Sources and Emissions of Air Pollutants in Beijing (AIRPOLL-Beijing)
Lead Research Organisation:
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Department Name: Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
AIRPOLL-Beijing will quantify the contribution of different industrial, commercial and societal activities to air pollution in Beijing and greatly enhance the Nested Air Quality Model Prediction and Modelling System (NAQPMS) multi-scale 3-D chemical transport model for operational prediction of air quality in Beijing.
Who will benefit:
1. Policymakers: The Chinese Department of Environmental Protection and the municipal/provincial Bureau of Environment Protection who are responsible for policy-making in air quality and for developing emergency control measure in Beijing and the surrounding region will particularly benefit from this project.
2. Business: Businesses will benefit, particularly those that are directly or indirectly affected by air pollution control measures in the Beijing region.
3. General public: There is a growing interest in China in air pollution, particularly particulate matter pollution. This is because haze, mainly caused by particulate pollution, is visible, and serious haze events cause significant health problems to vulnerable groups.
How will they benefit:
1. Policymakers: AIRPOLL-Beijing will provide an improved source apportionment of air pollutants in Beijing and an operational air quality model with online air pollutant source apportionment capacity. The former will be essential for refining the existing air quality policies at the municipal level, while the latter will benefit all levels of environmental protection bodies by predicting air quality and allowing development of emergency control measures to prevent serious haze events. AIRPOLL-Beijing will also provide a definitive example for future integrated work on air pollutant source apportionment in China, and thus improve accuracy of emission inventories and performance of air quality models, which will eventually benefit policy-making in central as well as local governments.
2. Business: The Chinese government has started a national programme to close industrial plants considered to be the highest polluters. A more accurate source-oriented apportionment of air pollutants will ensure that the high polluters are more accurately identified, which will avoid unnecessary shut-down. In addition, under unfavourable meteorological conditions, emergency control measures may be put in place; AIRPOLL-Beijing will provide scientific results and the NAQPMS air quality model to support the development of such measures. Better and more targeted emergency control measures will benefit business by reducing their impact on transportation and by protecting health of staff (so increasing productivity) and by minimizing direct cost due to unnecessary business shut-downs.
3. General public: New knowledge on haze pollution as a result of this project and the existing knowledge and experience of air pollution control from the UK will provide valuable educational information for the general public in China. The general public will also benefit directly from the improved prediction of air quality in Beijing to inform social and economic activities, such as whether or not to partake in outdoor activities.
Addressing ODA objectives:
By providing cost-effective solutions to air quality problems within China, the project will address directly poverty and development issues, and through the application of economic valuations in the Solutions Theme of this programme, will contribute to development of both effective and efficient methods of addressing air pollution. Accurate knowledge of emissions is a key factor underpinning the development of mitigation strategies which will deliver improved public health. Both the UK and Chinese research teams will benefit from their interaction and exploitation of complementary expertise. This will leave a legacy beyond the project lifetime thus increasing the research capacity of the Chinese teams and contributing to the continuous improvement of life and welfare of more than a billion people.
Who will benefit:
1. Policymakers: The Chinese Department of Environmental Protection and the municipal/provincial Bureau of Environment Protection who are responsible for policy-making in air quality and for developing emergency control measure in Beijing and the surrounding region will particularly benefit from this project.
2. Business: Businesses will benefit, particularly those that are directly or indirectly affected by air pollution control measures in the Beijing region.
3. General public: There is a growing interest in China in air pollution, particularly particulate matter pollution. This is because haze, mainly caused by particulate pollution, is visible, and serious haze events cause significant health problems to vulnerable groups.
How will they benefit:
1. Policymakers: AIRPOLL-Beijing will provide an improved source apportionment of air pollutants in Beijing and an operational air quality model with online air pollutant source apportionment capacity. The former will be essential for refining the existing air quality policies at the municipal level, while the latter will benefit all levels of environmental protection bodies by predicting air quality and allowing development of emergency control measures to prevent serious haze events. AIRPOLL-Beijing will also provide a definitive example for future integrated work on air pollutant source apportionment in China, and thus improve accuracy of emission inventories and performance of air quality models, which will eventually benefit policy-making in central as well as local governments.
2. Business: The Chinese government has started a national programme to close industrial plants considered to be the highest polluters. A more accurate source-oriented apportionment of air pollutants will ensure that the high polluters are more accurately identified, which will avoid unnecessary shut-down. In addition, under unfavourable meteorological conditions, emergency control measures may be put in place; AIRPOLL-Beijing will provide scientific results and the NAQPMS air quality model to support the development of such measures. Better and more targeted emergency control measures will benefit business by reducing their impact on transportation and by protecting health of staff (so increasing productivity) and by minimizing direct cost due to unnecessary business shut-downs.
3. General public: New knowledge on haze pollution as a result of this project and the existing knowledge and experience of air pollution control from the UK will provide valuable educational information for the general public in China. The general public will also benefit directly from the improved prediction of air quality in Beijing to inform social and economic activities, such as whether or not to partake in outdoor activities.
