Search results for "Air Quality Index"

Comparison between laboratory and pilot biotrickling filtration of air emissions from painting and wood finishing

2010

BACKGROUND: Painting and wood finishing is one industrial sector affected by the European Union environmental regulations on volatile organic compound (VOC) air emissions. The painting process typically results in high flow rates with low VOC concentrations, so biotrickling filtration could be an economical alternative for controlling air emissions. This study analyses the operation of a pilot unit installed in a furniture facility, and compares its performance with the removal efficiency obtained in the laboratory using a synthetic feed composed of n-butyl acetate, toluene and m-xylene to simulate industrial air emissions. RESULTS: Laboratory studies showed that fluctuating and oscillating…

Experiencing Urban Mining in an Italian Municipality towards a Circular Economy vision

2017

Abstract Selective waste collection in Italy has undergone significant changes over the last decade, highlighting very different approaches from one region to another. Research results presented in this paper are underlying differences between geographical regions and use them as a model of good practices to improve the less optimized systems. In the last decade, the Trento City Council has established a goal – the optimization of selective municipal solid waste collection – that led to a very low amount of recyclable materials in the residual fraction. More than that, for the first time sanitary textiles have been considered as a separable fraction at the source; for a long time this type …

Ventilation Rates and Unsatisfied Percentage from Indoor CO2 Concentration

2010

This work reports the results of a survey carried out on a hall in a historic building in Palermo (Italy) with the aim of assessing the air quality by means of objective measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and its subjective evaluation through a questionnaire. The measured values of CO2 concentration were compared with those evaluated using the Meckler equation under steady-state conditions, having verified necessary parameters such as the constancy of the indoor and outdoor CO2 levels and the uniformity of the CO 2 generation rate for all the occupants. The positive correspondence between measured and calculated results allowed us to utilise, under differing circumstances, t…

A comparative study on the quality of air in offices and homes.

2013

The main purpose of this study was to collect data on some of the factors that contribute to indoor air quality and to discomfort, in order to take the proper actions that can reduce the level of air pollution within houses and offices. To ascertain the contamination degree total bacterial counts, total fungal counts, suspended particulate matter, air temperature, and relative humidity have been determined. Additionally, mathematical statistical models have been elaborated for the total bacterial count, respirable particulate matter and humidity. A total number of 40 indoor air samples were collected from office and houses. The results shows that approximately 45% of the air samples from ho…

Fuzzy environmental analogy index to develop environmental similarity maps for designing air quality monitoring networks on a large-scale

2019

All activities aimed at studying the primary causes and effects of air pollution cannot disregard the fact that it is necessary to have an optimal air quality monitoring network for assessing population exposure to air pollution and predicting the magnitude of the health risks. In the framework of a cooperation between the ARPA Sicilia Organization and the Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, research was performed to develop an innovative methodology useful for defining environmental similarity maps aimed at supporting the design of air quality monitoring networks at the regional scale. This approach is based on a new index called the fuzzy environmental analogy index (FEAI) b…

Pesticide Industries Air Quality

2016

Modelling PM10 Crisis Peaks Using Multi-agent Based Simulation: Application to Annaba City, North-East Algeria

2015

The paper describes a MAS (multi-agent system) simulation approach for controlling PM10 (Particulate Matter) crisis peaks. A dispersion model is used with an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict the PM10 concentration level. The dispersion and ANN models are integrated into a MAS system. PM10 source controllers are modelled as software agents. The MAS is composed of agents that cooperate with each other for reducing their emissions and control the air pollution peaks. Different control strategies are simulated and compared using data from Annaba (North-East Algeria). The simulator helps to compare and assess the efficiency of policies to control peaks in PM10.

Indoor and outdoor determination of pesticides in air by ion mobility spectrometry.

2016

Abstract The use of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been evaluated as analytical methodology to detect and evaluate the occupational exposure to pesticides. The developed IMS methodology was used, in positive and negative modes, to determine the presence of pesticides in air and to evaluate possible inhalation exposures of workers and users based on active sampling on Teflon membranes and direct thermal desorption IMS. The negative IMS mode was used to determine bensulfuron, clorpyrifos, diniconazole, diuron, flutolanil and imidacloprid, while the positive mode was employed to evaluate formetanate, metalaxyl, metamitrone, metribuzin, paclobutrazol and pirimicarb. The IMS measurements pr…

Comparing air quality indices aggregated by pollutant

2011

In this paper a new aggregate Air Quality Index (AQI) useful for describing the global air pollution situation for a given area is proposed. The index, unlike most of currently used AQIs, takes into account the combined effects of all the considered pollutants to human health. Its good performance, tested by means of a simulation plan, is confirmed by a comparison with two other indices proposed in the literature, one of which is based on the Relative Risk of daily mortality, considering an application to real data.

Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021

As largely documented in the literature, the stark restrictions enforced worldwide in 2020 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic also curtailed the production of air pollutants to some extent. This study investigates the perception of the air pollution as assessed by individuals located in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the USA. The perceptions towards air quality were evaluated by employing an online survey administered in May 2020. Participants (N = 9394) in the ten countries expressed their opinions according to a Likert-scale response. A reduction in pollutant concentration was clearly perceived, albeit to a different extent, by all …