Reactive Nitrogen Flows Between Sector Energy and Transport and the Atmosphere

• The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) approach has been used to calculate nitrogen fluxes in the energy and transport sectors. Air pollutants arise from energy production, mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass [1]. The nitrogen
  contained in the fuel is released only during combustion.

• Atmospheric nitrogen N2 also takes
  part in the combustion process. Atmospheric nitrogen and fuel nitrogen are converted to reactive nitrogen forms [2]. Therefore, the exchange of reactive nitrogen compounds occurs only between the energy and transport sector and the atmosphere. All other exchanges take place with the non-reactive form of nitrogen [3].

• The exchange between the energy sector and the atmosphere includes emissions of gaseous forms of nitrogen such as nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).