Evaluation of CO and NOx distributions from point (industry) sources in Körfez district of Kocaeli province with ISCST3 model

This study was performed for the modelling of the distributions of CO and NOx emissions emitted to the atmosphere from point sources in Körfez District of Kocaeli Province. ISCST3 (Industrial Source Complex Short Term) dispersion model approved by the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) was used for the study. The model uses steady state Gaussian plume flow equation for high point sources. Due to the nature of the steady-state condition, the model is able to predict distribution of emissions from point, area and volume sources within 50 km in a successful manner; therefore it is defined as a suitable model for estimating air quality. Accuracy of the estimates depends on the correct measurement of meteorological parameters in the study area, as well as the detailed and accurate emission inventory for all resources. Körfez district has a number of pollutant sources including many industrial plants, ports and docks, railway and busy traffic arteries together with a high density of urbanisation. It is one of the most polluted sites in Kocaeli region and determination and monitoring of air quality here has a great importance. For this purpose, CO emissions emitted from 20 factory chimneys and NOx emissions emitted from 15 factory chimneys were modelled and the daily and annual distribution maps were obtained. The modelling study showed that the maximum ground-level CO concentrations were calculated as 335.24 µg/m3 and 70.02 µg/m3 in daily and annual basis respectively. On the other hand, for NOx concentrations, daily and annual maximum values were calculated as 372.05 µg/m3 and 26.29 µg/m3 respectively

Evaluation of three pollutant dispersion models for the environmental assessment of a district in Kocaeli, Turkey

Air Quality Modeling is a method used to manage urban air quality. Various pollutant dispersion models are available, and each of these models is characterized by its own advantages and disadvantages. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the models and to determine their performance by applying them to a specific district. This study also enabled the determination of the contribution of pollution sources to the total pollution and the current air quality of the study area according to the selected pollutants. In this study, both steady-state models (the American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model-AERMOD and the Industrial Source Complex Short Term Model-ISCST-3) and the Lagrangian model (the California Puff Model-CALPUFF) were used as the dispersion models. The Korfez district of Kocaeli was selected as the study area. SO2 and PM10 emissions were observed as pollutants. The statistical methods of mean squared error (MSE) and fractional bias (FB) were employed to evaluate the performance of these models. The results of the study revealed that the highest concentration varied according to the models and time options. However, when the modeling results for all of the sources were examined, the highest concentration was calculated by ISCST-3. The effect of the line source was less than the other sources (point and area). The contributions of the pollution sources differed according to each modeling program. The results of the statistical methods, which were used for evaluating the performance of the models, varied according to both the pollutant type and the time option. An overall ranking regarding modeling performance is as follows: CALPUFF > AERMOD > ISCST-3 for PM10 and ISCST-3 > CALPUFF > AERMOD for SO2. The MSE/FB results demonstrated that the predicted values were lower than the measured outcomes. Similarly, a comparison of the predicted and measured values with national and international limits revealed that various measures are necessary to reduce SO2 and PM10

Integration of geographical information systems and pollution dispersion models for final site selection of solid waste disposal areas

