Abstract
The purpose of this research work was to evaluate the Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) emissions from a Bamroli sewage-treatment plant (STP) in Surat City, India. Tiger handheld gas detector was utilised to measure emissions of BTEX during three periods of monitoring, and sewage samples were collected to determine the characteristics of sewage. The spatial variation of BTEX was determined at various treatment units of the STP during the months of November and April and represented as interpolation maps using ArcGIS. Box charts were plotted to represent the temporal variation of BTEX, which categorise the resultant data on the basis of their frequency. It has been noticed from the interpolation maps that the concentration of BTEX decreases as sewage travels from the inlet to subsequent units. Approximately 50% of all readings obtained of BTEX concentration fall within 0.5 parts per million, which exceeds the limits stipulated by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 5 μg/m3 for benzene. It can be concluded that more vent pipes have to be provided for the dispersion of these compounds in transmission lines. Also, some safety aids such as face masks have to be utilised by labourers who are continuously subjected to these compounds.
Highlights
The study of gaseous emission, climate change and air pollution involves physico-chemical identification, inventories, measurement and assessment methods and the quantitative study of actual anthropogenic sources and their direct contributions
■ In the attempt to investigate the presence of BTEX from the sewage-treatment plant (STP), a significant concentration of BTEX was confirmed from the units of primary treatment
■ Accumulated BTEX that could not find a path to volatilisation in the transmission line during their conveyance eventually escaped from units of the STP
Summary
The study of gaseous emission, climate change and air pollution involves physico-chemical identification, inventories, measurement and assessment methods and the quantitative study of actual anthropogenic sources and their direct contributions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that have a low boiling point due to their high vapour pressure at normal room temperature. This results in the formation of a large number of molecules evaporating from the liquid or solid form of the compound and escaping into the atmosphere. Reactions of biochemical type take place under microaerobic and anaerobic conditions during the sewage transportation process. This causes the formation and subsequent release of a wide variety of VOCs from sewer networks, which are a potential source of VOC emissions. While waste water undergoes up to three levels of treatment before it is discharged, VOCs in the waste water are emitted to the atmosphere by volatilisation during the treatment process
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