In addition to managing greenhouse gas emissions, we are also working to limit other harmful emissions in the gaseous effluent associated with our operations. These may result in air or odor pollution or impact the health of our employees or neighbors. We also pursue research to bring more environmentally friendly products to market, in line with E.U. standards.

Significantly reducing emissions of gaseous effluent from our facilities

A number of measures have been taken to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and to strengthen reporting. They include improved metering methods, drives to reduce emissions, facility upgrades, vapor recovery equipment and optimized network maintenance.

• Sulfur dioxide (SO₂): Our target is to reduce total SO₂ emissions from our refineries by 20% between 2004 and 2010. At end-2006, Refining had reduced its SO₂ emissions by 8% compared with 2004. Exploration & Production is also making a particular effort to reduce SO₂  emissions at the sites it operates.
• Nitrogen oxide (NO_x): A number of research programs are underway to improve the methods used to measure NO_x emissions. In Refining, a major investment program is being undertaken to reduce emissions, including the installation of flue gas denitrification facilities. Improvements are also expected in Exploration & Production and Gas & Power, thanks mainly to the low-NO_x burners that have been installed in all new units since 2005 and that are retrofitted in existing units during upgrades.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)⁽¹⁾ : Given the wide range of both fugitive and stack sources, diffusion situations, products and their degrees of toxicity, VOC emissions are particularly difficult to manage, in spite of the significant efforts made by all of our businesses. Measures implemented by Upstream to manage greenhouse gas emissions will also have an impact on the VOCs associated with flaring. In 2006, Chemicals achieved its 2007 target of a 20% reduction in VOC emissions compared with 2002.

Cleaner, more environmentally friendly products

Developing cleaner products also helps to improve air quality. Total is focusing research on bringing more environmentally friendly products to market:

• Substances that limit emissions resulting from fuel use. For example, Total markets AdBlue, a urea solution that reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by around 85% when injected in the exhaust streams of certain diesel vehicles.
• Lubricants that deliver better performance to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
• Cleaner fuels: Total has supported the development of first-generation biofuels since 1992 and is the European leader in the field. We also distribute Excellium diesel and gasoline in certain European countries, including, since end-2005, across our network in France. Tested in 2006 by Bouygues Construction and Saur in a fleet of 752 company vehicles, Excellium Diesel enhanced fuel efficiency by 3.7% and reduced CO₂  emissions by a similar percentage, compared with conventional diesel fuel.

Eliminating olfactory disamenities

Because the olfactory disamenities associated with our operations may be a nuisance to workers and local residents, we deploy a three-phase method for mapping odors at our sites, which consists of:

• Conducting a survey on the perception of ambient air.
• Quantifying the odors and measuring the contribution of each part of the site.
• Modeling the site's olfactory impact.

At some sites, improvement measures are underway or have already been implemented.

⁽¹⁾Carbon-based molecules that vaporize at ambient temperature and pressure. They present three types of disamenity—photochemical pollution (in the case of ozone precursors), health risks (particularly in the case of benzene) and olfactory pollution.