Modeling the Distribution of Suspended Particles in Sabzevar Lar Cement Factory with the AERMOD Model

Abstract

Today, air pollution is a significant issue, and one of the most significant environmental polluters is the industrial sector. In order to manage and impose limitations on sources of pollutants, monitoring air quality and assessing the amount of breaching air pollution limits around industrial enterprises is a valuable tool. Air pollution distribution models are thought to be the simplest and most practical way to monitor and evaluate the concentration of pollutants as well as to adopt suitable management techniques and strategies to reduce air pollution sources because it is currently not possible to directly measure the concentration of pollutants in any place and time. Therefore, the distribution of suspended particles (PM10) from stationary sources (chimneys of Lar Sabzevar Cement facilities) was examined annually for five years in each 24-hour period in this study using the AERMOD model. The highest number of suspended particles, which is substantially lower than the Iranian environmental limit of 150 g/m3, was found to be 3.36 g/m3. Results also indicated that the Lar Sabzevar cement mill does not produce significant environmental issues in terms of suspended materials, with an average yearly concentration of suspended matter owing to plant activities not exceeding 0.866 g/m3. Due to its location in the northeastern portion of the cement factory and its strong easterly breeze, Sabzevar is insulated from the impacts of cement factory operations.