What Is Emission?
Emission measurement determines the concentration and mass flow rate of gas and particulate released to atmosphere from a stack. Measurement is carried out by isokinetic sampling and instrumental analysis; pollutants such as dust, SO2, NOx, CO, TOC, heavy metals, HCl, HF and dioxins can be measured.
Purpose of Emission
The purpose is to show the facility's compliance with emission limit values and fulfil environmental permit obligations.
Which Products Is Emission Applied To?
- Industrial boiler and furnace stacks
- Power plant stacks
- Cement and metal facilities
- Waste incineration facilities
- Chemical and refinery processes
In Which Sectors Is Emission Used?
Standards Related to Emission
- TS EN 15259 (measurement strategy, measurement plan and reporting)
- TS EN 14181 (quality assurance of automated measuring systems)
- TS EN 13284-1 (low-range mass concentration of dust — manual method)
- TS EN 14791 (SO2), TS EN 14792 (NOx), TS EN 15058 (CO)
- TS EN 12619 (TOC), TS EN 14385 (heavy metals)
- TS EN 1948-1/-2/-3 (dioxins and furans)
Emission Conditions
- Measurement point
- At a point meeting the flow conditions defined in EN 15259; an unsuitable point invalidates the result
- Isokinetic sampling
- The sampling velocity is matched to the stack gas velocity for particulate measurement
- Reference conditions
- Results are converted to reference standard temperature, pressure, moisture and oxygen
- Measurement duration
- Duration and number of repeats defined per pollutant and legislation
Equipment for Emission
- Isokinetic sampling system and probe sets
- Stack gas analysers (SO2, NOx, CO, O2)
- FID (TOC measurement)
- Dioxin sampling system
- Pitot tube, temperature and moisture measurement equipment
Sample Requirements for Emission
- Measurement is performed on site; specimens and filters are sent to the laboratory
- It must be verified the measurement point meets EN 15259 requirements
- Facility operating conditions and fuel information must be recorded
- The facility must operate at representative capacity during measurement
Duration of Emission
Field measurement takes one or several days depending on the pollutant list and number of repeats. Heavy metal and especially dioxin analyses take a long time in the laboratory and set the reporting time.
Emission Procedure
- 1The measurement plan is prepared per EN 15259 and point suitability is verified.
- 2Stack gas velocity, temperature, moisture and oxygen are measured.
- 3Isokinetic sampling is performed for particulate.
- 4Gaseous pollutants are measured by instrumental or wet-chemical methods.
- 5Specimens are analysed in the laboratory.
- 6Results are converted to reference conditions and compared against the limit values.
Emission Acceptance Criteria
The acceptance criterion is the emission limit values set per the facility's sector; the (EU) 2010/75 Industrial Emissions Directive, BAT conclusions, and national legislation define these values. The environmental permit may also carry facility-specific limits.
Evaluation of Results
Results cannot be compared without conversion to reference conditions (including oxygen correction): the same concentration gives a different corrected value at a different oxygen content. If the measurement point's flow conditions are not suitable, the result is also not representative; this is the most commonly overlooked requirement in emission measurement.
Emission Report
- Facility, stack and measurement point identification
- Measurement point suitability assessment
- Facility operating conditions and fuel information
- Stack gas parameters (velocity, temperature, moisture, oxygen)
- Concentration, mass flow rate and the value converted to reference conditions for each pollutant
- Measurement uncertainties and limit values compared against
Accreditation
EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.
Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Scope and authorisationsRelated Regulations
- (EU) 2010/75 Industrial Emissions Directive
- (EU) 2015/2193 Medium Combustion Plant Directive
- BAT Conclusions (sector-specific)
Environmental Analysis — What Does This Testing Field Cover?
The section below describes the field that the Emission test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Environmental analysis determines the presence and concentration of pollutants in water, soil, waste, air and flue gas samples. The output of this family is usually part of a permit, a declaration or an inspection file; the result has direct legal consequences.
In this family SAMPLING is half the result, and this is the feature that most sets the field apart. A sample taken at the wrong time, in the wrong container, under the wrong preservation or from the wrong point gives an invalid result no matter how well it is analysed in the laboratory. In waste water a grab sample and a composite sample give different information; in soil, surface and depth produce different results. Sampling therefore has its own standards and its own accreditation scope.
On the water side, physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, COD, BOD, suspended solids), ions, heavy metals, organic pollutants and microbiological parameters are measured. Drinking water and waste water carry different parameter sets and different limits; the same laboratory method leads to a different decision under the two regimes.
In soil and waste, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, PAH and PCB compounds and LEACHING BEHAVIOUR are determined. The leaching test carries a logic peculiar to this field: it is not the total amount of a pollutant in soil but the fraction that can pass into water that determines the environmental risk. Waste classification and the disposal decision rest largely on this test.
On the emissions side, dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxygen, moisture and total organic carbon are monitored in flue gas. Measurement is made on site under operating conditions and must represent the plant's actual operating regime; a measurement taken at low load does not show the emissions at full capacity.
Continuous measurement systems are a separate body of work. In large plants emissions are monitored continuously and the accuracy of these systems is verified periodically by comparison with independent measurements; the quality assurance framework governs this.
Noise and vibration measurements complete the environmental impact side of the field: environmental noise mapping, workplace noise exposure and vibration exposure measurements produce evidence for both environmental and occupational health legislation.
Method groups in this field
Sampling
Separate sampling standards for water, waste water, soil, waste, flue gas and ambient air; grab, composite and continuous sampling techniques.
Water physico-chemical
pH, conductivity, turbidity, colour, suspended solids, COD, BOD, TOC, alkalinity, nitrogen and phosphorus species.
Elemental analysis
Determination of heavy metals and trace elements in water, soil and waste by ICP-OES and ICP-MS.
Organic pollutants
Volatile organic compounds, PAH, PCB and organochlorine pesticides by GC-MS; hydrocarbon oil index.
Flue gas
Measurement of dust, SO2, NOx, CO, O2, moisture and total gaseous organic carbon; quality assurance of automated measuring systems.
Leaching and waste characterisation
Leaching tests and waste classification parameters; the basis for the disposal decision.
Commonly confused in this field
- An analytical result cannot be used on its own without the sampling record; the time, point, conditions and chain of custody are part of the report.
- Total content and leachable amount give different information; in waste classification, leaching behaviour is what counts.
- Emission measurement must be made under representative operating conditions of the plant; a result taken at partial load is misleading.
- Drinking water and waste water limits are defined in different legislation; the same parameter carries a different threshold under the two regimes.
- A sample from a single point does not represent the whole area; assessment of a contaminated site requires a grid-based sampling plan.
Which decisions these results support
- Compliance with environmental permits and discharge limits
- Quality assurance of continuous emission measurement systems
- Contaminated site assessment and the remediation decision
- Waste classification and selection of the disposal method
- Workplace exposure measurements and occupational health obligations
Related Tests
Frequently Asked Questions About Emission
Is our measurement point suitable?
EN 15259 requires the measurement point to be a sufficient distance from flow-disturbing elements and the flow to be homogeneous. A measurement at an unsuitable point is not representative, no matter how well the laboratory performs.
Can measurement be done while the facility runs at low capacity?
Legislation requires measurement to be performed under representative operating conditions, usually close to maximum capacity. A result taken at low capacity may not be used as the basis for a compliance assessment.