1
|
Pitt JR, Lopez-Coto I, Karion A, Hajny KD, Tomlin J, Kaeser R, Jayarathne T, Stirm BH, Floerchinger CR, Loughner CP, Commane R, Gately CK, Hutyra LR, Gurney KR, Roest GS, Liang J, Gourdji S, Mueller KL, Whetstone JR, Shepson PB. Underestimation of Thermogenic Methane Emissions in New York City. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:9147-9157. [PMID: 38743431 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that methane emissions are underestimated by inventories in many US urban areas. This has important implications for climate change mitigation policy at the city, state, and national levels. Uncertainty in both the spatial distribution and sectoral allocation of urban emissions can limit the ability of policy makers to develop appropriately focused emission reduction strategies. Top-down emission estimates based on atmospheric greenhouse gas measurements can help to improve inventories and inform policy decisions. This study presents a new high-resolution (0.02 × 0.02°) methane emission inventory for New York City and its surrounding area, constructed using the latest activity data, emission factors, and spatial proxies. The new high-resolution inventory estimates of methane emissions for the New York-Newark urban area are 1.3 times larger than those for the gridded Environmental Protection Agency inventory. We used aircraft mole fraction measurements from nine research flights to optimize the high-resolution inventory emissions within a Bayesian inversion. These sectorally optimized emissions show that the high-resolution inventory still significantly underestimates methane emissions within the New York-Newark urban area, primarily because it underestimates emissions from thermogenic sources (by a factor of 2.3). This suggests that there remains a gap in our process-based understanding of urban methane emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Pitt
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Israel Lopez-Coto
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Anna Karion
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Kristian D Hajny
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Jay Tomlin
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Robert Kaeser
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Thilina Jayarathne
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Brian H Stirm
- School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, United States
| | - Cody R Floerchinger
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | | | - Róisín Commane
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, United States
| | - Conor K Gately
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Kevin R Gurney
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, United States
| | - Geoffrey S Roest
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, United States
| | - Jianming Liang
- Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California 92373, United States
| | - Sharon Gourdji
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Kimberly L Mueller
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - James R Whetstone
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Paul B Shepson
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hemati M, Mahdianpari M, Nassar R, Shiri H, Mohammadimanesh F. Urban methane emission monitoring across North America using TROPOMI data: an analytical inversion approach. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9041. [PMID: 38641589 PMCID: PMC11031598 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58995-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Monitoring methane emissions is crucial in mitigating climate change as it has a relatively short atmospheric lifetime of about 12 years and a significant radiative forcing impact. To measure the impact of methane-controlling policies and techniques, a deep understanding of methane emissions is of great importance. Remote sensing offers scalable approaches for monitoring methane emissions at various scales, from point-source high-resolution monitoring to regional and global estimates. The TROPOMI satellite instrument provides daily XCH4 data globally, offering the opportunity to monitor methane at a moderate spatial resolution with an acceptable level of sensitivity. To infer emissions from TROPOMI data, we used the prior emission estimates from global and national inventories and the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to simulate atmospheric methane along with actual observations of TROPOMI. In this study, methane emissions from Toronto, Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Mexico City have been estimated using the analytical solution of Bayesian inversion using the cloud-based Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) framework. Using the result from ensemble inversions, and city boundaries, the average total emissions were as follows: Toronto 230.52 Gg a-1, Montreal 111.54 Gg a-1, New York 144.38 Gg a-1, Los Angeles 207.03 Gg a-1, Houston 650.16 Gg a-1, and Mexico City 280.81 Gg a-1. The resulting gridded scale factors ranged from 0.22 to 6.2, implying methane prior emission underestimations in most of these cities. As such, this study underscores the key role of remote sensing in accurately assessing urban methane emissions, informing essential climate mitigation efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadali Hemati
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Masoud Mahdianpari
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.
