Geospatial-Temporalanalysis Analysis Of Atmospheric Emissions From Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants Using GIS and Wind Rose Approach For Pollution Mitigation

Citation

Kharabsheh, Raha M. and Bdour, Ahmed and Chan, Kah Yoong (2025) Geospatial-Temporalanalysis Analysis Of Atmospheric Emissions From Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants Using GIS and Wind Rose Approach For Pollution Mitigation. Water Conservation and Management, 9 (3). pp. 611-618. ISSN 2523-5664

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Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of air pollutant emissions from Jordan's Al-Baqa'a and As Samra wastewater treatment plants (2018-2023), revealing critical insights into the water-air quality nexus in arid urban environments. Through integrated geospatial modeling and dispersion analysis, we demonstrate that biological treatment processes generate hazardous hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) concentrations reaching 177 ppb (17.7 times Jordan's standard), while synergistic interactions with nearby petroleum and pharmaceutical industries contribute 19-63% of ambient sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO₂) loads. Recent findings identify methane (CH₄) as a previously underestimated emission component, with biogas composition averaging 62±8% CH₄ by volume and contributing 14% of facility carbon footprints (1,230 tCO₂e/yr). The research identifies distinct seasonal patterns, with summer temperatures accelerating microbial conversion rates (Q₁₀=2.3) to produce NO₂ peaks of 181 ppb-2.3 times the national limit. New VOC measurements reveal benzene levels (2.1±0.8 ppb) exceeding WHO cancer risk thresholds in 17% of samples near industrial zones. Our methodology combines high-resolution terrain modeling (30m SRTM data) with validated atmospheric simulations (COD=0.27, |FB|=0.18) to quantify exposure disparities, showing communities near WWTPs endure particulate matter concentrations 4.7 times higher than background areas. The findings inform three actionable mitigation pathways: process optimization through extended sludge retention (15.3±1.2 days) reduces H₂S by 41%, chemical scrubbers achieve 89% SO₂ removal, and IoT-enabled smart systems to cut NO₂ peaks by 33%. This work establishes wastewater infrastructure as a critical frontier for urban air quality management, providing both immediate solutions for Jordan's regulatory compliance and a transferable framework for addressing the climate-pollution nexus in water-stressed regions worldwide.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Biological treatment byproducts, H₂S air pollution, NOₓ atmospheric impact, SO₂ dispersion modeling, Wastewater treatment plant emissions
Subjects: T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering > TD878-894 Special types of environment Including soil pollution, air pollution, noise pollution
Divisions: Faculty of Artificial Intelligence & Engineering (FAIE)
Depositing User: Nor Afiqah Mohd Adnan
Date Deposited: 07 Nov 2025 06:27
Last Modified: 09 Nov 2025 22:17
URII: http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/14771

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