Dispersion of SO <sub>2</sub> emissions in a gas refinery by AERMOD modeling and human health risk: a case study in the Middle East
Zahra Eslami Doost, Samaneh Dehghani, Mohammad Reza Samaei, Morteza Arabzadeh, Mohammad Ali Baghapour, Hassan Hashemi, Vahide Oskoei, Amin Mohammadpour, Alessandra De Marcoc
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.