Impact of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions of Power Stations on Ambient Air Quality

Abstract

Abstract

The ISC-AERMOD dispersion model was used to study the impact of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emitted from 15 power station stacks in Kuwait. One-year meteorological and fuel consumption data were used for simulating the ground level concentrations of SO₂ on an hourly, daily, and annual basis. Air quality over the course of a year was monitored at fixed air quality monitoring stations at four different locations. Simulated concentrations were validated by comparing them with the observed values at the four locations. Results demonstrated that there is a great similarity in the simulated concentrations with observed values, which made the model performance satisfactory. Hourly and daily concentrations of the simulated model exceeded Kuwait Environment Public Authority limits. There was a significant influence of SO₂ emission from the power stations on the ambient air quality.