N2O emissions from incineration plants with NOx removal through selective catalytic reduction were
4.3 4.0 g N2O tonne1 waste (wet) (hereafter abbreviated as t1) (0.4 0.4 g N2O GJ1), ten times lower
than from plants with selective non-catalytic reduction (51.5 10.6 g N2O t1; 4.5 0.9 g N2O GJ1).
These emission factors, which are much lower than the value of 120 g N2O t1 (10.4 g N2O GJ1) used
in the 2013 Swiss national greenhouse gas emission inventory, have been implemented in the most
recent Swiss emission inventory. In addition, the isotopic composition of N2O emitted from the two
plants with SNCR, which had considerable N2O emissions, was measured using quantum cascade laser
spectroscopy. The isotopic site preference of N2O – the enrichment of 14N15NO relative to 15N14NO –
was found to be 17.6 0.8‰, with no significant difference between the two plants. Comparison to
previous studies suggests SP of 17–19‰ may be characteristic for N2O produced from SNCR. Methane
emissions were found to be insignificant, with a maximum emission factor of 2.5 5.6 g CH4 t1
(0.2 0.5 g CH4 GJ1), which is expected due to high incinerator temperatures and efficient combustion