%0 Journal Article
%T Monitoring and Modelling the Trends of Primary and Secondary Air Pollution Precursors: The Case of the State of Kuwait
%A S. M. Al-Salem
%A A. R. Khan
%J International Journal of Chemical Engineering
%D 2010
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2010/879836
%X Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, processes of different scales have contributed greatly to the pollution and waste load on the environment. More specifically, airborne pollutants associated with chemical processes have contributed greatly on the ecosystem and populations health. In this communication, we review recent activities and trends of primary and secondary air pollutants in the state of Kuwait, a country associated with petroleum, petrochemical, and other industrial pollution. Trends of pollutants and impact on human health have been studied and categorized based on recent literature. More attention was paid to areas known to researchers as either precursor sensitive (i.e., nitrogen oxides (N ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) or adjacent to upstream- or downstream-related activities. Environmental monitoring and modelling techniques relevant to this study are also reviewed. Two case studies that link recent data with models associated with industrial sectors are also demonstrated, focusing mainly on chemical mass balance (CMB) and Gaussian line source modelling. It is concluded that a number of the monitoring stations and regulations placed by the Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KUEPA) need up-to-date revisions and better network placement, in agreement with previous findings. 1. Introduction It is of paramount importance to monitor and study the behaviour of primary and secondary precursors of air pollution, to establish a better understanding of their trends and impact on the surrounding environment. Human-related activities result in a number of airborne chemicals (i.e., primary pollutants), which include methane ( ) and nonmethane hydrocarbons (collectively known as total hydrocarbons-THC), total sulphur, nitrogen oxides and hydrogen sulphide (S , N , H2S), carbon mono- and dioxide (CO and CO2), BTEX (C6H6, C6H5CH3, C6H5C2H5 and C6H4(CH3)2), and other heavy metals (e.g., Hg, Pb, etc.). The interaction of such chemicals with the surrounding environment and the effect of photochemical reactions in the atmosphere results in what is known as secondary pollutants, a valid example of which is ozone (O3). Urban air pollution photochemistry is somewhat unique, and has been a matter of debate for a number of years amongst researchers [1¨C6]. One of the main characteristics of urban air pollution is the oxidation of SO2 and NO2 and their conversion to particulate sulphate ( ) and gaseous and particulate nitrates (NO3). Moreover, the rate of the conversion of N to NO3 affects ozone formation and the fate of the N in the
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijce/2010/879836/