Impact of industrial atmospheric emissions on ambient air quality in the region of Arzew (north-western Algeria)

ABSTRACT

The main objectives were to identify the source and to assess the level of atmospheric pollution, in accordance with national legislation and World Health Organization (WHO) regulations. This work focused on the impact of atmospheric emissions, such as particulate matter (PM₁₀), nitrogen oxides (NO_x = NO + NO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO) generated by industrial activities of petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas processing and petrochemicals, on ambient air quality in the region of Arzew (Algeria) during the period July 1 to December 31, 2016. The study revealed that PM₁₀ levels largely exceeded the daily limits recommended by the WHO on most monitoring days; but the concentrations of NO₂ and CO remained below those limits. This study also demonstrated that PM₁₀ levels depend on industrial emissions rates and weather seasons, peaking in autumn mainly because of the relatively stable meteorological conditions.

List of Abbreviations: NO= Nitrogen Monoxide; NO2= Nitrogen Dioxide.

KEYWORDS:

• Atmospheric pollution
• air quality
• industrial emissions

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Air Quality Investigation and Control Network at the Department of Health and Environment in the Regional Direction of the Industrial Zone of Arzew for access to its database. The authors also express their gratitude to the Arzew National Meteorological Office for providing the meteorological data used in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.