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Tim Arnold

Tim Arnold

Associate Professor

Tim Arnold

Quantifying aluminum and semiconductor industry perfluorocarbon emissions from atmospheric measurements

Author

  • Jooil Kim
  • Paul J. Fraser
  • Shanlan Li
  • Jens Mühle
  • Anita L. Ganesan
  • Paul B. Krummel
  • L. Paul Steele
  • Sunyoung Park
  • Seung Kyu Kim
  • Mi Kyung Park
  • Tim Arnold
  • Christina M. Harth
  • Peter K. Salameh
  • Ronald G. Prinn
  • Ray F. Weiss
  • Kyung Ryul Kim
Show all

Summary, in English

The potent anthropogenic perfluorocarbon greenhouse gases tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6) are emitted to the atmosphere mainly by the aluminum and semiconductor industries. Global emissions of these perfluorocarbons (PFCs) calculated from atmospheric measurements are significantly greater than expected from reported national and industry-based emission inventories. In this study, in situ measurements of the two PFCs in the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment network are used to show that their emission ratio varies according to the relative regional presence of these two industries, providing an industry-specific emission "signature" to apportion the observed emissions. Our results suggest that underestimated emissions from the global semiconductor industry during 1990-2010, as well as from China's aluminum industry after 2002, account for the observed differences between emissions based on atmospheric measurements and on inventories. These differences are significant despite the large uncertainties in emissions based on the methodologies used by these industries. Key Points Industry-specific C2F6/CF4 ratios are derived from atmospheric measurements These ratios are used to partition global total emissions to each industry Semiconductor and China's aluminum industry emissions most likely underestimated

Publishing year

2014-07-16

Language

English

Pages

4787-4794

Publication/Series

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

41

Issue

13

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Keywords

  • aluminum production
  • emissions
  • greenhouse gases
  • perfluorocarbons
  • semiconductor manufacture

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0094-8276