Dispersion of SO₂ emissions in a gas refinery by AERMOD modeling and human health risk: a case study in the Middle East

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to model the dispersion of emitted SO₂ from stacks and flares in one of the largest Gas Refinery Companies in the Middle East . Pollutant emission coefficients and air pollution’s various sources contributions were determined based on the collected data after measuring SO₂ concentrations in a fixed monitoring station (stack) and across different distances from it for a year. The SO₂ release pattern was simulated, and annual pollutant concentrations in average periods of 1-hr and 24-hr were predicted using AERMOD 8.9.0. The maximum simulated ambient SO₂ were 27,447 and 4592 µg/m³ in average sampling times of 1-hr and 24-hr, respectively. The hazard quotient of 95% percentile for children, teenagers, and adults due to inhalation of SO₂ was more than one.The maximum concentration of SO2 in the 1-hour and 24-hour period in the study area was higher than the amount introduced by Iran’s clean air standard and the WHO standard.

KEYWORDS:

• AERMOD
• modelling
• human health risk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2023.2165044

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Shiraz University of Medical Science Research Committee [No.IR.SUMS.MED.REC.1398.496].