Characterization of German SF₆Emissions

Autor(en)

Katharina Meixner, Thomas Wagenhäuser, Tanja J. Schuck, Sascha Alber, Alistair J. Manning, Alison L. Redington, Kieran M. Stanley, Simon O’Doherty, Dickon Young, Joseph Pitt, Angelina Wenger, Arnoud Frumau, Ann R. Stavert, Christopher Rennick, Martin K. Vollmer, Michela Maione, Jgor Arduini, Chris R. Lunder, Cedric Couret, Armin Jordan, Xochilt Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, Dagmar Kubistin, Jennifer Müller-Williams, Matthias Lindauer, Martin Vojta, Andreas Stohl, Andreas Engel

Abstrakt

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF

₆) is a highly potent greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 24,700 over 100 years and is globally mainly used as an electrical insulator in switchgear. Several measurement networks have tracked SF

₆ for many years and their European data reveal significant emissions in southern Germany. This study focuses on German SF

₆ emissions (2020–2023), using atmospheric measurements from 22 European sites, offering high spatial and temporal resolution for robust emission assessments. While German UNFCCC inventory bottom-up emission estimates report a major source of SF

₆ through the disposal of soundproof windows, the spatial distribution of German SF

₆ emissions derived on top-down inversion techniques (InTEM and Flexinvert+) reveals a different picture: The continuous pattern of high emissions from a particular region is responsible for one-third of total SF

₆ emissions in Germany. Despite this, total German SF

₆ emissions have decreased from 112 ± 26 t in 2020 to 89 ± 15 t in 2023 (InTEM), with estimates from all methods (both bottom-up and top-down) showing similar trends. Our findings suggest that the emissions from soundproof windows are overestimated, while industrial sources - particularly from SF

₆ production and recycling in the focus region - are likely underestimated.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Meteorologie und Geophysik

Externe Organisation(en)

Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Met Office, University of Bristol, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, National Physical Laboratory, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Umweltbundesamt Deutschland, Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Deutscher Wetterdienst

Journal

ACS ES&T Air

Band

2

Seiten

2889-2899

Anzahl der Seiten

11

ISSN

2837-1402

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestair.5c00234

Publikationsdatum

12-2025

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

105208 Atmosphärenchemie

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Atmospheric Science, Pollution, Environmental Science (miscellaneous), Environmental Chemistry, Environmental engineering, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Chemistry (miscellaneous)

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/770b47d4-1d41-47eb-9693-5369bce146b2