CMA+ LIFE07 ENV/A/000003 - PM10 reduction by the application of liquid Calcium-Magnesium Acetate (CMA) in the Austrian and Italian cities Klagenfurt, Bruneck and Lienz
Overview
Background & policy context:
Numerous studies have confirmed the correlation between the concentration of particulate matter (PM) with respiratory disease, heart/circulation disorders and premature death. It is not only fine and ultrafine particles, found in PM2.5, but also the coarse fraction found in PM10 that can cause negative health effects. This project focuses on reducing PM10 in the polluted zones of the city of Klagenfurt and the town of Lienz in Austria, as well as the Italian town of Bruneck (Brunico). PM10 consists mainly of re-suspended particles from sources such as traffic, domestic burning, construction sites and unpaved roads. Road cleaning measures have produced only limited improvements in the amount of particulate matter re-suspended in the air. The limit for PM10 particles of 50µg/m3 as defined by the European Directive 1999/39/EG is exceeded on more than 80 days per year in Klagenfurt and 50 days per year in Lienz and Bruneck. The limits are particularly difficult to meet in many urban areas during the cold months from September to March. The project intends to look at the use of Calcium-Magnesium Acetate (CMA) as a dust-binder. CMA is currently used as a de-icing agent for road surfaces and is an environmentally friendly alternative to chlorides. While CMA is fully biodegradable, non-corrosive and harmless to plants, soil or aquifers its high cost means that it is not widely used.
Objectives:
The ‘CMA+’ project aimed to improve the air quality in the three target municipalities by reducing PM10 re-suspension through use of liquid CMA as a dust-binder on roads, construction sites and unpaved roads. The project’s target was to reduce re-suspension by up to 30% and PM10 levels in the ambient air by up to 10% (related to the annual mean) around roads. In addition, the project aimed to reduce PM10 levels by up to 50% around construction sites or unpaved roads. A major task was to overcome any traffic safety issues on roads emerging from the use of CMA. When tyre grip on the road was reduced after surface treatment, the project defined and implemented measures to compensate for situations where there was a reduction in tyre grip on the road after surface treatment. Further studies were also carried out on emerging factors generating re-suspended particles on various types of road and construction sites. The project worked to replace chlorides as a road de-icing agent with the environmentally-friendly CMA-solution in the targeted urban areas. A cost-benefit analysis of the use of CMA was carried out, along with a specific lifecycle comparison with the use of chlorides. The beneficiary published an instruction manual to encourage the use of CMA as a dust binder and de-icing agent in other cities and municipalities in Europe. This will raise acceptance and encourage the implementation of the innovative use of liquid CMA.
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