Air
Increasing mobility means greater atmospheric pollution
Nowadays, mobility doesn't just mean that people travel from point A to point B using various means of transportation. It also means the transport of goods. The result is a growing traffic on roads, rail, waterways and in the air.
During planning stages, we recommend examining how residents could be affected by additional traffic so that remedies can be found early on. Potential disruptions include harmful substances such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, benzol, diesel particulate matter and dust (PM10). The introduction of fine dust stickers for vehicles entering cities shows how current this issue is.
The emissions are determined in principle the same way for all of the inspections, namely on the basis of emissions factors, traffic figures and data for specific means of transport. Environmental pollution (immissions) is calculated by special dispersion calculation programmes (e.g. LASAT, MISKAM or AUSTAL2000).
What sets us apart?
From our involvement overseeing numerous projects, we have gained many years of experience in projecting traffic emissions and calculating harmful environmental emissions caused by cars as well as in questions about options for reducing emissions.
How do we deal with the different forms of transport?
Road traffic: cars and trucks cause harmful air pollution in the form of gas and dust that disperses along the left and right sides of the streets. Due to the fact that the fine dust limit values are constantly exceeded in many cities, the contribution road traffic makes is currently the subject of investigations and research projects.
Databases whose key indicators have been supplied from the results of many years of exhaust gas measurements are available for calculating emissions. To determine emissions, not only are traffic figures necessary but also information about the type of vehicle and the section of road and the traffic situations associated with it (that determine local driving behaviour).
To simulate the dispersion of harmful emissions, there are special requirements for the dispersion model in situations with a high concentration of buildings. The MISKAM model is frequently used in this case.
Ship traffic: In cities like Hamburg, the imissions caused by ships on the Elbe river and in the port is not insignificant. Emissions and imissions are determined the same way as they are for road traffic. To calculate emissions, emissions factors can be derived from various studies for most ship types. In addition to ship type, the length of docking is also important in ports.
Airplanes: Airplanes cause harmful emissions when taking off and landing but also when taxiing on the ground ('taxiing in' after landing and 'taxiing out' prior to taking off). Annoying odours also play a role at airports due to the smell of kerosene.
Simulating the dispersion of harmful emissions in air transport is particularly complex due to the high speeds at takeoff and landing and the altitudes. Each movement of an airplane has to be represented individually for smaller regional airports and the runways of airplane manufacturers.
Which services do we offer?
- We create assessments for future air pollution (imission situation) for:
- Extending roads or creating new ones
- Constructing or expanding ports and airports
- Assessments for existing air pollution (immission situation) for:
- Testing development possibilities in land use planning
- Forming a decision-making basis for further investigations, e.g. for emission peaks
- Court appraisals
- We offer you professional advice and support when it comes to traffic pollution. We optimize existing transport channels with a view to reducing the strain placed on residents.
- We provide recommendations in planning and monitoring of traffic flows.
Which standards and statutory regulations form the basis of our work?
The legal basis for calculating and evaluating imissions caused by traffic is formed by the German Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) with the 22nd Federal Imission Control Implementation Ordinance (BImSchV) and the environmental impact assessment law (UVPG).
Contact:
Our experts are glad to answer your individual questions at any time. Just send us an e-mail by clicking on the contact box (top right).
