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Select SDGs to find out how we are taking action in support of the UN Substinable Development Goals
Air pollutants include substances, gases, and particles in the air, whether from natural sources or as the result of human activity. Human endeavors, such as energy generation, transportation, industrial and agricultural activities, are responsible for generating the majority of air pollutants. Common pollutants from industrial activities include nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and others.
Maintaining air quality at our production sites, as well as reducing emissions into the air, is a central goal of ICL’s environmental strategy. Typical materials emitted are mainly inorganic compounds and particles and a minority of volatile organic compounds. The Company regularly measures its emission of pollutants, to better monitor and locate uncontrolled emissions in accordance with local law, regulations and conditions of each site’s business licenses, through usage of accepted technologies. Moreover, ICL takes steps to reduce air emissions of various pollutants in different ways, such as implementing emission prevention solutions and switching to cleaner fuels.
To assure progress of reduction efforts and compliance with all air-related regulations (with an emphasis on the Israel Clean Air Law), ICL established the following organization-wide air emission targets:
In recent year, ICL’s sites have implemented multiple projects in order to reduce air emission. These have resulted in the reduction of multiple pollutants.
Reduction activities planned for the near future:
ICL expects its air emissions to continue to decrease in the next few years, as the Company continues to implement the Clean Air Law at its Israeli sites, including the reduction steps described above, and other steps yet to be determined.
Israel’s Clean Air Law was enacted to improve air quality and reduce air pollution. ICL has invested significant capital and other resources to comply with emission permits granted under the law, and will continue to do so over the next few years. As a result, some of ICL’s main air emissions have already decreased considerably, and further reductions are expected in the upcoming years.
To read more about ICL’s actions regarding the Clean Air Law in Israel, as well as the applicable laws that are in effect at ICL’s other sites, please see pp. 105-109 in ICL’s 2021 Annual Report.
Read MoreNote: In the charts below, 2018 appears as the base year used by ICL to measure its long-term performance (in addition to short-term, year over year performance). Air emissions data is based on direct measurements of emissions from point sources.
Read more about air emissions reduction improvements in ICL’s 2021 Annual Report.
SOx emissions are heavily dependent on the operation of the sulfuric acid production plants at ICL Rotem. In 2021, ICL’s global SOx emissions were reduced by 1% versus 2020, and by 37% versus 2018. These long-term significant reductions are mostly attributed to the installation of advanced and improved catalysts at both Rotem sulfuric acid production plants. This has also resulted in a significant decrease in relative terms of SOx per total phosphate production.
NOx emissions were reduced by 9% in 2021 versus 2020, and by 16.4% versus 2018. Currently, one of ICL’s main sources of NOx emissions is the new Sdom power plant which has been fully operational since August of 2018, and 2019 was its first full year of operation.
PM emissions were reduced by 11% in 2021 versus 2020, and by 49% versus 2018. Most of this reduction is attributed to a significant reduction in PM emissions from ICL Rotem’s phosphate fertilizer facility. The reduction is also attributed to the discontinuation of Rotem Zin mining activities. In the next few years, more projects to decrease PM emissions will come to fruition. Thus, we expect a further reduction of PM emissions in the foreseeable future.
In parallel to the significant reduction in NOx and PM emissions, the new Sdom power plant has seen an unavoidable 25% increase in VOC emissions in 2021, versus 2018. VOC are also generated at some of our sites in the U.S. VOC emissions were reduced by 2% in 2021 versus 2020.
ICL’s global ammonia emissions were reduced by 87% in 2021 versus 2018, mostly due to significant reduction efforts at YPH in China and ICL Haifa F&C. ICL’s ammonia emissions are generally very low compared to most other ICL air emissions described in this report. Ammonia emissions increased slightly in 2021, versus 2020.
ICL’s ammonia emissions in Israel are heavily dependent on the production of nitrous acid and ammonium nitrate at ICL Haifa F&C. In 2020, these emissions were eliminated thanks to the implementation of new ammonia treatment technology in the ammonium nitrate facility stack at ICL Haifa F&C.
