Control of immission of atmospheric pollutants

Any industrial activity that generates an atmospheric pollutant that is not channeled must undergo an atmospheric immission control, also known as diffuse emissions. This type of monitoring makes it possible to determine the concentration of pollutants at ground level that can affect people, animals, vegetation or materials.

What is

Control of immission of atmospheric pollutants?

Royal Decree 100/2011, of January 28, which updates the catalog of activities potentially polluting the atmosphere and establishes the basic provisions for its application, classifies industrial activities into types A, B and C and specifies the type of controls to which they are subject. The limits that must not be exceeded by the different industries and the frequency of inspections are set by an individual Integrated Environmental Authorization (AAI) for each company in the case of types A and B and by the legislation of the corresponding Autonomous Community in the case of type C or, failing that, by national legislation.

There are certain autonomous communities that have specific legislation establishing these limits and the applicable methodology for the determination of suspended and settleable particles and other types of gaseous pollutants.

The control of immissions can be carried out using suction equipment or passive samplers, depending on the parameter to be determined. The passive sampler is placed at the sampling point and collects the pollutant by diffusion through a support that allows the pollutant to be fixed and then sent to the laboratory to determine its concentration. The aspiration equipment makes a certain volume of air pass through a retention medium that allows us to determine the concentration of the pollutant in the laboratory.

Our services

Our services in this field are:

Determination of total suspended particles.
Determination of PM10 particles.
Determination of sedimentable particles.
Determination of NH3 and SH2 chemical compounds.
Determination of compounds using passive samplers.
Determination of heavy metals, VOC's, dioxins and furans, etc. in immission.

Consult the complete scope of our accreditation nº 845/LE1953 as a testing laboratory in the environmental sector for the control of atmospheric pollutants.

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smoke escaping from several factory chimneys

Control of atmospheric emissions

The emission of pollutants from industrial activities changes the composition of the atmosphere and degrades air quality. The control of gaseous pollutant emissions into the atmosphere has become a major issue for the protection of human health and the environment.
To prevent these risks, regulations have defined discharge limits for certain polluting substances and impose periodic controls.

Calibration of automatic measurement systems (SAM)

Ensuring air quality and measuring pollutant emissions requires perfectly calibrated measuring devices. These devices not only measure atmospheric emissions but also continuously measure the oxygen concentration in the flue gases of boilers and industrial furnaces for combustion control and optimisation.
Pollutants are measured by certified analysers using reference methods. The monitoring methods are adapted according to the expected pollutant levels (fixed measurements, indicative measurements, modelling, objective estimation, etc.).

Environmental Technical Assistance

Activities likely to generate an environmental impact must meet a series of administrative and technical requirements and it is essential to be accompanied to ensure compliance.

From assessments to the preparation of monitoring programmes, including environmental studies of all kinds, Apave provides you with advice and technical support. We are experts in the processing of environmental files and in the drafting of the necessary studies, both for the general state administration and in the autonomous communities.