- C-CORE, 1 Morrissey Road, St. John's, NL, Canada.
| | - Ray Nassar
- Climate Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hodjat Shiri
- Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Karion A, Ghosh S, Lopez-Coto I, Mueller K, Gourdji S, Pitt J, Whetstone J. Methane Emissions Show Recent Decline but Strong Seasonality in Two US Northeastern Cities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:19565-19574. [PMID: 37941355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Urban methane emissions estimated using atmospheric observations have been found to exceed estimates derived by using traditional inventory methods in several northeastern US cities. In this work, we leveraged a nearly five-year record of observations from a dense tower network coupled with a newly developed high-resolution emissions map to quantify methane emission rates in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland. Annual emissions averaged over 2018-2021 were 80.1 [95% CI: 61.2, 98.9] Gg in the Washington, DC urban area and 47.4 [95% CI: 35.9, 58.5] Gg in the Baltimore urban area, with a decreasing trend of approximately 4-5% per year in both cities. We also find wintertime emissions 44% higher than summertime emissions, correlating with natural gas consumption. We further attribute a large fraction of total methane emissions to the natural gas sector using a least-squares regression on our spatially resolved estimates, supporting previous findings that natural gas systems emit the plurality of methane in both cities. This study contributes to the relatively sparse existing knowledge base of urban methane emissions sources and variability, adding to our understanding of how these emissions change in time and providing evidence to support efforts to mitigate natural gas emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Karion
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Subhomoy Ghosh
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
- Center for Research Computing, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Israel Lopez-Coto
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Kimberly Mueller
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Sharon Gourdji
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Joseph Pitt
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, U.K
| | - James Whetstone
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nicholas D, Ackley R, Phillips NG. A simple method to measure methane emissions from indoor gas leaks. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295055. [PMID: 38032978 PMCID: PMC10688665 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
From wellhead to burner tip, each component of the natural gas process chain has come under increased scrutiny for the presence and magnitude of methane leaks, because of the large global warming potential of methane. Top-down measures of methane emissions in urban areas are significantly greater than bottom-up estimates. Recent research suggests this disparity might in part be explained by gas leaks from one of the least understood parts of the process chain: behind the gas meter in homes and buildings. However, little research has been performed in this area and few methods and data sets exist to measure or estimate them. We develop and test a simple and widely deployable closed chamber method that can be used for quantifying indoor methane emissions with an order-of-magnitude precision which allows for screening of indoor large volume ("super-emitting") leaks. We also perform test applications of the method finding indoor leaks in 90% of the 20 Greater Boston buildings studied and indoor methane emissions between 0.02-0.51 ft3 CH4 day-1 (0.4-10.3 g CH4 day-1) with a mean of 0.14 ft3 CH4 day-1 (2.8 g CH4 day-1). Our method provides a relatively simple way to scale up indoor methane emissions data collection. Increased data may reduce uncertainty in bottom-up inventories, and can be used to find super-emitting indoor emissions which may better explain the disparity between top-down and bottom-up post-meter emissions estimates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert Ackley
- Gas Safety, Inc., Southborough, MA, United States of America
| | - Nathan G. Phillips
