Comparative Assessment of Some Emitted Pollutants’ Concentrations from Selected Fossil Fuel-fired Generators

Abstract

Fossil fuel-fired generators, though viable alternative sources of energy are a veritable source of several environmental problems. Measurements of gaseous and particle air pollutants is a vital step in exposure assessment and epidemiological studies. In this study, in-situ measurement of some pollutants emitted from selected fossil fuel-fired generators with a wide range of installed capacities (0.9-250kVA), which are under more realistic conditions than the laboratory approach of chamber testing was undertaking using real-time active sampling weekly for one year (November, 2015- October, 2016). The study reveals that the emission rate of CO from 0.9kVA generator, 2.0kVA generator, 50kVA CAT generator, 50kVA Micano generator, 250 kVA generator and 100kVA Micano generator are 93.48 mg/s, 107.67 mg/s, 1.12 mg/s, 12.47 mg/s, 0.08 mg/s and 9.69 mg/s, respectively; Similarly, the emission rate of SO2 from the aforementioned generators are 0.99 mg/s, 1.08 mg/s, 0.07 mg/s, 2.27 mg/s, 0.11 mg/s and 0.93 mg/s, respectively. Furthermore, these generators also emit H2S at the rate of 0.64 mg/s, 0.51 mg/s, 017 mg/s 1.79 mg/s, 0.15 mg/s and 0.92 mg/s, respectively. An insightful analysis of the sampled emission data suggests that emissions from most of the selected generators pose serious potential hazard to the public heath of their immediate neighbourhood.