TITLE:
Air Pollution Prediction in Warri and Its Environs Using Quality Parameters
AUTHORS:
Akinyemi Olufemi Ogunkeyede, Chinonso Oliver Mbaoma, Aluya Duncan Iyogbon, Adedoyin Ayorinde Adebayo, Efe Jeffery Isukuru
KEYWORDS:
Geostatistics, Air Pollution, Fossil Fuel Combustion, Environmental Monitoring
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.14 No.6,
June
29,
2023
ABSTRACT: Air pollution is a major environmental problem in the Niger Delta Area
(NDA) of Nigeria primarily due to oil and gas-related operational activities.
Identifiable sources of air pollution in the NDA include gas flaring, vehicle
emissions from internal combustion engines, crude oil pollution, etc. The aim
of this research is to evaluate the concentration of air pollutants from crude
oil-related activities using air quality parameters in Warri during seasons
peculiar to the area of study. The Warri metropolis, one of Nigeria’s largest
oil cities, was the sampling region under research in this study. An Aeroqual
handheld mobile multi-gas monitor fitted with different sensors of (Carbon Monoxide (CO), air quality multi-meter for
Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Volatile Organic
(VOC), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Ammonia (NH3),
Methane (CH4), and air quality index (AQI), was used for the
collection of air quality parameter. Linear regression was used to create the
model, which was then used to predict the extent of pollution in the locations
of study. The average mean concentrations of air pollutants such as CO, NO2,
CH4, VOC, NH4, and SO2 were measured at all
sampling sites during wet and dry seasons. The results showed that the levels
of these pollutants were above the WHO permissible limits for the majority of
the air quality parameters studied in all sixteen
locations. The concentration levels of most of the pollutants were
higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. The study also found that
the pollutants were mainly from fossil fuel combustion and road traffic
emissions. Overall, the research provided monitoring data for all air quality pollutants under investigation in the study area and
demonstrated that these concentrations exceed regulatory guidelines.