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zeng ZC, Pongetti T, Newman S, Oda T, Gurney K, Palmer PI, Yung YL, Sander SP. Decadal decrease in Los Angeles methane emissions is much smaller than bottom-up estimates. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5353. [PMID: 37660143 PMCID: PMC10475107 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40964-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has a short atmospheric lifetime ( ~ 12 years), so that emissions reductions will have a rapid impact on climate forcing. In megacities such as Los Angeles (LA), natural gas (NG) leakage is the primary atmospheric methane source. The magnitudes and trends of fugitive NG emissions are largely unknown and need to be quantified to verify compliance with emission reduction targets. Here we use atmospheric remote sensing data to show that, in contrast to the observed global increase in methane emissions, LA area emissions decreased during 2011-2020 at a mean rate of (-1.57 ± 0.41) %/yr. However, the NG utility calculations indicate a much larger negative emissions trend of -5.8 %/yr. The large difference between top-down and bottom-up trends reflects the uncertainties in estimating the achieved emissions reductions. Actions taken in LA can be a blueprint for COP28 and future efforts to reduce methane emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Cheng Zeng
- Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Thomas Pongetti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Sally Newman
- Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Planning and Climate Protection Division, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Tomohiro Oda
- Earth from Space Institute, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Columbia, MD, USA
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kevin Gurney
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Paul I Palmer
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Yuk L Yung
- Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Stanley P Sander
- Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lin JJY, Buehler C, Datta A, Gentner DR, Koehler K, Zamora ML. Laboratory and field evaluation of a low-cost methane sensor and key environmental factors for sensor calibration. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: ATMOSPHERES 2023; 3:683-694. [PMID: 37063944 PMCID: PMC10100561 DOI: 10.1039/d2ea00100d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Low-cost sensors enable finer-scale spatiotemporal measurements within the existing methane (CH4) monitoring infrastructure and could help cities mitigate CH4 emissions to meet their climate goals. While initial studies of low-cost CH4 sensors have shown potential for effective CH4 measurement at ambient concentrations, sensor deployment remains limited due to questions about interferences and calibration across environments and seasons. This study evaluates sensor performance across seasons with specific attention paid to the sensor's understudied carbon monoxide (CO) interferences and environmental dependencies through long-term ambient co-location in an urban environment. The sensor was first evaluated in a laboratory using chamber calibration and co-location experiments, and then in the field through two 8 week co-locations with a reference CH4 instrument. In the laboratory, the sensor was sensitive to CH4 concentrations below ambient background concentrations. Different sensor units responded similarly to changing CH4, CO, temperature, and humidity conditions but required individual calibrations to account for differences in sensor response factors. When deployed in-field, co-located with a reference instrument near Baltimore, MD, the sensor captured diurnal trends in hourly CH4 concentration after corrections for temperature, absolute humidity, CO concentration, and hour of day. Variable performance was observed across seasons with the sensor performing well (R 2 = 0.65; percent bias 3.12%; RMSE 0.10 ppm) in the winter validation period and less accurately (R 2 = 0.12; percent bias 3.01%; RMSE 0.08 ppm) in the summer validation period where there was less dynamic range in CH4 concentrations. The results highlight the utility of sensor deployment in more variable ambient CH4 conditions and demonstrate the importance of accounting for temperature and humidity dependencies as well as co-located CO concentrations with low-cost CH4 measurements. We show this can be addressed via Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) models accounting for key covariates to enable urban measurements in areas with CH4 enhancement. Together with individualized calibration prior to deployment, the sensor shows promise for use in low-cost sensor networks and represents a valuable supplement to existing monitoring strategies to identify CH4 hotspots.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joyce J Y Lin
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health and Engineering Baltimore MD 21205-2103 USA
| | - Colby Buehler
- SEARCH (Solutions for Energy, Air, Climate and Health) Center, Yale University New Haven CT 06520 USA
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University New Haven CT 06520 USA
| | - Abhirup Datta
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics Baltimore MD 21205-2103 USA
| | - Drew R Gentner
- SEARCH (Solutions for Energy, Air, Climate and Health) Center, Yale University New Haven CT 06520 USA
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University New Haven CT 06520 USA
| | - Kirsten Koehler
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health and Engineering Baltimore MD 21205-2103 USA
