An emission inventory is an accounting of the amount of pollutants discharged into the atmosphere.
Given the current rapid rate of economic development in all over the world and the degradation of air quality in the future likely to result from this, it becomes necessary to make use of all the scientific tools available for the management of the atmospheric environment. One of these tools is the air pollutant emission inventory.
What quantities of air pollutants are emitted and where do they come from? The best way to answer these questions is to prepare an air pollutant emission inventory. Emission inventories are now regarded as indispensable tools for a wide range of environmental measures such as management of chemicals as well as the prevention of air pollution.
An emission inventory can be utilized for the following purposes
Quantitative understanding of actual emissions
Use for modeling activity
Use for future projections and setting of targets
Use for the consideration of possible reduction measures
Use for planning of policy and measures and their follow-up
Cooperation in preparing inventories in Countries
Emission sources
The emission sources of air pollutants are divided into anthropogenic (human-made) and natural sources.
Anthropogenic sources
Energy
Power plants
Industrial boilers
Vehicles, ship, airplanes etc.
Commercial / Institutional
Residential
Industrial process
Agriculture
Waste etc.
Forest fire
Natural sources
Ocean
Lightning
Volcanic activities etc.
Periodic Monitoring
Site conditions and thus atmospheric chemical conditions may change following the initial characterization. For this reason, monitoring should be repeated periodically, especially when:
Work begins on a different portion of the site.
Different contaminants are being handled.
A markedly different type of operation is initiated (e.g., barrel opening as opposed to exploratory well drilling).
Workers are handling leaking drums or working in areas with obvious liquid contamination (e.g., a spill or lagoon).
