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PFC Emissions from Detected Versus Nondetected Anode Effects in the Aluminum Industry

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Abstract

Perfluorinated carbon compounds (PFCs) CF4 and C2F6 are potent greenhouse gases that are generated in aluminum reduction cells during events known as anode effects (AEs). Since the 1990s, the aluminum industry has made considerable progress in reducing PFCs from conventionally defined and detected AEs. However in recent years, the industry has noted the presence of unaccounted PFCs that are generated outside the conventional AE definition. Two additional AE categories have been proposed, namely low-voltage, propagating AEs (LVP-AEs) and nonpropagating AEs (NP-AEs) that relate to continuous, background levels of PFC emissions. These unaccounted PFC phenomena may help explain the recent discrepancy between industry accounting and atmospheric measurements of global PFC emissions. Estimates from AGAGE, a global network of atmospheric observatories, suggest as much as 50% underaccounting of PFCs by the aluminum industry in the 2006–2010 period. The following work reviews this discrepancy and the potential role played by LVP-AEs and NP-AEs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the following for their important contributions to this work: Dr. Alton Tabereaux (USA), Dr. Jerry Marks (J Marks & Associates LLC, USA), Sally Rand (U.S. EPA, USA), and Dr. Mark Cooksey (CSIRO, Australia).

Furthermore, the authors would also like to thank the team of AGAGE investigators for their invaluable PFC measurement and emissions modeling contributions,12,20 notably Dr. Jens Mühle (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA), Dr. Anita L. Ganesan (University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K.), Dr. Shanlan Li (Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea), The Cape Grim staff (Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia), and Nada Derek and Bronwyn Dunse (CSIRO, Australia).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Light Metals Research Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    David S. Wong & Pascal Lavoie

  2. Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, Aspendale, VIC, Australia

    Paul Fraser

  3. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Jooil Kim

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  1. David S. Wong
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Correspondence to David S. Wong.

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Wong, D.S., Fraser, P., Lavoie, P. et al. PFC Emissions from Detected Versus Nondetected Anode Effects in the Aluminum Industry. JOM 67, 342–353 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-014-1265-8

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