CARBON NEUTRAL MALAPPURAM

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 07 | July 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072

CARBON NEUTRAL MALAPPURAM

1Professor & HOD, Dept. of Civil Engineering, EKCTC, Manjeri, Malappuram, India 2,3,4,5B tech student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, EKCTC, Manjeri, Malappuram, India ***

Abstract The serious after effects due to rising carbon levels in the atmosphere paves way for the world nations to mitigate excess carbon production. So the project aims to propose sector wise strategiestodevelopMalappuramdistrict in Kerala state (study area) as a ‘Carbon Neutral District ‘ by carryingout a carbonemissionanalysis inthe Transportation sector, Energy sector, Waste sector, Agriculture Forest and other Land use sector (AFOLU), and the analysis of sequestration capacity of present vegetation. Carbon neutrality is the idea which points out a net zero carbon emission.

Key Words: Carbon neutrality, sequestration capacity, carbon emission, net zero carbon, transportation, energy, waste, AFOLU etc…

1.INTRODUCTION

It is seen that the global average surface temperature has risen by 0.7degree Celsius in the last century.Ifthisrateofglobalwarmingisendured,by2030 therewillbeatremendousincreaseinsurfacetemperature. The emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and others have resulted in an increaseofglobaltemperaturebyaround1degreeCelsius.

Theriseinglobalaveragetemperatureisattributed to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reportedthat2.7degreesFahrenheitcouldbereachedinas little as 11 years and almost certainly within 20 years withoutmajorcutsincarbondioxideemissions.Limitingthe global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius compared with 2 degree Celsius would reduce the challenging impacts on ecosystems,humanhealth,andwell being.Underthe2015 Parisagreement,ithasbeenagreedbyeverycountryinthe world that to keep the global temperature well below 3.6 degree Fahrenheit. The IPCC reports contributes the scientificinputintotheParisagreement,whichisaimedto strengthentheglobalresponsetothreatofclimatechangeby holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below two degree Celsius above pre industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit temperature to 1.5 degree Celsiusabovepreindustriallands.

Theconceptofcarbonneutraldistrictputsforththe zero carbon, nature conservation, food and energy, self sufficiency,economicwell beinganddevelopment. Carbon dioxideoccupiesmajorshareingreenhousegasesanditis

acted as an equivalent indicator. Carbon neutrality is achievingnetzerogreenhousegasemissionsbybalancing themeasuredamountofcarbonreleasedintoatmosphere duetohumanactivitieswithanequalamountsequestrated incarbonsinks.

Itisnotgenerallyappreciatedthattheatmospheric temperature increases caused by rising carbon dioxide concentrations are not expected to decrease significantly evenifcarbonemissionsweretocompletelybreakoff.Itis due to the human activities that the atmospheric concentrationsofkeygreenhousegaseshasincreased.The objectiveoftheUnitedNationsFrameworkConventionon Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to achieve stabilization of Greenhousegasconcentrationsintheatmosphereatalow enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the ambience. The physical climate changesareduetotheanthropogeniccarbondioxidewhich are already in the atmosphere today are expected to be largelyinevitable.Thehumanactivitiessincethebeginning oftheIndustrialRevolution(around1750)haveproduceda 45% increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, from 280 ppm (1750) to 415 ppm (2019). The increaseinCO2hasoccurreddespitetheuptakeofmorethan ahalfoftheemissionsbyvariousnatural”sinks”involvedin thecarboncycle.Alargemajorityofanthropogeniccarbon dioxide emissions come from fossil fuel combustion, principally coal, oil, and natural gas, with additional contributions coming from forest fires, deforestation, changesinlanduse,soilerosionandagriculture.

The transportation sector produces the largest shareintheemissionofgreenhousegases Theseemissions fromtransportationprimarilycomefromburningfossilfuel forvehiclessuchascars,trucks,ships,aeroplanesetc..

Electricityproductionproducesthesecondlargest shareintheemissionofgreenhousegases Theseemissions primarilycomefromburningfossilfuelsforenergy,aswell asfromcertainchemicalreactions.Emissionsofgreenhouse gasesfrombusinessesandhomesariseprimarilyfromfossil fuels which are burned for heat generation, the use of productsthatcontainthesegases,andthewastehandling. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture come from livestocksuchascattle,paddycultivationetc…Itisessential to restrict atmospheric concentrations of GHGs released fromvarioushumandevelopmentalandlifestyleactivities using biological or natural processes. It is recognized that addressingclimatechangeisnotassimpleasswitchingto

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 07 | July 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072

renewableenergyoroffsettingGHGemissions.Preferably,to addresstheproblemnewdevelopmentactivitiesaretobe introduced.

