Estimate of Hydrofluorocarbon Emissions for 2012–16 in the Yangtze River Delta, China

Abstract

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been widely used in China as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances, the production and use of which are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol. China is a major consumer of HFCs around the world, with its HFC emissions in CO₂-equivalent contributing to about 18% of the global emissions for the period 2012–16. Three methods are widely used to estimate the emissions of HFCs—namely, the bottom-up method, top-down method and tracer ratio method. In this study, the tracer ratio method was adopted to estimate HFC emissions in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), using CO as a tracer. The YRD region might make a significant contribution to Chinese totals owing to its rapid economic growth. Weekly flask measurements for ten HFCs (HFC-23, HFC-32, HFC-125, HFC-134a, HFC-143a, HFC-152a, HFC-227ea, HFC-236fa, HFC-245fa and HFC-365mfc) were conducted at Lin’an Regional Background Station in the YRD over the period 2012–16, and the HFC emissions were 2.4±1.4 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-23, 2.8±1.2 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-32, 2.2±1.2 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-125, 4.8±4.8 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-134a, 0.9±0.6 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-152a, 0.3±0.3 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-227ea and 0.3±0.2 Gg yr⁻¹ for HFC-245fa. The YRD total HFC emissions reached 53 Tg CO₂-e yr⁻¹, contributing 34% of the national total. The per capita HFC CO₂-equivalent emissions rate was 240 Tg yr⁻¹, while the values of per unit area emissions and per million GDP emissions reached 150 Mg km⁻² yr⁻¹ and 3500 kg yr⁻¹ (million CNY GDP)⁻¹, which were much higher than national or global levels.

摘要

根据《蒙特利尔议定书》, 消耗臭氧层物质(ODSs)的生产和使用正逐步淘汰, 因此氢氟碳化物(HFCs)作为其替代品在中国得到了广泛应用. 中国是全世界HFCs的消费大国, 2012–2016年中国HFCs的CO₂当量排放约占全球总排放量的18%. HFCs排放量的估算方法主要有三种, 即自下而上法、自上而下法和示踪物比值法. 本研究采用示踪物比值法, 选取CO作为示踪物, 估算长江三角洲地区(长三角)HFCs的排放量. 由于长三角经济增长快速, 该地区很可能对中国的HFCs排放量贡献较大. 2012–2016年期间, 在位于长三角的临安区域大气本底站对10种HFCs (HFC-23、HFC-32、HFC-125、HFC-134a、HFC-143a、HFC-152a、HFC-227ea、HFC-236fa、HFC-245fa和HFC-365mfc)进行了每周瓶采样观测, 估算得到长三角HFC-23、HFC-32、HFC-125、HFC-134a、HFC-152a、HFC-227ea、HFC-245fa的排放量分别为2.4±1.4 Gg yr⁻¹、2.8±1.2 Gg yr⁻¹、2.2±1.2 Gg yr⁻¹、4.8±4.8 Gg yr⁻¹、0.9±0.6 Gg yr⁻¹、0.3±0.3 Gg yr⁻¹和0.3±0.2 Gg yr⁻¹. 长三角总HFCs当量排放达到53 TgCO_2-e yr⁻¹, 占全国总量的34%, 人均CO₂当量排放为240 Tg yr⁻¹, 单位面积当量排放和百万GDP当量排放分别达到150 Mg km⁻² yr⁻¹和3500 kg yr⁻¹(百万元人民币GDP)⁻¹, 远高于全国和全球水平.