Experimental and theorical study of the air quality in a suburban industrial-residential area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

In this work, data for criteria and non-criteria pollutants were obtained in a suburban industrial-residential area in Rio de Janeiro, from April to November 2002. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde concentrations were found in the ranges 25.25-231.73 ppb and 9.48-75.74 ppb, respectively. These high concentrations may be attributed to several sources: vehicular and industrial emissions, the presence of several trash incinerators, effluents and waste rejected in the Faria Timbó river and emissions from a methanol industry. Average BTEX concentrations were: 1.92, 9.02, 6.37, 21.65 and 5.99 µg m-3 for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene and o-xylene, respectively. PM10 concentrations showed maximum mean values in October, April and June. Simulated concentrations were obtained for August 2002 using a trajectory model. The maximum calculated ozone concentration was 39.8 ppb, at 3:00 pm, in good agreement with experimental data (38.5 ppb). The ozone isopleths show that the local is in the high VOC/NOx region, typical of suburban and downwind areas.