- SEARCH (Solutions for Energy, Air, Climate and Health) Center, Yale University New Haven CT 06520 USA
| | - Misti Levy Zamora
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health and Engineering Baltimore MD 21205-2103 USA
- SEARCH (Solutions for Energy, Air, Climate and Health) Center, Yale University New Haven CT 06520 USA
- Department of Public Health Sciences, UConn School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington CT USA 06032-1941
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wang Y, Tang J, Xie D, Li F, Xue M, Zhao B, Yu X, Wen X. Temporal variation and grade categorization of methane emission from LNG fueling stations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18428. [PMID: 36319852 PMCID: PMC9626451 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23334-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural gas is increasingly seen as the fossil fuel of choice for China as it transitions to renewable sources. The significant development of China's LNG vehicle application and fueling stations and the urgency of climate changes make it particularly important to quantify methane emission from LNG stations, where the data are extremely rare. We carried out a pilot study on direct measurement and quantitative analysis of methane emission from five LNG fueling stations located in Shandong, China following the standard stationary EPA OTM 33A method. The measured methane emission of these five stations vary from 0.01 to 8.76 kg/h. The loss rates vary from 0.004 to 0.257%. We demonstrated that the emission from LNG stations consist of continuous and intermittent contents. The intermittent emission shows a strong temporal variation. If a station is only monitored for 20 min, it may either under-estimate or over-estimate the total emission. Both the distribution of emission events and total emission rates among different stations are highly skewed. We found that these LNG fueling station emission can be categorized into 3 grades, as low, medium and high, corresponding to emission rates below 0.1 kg/h; between 0.1 and 1 kg/h and above 1 kg/h, which can be characterized by the measured average methane concentration enhancement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Wang
- grid.497420.c0000 0004 1798 1132College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
| | - Jianfeng Tang
- grid.497420.c0000 0004 1798 1132College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
| | | | - Fei Li
- grid.497420.c0000 0004 1798 1132College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
| | - Ming Xue
- grid.453058.f0000 0004 1755 1650State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Zhao
- Qingdao ENN Energy Corporation Limited, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- grid.497420.c0000 0004 1798 1132College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaojin Wen
- grid.497420.c0000 0004 1798 1132College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Michanowicz DR, Dayalu A, Nordgaard CL, Buonocore JJ, Fairchild MW, Ackley R, Schiff JE, Liu A, Phillips NG, Schulman A, Magavi Z, Spengler JD. Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:10258-10268. [PMID: 35762409 PMCID: PMC9301916 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c08298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in unprocessed natural gas (NG) is well documented; however, the degree to which VOCs are present in NG at the point of end use is largely uncharacterized. We collected 234 whole NG samples across 69 unique residential locations across the Greater Boston metropolitan area, Massachusetts. NG samples were measured for methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), and nonmethane VOC (NMVOC) content (including tentatively identified compounds) using commercially available USEPA analytical methods. Results revealed 296 unique NMVOC constituents in end use NG, of which 21 (or approximately 7%) were designated as hazardous air pollutants. Benzene (bootstrapped mean = 164 ppbv; SD = 16; 95% CI: 134-196) was detected in 95% of samples along with hexane (98% detection), toluene (94%), heptane (94%), and cyclohexane (89%), contributing to a mean total concentration of NMVOCs in distribution-grade NG of 6.0 ppmv (95% CI: 5.5-6.6). While total VOCs exhibited significant spatial variability, over twice as much temporal variability was observed, with a wintertime NG benzene concentration nearly eight-fold greater than summertime. By using previous NG leakage data, we estimated that 120-356 kg/yr of annual NG benzene emissions throughout Greater Boston are not currently accounted for in emissions inventories, along with an unaccounted-for indoor portion. NG-odorant content (tert-butyl mercaptan and isopropyl mercaptan) was used to estimate that a mean NG-CH4 concentration of 21.3 ppmv (95% CI: 16.7-25.9) could persist undetected in ambient air given known odor detection thresholds. This implies that indoor NG leakage may be an underappreciated source of both CH4 and associated VOCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Drew R. Michanowicz
