Emissions of nitrous oxide are decreasing at unique facility in Stockholm

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information facts

beST PrACTICe eXAMPLeS OTher CLIMATe ACTIOnS KLIMP – CLIMATe InVeSTMenT PrOGrAMMe

FebrUArY 2011

Photographs: Anette Andersson/Stockholm County Council

emissions of nitrous oxide are

decreasing at unique facility in

Stockholm

Stockholm County Council was the first in Sweden, and in the world, to introduce a facil-ity that breaks down nitrous oxide used in healthcare. This makes it possible to reduce fugitive emissions of a highly aggressive greenhouse gas.

Nitrous oxide has a more than 300 times greater impact on the climate than carbon dioxide. There is therefore good reason to collect all the nitrous oxide that is used, for example in connection with childbirth. Stockholm County Council installed a facility at Karolinska University Hospi- tal in Huddinge in December 2004. The facility splits the nitrous oxide into nitro-gen and oxygen, and breaks down nearly 97 percent of the nitrous oxide supplied. The facility was the first of its kind in Sweden and in the world, and was partly financed by grants from the climate investment programme Klimp.

Stockholm County Council now has facilities at all five maternity hospitals in the county, and the target is for emissions of nitrous oxide in 2011 to be 75 per-cent lower than in 2002.

PositiVE EnVironmEntaL anD Economic imPacts

• The destruction facility converts collected nitrogen oxide to oxygen and nitro-gen gases. • Nitrous oxide emissions have decreased from just over 33 tonnes in 2002 to just under 19 tonnes in 2009. Converted to carbon dioxide emissions, this is a decrease from just over 10,000 to 5,900 tonnes. • The facility destroyed an average of 2.1 tonnes of nitrous oxide per year over the period 2005–2008, but it has capacity for more.

swedish EPa Se-106 48 Stockholm. Visiting address: Stockholm – Valhallavägen 195, Östersund – Forskarens väg 5 hus Ub, Kiruna – Kaserngatan 14.

Tel: +46 10 698 10 00, fax: +46 10 698 10 99, e-mail: registrator@swedishepa.se Internet: www.swedishepa.se orders Ordertel: +46 8 505 933 40,

orderfax: +46 8 505 933 99, e-mail: natur@cm.se Address: CM Gruppen, box 110 93, Se-161 11 bromma. Internet: www.swedishepa.se/publications

information facts

beST PrACTICe eXAMPLeS OTher CLIMATe ACTIOnS KLIMP – CLIMATe InVeSTMenT PrOGrAMMe

FebrUArY 2011 ISbn: 978-91-620-8537-7

imPLEmEntation

A facility for the destruction of nitrous oxide, Anesclean-SW, was installed in December 2004 next to the obstetrics department of Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge. The technology comes from the Japanese supplier Showa Denko KK.

The nitrogen oxide exhaled by the woman giving birth can be collected using what are known as double masks in delivery suites. The gas is conveyed to the facility, and is destroyed by high heat and a catalyst.

The facility requires electricity equivalent to 35 kWh per kilogram of destroyed nitrous oxide. As a result of rapid technological development, new facilities with the same technology reduce the equivalent need for electricity to 5–10 kWh.

PotEntiaL anD fUtUrE BEnEfit

Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas to affect the climate. In many cases, other greenhouse gases have a greater climate impact than carbon dioxide. To enable the climate targets to be reached, it is important that emissions of these gases are also reduced.

There has been great interest in the facility, and a number of other county councils are following suit. Today there are a dozen such facilities around the country.

whY beST PrACTICe

The project is the only one of its kind in the world, and shows that it is possible to capture and destroy a large proportion of the nitrous oxide that is otherwise dispersed from the healthcare services. Alt-hough similar technology existed previously, this is the first time that it has been used in a full-scale facility for nitrous oxide. The project has driven technological development that is making the facility substantially more energy-efficient.

FOr FUrTher InFOrMATIOn Contact:

Anna Linusson,

Stockholm County Council,

+46 (0)8-737 25 00, anna.linusson@sll.se Johanna borgendahl, Stockholm County Council, +46 (0)8-737 25 00, johanna.borgendahl@sll.se Contractors/providers:

County Administrative board Administration (SLL environment).

Showa denko KK supplied the facility IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet Ab carried out the assessments of the facility.

The project on the Internet: www.sll.se/miljo

www.sll.se/lustgas

For further information on best Practice: www.naturvardsverket.se/mir

www.swedishepa.se/bestpractice FACTS

Klimp Stockholm County Council 2003 Action 2.0

environmental investment: SeK 4.5m Grant: SeK 1.2m