Air pollution by persistent organic pollutants from organic fuel combustion by stationary sources: the case of the Odesa agglomeration

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to determine the volumes of formation of all pollutants and accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) during the combustion of organic fuel by stationary sources illustrated by the case of Odesa Industrial-And-Urban Agglomeration. Various studies revealed a significant contribution of organic fuel combustion to environmental pollution of urban agglomerations with persistent organic pollutants. In particular, stationary sources of organic fuel combustion emissions, such as power generation furnaces, have begun to be actively considered only in recent years, but remain insufficiently researched and require increased attention. To calculate the annual mass of pollutant emissions, the most comprehensive official methods of inventorying emissions were used. To calculate the accumulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants, the author’s patented calculation method was used. Statistical data on the annual volumes of organic fuel burning by stationary sources in the Odesa agglomeration for 2011–2021 were used to make the calculation (more recent data can’t be used due to limited information in wartime conditions). The research contribution of emissions of POPs in large cities of Ukraine was limited, the identification of POPs in the environment is very expensive. During the research, the mass of emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from the combustion of all types of organic fuels was determined, and their accumulation trends in the environment were assessed. It was found that the largest amount of these pollutants is released during the combustion of natural gas, which is due to the significantly higher usage volumes of this type of fuel compared to others. At the same time, the ranking results of the pollutants by hazard showed that dioxins rank fifth in terms of hazard level in the case of natural gas. Conversely, when coal is burned, these substances rank second in terms of hazard, but the volume of coal combustion in the Odesa agglomeration has been decreasing. The article also proved that reducing the volume of organic fuel usage in the future leads to a decrease in the accumulated concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in the environment.

Keywords

• Persistent organic pollutants
• Organic fuel combustion
• Stationary sources
• Air pollution
• Fuel consumption
• Accumulated mass