|
Reducing
Sulphur Emissions from Heavy Fuel Oil Use
— A Quantitative Assessment of Economic Instruments:
Executive Summary
|
4.0 Why is it important to address sulphur levels
in heavy
fuel oil?
HFO use releases sulphur dioxide (SO2),
a key component of acid rain, into the atmosphere. The sulphur contained
in HFO also forms sulphate particles (SO4) that contribute
to the formation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5),
a pollutant with substantial implications for public health.2
Therefore, reducing sulphur emissions from HFO use reduces the release
of pollutants into the air and benefits the environment and public
health.
Currently, there is no regulated national standard
for sulphur levels in HFO. On the contrary, trends suggest that
the sulphur content of HFO produced in and imported into Canada
is increasing. The trend toward higher-sulphur HFO could increase
over time as other jurisdictions (e.g., the EU) move to lower the
sulphur content of the fuels they use, resulting in increased export
of their higher-sulphur HFO. At the same time, the availability
of sweet crude (crude that is low in sulphur content) is diminishing
globally, which may contribute further to increasing use of higher-sulphur
HFO in Canada.
Footnote
2 The combustion of fossil
fuels also results in emissions such as oxides of nitrogen, carbon
dioxide, other fine particulates and volatile organic compounds.
Actions to reduce sulphur emissions must ensure that other pollutants
do not increase as a result of these actions.
Next: 5.0 What
did the analysis consider? 
|
