- NAEI
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- Pollutant information
- Hydrogen Fluoride
Pollutant Information: Hydrogen Fluoride
About Hydrogen Fluoride
Category: Air pollutants
Hydrogen fluoride (HF) is, like hydrogen chloride (HCl), an acidic gas released to air from combustion of fuels that contain trace amounts of the related halogen element – in this case fluorine. Hydrogen fluoride is chemically very similar to HCl and emissions of HF display a similar source pattern to HCl, with 89% of emissions in 1990 and 69% of emissions in 2020 from the combustion of coal. As with HCl, UK emissions have decreased significantly (by 93%) since 1990 due to the declining use of coal across the UK economy. Power stations contributed two thirds of HF emissions in 1990 but only 12% in 2020. As the importance of coal has decreased, the relative contribution of other sources has grown. Most significant of these is brickmaking, which was responsible for 20% of UK emissions of HF in 2020.
» View and Download Hydrogen Fluoride emission summary data
Time series graph
Notable events
Start year | End year | Sector | Information | Impact |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | 1985 | Public Electricity and Heat Production | Miners strike resulting in a reduction in the consumption of coal and an increase in the consumption of alternative fuels in power stations for that year. | Decrease in emissions |
2009 | 2012 | Industrial process | The economic downturn has caused significant reductions in energy demands and many industries have made cut backs or closures, resulting in reduced emissions. | Decrease in emissions |