POLLUTION
DRY BULK AND AIR POLLUTION
Credit: SAMSON Material Handling
A new PEMA whitepaper outlines the pollution issues associated with dry bulk material handling at ports and what solutions are available to tackle the problem
The Dry Bulk Cargoes and Impact on Air Pollution in Ports Information Paper is an environmental paper produced by the Port Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (PEMA) Port Bulk Handling Committee. It was researched and written by Mr Dan Birkett with contributions from other PEMA members. Dan Birkett is a British Mechanical Engineering graduate with over 25 years of experience in materials handling and pollution control equipment. He currently works for SAMSON Materials Handling as Area Sales Manager covering Asia, Middle East, and Southern Africa. The issue The current landscape of bulk material handling continues to place new practical and low environmental impact demands on the industry in relation to ship loading/ unloading systems. Flexibility, adaptability and eco-friendly solutions have received increased attention from researchers, designers and managers based on the fact that infrastructure facilities are required to facilitate various activities. Many of the existing industry projects have a design life of several decades that must fulfil current and future demands by providing increased chance of returns on investments, but also contributes towards sustainability through efficient use of resources and equipment. In this dynamic and ever changing industry, equipment plays a fundamental role when flexibility, dependability and environmentally friendly performance need to be at the core of every product concept, whether for the reception of materials from trucks, rail wagons or ships, or for discharging, for example onto existing belt conveyors in quarries. Latest trends clearly indicate a shift from the reactive approaches of design to proactive ones that accommodate short and
18 | SUMMER 2022
8 The current landscape of bulk material handling continues to place new demands on the industry in relation to ship loading/unloading systems
long-term flexibility and adaptability in order to maximise returns of investments in the long run. Pollution in environments comes in many forms and from many sources. The focus of this information paper is the pollution generated by the import and export of dry bulk cargoes in port environments. At the outset, however, it must be highlighted that the main pollution generated as a result of port/ cargo operations is through the combustion of fuels to power ships, port vehicles and from the generation of port power. Shipping vessels engines run on heavy fuel oil. Heavy fuel oil is much cheaper than the petrol/ diesel used for inland transportation but has a higher polluting impact. As an example, the Sulphur Dioxide content of Heavy Fuel Oil is 2700 times higher than that of road fuel. In addition to ships, ports operate a vast array of diesel-powered machinery: RTGs, straddle carriers, terminal tractors, reach-stackers, mobile cranes, etc. Diesel-powered engines result in elevated emissions of various pollutants. Added to the shipping emissions this makes port activities a significant net contributor to pollution in the vicinity of ports globally. The various Nitrous Oxides (NOx), Sulphur Oxides (SOx), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) released by internal
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The current landscape of bulk material handling continues to place new practical and low environmental impact demands on the industry in relation to ship loading/ unloading systems For the latest news and analysis go to www.greenport.com/news