- Harvard
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, C-CHANGE, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 United States
- PSE
Healthy Energy, Oakland, California 94612, United States
- ,
| | - Archana Dayalu
- Atmospheric
and Environmental Research (AER), Lexington, Massachusetts 02421, United States
| | | | - Jonathan J. Buonocore
- Harvard
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, C-CHANGE, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 United States
| | - Molly W. Fairchild
- Home
Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Robert Ackley
- Gas
Safety Inc., Southborough, Massachusetts 01772, United States
| | - Jessica E. Schiff
- Harvard
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Abbie Liu
- Harvard
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | | | - Audrey Schulman
- Home
Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Zeyneb Magavi
- Home
Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - John D. Spengler
- Harvard
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Chandrasekaran R, Busetty S. Estimating the methane emissions and energy potential from Trichy and Thanjavur dumpsite by LandGEM model. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:48953-48963. [PMID: 35201580 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19063-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
One major factor, contributing to the emission of greenhouse gas in the environment, is generation of hazardous gases in municipal landfills. Due to these potential negative impacts, it is obligatory to estimate the amount and type of landfill gasses to design and build a gas collecting system. Landfill gas emissions are governed by the type of waste, its biodegradability, its methane emission potential, the degree of separation, and other miscellaneous factors. LandGEM model was used to predict the amount of gases produced in the landfills of Trichy (Ariyamangalam) and Thanjavur (Srinivasapuram). According to the results, the largest amount of landfill gas emissions would be in 1993 for Trichy (Ariyamangalam) landfill and in 2027 for Thanjavur (Srinivasapuram) landfill. The total amount of produced gas, methane, and carbon dioxide would be 16.2E + 10, 8.2E + 10, and 16.2 + 10 cubic meters per year in 1993 for Trichy and 13E + 6, 5E + 6 and 13E + 6 cubic meters per year in 2027 for Thanjavur.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramprasad Chandrasekaran
- School of Civil Engineering, Centre for Bioenergy, SASTRA Deemed To Be University, Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur, 613 401, India
| | - Subramanyam Busetty
- School of Civil Engineering, Centre for Bioenergy, SASTRA Deemed To Be University, Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur, 613 401, India.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Majority of US urban natural gas emissions unaccounted for in inventories. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2105804118. [PMID: 34697236 PMCID: PMC8612348 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105804118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Across many cities, estimates of methane emissions from natural gas (NG) distribution and end use based on atmospheric measurements have generally been more than double bottom-up estimates. We present a top-down study of NG methane emissions from the Boston urban region spanning 8 y (2012 to 2020) to assess total emissions, their seasonality, and trends. We used methane and ethane observations from five sites in and around Boston, combined with a high-resolution transport model, to calculate methane emissions of 76 ± 18 Gg/yr, with 49 ± 9 Gg/yr attributed to NG losses. We found no significant trend in the NG loss rate over 8 y, despite efforts from the city and state to increase the rate of repairing NG pipeline leaks. We estimate that 2.5 ± 0.5% of the gas entering the urban region is lost, approximately three times higher than bottom-up estimates. We saw a strong correlation between top-down NG emissions and NG consumed on a seasonal basis. This suggests that consumption-driven losses, such as in transmission or end-use, may be a large component of emissions that is missing from inventories, and require future policy action. We also compared top-down NG emission estimates from six US cities, all of which indicate significant missing sources in bottom-up inventories. Across these cities, we estimate NG losses from distribution and end use amount to 20 to 36% of all losses from the US NG supply chain, with a total loss rate of 3.3 to 4.7% of NG from well pad to urban consumer, notably larger than the current Environmental Protection Agency estimate of 1.4% [R. A. Alvarez et al., Science 361, 186-188 (2018)].
