implication from changed SO 2 and NO X emissions is provided for better understanding of the environmental impacts of national air pollution control policy.
14.2 SO 2 and NO X Emission Trends from National
Regulation
14.2.1 Methods to Reduce Emissions and Evolution
of Emission Factors
Series of measures have been taken in the country to restrain the emissions of SO 2
and NO X . Since 1999, staged implementation of tighter emission standards (i.e.,
from National I to National V) on vehicles has been realized. Since 2005, small units
or boilers have been replaced with bigger and more energy-efficient ones in the
power sector and selected industrial sectors including heating, iron and steel, and
cement production. All the newly built power generation units should be above
300 MW in capacity. FGD systems have been compulsorily applied at all the new
power units as well as considerable existing units. From 2010, application of FGD
systems has been largely expanded to certain sectors other than power generation,
such as sintering process in iron and steel production. SCR and SNCR have also
been widely applied in power generation and cement production sector, respectively.
Moreover, new and aggressive emission standards have been issued successfully for
power, cement, and iron and steel industries and nonferrous metal smelting since
2011. Driven mainly by official China’s policies and emission standards, the fleet
mix of manufacturing and emission control technologies changed substantially from
2005 to 2014, resulting in clear variations in emission factors (emission level per unit
of industrial production/energy use). Those changes were evaluated by Zhao et al.
(2013, 2014) and Xia et al. (2016) and were summarized by sector as follows. Given
the uncertainty of emission standard implementation over the country, in particular,
Xia et al. (2016) set two cases for estimating the changes in emission factors between
2011 and 2014. Primary (PRI) case analyzes the elevated use of advanced
manufacturing technologies and air pollutant control devices (APCDs) for various
sectors according to published government documents. Standard (STD) case optimistically expects that the emission standards issued from 2011 for power and
industrial sectors (listed in Table 14.1) would be strictly implemented. Compared
to PRI, the emission factors of power, cement, iron and steel, and nonferrous metal
smelting industries would further decline in STD.
14.2.1.1 Coal-Fired Power Plants
Coal-fired power plants were the most important target of SO 2 emission control
during 2005–2010. According to a database of national coal-fired power plants at the
14 National Regulation of SO 2 and NO x Emissions in China
313
14.2 SO 2 and NO X Emission Trends from National
Regulation
14.2.1 Methods to Reduce Emissions and Evolution
of Emission Factors
Series of measures have been taken in the country to restrain the emissions of SO 2
and NO X . Since 1999, staged implementation of tighter emission standards (i.e.,
from National I to National V) on vehicles has been realized. Since 2005, small units
or boilers have been replaced with bigger and more energy-efficient ones in the
power sector and selected industrial sectors including heating, iron and steel, and
cement production. All the newly built power generation units should be above
300 MW in capacity. FGD systems have been compulsorily applied at all the new
power units as well as considerable existing units. From 2010, application of FGD
systems has been largely expanded to certain sectors other than power generation,
such as sintering process in iron and steel production. SCR and SNCR have also
been widely applied in power generation and cement production sector, respectively.
Moreover, new and aggressive emission standards have been issued successfully for
power, cement, and iron and steel industries and nonferrous metal smelting since
2011. Driven mainly by official China’s policies and emission standards, the fleet
mix of manufacturing and emission control technologies changed substantially from
2005 to 2014, resulting in clear variations in emission factors (emission level per unit
of industrial production/energy use). Those changes were evaluated by Zhao et al.
(2013, 2014) and Xia et al. (2016) and were summarized by sector as follows. Given
the uncertainty of emission standard implementation over the country, in particular,
Xia et al. (2016) set two cases for estimating the changes in emission factors between
2011 and 2014. Primary (PRI) case analyzes the elevated use of advanced
manufacturing technologies and air pollutant control devices (APCDs) for various
sectors according to published government documents. Standard (STD) case optimistically expects that the emission standards issued from 2011 for power and
industrial sectors (listed in Table 14.1) would be strictly implemented. Compared
to PRI, the emission factors of power, cement, iron and steel, and nonferrous metal
smelting industries would further decline in STD.
14.2.1.1 Coal-Fired Power Plants
Coal-fired power plants were the most important target of SO 2 emission control
during 2005–2010. According to a database of national coal-fired power plants at the
14 National Regulation of SO 2 and NO x Emissions in China
313