Rapport

Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. UN/ECE international operative programme on effects on materials, including historic and cultural monuments. Environmental data report. October 2020 to December 2021

This report presents the ICP Materials database for the period October 2020 to December 2021. It includes environmental data from the ICP Materials trend exposure programme for 2020 - 2021 and, in addition, data for temperature, relative
humidity, and precipitation amount back to the end of the previous annual exposure programme in October/November 2018. The database consists of meteorological data (T, RH and precipitation amount) and pollution data: Gas concentrations, amounts of ions in precipitation, particle concentrations and amounts of particle deposition.

NILU

Towards a circular phosphorus economy in Norway - Strategies for integrating agriculture and aquaculture at multiple scales

Müller, Daniel Beat; Las Heras Hernandez, Miguel; Pandit, Avijit Vinayak; Øgaard, Anne Falk; Reitan, Kjell Inge

Phosphorus is a building block for all life and therefore plays an essential role in food production. Currently, large amounts of phosphorus enter the Norwegian food system from abroad in the form of mineral fertilizer, feedstuff, food, as well as micro-ingredients for animal feed, mainly in salmon farming. However, only a small fraction of this phosphorus ends up as food for humans, while the largest part accumulates in soil and water systems. This inefficiency entails two challenges:

1. Phosphorus supply is critical. Phosphate rock, the primary source of phosphorus for fertilizer and micro-ingredient production, is a limited resource that is highly concentrated in a few countries. Over 80% of global phosphate rock reserves are found in only 5 countries, and ~70% are located in Morocco and Morocco-occupied Western Sahara. The high concentration renders many countries vulnerable to geopolitical and economic instabilities and threatens food safety. The EU has therefore included phosphate rock on its list of Critical Raw Materials.
2. The accumulation of phosphorus in water systems can lead to eutrophication and dead zones, threatening fish stocks and other aquatic life. The high phosphorus concentration in soils due to overfertilization over long periods of time increases the danger of losses to water systems by runoff, further exacerbating the eutrophication risk.

A more circular use of phosphorus could simultaneously reduce supply and pollution risks. This is particularly relevant in Norway, where the government has an ambition to increase salmon and trout production from currently 1,5 to 5 million tons by 2050.

Achieving a circular phosphorus economy is a complex task: (i) The land- and the sea-based food systems are increasingly interlinked, for example through agricultural production of fish feed or the application of fish sludge on agricultural land. (ii) The Norwegian phosphorus cycle is increasingly interlinked with that of other countries as trade flows along the entire food supply chain are growing. (iii) Phosphorus fertilizers, both primary and recycled, are often contaminated with heavy metals such as cadmium, uranium, and zinc, which tend to accumulate in soils. Cleaning the phosphorus cycle is therefore vital for soil fertility and human health.

This report is based on the MIND-P project, which studied the Norwegian phosphorus cycle for both agriculture and aquaculture at a farm-by-farm basis and explored options for increasing circularity. The project identified farm-level and structural barriers to managing phosphorus resources more effectively.

We propose four fundamental strategies to overcome these barriers:
1. Develop and maintain a national nutrient accounting.
2. Minimize phosphorus losses and accumulations at farm level.
3. Establish infrastructures for capturing, processing, trade, and use of manure and fish sludge to produce high-quality recycled fertilizers that are tailored to the needs of the users in Norway and abroad.
4. Adopt a regulatory framework to promote a market for recycled fertilizer.
The strategies proposed here were developed with the support of an Advisory Panel consisting of representatives from government, industry, industry associations, and NGOs in an online and two physical workshops conducted in 2022.

NTNU Open

Air quality assessment in the surroundings of aluminium smelters. Effect of emissions on air quality in the past (1992 – now).

On behalf of Aluminiumindustriens Miljøsekretariat (AMS), NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research reviewed existing data on ambient air quality around aluminium smelters from the period 1992 – 2020. Changes in production technologies and treatment technologies have been implemented in this time period. Emissions to air and ambient concentrations of most compounds typically measured (PAHs, fluorides, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, heavy metals) have decreased since the beginning of the 1990s as a result of improvement of the production technology.

NILU

Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2020, using validated data

This report presents summarised information on the status of air quality in Europe in 2020, based on validated air quality monitoring data officially reported by the member and cooperating countries of the EEA. It aims at informing on the status of ambient air quality in Europe in 2019 and on the progress towards meeting the European air quality standards for the protection of health, as well as the new WHO air quality guidelines. The report also compares the air quality status in 2020 with the previous three years. The pollutants covered in this report are particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), O3, NO2, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), SO2, CO, benzene and toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni, Pb). Measured concentrations above the European air quality standards for PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2 were reported by 20, 6, 21, and 8 European countries for 2020, respectively. Exceedances of the air quality standards for BaP, SO2, CO, and benzene were measured in, respectively, 11, 19, 2, and 0 European countries in 2020. Exceedances of European standards for toxic metals were reported by 7 stations for As, 0 for PB, 1 for Cd and 2 for Ni.

ETC/HE

Målinger av miljøgifter i luft ved Franzefoss Eide på Sotra og Husøya ved Kristiansund

NILU har gjennomført måleprogram for konsentrasjoner i luft ved Franzefoss Gjenvinning AS sine anlegg ved Eide på Sotra og ved Husøya ved Kristiansund. Ved Eide ble det tatt prøver i luft og analysert for prioriterte miljøgifter som dekloraner, fenoler, ftalater, PFAS, benzotriazoler, organiske tinnforbindelser, samt VOC inkludert D6, ammoniakk (NH3), gassfase HCl og hydrogensulfid (H2S). For de prioriterte miljøgiftene var de fleste prøvene under deteksjonsgrensen. De høyeste verdiene ble observert ved Lokasjon 11 Vannrenseanlegget. Ved Husøya ble det tatt prøver i luft og analysert for VOC inkludert D6, ammoniakk (NH3) og gassfase HCl. Verdiene ved Husøya var lavere enn ved Eide.

NILU