Emission models for fugitive particulate matter towards an online emission inventory for the Middle East Area
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abstract
The Middle East Area (MEA) is highly affected by air pollution induced by anthropogenic and natural sources. There is evidence that airborne particulate matter (PM) greatly affects human health including causing premature death. Many studies have documented the high concentration of fugitive PM and their effects on air quality not just around industrial and construction areas but also in the workplace and living environments. Therefore, Air Quality Management (AQM), and consecutively the study of air quality, emerges as of one of the most important goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030. The cornerstone of every AQM system is an emission inventory, but these are currently available only for the European and North American domains, calling an immediate need to develop similar knowledge for the MEA. These inventories incorporate fugitive PM emissions caused by wind shear, material transfer processes or other mechanical processes such as agriculture, road traffic, construction and industrial activities - these also include PM originated by natural sources like windblown dust and sea salt. However, fugitive PM emissions in the North American inventory are known to be poorly characterized. Similarly, this category is not properly covered in the European inventories. As a result, these inventories cannot be seen as fully reliable for other areas with hot and arid climate such as in Qatar (or MEA in general). Moreover, recent studies in the wider MEA note the lack of an emission inventory and emphasizes a need to develop understanding of the local physico-chemical characteristics and sources of PM. The aim of this project is to study fugitive PM emissions, improve existing emission models and develop new ones in order to construct an emission inventory for the MEA domain, dominated by the fugitive PM. Our recent review highlighted the three source categories to be investigated in this project: natural sources (sea salt, wind-blown dust), construction sector (building, recycling and demolition) and road traffic.........
