2.A.5.a - Quarrying & Mining - Other Than Coal

Category Code	Method	AD	EF
2.A.5.a	T1/T2	NS/ IS/ AS	CS
NOx	NMVOC	SO2	NH3	PM2.5	PM10	TSP	BC	CO	Pb	Cd	Hg	Diox	PAH	HCB
Key Category:	-	-	-	-	L/-	L/T	L/-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Method(s) applied
D	Default
T1	Tier 1 / Simple Methodology *
T2	Tier 2*
T3	Tier 3 / Detailed Methodology *
C	CORINAIR
CS	Country Specific
M	Model
* as described in the EMEP/EEA Emission Inventory Guidebook - 2019, in category chapters.
(source for) Activity Data
NS	National Statistics
RS	Regional Statistics
IS	International Statistics
PS	Plant Specific
As	Associations, business organisations
Q	specific Questionnaires (or surveys)
M	Model / Modelled
C	Confidential
(source for) Emission Factors
D	Default (EMEP Guidebook)
CS	Country Specific
PS	Plant Specific
M	Model / Modelled
C	Confidential

For particulate emissions, Mining is the main emissions source in the Mineral industries.

In Germany we use two approaches - one for Sands and rocks, one for salts.

Short description

The mining process emits relevant amounts of particles. Quarrying and mining of minerals other than coal is subsumed, in particular mining of limestone, hard rock and building Sands, with rising recycled materials.

Salt production is a sub-category of the mining activities in respect of the country specific approach used.

Methodology

With the use of the 2019 GB method EMEP/EEA, 2019: EEA Report No 13/2019 EMEP EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2019, Copenhagen, 2019; URL: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/emep-eea-guidebook-2019/part-b-sectoral-guidance-chapters/2-industrial-processes/2-a-mineral-products/2-a-5-a-quarrying/view, a Tier 2 method is available that can reflect different national conditions.

In particular, this concerns input variables on humidity and wind speed, which are differentiated into regions. Due to data availability, the regions are represented by the administrative states (German Länder), which does not necessarily represent characteristic weather regimes. Regionality can be increased by merging urban and surface states. Parameters on weather as well as on areas can thus be improved, in a first step by using open wheather data back to 1990.

No area information from the Corine land cover before 2010 is used (consistent data sets). In addition, information from CLC category 131 (Mineral extraction sites Copernicus 2019: CLC-classes; URL: https://land.copernicus.eu/user-corner/technical-library/corine-land-cover-nomenclature-guidelines/html/index-clc-131.html) had to be adjusted for areas of active open-pit lignite mines.

For salt production currently a Tier 1 method is used: information on production of salts are multiplied with country specific emission factors for TSP and PM. Please see the small relevance of this under trend diskussion.

Activity Data

As provided in the Guidebook model, specific AD for hard rock, sand, and recycled material are applied. Because of incomplete national statistics, these AD are taken from association information European Industry Association data are published annually at https://uepg.eu/pages/figures. Within the framework of technical consultations, historical data were confirmed by the National Association for Mineral Resources (https://www.bv-miro.org/).. For time series concsistency, data gaps are closed via interpolation, resulting in higher AD.

Emission factors

The calculation of emissions takes into account national circumstances and reduction measures.The calculations are available in total more than ten Excel files (individual years since 1990, annually from 2010). Since the GB tool in principle calculates emissions for exactly one year EMEP/EEA, 2019: EEA Report No 13/2019 EMEP EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2019, Copenhagen, 2019; URL: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/emep-eea-guidebook-2019/part-b-sectoral-guidance-chapters/2-industrial-processes/2-a-mineral-products/2-a-5-a-quarrying-1/view, files must be available for exactly those years in which input data are available. Intermediate years are interpolated in case of data gaps.

With the help of the GB tools, IEFs are estimated on an annual basis, which are used for the inventory method AR x EF. The emission factors are virtual, but the calculation of this is modified by national circumstances on the parameters. So we would name the EF as country-specific.

Trend discussion

Trends in emissions follow the shrinking mining activities.

Recalculations

With activity data and emission factors remaining unrevised, no recalculations were carried out compared to Submission 2022.

Planned improvements

At the moment, it is planned evaluate further Country specific conditions.

Short description - Salt Production

Salt production is a sub-category of the mining activities in respect of the country specific approach used. Currently, a Tier 1 method is used: information on production of salts are multiplied with emission factors for TSP and PM.

Method

Activity data

The data from national statistics includes production of potash and rock salt. Potash salt is dominating, nevertheless gaps of statistics are filled and emissions are modelled as potash salt only.

Emission factors

The emission factors are based on analogy to bulk product handling by an UBA expert judgement:

Table 2: Overview of applied emission factors, in kg/t salt

EF value	EF trend
TSP	0.031	constant
PM10	0.016	constant
PM2.5	0.003	constant

Recalculations

With activity data and emission factors remaining unrevised, no recalculations were carried out compared to Submission 2022.

Planned improvements

At the moment, no category-specific improvements are planned.