, provide data for dispersion modelling, and help policy makers set reduction objectives. In Asia, Africa, and Latin America, high-quality routine reporting is often absent or unreliable, which hinders the development of strategic plans to monitor and reduce pollution.
• Emissions inventories can be developed using two primary methods: a top-down approach, which uses national or regional estimates allocated by surrogate parameters like population or energy use, and a bottom-up approach, which collects source-specific data on individual processes and activities to produce more accurate estimates.
• Pollution sources are classified into four main categories: stationary (point) sources like industrial sites; area (non-point) sources such as domestic heating and waste deposits; mobile (line) sources including on-road and off-road vehicles; and biogenic (natural) sources such as volcanoes and forest fires.
• The document identifies several international computer programs for compiling inventories, including the EU's EMEP/CORINAIR, the USEPA's Air CHIEF, and the WHO's Rapid Inventory Assessment Technique (RIAS). RIAS is specifically highlighted as a cost-effective tool for countries with limited resources to obtain initial decision support.
• Particulate matter (PM) can be controlled using various devices based on the particle size and properties: inertial separators (settling and baffle collectors) for large particles, cyclones for centrifugal separation, wet scrubbers for liquid-based removal, fabric filters (bag houses) for high efficiency, and electrostatic precipitators for electrical charging and collection.
• Gaseous emissions are managed through processes such as combustion (direct flame, thermal, and catalytic incineration), absorption (gas scrubbing), adsorption (using solid surfaces like activated charcoal), condensation, biofiltration for VOCs and odors, and flaring for hydrocarbon waste in the petroleum industry.
• Reducing emissions from mobile sources requires a four-pronged approach: implementing strict emission standards and vehicle technology (e.g., catalytic converters), using cleaner fuels (e.g., phasing out lead and reducing sulphur), establishing inspection and maintenance (I&M) programs to prevent tampering, and utilizing transportation planning and demand management.

APA

Haq, G., & Schwela, D. (2008). Emissions. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module2-%20EMISSIONS-AirQualityManagement.pdf

Chicago

Haq, Gary, and Dieter Schwela. Emissions. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2008. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module2-%20EMISSIONS-AirQualityManagement.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haq |first1=Gary |last2=Schwela |first2=Dieter |title=Emissions |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2008 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module2-%20EMISSIONS-AirQualityManagement.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{haq2008emissions, author = {Haq, Gary and Schwela, Dieter}, title = {{Emissions}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module2-%20EMISSIONS-AirQualityManagement.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }