TITLE:
Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling of the Emissions from the Logbaba Thermal Power Plant, Douala-Cameroon
AUTHORS:
R. Mbiaké, E. Mfoumou, A. Beya Wakata, E. Ndjeuna, J. R. Kaze Djamen, R. Leduc, C. Bobda
KEYWORDS:
AERMOD, Pollutants, Air Quality Model, Relative Concentration, Thermal Power Plant
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Air Pollution,
Vol.6 No.4,
November
10,
2017
ABSTRACT: Air quality in the vicinity of the thermal power
plant of Logbaba in the town of Douala was investigated in this study using
data collected in a 5-year period (2008-2012). The distribution of pollutants
such as SO2, NOx, CO and the particle matter PM2.5 was analyzed using numerical modeling, based on physical and thermal
characteristics, as well as the operating periods of the power plant. The
American Environmental Regulator Model (AERMOD) that is an atmospheric
dispersion model was used for simulation. The wind rose and others National
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in-situ data were used for the validation
of the model. The pollutants distribution was evaluated at two locations: the
exit of the power plant, considered as reference point, and at 330 m away from
the exit where the first houses appeared. The results show that the relative
concentration for each contaminant at the exit of the power plant is 7.2% for
the PM2.5 during 24 hours of emission, 46.0% for CO over 8 hours of
emission, and 17.5% for SO2 over one hour. The NOx is the
highest pollutant with 259.1% over an hour of emission and 51.0% over one year.
Beyond 330 m of the power plant, only NOx keeps a polluting character
with a relative rate of 100%. These results show that the pollution level of
the power plant is over the threshold for air quality set by the World Health
Organization. Moreover, among all pollutants investigated, NOx appears to be the most critical for the population in the vicinity of the
Logbaba thermal power plant. This information is therefore important for policy
and decision makers in preventing the vulnerability of the population to air
pollutants from such industrial settings.