Graham Stringer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stringer on 2014-05-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what amount of (a) large particulates (PM10), (b) small particulates (PM2.5) and (c) nitrogen dioxide were emitted to air in the UK by (i) domestic biomass generation of heat and (ii) biomass for power generation in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of the annual national inventory of the respective emissions these represent.

Dan Rogerson

The most recent year for which historic emission estimates are available from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory is 2012. This data was published in December 2013.

The emissions from domestic combustion and their share of national total emissions are estimated to have been: (a) for large particles (PM₁₀), 10.9 thousand tonnes and 9.6%; (b) for small particles (PM_2.5), 10.6 thousand tonnes and 13.7%; (c) for nitrogen oxides, 0.96 thousand tonnes and 0.09%.

The emissions from power generation and their share of national total emissions are estimated to have been: (a) for large particles (PM₁₀), 0.65 thousand tonnes and 0.57%; (b) for small particles (PM_2.5), 0.55 thousand tonnes and 0.72%; (c) for nitrogen oxides, 4.2 thousand tonnes and 0.4%.

Emissions of nitrogen dioxide have not been separately estimated from those of nitrogen oxides.