Qualitative Study on the Observations of Emissions, Transport, and the Influence of Climatic Factors from Sugarcane Burning: A South African Perspective

There are two methods of harvesting sugarcane—manual or mechanical. Manual harvesting requires the burning of the standing sugarcane crop. Burning of the crop results in the emission of aerosols and harmful trace gases into the atmosphere. This work makes use of a long-term dataset (1980–2019) to st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-07, Vol.18 (14), p.7672
Main Authors: Shikwambana, Lerato, Ncipha, Xolile, Sangeetha, Sivakumar Kandasami, Sivakumar, Venkataraman, Mhangara, Paidamwoyo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Atmosphere
Biomass
Black carbon
Burning
Carbon dioxide
Climate change
Climatic conditions
Data assimilation
Datasets
Emissions
Greenhouse gases
Plantations
Pollutants
Pollution load
Qualitative research
Spatial distribution
Sugar industry
Sugarcane
Sulfur
Sulfur dioxide
Trace gases
Vertical distribution
Wind speed
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Summary:There are two methods of harvesting sugarcane—manual or mechanical. Manual harvesting requires the burning of the standing sugarcane crop. Burning of the crop results in the emission of aerosols and harmful trace gases into the atmosphere. This work makes use of a long-term dataset (1980–2019) to study (1) the atmospheric spatial and vertical distribution of pollutants; (2) the spatial distribution and temporal change of biomass emissions; and (3) the impact/influence of climatic factors on temporal change in atmospheric pollutant loading and biomass emissions over the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal provinces in South Africa, where sugarcane farming is rife. Black carbon (BC) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are two dominant pollutants in the JJA and SON seasons due to sugarcane burning. Overall, there was an increasing trend in the emissions of BC, SO2, and carbon dioxide (CO2) from 1980 to 2019. Climatic conditions, such as warm temperature, high wind speed, dry conditions in the JJA, and SON season, favor the intensity and spread of the fire, which is controlled. The emitted pollutants are transported to neighboring countries and can travel over the Atlantic Ocean, as far as ~6600 km from the source site.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph18147672