Thisdocumentistemplate.Weaskthatauthorsfollowsome simpleguidelines.Inessence,weaskyoutomakeyourpaper lookexactlylikethisdocument.Theeasiestwaytodothisis simplytodownloadthetemplate,andreplace(copy paste) thecontentwithyourownmaterial.Numberthereference itemsconsecutivelyinsquarebrackets(e.g.[1]). However the authors name can be used along with the reference number in the running text. The order of reference in the runningtextshouldmatchwiththelistofreferencesatthe endofthepaper.

1.1 Carbon Footprint and Carbon Credits

Acarbonfootprintishistoricallydefinedasthetotal emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product, which is expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. The greenhouse gases (GHGs), which includes carbon dioxide, can be emitted through deforestation or land clearanceandtheproductionandconsumptionoffood,fuels, manufacturedgoods

Inmostcases,thetotalcarbonfootprintcannotbe calculatedexactlybecauseofinadequateknowledgeofand dataaboutthecomplexinteractionsbetweencontributing processes,includingthenaturalprocessesthatcanstoreor releasecarbondioxide.Bykeepingthisinmindadefinition canbestatedforcarbonfootprintas,itisameasureofthe total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions from a definite population, organization or activity, by considering all the relevant sources, sinks and storagewithintheboundaryofthepopulation,organization or activity of interest. It is calculated as carbon dioxide equivalentusingtheglobalwarmingpotential(GWP100).

Theconceptnameofthecarbonfootprintoriginates from ecological footprint, 1990s. This approach compares howmuchpeopledemandscomparedtowhattheplanetcan produce.Thishelpstoassessthenumberof”earths”thatis requiredifeveryoneontheplanetconsumesresourcesatan equal level as the person calculating their footprint. The carbon Footprint forms a part of the ecological footprint Carbon footprints are more concentrated than ecological footprintsastheymeasuretheemissionsofgasesthatcan causeclimatechangeintotheatmosphere.

Acarboncreditisa generic termforanytradable certificateorpermitrepresentingtherighttoemitonetonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhousegas(tCO2e).

Carbon credits and carbon markets forms the component of national and international attempts to deminishthegrowthinconcentrationsofgreenhousegases (GHGs).Onecarboncreditisequaltoonetonneofcarbon

dioxide,orcarbondioxideequivalentgases.Carbontrading forms an application of an emissions trading approach. Greenhousegasemissionsarefoundandthenmarketsare usedtoassigntheemissionsamongthegroupofregulated sources.Thegoalofcarbonfootprintandcarboncreditsisto allowthemarketsystemstodriveindustrialandcommercial processes for the low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those used when there is no cost to emitting carbon dioxide and other GHGs into the atmosphere.AstheGHGmitigationprojectsgeneratecredits, this can be used to finance carbon reduction schemes betweentradingpartnersandaroundthe world.

1.2 Carbon Sequestration

The term “carbon sequestration” is used to characterize bothnaturalanddeliberateprocessesbywhichCO2iseither removed from the atmosphere or diverted from emission sources and stored in the carbon sinks. This is termed as oceanicsequestration,terrestrialsequestration(vegetation, soils,andsediments),andgeologicsequestration.

1.3 Main Objective

Theprojectaimstoproposesectorwisestrategies todevelopMalappuramdistrictinKeralastateasacarbon neutraldistrictbycarryingoutacarbonemissionanalysisin the sectors of transportation, energy, and waste and sequestrationcapacityofpresentvegetation.

1.4 Specific Objective

1.To carry out a carbon emission analysis in the of transportationsector, energysector,wastesectorand agricultureandotherlandusesector.

2.To estimate the sequestration capacity of present vegetationinthestudy area.

3.Toproposeanactionplanforthenext10yearstomake thestudyareacarbonneutral.

2. METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the methodology used to the estimatetotalGHGemissionsinCO2equivalentsandcarbon sequestration by different vegetation cover in the MalappuramDistrict.Developingadetailedmethodologyfor Malappuram was a challenging task since the study area coversalargevarietyoflandusepatterns.

