Russia's black carbon emissions: focus on diesel sources

Abstract

Black carbon (BC) is a significant climate forcer with a particularly pronounced forcing effect in polar regions such as the Russian Arctic. Diesel combustion is a major global source of BC emissions, accounting for 25-30 % of all BC emissions. While the demand for diesel is growing in Russia, the country's diesel emissions are poorly understood. This paper presents a detailed inventory of Russian BC emissions from diesel sources. Drawing on a complete Russian vehicle registry with detailed information about vehicle types and emission standards, this paper analyzes BC emissions from diesel on-road vehicles. We use the COPERT emission model (COmputer Programme to calculate Emissions from Road Transport) with Russia-specific emission factors for all types of on-road vehicles. On-road diesel vehicles emitted 21 Gg of BC in 2014: heavy-duty trucks account for 60 % of the on-road BC emissions, while cars represent only 5 % (light commercial vehicles and buses account for the remainder). Using Russian activity data and fuel-based emission factors, the paper also presents BC emissions from diesel locomotives and ships, off-road engines in industry, construction and agriculture, and generators. The study also factors in the role of superemitters in BC emissions from diesel on-road vehicles and off-road sources. The total emissions from diesel sources in Russia are estimated to be 49 Gg of BC and 17 Gg of organic carbon (OC) in 2014. Off-road diesel sources emitted 58 % of all diesel BC in Russia.

Siberian Arctic black carbon sources constrained by model and observation

“…6), rather than the pure emission sources, further questions the bottom-up inventory data, pointing to the importance of independent evaluation of reported emissions. Much of the recent work focused on understanding Russian Arctic BC emissions and mitigation opportunities in transport sector (45,46), whereas our analysis suggests that the domestic sector contribution might be of equal importance.…”

Late-spring and summertime tropospheric ozone and NO<sub>2</sub> in western Siberia and the Russian Arctic: regional model evaluation and sensitivities

“…Evans et al (2017) suggest that the transport sector has grown dramatically between 2000-2013 in Russia, with a doubling of passenger vehicles and a 40 % increase in truck ownership. This rise of on-road vehicles may not be well represented within western Siberian transport emissions in ECL and EH2, as global inventories often do not have access to up-to-date country-wide data (Kholod et al, 2016). Our simulations in which transport and energy emissions are scaled by a factor of 2 show improved comparison with OMI NO 2 over urban regions in our domain, although there are overestimates in some regions.…”

A local perspective on renewable energy development in the Russian Arctic

“…Burning diesel fuel contributes to local atmospheric pollution, including particle matter, sulphur, and nitrogen, all contributing to respiratory disease and dangerous lung conditions (Ristovski et al, 2012). This atmospheric pollution has adverse impact for the environment, in particular, due to black carbon release (Kholod et al, 2016). Unlike CO2, which remains in the atmosphere for a long time, black carbon remains in the atmosphere for only a short time (days or weeks) and does not travel far, setting on the ground in form of soot.…”

“…As case-studies demonstrate, RE in the Arctic is a feasible way of enhancing energy security (Rud et al, 2018). In addition, reduction in black carbon emissions contributes to both local air quality (respiratory disease) and climate change mitigation (Kholod et al, 2016).…”