Wednesday 23 October 2024

Source apportionment (SA)

 Source apportionment (SA) is the process of identifying the sources of air pollution and quantifying their contribution to air pollution levels. SA techniques can be used to: Assess the causes of air pollution levels, Quantify the contribution of different areas, Quantify transboundary transport, Evaluate the impact of abatement measures, and Support the design of air quality plans. 

SA can be accomplished using different approaches, including: emission inventories, source-oriented models, and receptor-oriented models. 

Receptor-oriented models use mass balance analysis and statistical evaluation of chemical data to identify sources. Source-oriented models simulate the distribution of airborne pollutant concentrations over an area based on emission data. 

Some examples of air pollution sources include:

Mobile sources: Cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains

Stationary sources: Power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and factories

Area sources: Agricultural areas, cities, and wood burning fireplaces 

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