Substantial increase in perfluorocarbons CF4 (PFC-14) and C2F6 (PFC-116) emissions in China

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: An, Minde; Prinn, Ronald G.; Western, Luke M.; Yao, Bo; Zhao, Xingchen; Kim, Jooil; Muehle, Jens; Chi, Wenxue; Harth, Christina M.; Hu, Jianxin; Ganesan, Anita L.; Rigby, Matthew
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Peking University; University of Bristol; Fudan University; Fudan University; China Meteorological Administration; Meteorological Observation Center, China Meteorological Administration; University of California System; University of California San Diego; Scripps Institution of Oceanography; University of Bristol
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-15142
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400168121
• 发表日期: 2024-07-23
• 关键词: in-situ measurements; halogenated compounds; global emissions; tetrafluoromethane; hexafluoroethane

摘要

The perfluorocarbons tetrafluoromethane (CF4, PFC-14) and hexafluoroethane (C2F6, PFC-116) are potent greenhouse gases with near-permanent atmospheric lifetimes relative to human timescales and global warming potentials thousands of times that of CO2. Using long-term atmospheric observations from a Chinese network and an inverse modeling approach (top-down method), we determined that CF4 emissions in China increased from 4.7 (4.2-5.0, 68% uncertainty interval) Gg y(-1) in 2012 to 8.3 (7.7-8.9) Gg y(-1) in 2021, and C2F6 emissions in China increased from 0.74 (0.66-0.80) Gg y(-1) in 2011 to 1.32 (1.24-1.40) Gg y(-1) in 2021, both increasing by approximately 78%. Combined emissions of CF4 and C2F6 in China reached 78 Mt CO2-eq in 2021. The absolute increase in emissions of each substance in China between 2011-2012 and 2017-2020 was similar to (for CF4), or greater than (for C2F6), the respective absolute increase in global emissions over the same period. Substantial CF4 and C2F6 emissions were identified in the less-populated western regions of China, probably due to emissions from the expanding aluminum industry in these resource-intensive regions. It is likely that the aluminum industry dominates CF4 emissions in China, while the aluminum and semiconductor industries both contribute to C2F6 emissions. Based on atmospheric observations, this study validates the emission magnitudes reported in national bottom-up inventories and provides insights into detailed spatial distributions and emission sources beyond what is reported in national bottom-up inventories.