NOx Emissions: A Data-Driven Analysis

NOx data analysis

Background

I have been analysing sustainability data for top 30 Indian companies. I have chosen to read the sustainability reports in XML files available in public domain. Filing of this report is mandatory. I have been looking at completeness and accuracy of the data, And what we can make out of it.In this blog I am focusing on NOx emissions.

I've been writing about it for a while now. You can refer to my last blog post here.

I've been also writing on the subject on LinkedIn. Here is the Linkedin post.

Causes of NOx Emissions:

NOx emissions, which include nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), are primarily produced from the reaction between nitrogen and oxygen during the combustion of fuels, such as hydrocarbons, especially at high temperatures. This typically occurs in car engines, power plants, and industrial boilers. Natural sources of NOx emissions include lightning and biogenic sources. source: wikipedia

Leading Data Points on NOx Emissions:

Nitrous oxide emissions have been measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale3. source: oneworldindata

Data as pulled from the files

As the table is long, I am not showing the entire table. Instead, I am showing tables with a calculated column at the end, and by splitting the table into smaller tables as shown below. The tables are split according to the units in which the data is reported. The last column is increase in FY 23 value over FY 22 value in percentage for each company.

The entire table is available on my twitter post.

As you can see, the data is reported in 18 different units by 30 companies.

• Metric Tonnes
• 0
• kg/tcs
• mg/Nm3
• Tonnes
• Metric Tonne
• Not Applicable
• ppm
• tCO2e
• Not applicable
• μg/m³
• MT
• NA
• NOx (g)
• Metric tonnes
• tons
• Kg
• Kilotonnes/year

Data analysis with % change column calculated and added at the end by me

1. Companies that have reported data in Metric Tonnes

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
17	NTPC	Metric tonnes	Metric tonnes	657376.38	640419.16	2.65

2. Companies that have reported data in 0

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
1	Larsen & Toubro	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
2	State Bank of India	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
3	HCL Technologies	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
20	IndusInd Bank	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
21	Bajaj Finserv	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
24	Bajaj Finance	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
25	Tata Consultancy Services	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN
29	HDFC Bank	0	0	0.0	0.0	NaN

3. Companies that have reported data in kg/tcs

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
4	JSW STEEL	kg/tcs	kg/tcs	1.19	1.26	-5.56

4. Companies that have reported data in mg/Nm3

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
5	Wipro	mg/Nm3	mg/Nm3	258.60	240.80	7.39
28	Cipla	mg/Nm3	mg/Nm3	49.09	36.63	34.02

5. Companies that have reported data in Tonnes

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
6	Reliance Industries	Tonnes	Tonnes	34337.00	36991.00	-7.17
22	UltraTech Cement	Tonnes	Tonnes	84169.11	73717.33	14.18
26	ITC	Tonnes	Tonnes	2382.00	1799.00	32.41

6. Companies that have reported data in Metric Tonne

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
7	Tata Motors	Metric Tonne	Metric Tonne	92.0	247.0	-62.75

7. Companies that have reported data in Not Applicable

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
8	Power Grid Corporation of India	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	0.0	0.0	NaN

8. Companies that have reported data in ppm

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
9	Maruti Suzuki India	ppm	ppm	NaN	NaN	NaN

9. Companies that have reported data in tCO2e

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
10	Mahindra & Mahindra	tCO2e	tCO2e	11.68	4.38	166.67
15	Kotak Mahindra Bank	tCO2e	tCO2e	0.00	0.00	NaN

10. Companies that have reported data in Not applicable

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
11	ICICI Bank	Not applicable	Not applicable	NaN	NaN	NaN

11. Companies that have reported data in μg/m³

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
12	Titan Company	μg/m³	μg/m³	133.15	132.9	0.19

12. Companies that have reported data in MT

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
13	Sun Pharmaceutical Industries	MT	MT	126.0	166.0	-24.10
18	Hindustan Unilever	MT	MT	315.0	317.0	-0.63

13. Companies that have reported data in NA

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
14	Axis Bank	NA	NA	0.0	0.0	NaN

14. Companies that have reported data in NOx (g)

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
16	Asian Paints	NOx (g)	NOx (g)	40.28	42.43	-5.07

15. Companies that have reported data in Metric tonnes

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
17	NTPC	Metric tonnes	Metric tonnes	657376.38	640419.16	2.65

16. Companies that have reported data in tons

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
19	Tech Mahindra	tons	tons	0.75	3.268	-77.05

17. Companies that have reported data in Kg

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
23	Infosys	Kg	Kg	26015.1	22907.32	13.57

18. Companies that have reported data in Kilotonnes/year

	nameofthecompany	unitofnox FY23	unitofnox FY22	nox FY23	nox FY22	change PC
27	Tata Steel	Kilotonnes/year\n	Kilotonnes/year\n	30.0	32.0	-6.25

My analysis

Analysis:

Decrease in Emissions: Several companies have shown a ▼ decrease in NOx emissions from FY22 to FY23. For instance, Bharti Airtel has reduced its emissions by 9.44%, JSW STEEL by 5.56%, and Reliance Industries by 7.17%. The most significant reduction is seen in Tata Motors with a decrease of 62.75%.

Increase in Emissions: Some companies have shown an ▲ increase in NOx emissions. Wipro’s emissions increased by 7.39%, and Mahindra & Mahindra’s emissions increased significantly by 166.67%. ITC and Cipla increased by 30% plus. UltraTech Cement and Infosys also saw an increase in emissions by 14.18% and 13.57% respectively.

No Emissions Data: Several companies such as Larsen & Toubro, State Bank of India, HCL Technologies, and others have no data available for NOx emissions. So also Power Grid Corporation of India, ICICI bank and Axis Bank didn't report on the data.

Conclusion:

The data shows a mixed trend in NOx emissions among India’s top 30 companies. While some companies have made significant strides in reducing their NOx emissions, others have seen an increase. This highlights the need for continued efforts and innovative strategies to reduce NOx emissions across all sectors. It also underscores the importance of transparency and accurate reporting in tracking progress towards sustainability goals.