Using a modified version of Airpacts model for estimating the damage posed by sulfur dioxide emission from power plants to urban and rural building façades (case study: Shahid Rajaee power plant, Qazvin Province, Iran)

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2021-07, Vol.193 (7), p.432-432, Article 432
• Main Authors: Mojaver, E., Sobhanardakani, S., Moattar, F., Jozi, S. A., Monavari, S. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Building damage; Constraint modelling; Costs; Damage; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Electric contacts; Electric power generation; Electricity; Electricity generation; Emission analysis; Emissions; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental science; Facades; Industrial plant emissions; Localization; Mixing height; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Parameter modification; Parameters; Power plants; Public awareness; Relative humidity; Sulfur; Sulfur dioxide; Sulphur; Sulphur dioxide; Wind; Wind speed
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09098-8

This study aimed at upgrading the Air Indicator Report for Public Awareness and Community Tracking (Airpacts) model to evaluate the physical effects of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions from Shahid Rajaee power plant on the building façades in Qazvin, Iran in 2018. For this purpose, first, the methodological requirements of the model for the study area, including wind speed, relative humidity, and temperature, were analyzed. Then, the concentration of SO 2 emission from the power plant stack was calculated using the Aeroqual Model 200. The obtained data were processed and loaded into the Airpacts model version 1.0. After localization of the costs for reconstruction of 1 m 2 of façade, including the costs of purchasing materials, installation, and transport from the power plant, the damage posed by SO 2 to the building façades in Qazvin was calculated. Outputs of the modified model suggested that the damage to the building façades included cleansing in contact with SO 2 was 494,558,878.12 m 2 . Based on the calculations, the cost of damage caused by SO 2 was estimated to be $0.25 per Megawatt-hour (MWh) electricity generation, reaching an amount of $29,422 annually. Based on the localized results obtained by the modified Airpacts, the external cost of damage to the façades was $0.3 per MWh electricity generation, reaching an amount of $35,720 annually. To overcome the constraints of the original model concerning the constant parameters of mixing height and wind speed in the default model algorithm, the two parameters were considered dynamic variables in the modified model.