Evaluation of resuspension of road dust in a cement industial complex area

Abstract

© Int. J. of GEOMATE. Re-suspended road dust is an important contributor to ambient particulate matter (PM) particularly in an area where fugitive dust is significant emission source. This study evaluate PM-10 and PM-2.5 emissions as fugitive re-suspended dust from the road network in the Thai's Pollution Control Zone. Emissions of road dust are determined by using the analysis of silt loading and physical characteristics of the roads located in the study domain. Diurnal profile of vehicles travelling on each roads were used to calculate temporal variation of the emission data. Diurnal pattern of PM-10 ambient concentration measured from curbside station in the study area was used to reveal the contribution of road dust emissions to particulate concentration in the air. Results indicated that road dust greatly influenced the temporal profile of PM-10 concentrations in this area. Therefore, the effort to control particulate emissions in this Pollution Control Zone should also give a priority not just only to the industrial sources but also to mobile source emissions particularly from those re-suspended road dust.