2.1 Identification of Study Area

Kerala is very peculiar as it comes to geology and biodiversity.EventhedistrictofMalappuramexhibitsvery distinctive characteristics at different parts. In this study, Malappuram district is selected as study area as it is the mostpopulousdistrictofKerala,whichishometoaround 13%ofthetotalpopulationofthestate.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056

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2.2 Identification of Emission Factor

Theinitialstepforagreenhousegasinventoryisto identify the categories for the inventory so that resources can be classified accordingly. Where an inventory already exists,thekeycategoriescanbeidentifiedfromtherecent estimates. For a new inventory, the compilers have two choices. Firstly, they can make a preliminary qualitative assessmentbasedonlocalknowledgeandexpertiseabout large emission sources and inventories in countries with similarnationalcircumstances.Or,secondly,theycanmake preliminary Tier 1 evaluation to assist in identifying key categories.Forthecurrentstudythesectorsidentifiedfor carbonemissionanalysisare

Transportation. Energy. Solidwaste. Agriculture,forestryandotherlanduse.

MethodologyusedforcalculatingGHGemissionsis basedonthelinearequation.

Totalemissions=Activitydata*EmissionFactor

2.3 Data Collection

2.3.1 Transportation sector

The emission from the transportation sector was estimated based on both primary and secondary data on vehicles from motor vehicle department and previous reports. This sector is further sub divided into different modesoftransportationbasedontheavailabilityofdata.

2.3.2 Energy sector

The emission from energy sector was measured based on primary data obtained from KSEB 110KV Substation.Thetotalequivalentemissionfromenergysector iscalculatedasperIPCCguidelines.EstimatingCO2emission from the use of electricity involves multiplying data on megawatt/hours(MWh)ofelectricityusedbytheemission factor(kgCO2 /MWh)forelectricitywhichwilldependon thetechnologyandtypeoffuelusedtogenerateelectricity. Thetotalemissionswerecalculatedandprojectedto2032 usingthegrowthfactorsprovidedinEconomicreview2018, governmentofKerala.

2.3.3 Solid waste sector

Thetotalwasteproducedinanareadependsonthe population of the area. So the population of the district is projectedto2032andthetotalwastegeneratediscalculated by multiplying it with the per capita rate of waste generation.Emissionfactorsforvolumeofwastegenerated isalsocalculatedandthecarbonequivalencyisestimatedas perthestandards.

2.4 Estimating the SequesteredCarbon

Methodologyusedforestimatingthecarbonsequestratedis basedonthelinearequation.

Totalsequestration=SectorData∗SequestrationFactor

In order to calculate region specific carbon sequestrationitisimportanttofindthetypeandnumberof eachtreewhichisfoundlocally.Therefore,ageneralsurvey was conducted in the agricultural office and approximate area and type of species were found out. To account for sequestrationfromotherplaces,areaswhichmayworkasa carbonsinkwerechosenrandomly.

Totalcarbonwasestimatedfortreesintheforests andplantationswithinthestudyarea.Onanassumptionthat thesamerateofsequestrationwillbeprevailedforthenext tenyears,thesequesteredcarbonin2032isestimated.

2.4 Assessing the Carbon Data and Recommendations

Thetotalcarbonemissionobtainedfromdifferent sectorsandtotalsequestrationareprojectedto2032.This gives us a clear picture on excess carbon that must be catered. Knowing the sequestration rate of various tree species, it is possible to put forward a planned vegetation whichcanaccountfortheexcesscarbon,amajoroutcomeof this project.

3. EMISSIONS FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS

The emissions from different sectors such as transportation,energy,waste,andagricultureandotherland use were calculated under different assumptions, data collected from different government sectors and from previoussurveys.

Table 1: TotalEmissionsfromDifferentSectors

Sectors Emissions in CO2 Eq tonnes

Transportation 75,34,864.001 Energy 1,01,859.1119 Waste 1,208.47498 Agricultureandotherlanduse 1,88,141.2426 Total 78,26,072.838

4. CARBON SEQUESTRATION

The total carbon sequestered is calculated by consideringthepresentvegetationandsoilcharacteristics. Due to inadequate availability of data we considered the present vegetation in terms of total forest area and

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056

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calculated the sequestration capacity accordingly. The sequestrationcapacityofsoiliscalculatedbyconsideringthe averageorganiccarboncontentinthesoil.Andthusthetotal carbon sequestration capacity of Malappuram district is showninthebelowtable.