Depolama alanlarının yer seçiminde olası aday alanlar arasından kullanım için en uygun olanının seçilmesi çok sayıda kriterin ard arda ya da bir arada değerlendirilmesini gerektiren karmaşık bir süreçtir. Bu kriterlerden yalnızca birisi olan tesis çevresindeki yerleşim bölgelerinde bir koku problemine neden olunup olunmayacağı ise henüz yer seçim aşamasındayken mutlaka dikkate alınmalıdır. Bu sayede, başta koku olmak üzere atmosfer taşınımı vasıtasıyla neden olunabilecek sağlık problemlerinin önlenebilmesi de mümkün olabilir. Bu çalışmada; Kocaeli ili Gebze bölgesinde ihtiyaç duyulan 2000 dönümlük bir depolama alanı için bir yer seçimi çalışması yürütülmüştür. Bu yer seçimi çalışmalarıyla en uygun alanların belirlenmesinin ardından bu uygun alanların etraflarındaki tüm yerleşim bölgelerinde neden olabilecekleri koku maruziyeti bir kirlilik dağılım modeli yardımıyla incelenmiştir. Yerleşim bölgeleri için elde edilen bu değerler kullanılarak her bir aday alanın yerleşim bölgeleri üzerinde oluşturacağı koku etkileri büyükten küçüğe sıralanmıştır. Elde edilen en küçük etki değerine sahip aday alan en uygun alan olarak ifade edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular; değerlendirmeye alınan 8 aday alanın koku oluşturma potansiyelleri açısından bir sıralaması yapıldığında en uygun yer seçimi kararının 3 numaralı alan ve en kötü yer seçimi kararının 8 numaralı alan olduğunu göstermiştir. Ancak; bu sıralama değerleri, diğer yer seçimi kriterleri için elde edilen sıralama değerleri ile bir arada değerlendirildiğinde bir anlam ifade edecektirFrom landfills for use in the selection of areas of possible candidates selecting the most suitable one is a complex process that requires evaluation of a combination of a large number of successive criteria. This is just one of the criteria in residential areas around the plant causing an odour problem is taken into account in the selection stage. In this way, health problems, in particular scent, which can be caused by atmospheric transport, may be possible to prevent. In this study, an area of 2000 acres of storage space needed for the selection of a location study conducted in Gebze Kocaeli province. With the aid of ArcGIS software in the selection of the most suitable areas, odour exposure was analyzed causing all the work of all residential areas by a pollution dispersion model. The odour risks for each of the candidates in this field were arranged in descending order using the values obtained for residential areas. With the value obtained by the candidate with the smallest probability are expressed in the appropriate field. Hourly meteorological data obtained from the findings have shown that in the selection of the most suitable area the best decision is the number 3 and the worst decision is number 8 when a sequence of eight candidates for the potential of the area to create the smell. However, these ranking values will be significantly when the other location criteria are evaluated together with the values obtained for the ranking

Kocaeli’de evlerde, ofislerde ve okullarda iç ortam hava kalitesinin belirlenmesi

