Air quality assessment and dispersion of pollutants in the region of the Thermoelectric Plant President Médici using WRF/CALMET/CALPUFF models

Abstract

The study and monitoring of air quality is a problematic faced especially in large population and industrial centers. Regions around coal-fired thermoelectric power plants suffer with pollution caused by combustion processes. Currently in Brazil, enterprises that produces any kind of atmospheric pollution, must follow the normative imposed by National Environment Council (CONAMA), that is, the Brazilian regulator agency, that based on the National Air Quality Program (PRONAR), establishes the concepts of primary and secondary air quality standards. In this context, the aim of this work was evaluate the air quality in the region of the Thermal Power Plant President Médici (UTPM), in the period of two days, using the models Weather Research and Forecasting, California Meteorological Model and California Puff Model (WRF/CALMET/CALPUFF) to simulate the pollutants dispersion of SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and PM10 (particulate material 10 μm) in the atmosphere. As tools for meteorological prediction we employed the WRF models (version 3.7) and CALMET (version 6). The CALPUFF model (version 6) was used to simulate the pollutants dispersion in the atmosphere. The atmospheric pollutant concentrations simulated were compared with the results of Industrial Source Complex Model - Short Term version 3 (ISCST3) and with the values stipulated by the responsible environmental agency, keeping all within allowable standards during the two simulated days. Comparing the results of the concentrations of both pollutants to the values recorded by the air quality monitoring station, in the first simulation day the model underestimated the amount recorded by a factor of three and in the second simulation day the model presented the same value registered by the station.