ABSTRACT
With its high energy consumption and pollutant emissions, the iron and steel industry is a significant source of air pollution and carbon emissions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. To improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a series of policies involving ultra-low emission, synergistic reduction of pollution, and carbon application have been implemented in the region. This study has assessed air pollutant and CO2 emission patterns in the iron and steel industry of the region by employing co-control effects coordinate system, marginal abatement cost curve, and numerical modeling, along with the synergistic benefits of typical technologies. The results have demonstrated that: (1) the intensive production activities pertinent to iron and steel enterprises has contributed greatly to the emission in Tangshan and Handan, where the sintering process is the main source of SO2, NOx, PM2.5, and CO, accounting for 64.86%, 55.15%, 29.98%, and 46.43% of the total emissions, respectively. (2) Among the typical pollution control and reduction measures, industrial restructuring and adjustment of the energy-resource structure have led to the greatest effects on emission reduction. Technologies exhibiting great potential in emission reduction and high-cost efficiency such as Blast Furnace Top Gas Recovery Turbine Unit (TRT) need to be promoted. (3) In Tangshan city with the highest level of steel production, the iron and steel production activities contributed to the concentration of 30.51% of PM2.5, 50.67% of SO2, and 42.54% of NO2 during the non-heating period. During the heating period, pollutants pertinent to the combustion of fossil energy for heating have increased, while iron and steel induced emissions have decreased to 23.7%, 34.32%, and 29.13%, respectively. By 2030, it is speculated that the contribution of the iron and steel industry to air quality will be significantly decreased as result of successful implementation of ultra-low emission policies and typical synergistic reduction technologies.
ABSTRACT
With the implementation of air pollution control measures, the concentration of air pollutants in the North China Plain has exhibited a downward trend, but severe fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution remains. PM2.5 is harmful to human health, and the exploration of its source characteristics and potential hazards has become the key to mitigating PM2.5 pollution. In this study, PM2.5 samples were collected in Beijing and Gucheng during the summer of 2019. PM2.5 components, its oxidative potential (OP), and health risks were characterized. The average PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing and Gucheng during the sampling period were 34.0 ± 6.1 µg/m3 and 37.1 ± 6.9 µg/m3, respectively. The principal component analysis (PCA) results indicated that the main sources of PM2.5 in Beijing were vehicle exhaust and secondary components and that the main sources in Gucheng were industrial emissions, dust and biomass combustion. The OP values were 91.6 ± 42.1 and 82.2 ± 47.1 pmol/(min·m3), respectively, at these two sites. The correlation between the chemical components and the OP values varied with the PM2.5 sources at these two locations. The health risk assessment results demonstrated that Cr and As were potentially carcinogenic to all populations at both sites, and Cd posed a potential carcinogenic risk for adults in Gucheng. Regional cooperation regarding air pollution control must be strengthened to further reduce PM2.5 pollution and its adverse health effects.