TÜBİTAK ÇAYDAG01.01.2008Bu çalışmada, Kocaeli’de farklı bölgelerde ve farklı mikroçevrelerde (ev, okul, ofis), iç ve dış ortamda yapılan örneklemeler ile aktif ve pasif örnekleme ve ölçüm teknikleri kullanılarak 2 farklı partikül fraksiyonunda (PM2.5 ve PM10) 16 ağır metal (Al, As, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, S, Si, Ti, V ve Zn), uçucu organik bileşikler (UOB’ler), SO2, NO2 ve O3 konsantrasyonları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, iç ortamda ölçülen konsantrasyonlarla maruziyet arasındaki ilişkiyi kurabilmek için, kişisel örnekleyiciler kullanılarak kişisel maruziyet düzeyleri de belirlenmiştir. NO2 için İç Ortam/Dış Ortam konsantrasyon oranlarının evlerde her 2 mevsimde de okullar ve ofislere nazaran yüksek bulunması evlerin iç ortamlarında NO2 kirletici kaynaklarının ofis ve okullara oranla daha baskın olduğu göstermektedir. İç Ortam/Dış Ortam oranlarının 1’in çok altında bulunması O3 ve SO2’in dış ortam kaynaklı bir kirletici olduğunu ve iç ortamlarda önemli bir kaynağının bulunmadığını göstermektedir. PM2.5 fraksiyonundaki toprak kaynaklı elementlerin iç ve dış ortam konsantrasyonlarının yüksek düzeylerde bulunması bu elementlerin iç ortamlara taşınımının yüksek olduğunu göstermektedir. PM2.5 kişisel maruziyet düzeylerinin As, S, V, Cu ve Cr gibi yanma kaynaklı elementler için iç ortam maruziyet düzeylerinden 2–6 kat daha yüksek olması ve bazı mevsimsel farklılıklar bulunmasına rağmen İç Ortam/Dış Ortam oranlarının genellikle 0.3–0.7 aralığında bulunması gözlenen yüksek kişisel maruziyet düzeylerinde dış ortamların etkisini göstermektedir. PM10 partikül fraksiyonunda belirlenen ağır metallerin büyük bir bölümü için İç Ortam/Dış Ortam oranlarının 1’den küçük bulunması dış ortam kirletici kaynaklarının iç ortam kirletici kaynaklarına daha baskın olduğunu göstermektedir. En yüksek UOB kirlilik düzeylerine örneklenen kişilerde rastlanırken bunu iç ortam ve dış ortam UOB kirlilik düzeyleri takip etmiştir. Her 2 mevsimde de toluen ev, ofis ve okullardaki UOB kirlilik düzeylerine en çok katkıda bulunan bileşik olurken onu etilbenzen, m,p-ksilen, stiren, nonan, hegzan, benzen, o-ksilen ve heptan bileşikleri takip etmektedir. Kentsel alanlarda elde edilen toplam UOB konsantrasyonlarının endüstriyel alanlarda elde edilen değerlerle uyum içinde bulunmuştur. Trafiğin belirteci olan bileşikler (BTEX, 1,2,4-trimetilbenzen) kentsel alanlarda yüksek bulunurken petrokimyanın belirteci olan hexane ve heptane bileşikleri endüstrinin yoğun olduğu alanlarda yüksek bulunmuştur. Ayrıca kentsel ve endüstriyel alanlarda elde edilen UOB konsantrasyonlarının sanayii ve trafikten uzak alanlarda elde edilen konsantrasyonlardan yüksek olması trafik ve sanayiinin tesbit edilen UOBlere olan katkısının ne kadar yüksek olduğunu göstermektedir. İç ortam, dış ortam ve kişisel maruziyet kirlilik düzeylerine etki ederek hava kalitesine olumsuz yönde katkıda bulunan kirletici kaynakların belirlenmesi amacıyla Pozitif Matris Faktörizasyonu (PMF) reseptör modelleme tekniği kullanılmıştır. PMF modellemesi, korelasyon analizi, iç ortam/dış ortam oranları, mikroçevre karakteristikleri, anketler ve zaman aktivite çizelgeleri incelenen kirleticilerin en önemli emisyon kaynaklarının endüstri, trafik ve sigara kullanımı olduğunu göstermektedir. İç ortam, dış ortam ve kişisel maruziyet düzeylerinin dünyanın diğer bölgelerinde yapılan çalışmalarda raporlanan düzeyler ile kıyaslanabilir olduğu bulunmuştur. Kişisel maruziyet konsantrasyonları kullanılarak çalışmada incelenen inorganik ve organik kirleticilerden kaynaklanan sağlık riski değerlendirmesi yapılmıştır. Ev, ofis ve okullarda örneklenen kişiler için hesaplanan “Toplam Kanser Riski” ve “Toplam Tehlike İndeksi” değerleri hem ortalama konsantrasyonlar hem de en kötü senaryo göz önüne alınarak incelendiğinde en yüksek risk altında bulunan kişilerin ev hanımları olduğu bunları öğretmenler ve ofis çalışanlarının takip ettiği söylenebilir. Değerlendirme kentsel, endüstriyel, endüstri ve trafikten uzak alanlar için yapıldığında her 3 alanda da yaşayan kişilerin birbirine yakın ve yüksek kanser riski taşıdıkları söylenebilir. Aynı değerlendirme sigara kullanan ve kullanmayan kişiler için yapıldığında sigara kullanan kişilerin kullanmayanlara nazaran yaklaşık %50 daha fazla kanser riski taşıdıkları gözlenmiştir.In this study, indoor and outdoor environment samples were taken from different regions and microenvironments (home, school, office) in Kocaeli. Through active and passive sampling and measurement techniques, 16 heavy metals (Al, As, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, S, Si, Ti, V and Zn) at 2 different particle fractions (PM2.5 and PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and SO2, NO2 and O3 concentrations were determined. Moreover, in an effort to establish the relationship between exposure and the indoor concentrations measured, personal samplers were used to determine personal exposure levels. Indoor/outdoor concentration ratios for NO2 were higher in homes than in schools or offices in both summer and winter, which shows that sources of NO2 pollutants in indoor environments of homes are more dominant than those found in offices or schools. The indoor/outdoor ratios were far below 1, indicating that O3 and SO2 are pollutants originating from outdoor environments and that they do not have significant sources in indoor environments. The presence of high levels of indoor and outdoor concentrations of crustal elements at PM2.5 fractions indicates that these elements are transported into indoor environments at high levels. PM2.5 personal exposure levels were 2–6 times higher than indoor levels for combustion-related elements such as As, S, V, Cu and Cr, and although there were some seasonal differences, the indoor/outdoor environment ratios generally ranged between 0.3–0.7 and indicated the effect of outdoor environments on the observed high personal exposure levels. The indoor/outdoor ratios for a major portion of the determined heavy metals at PM10 particle fractions were smaller than 1, showing that outdoor pollutants are more dominant than indoor pollutants. The highest VOC pollution levels were encountered in individuals in the sample, and this was followed by VOC pollution levels in indoor and outdoor environments. In both seasons, toluene levels were the highest pollutants for homes, offices and schools, followed by ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, styrene, nonane, hexane, benzene, o-xylene and heptane. Total VOC concentrations obtained from urban areas were consistent with values obtained from industrial areas. Components that are indicators of traffic (BTEX, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) were measured at high levels in urban areas, while hexane and heptane components, which are indicators of petrochemistry, were recorded at high levels in high- industry areas. Moreover, VOC concentrations obtained from urban and industrial areas were higher than concentrations found in areas far from industry and traffic, which demonstrates the high contribution of traffic and industry to measured VOCs. This study investigated the summer and winter concentrations of selected pollutants and the relationship between indoor and outdoor environments. In order to determine pollutant sources that negatively contribute to air quality by affecting the degree of indoor, outdoor and personal exposures, the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor modeling technique was used, which is a multivariate statistical analysis method. PMF, correlation analyses, indoor/outdoor ratios, microenvironment characteristics, responses to questionnaires, and time activity information suggested that industry, traffic and smoking represent the main emission sources of pollutants investigated. Indoor, outdoor and personal exposure concentration values were compared to values measured in different parts of the world, thereby evaluating consistency with the observed pollution level. Based on personal exposure concentrations, an assessment was conducted concerning the health risks associated with the inorganic and organic pollutants investigated in this study. When the calculated values for “Total Health Risk” and “Total Hazard Index” for people sampled in homes, offices and schools were examined by considering both the average concentrations and the worst scenarios, it was revealed that housewives are at the highest risk, followed by teachers and office workers. An examination of urban, industrial and far from urban, industrial and traffic areas revealed that people living in all of these three areas are subjected to high cancer risks, which are at similar levels. When the same evaluation was carried out for smokers and non-smokers, it was observed that smokers have a 50% higher risk of cancer compared to non-smokers