Table 2: TotalCarbonSequestered

Sector Sequestration in CO2 Eq tonnes Soil 39,114.12663 Forest 1,90,287.28 Total 2,29,401 4066

5. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Thecarbonemissionsandsequestrationisthenbalancedto findouttheexcesscarbon.Andthisexcesscarbonistobe removedintheupcomingyearstoattaincarbonneutrality. This can be achieved by adopting different measures. The excesscarbonformedisgiveninthetablebelow.

Table 3: CarbonBalance

Total emissions from different sectors Total Sequestration capacity 78,26,072.838 2,29,401.4066 Excess of CO2 Eq 75,96,671.431

5.1 Recommendations

Plantingtreeswithgoodsequestrationcapacityis highlyrecommended.Apartfromthat,variousmeasuresare tobetakentoreducetheemissionsfromthesource.Along withthestepsmentionedtocaterthedeficitcarbon,proper awareness programs like campaigns, seminars and workshops can be conducted in school levels and on communitybasis.

PublictransitslikeMetroisrecommendedsothat thecommercialspacesaresetinitspremisesthusreducing thepersonaltrips.Providebicycletracksinordertopromote cycling.Roadsalsomustbemaintainedgoodforefficientfuel usage.Publictransportationcanreducetheneedformany separatepersonaltripsbyprivatevehiclesindenseurban areas, replacing many separate emissions from personal trips.E vehiclescanreducecarbonemissions(howeverthey are accountable for the emissions caused while charging, whichisnegotiable).Promotetheuseofvehicleswithfuel efficientengineswillconsiderablereducetheemissionsform vehicles.

UselightslikeLEDwhichareenergyefficient.They canreduceelectricityconsumptionsReplaceoldappliances

with energy efficient ones. Because the old appliances consume more power to operate. Majority of the new appliances are energy efficient. Promote the use of sustainableenergysources.

Havingaplannedwastedisposalschemewillreduce theemissionsfromopendumpingofwaste.Thecityneedsa propertownplanningconsideringthelandusepatternsin orderforanefficientwastemanagement.

In order to maintain the carbon neutrality of the studyarea,measureshastobetakenasgivenabove.Itisto benotedthatifthecarbonemissionsincreaseandsufficient sequestrationisnotavailable,therateofriseintemperature would be go beyond control. This very idea shows the importanceofhavingaquickandefficientmeandemanded fromustocutnomoretreesandtoplantalotmoretrees. Theneedforthereductionoftheemissionsfromsourceis alsoveryimportant.

6. CONCLUSION

Thischapteristheconclusiontotheprojectwhich includesfindingsandsummingupofalltheworksdoneand futurescopeofthisproject.Duetoinadequateavailabilityof dataonno.ofvehiclesfromgovernmentsectors,itwasdone purely based on recent surveys. There were many limitationsasthisprojectconsidersanentiredistrict. We triedourbesttokeepthesourcesgenuineandlatest.

6.1 Findings

1. Carbonemissionsinthesectorsoftransportation, energyandsolidwasteswerestudied.Theresults gave good insights on the need of a sustainable approachtokeepthecitycarbonneutral.

2. Transportationsectorcontributesthemosttothe total carbon emissions (75, 34,864.001 tCO2e (projectedemission)).Wewerenotabletoobtain sufficientdatafromRTOofficesowetookthedata regardingno.ofvehiclesandtheaveragedistance travelledbyeachcategoryofvehiclesfromrecent surveys. Adequate measures to reduce their rate mustbetaken.

3. The consumption of electricity in Malappuram district is taken from KSEB Manjeri and Malappuram substation. By comparing with transportationsectoremissionsfromenergysector isless.

4. Emissionsfromwastesectorwaspurelybasedon calculationusingexponentialgrowthformula.

5. Data on Agriculture, forestry and other land use were taken from agricultural office Malappuram.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN: 2395 0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 07 | July 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN: 2395 0072

No.ofcattles,buffaloesandgoatsandareaofpaddy fieldswereconsideredinthissector.

6. The sequestration capacity of existing vegetation has to be maintained and new trees must be planted.Therecanbesuddenfallinthoseratesifa massivedeforestationismade.Man madeforests and vegetation alone can keep the city carbon neutral.

7. Planting more trees with appreciable rate of sequestrationisalsoagoodsolutiontotherising carbon emissions as they are listed in the above chapters.

6.2 Future Scope

There can be variations in both emission and sequestrationsectors.Timelyinventoryandmonitoringcan really help in keeping the city carbon neutral. There are other unaccounted emissions and sequestrations. Future studyconsideringthoseareashasarealscopeandcanmake skillfullenvironmentalengineers.

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