Air Quality
Air pollutants include substances, gases, and particles in the air, whether from natural sources or the result of human activity. Human endeavors, such as energy generation, industrial and agricultural activity, and transportation are responsible for generating the majority of air pollutants. Common pollutants in our industry are nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and others.
Maintaining air quality at our production sites, as well as reducing emissions to the air, is a central goal of our environmental strategy. The typical materials emitted are mainly inorganic compounds and particles and a minority of volatile organic compounds. We regularly measure our emission of pollutants in order to better monitor and locate uncontrolled emissions in accordance with the law and conditions set in our business licenses, through our use of accepted technologies. Moreover, we are taking steps to reduce air emissions of various pollutants in different ways, such as implementing innovative emission prevention solutions and switching to cleaner fuels.
To assure the advancement of the reduction efforts and the compliance with all air related regulations (with emphasis on the Israeli Clean Air Law), ICL has recently set the following organization-wide air emission targets:
- 15% reduction of Global NOx emissions from point sources, by 2022 compared to the year 2016.
- 35% reduction of Global SOx emissions from point sources, by 2020 compared to the year 2016.
- 40% reduction of ICL Israel Ammonia (NH3) emissions from point sources, by 2020 compared to the year 2016.
The main currently planned reduction steps are:
- 2019: Conduct full-year operation of the Highly Efficient boiler in the new Sdom power plant.
- 2019: Implement New NOx treatment technology in Nitrous Acid facility stack, Haifa F&C.
- 2019: Install Improved Catalysts in the second ICL Rotem sulphuric acid plant.
- 2019: Implement New NH3 treatment technology in Ammonium Nitrate facility stack, Haifa F&C.
- 2021: Eliminate Oil Shale combustion in ICL Rotem, switching to NG.
ICLs expects its air emissions to continue to decrease in the next few years, as the company continues to implement the Clean Air Law in its Israeli sites, including the reduction steps described above and other steps, yet to be determined.
Note: In the charts below, 2008 appears as the base year used by ICL to measure our long-term performance (in addition to short-term, year by year performance). Data below is comprised of emissions from point sources.
Following are the yearly trends in direct and indirect energy consumption. Since 2008, ICL has reduced its global point SOx emissions by 57%; point NOx emissions by 86%; point PM emissions by 65%; and point VOC emissions by 11%. These reductions were mostly caused by the major transition to natural gas use at ICL Israel, in combination with some other site-specific emission reduction improvements. See specific 2018 explanations below.
SOx emissions are heavily dependent on the operation of the sulphuric acid production plants in ICL Rotem. In 2018, ICL’s global SOx emissions were reduced by 25% compared to 2017, mostly to the installation of a new, advanced and improved catalyst in one of these sulphuric acid production plants. This has also caused a significant decrease in relative terms of SOx per total phosphate production. Further reductions are expected in 2019 with additional reduction measures.
NOx emissions were reduced by 20% in 2018. The reduction was mostly caused due to the installation of a new highly efficient boiler, in the new Sdom power plant.
PM emissions have reduced in 2017 due a decrease in measured emissions in ICL Rotem. and have remained almost constant in 2018. The PM emissions of ICL Rotem and other ICL sites are expected to reduce further in upcoming years due to the usage of new reduction technologies, as part of the implementation of the clean air act in Israel.
However, the new power plant also has caused an unavoidable increase in VOC emissions (+18% in 2018), due to the large increase in natural gas consumption. The 2018 VOC emissions were still 11% lower than in the 2008 base year, and are generally very low compared with other air emissions related to ICL’s operations and described in this report. The major switch to self production of electricity in ICL’s highly efficient new CHP plant, allows for indirect reduction of emissions in other external power plants.
