Assessing the role of area sources in air quality: A comprehensive review

Zolani Ndlovu *

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pan African University institute for Basic, Science, Technology and Innovation, Nairobi Kenya.
 
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 23(02), 1462–1472
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2024.23.2.2495
Publication history: 
Received on 07 July 2024; revised on 15 August 2024; accepted on 17 August 2024
 
Abstract: 
Air pollution poses significant challenges to environmental quality and public health. The array of factors contributing to air pollution necessitates a focus on three primary source categories namely point sources, mobile sources, and area sources. Point sources, typified by industrial facilities and power plants, emit pollutants from stationary positions, facilitating monitoring and regulatory interventions. Conversely, mobile sources including vehicles and aircraft, which emit pollutants while in motion, present a level of logistical challenges for control measures. Area sources, encompassing diffuse emissions from various activities such as agriculture, residential heating, and small-scale industry, present distinctive challenges in quantification and regulation due to their dispersed nature. Despite their substantial contribution to overall pollution levels, area sources have historically received less attention from researchers and regulators. The way to understand area sources is to use models for the other two, therefore, emphasizing the significance of studying area sources more comprehensively, this summary underscores the necessity of developing improved methodologies for assessing and mitigating their emissions.
 
Keywords: 
Area Air Pollution; Emission Sources; Diffuse Emissions; Source Apportionment; Emission Characterization; Spatial and Temporal Dynamics
 
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