Collapse
|
11
|
Singh A, Kuttippurath J, Abbhishek K, Mallick N, Raj S, Chander G, Dixit S. Biogenic link to the recent increase in atmospheric methane over India. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 289:112526. [PMID: 33848879 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Methane (CH4) is a prominent Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and its global atmospheric concentration has increased significantly since the year 2007. Anthropogenic CH4 emissions are projected to be 9390 million metric tonnes by 2020. Here, we present the long-term changes in atmospheric methane over India and suggest possible alternatives to reduce soil emissions from paddy fields. The increase in atmospheric CH4 concentrations from 2009 to 2020 in India is significant, about 0.0765 ppm/decade. The Indo-Gangetic Plains, Peninsular India and Central India show about 0.075, 0.076 and 0.074 ppm/decade, respectively, in 2009-2020. Seasonal variations in CH4 emissions depend mostly on agricultural activities and meteorology, and contribution during the agricultural intensive period of Kharif-Rabi (i.e., June-December) is substantial in this regard. The primary reason for agricultural soil emissions is the application of chemical fertilizers to improve crop yield. However, for rice farming, soil amendments involving stable forms of carbon can reduce GHG emissions and improve soil carbon status. High crop production in pot culture experiment resulted in lower potential yield-scaled GHG emissions in rice with biochar supplement. The human impact of global warming induced by agricultural activities could be reduced by using biochar as a natural solution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Singh
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India; AGFE Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India
| | - J Kuttippurath
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India.
| | - K Abbhishek
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India
| | - N Mallick
- AGFE Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India
| | - S Raj
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India
| | - G Chander
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, India
| | - S Dixit
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, India
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Anderson DC, Lindsay A, DeCarlo PF, Wood EC. Urban Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, and Methane Determined from Ground-Based Measurements in Philadelphia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:4532-4541. [PMID: 33788543 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen oxides (NOX) and methane impact air quality through the promotion of ozone formation, and methane is also a strong greenhouse gas. Despite the importance of these pollutants, emissions in urban areas are poorly quantified. We present measurements of NOX, CH4, CO, and CO2 made at Drexel University in Philadelphia along with NOX and CO observations at two roadside monitors. Because CO2 concentrations in the winter result almost entirely from combustion with negligible influence from photosynthesis and respiration, we are able to infer fleet-averaged fuel-based emission factors (EFs) for NOX and CO, similar in some ways to how EFs are determined from tunnel studies. Comparison of the inferred NOX and CO fuel-based EF to the National Emissions Inventory (NEI) suggests errors in NEI emissions of either NOX, CO, or both. From the measurements of CH4 and CO2, which are not emitted by the same sources, we infer the ratio of CH4 emissions (from leaks in the natural gas infrastructure) to CO2 emissions (from fossil fuel combustion) in Philadelphia. Comparison of the CH4/CO2 emission ratios to emission inventories from the Environmental Protection Agency suggests underestimates in CH4 emissions by almost a factor of 4. These results demonstrate the need for the addition of long-term observations of CH4 and CO2 to existing monitoring networks in urban areas to better constrain emissions and complement existing measurements of NOX and CO.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Anderson
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Andrew Lindsay
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Peter F DeCarlo
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Ezra C Wood
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Karion A, Callahan W, Stock M, Prinzivalli S, Verhulst KR, Kim J, Salameh PK, Lopez-Coto I, Whetstone J. Greenhouse gas observations from the Northeast Corridor tower network. EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA 2020. [PMID: 33133298 DOI: 10.5194/essd-12-699-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
We present the organization, structure, instrumentation, and measurements of the Northeast Corridor greenhouse gas observation network. This network of tower-based in situ carbon dioxide and methane observation stations was established in 2015 with the goal of quantifying emissions of these gases in urban areas in the northeastern United States. A specific focus of the network is the cities of Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, USA, with a high density of observation stations in these two urban areas. Additional observation stations are scattered throughout the northeastern US, established to complement other existing urban and regional networks and to investigate emissions throughout this complex region with a high population density and multiple metropolitan areas. Data described in this paper are archived at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and can be found at https://doi.org/10.18434/M32126 (Karion et al., 2019).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Karion
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kristal R Verhulst
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jooil Kim
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Peter K Salameh
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Israel Lopez-Coto
- Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - James Whetstone
- Special Programs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|