Did we choose the best one? A new site selection approach based on exposure and uptake potential for waste incineration

Ecological problems arising after the construction and operation of a waste incineration plant generally originate from incorrect decisions made during the selection of the location of the plant. The main objective of this study is to investigate how the selection method for the location of a new municipal waste incineration plant can be improved by using a dispersion modelling approach supported by geographical information systems and multi-criteria decision analysis. Considering this aim, the appropriateness of the current location of an existent plant was assessed by applying a pollution dispersion model. Using this procedure, the site ranking for a total of 90 candidate locations and the site of the existing incinerator were determined by a new location selection practice and the current place of the plant was evaluated by ANOVA and Tukey tests. This ranking, made without the use of modelling approaches, was re-evaluated based on the modelling of various variables, including the concentration of pollutants, population and population density, demography, temporality of meteorological data, pollutant type, risk formation type by CALPUFF and re-ranking the results. The findings clearly indicate the impropriety of the location of the current plant, as the pollution distribution model showed that its location was the fourth-worst choice among 91 possibilities. It was concluded that the location selection procedures for waste incinerators should benefit from the improvements obtained by the articulation of pollution dispersion studies combined with the population density data to obtain the most suitable location

Crude Oil Contaminated Sites: Evaluation by Using Risk Assessment Approach

Soils contaminated with toxic and persistent pollutants pose different and serious hazards to the environment and human health. Multidisciplinary procedures that are considering models for the prediction of risk for long-term exposure are needed. The present paper illustrates the operating mode and utility of an environmental software able toe0) integrates the dose-response modeling as a major part of hazard characterization in order to assess the quantitative risk from carcinogens. In this way, risk assessment is used as a method for the investigation of contaminated sites. The method is demonstrated on a Romanian field site, contaminated with petroleum products. For the assessment of human health risks from oil-contaminated sites, the contaminants of concern are considered as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs), and heavy metals, chemicals known as human carcinogens. Quantitative risk calculations revealed an individual risk of 1.07 × 10−5 for children and 6.89 × 10−6 for adults. The paper represents a utility example of an environmental software solution that could be considered by decision-making factors in approving certain projects. The software tool is helpful for protecting the environment and human health