Addressing ODA objectives:
By providing cost-effective solutions to air quality problems within China, the project will address directly poverty and development issues, and through the application of economic valuations in the Solutions Theme of this programme, will contribute to development of both effective and efficient methods of addressing air pollution. Accurate knowledge of emissions is a key factor underpinning the development of mitigation strategies which will deliver improved public health. Both the UK and Chinese research teams will benefit from their interaction and exploitation of complementary expertise. This will leave a legacy beyond the project lifetime thus increasing the research capacity of the Chinese teams and contributing to the continuous improvement of life and welfare of more than a billion people.
Publications
Zhang H
(2020)
Vertical profiles of biogenic volatile organic compounds as observed online at a tower in Beijing.
in Journal of environmental sciences (China)
Wang Q
(2019)
Temporal characteristics and vertical distribution of atmospheric ammonia and ammonium in winter in Beijing.
in The Science of the total environment
Shi Z
(2019)
Introduction to the special issue "In-depth study of air pollution sources and processes within Beijing and its surrounding region (APHH-Beijing)"
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Newland M
(2020)
Rainforest-like Atmospheric Chemistry in a Polluted Megacity
Joshi R
(2021)
Direct measurements of black carbon fluxes in central Beijing using the eddy covariance method
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Bloss WJ
(2021)
Insights into air pollution chemistry and sulphate formation from nitrous acid (HONO) measurements during haze events in Beijing.
in Faraday discussions
| Description | The direct flux measurements above Beijing have shed light on the sources (and sinks) of pollutants in urban Beijing: a) emissions of fine particulate matter within the city itself are very much dominated by cooking sources (probably dominated by emissions from cooking oils) rather than vehicle or industrial sources. In fact, vehicle emissions of primary aerosol in Beijing city centre are quite small, reflecting the considerable effort China has already made in reducing the emissions from this source. Our results indicate that control of emissions from cooking sources would be a useful strategy for reducing inner city emissions and concentrations, providing important guidance for China's policy on reducing health and economic impacts of air pollution whilst safeguarding continued economic growth. Further attention should be given to traffic emissions in the neighbouring cities (Hebei & Tianjin). b) there are significant emissions of ammonia in the city centre, with ammonia being an important precursor of particulate matter. The diurnal pattern in the emissions is more consistent with evaporative sources than vehicle emissions being the primary source. The results suggest that better treatment / containment of sewage and/or regulation of fertiliser use in parkland may be effective in reducing the impact of air pollution. |
| Exploitation Route | This finding has important implications for cleaning up particulate pollution in Beijing and other Chinese cities. The main contribution to the dust originates from industrial sources OUTSIDE the city. WITHIN the city there appears to be little additional scope in reducing pollution by tackling vehicle sources. Instead, the control of emissions from cooking (not the fuel, but the food itself, in particular cooking oils) could be looked at. As this could potentially be done at moderate costs it provides a means to improve air quality without economic burden or restricting development. This finding has the potential for contributing to the improvement of air quality in China, but may also be true for other developing cities in Asia. |
| Sectors | Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| Description | Beijing and other Chinese megacities continue to struggle with poor air quality, leading to a large number of premature deaths and thus greatly affecting society and economy. Poor visibility and the need for individuals to protect themselves against air pollution lowers the quality of life of those inhabiting these cities. It is vital to optimise interventions so that they are most beneficial for human health / society and the environment, whilst minimising direct costs and the impact on economic growth. The findings of this project have been communicated to a range of policy makers from several Chinese Ministries who have been very engaged in learning about the findings and the implications of pollutant controls in Beijing. The findings of our contribution to APHH-Beijing have clear messages: overall, the pollution in central Beijing is dominated by regional rather than local sources. However, there are clear so far unexploited opportunities to reduce air pollution through local emission control of (i) cooking-related sources that dominate local emissions of PM2.5 and (ii) non-traffic ammonia sources, from fertiliser and sewerage. By contrast, further efforts in reducing traffic emissions would better be focused on the surrounding cities of Hubei and Tianjin rather than Beijing itself. We have fed into a final project report aimed at policy makers synthesising the messages from the entire APHH-Beijing Programme and the dialogue with Chinese policy makers is still ongoing. To what extent the findings have influenced local and national environmental policy and what extent this may have had on Beijing's air pollution and associated mortality is very difficult to gauge. We have further engaged in the transfer of skills and knowledge to our Chinese partners. For example, we have hosted a 20-strong delegation of the China Meteorological Administration at UKCEH. Through our collaboration we have trained collaborators from Nanjing University in VOC flux measurements, which has enabled them to set up a study above the China sea. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Description | Keynote lecture at UK-China International Particle Technology Forum VIII: The use of urban micrometeorological flux measurements for the quantification of local emissions and the study of aerosol dynamics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Keynote lecture at UK-China International Particle Technology Forum VIII (vitual meeting) attended by 20+ participants mainly from China |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |