Modeling of particulate matter dispersion from a poultry facility using AERMOD

摘要

This study evaluates the performance of AERMOD, the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory model, in simulating particulate matter (PM_(10) and PM_(2.5)) dispersion from a poultry pullet facility. At the source, the daily mean PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) concentrations with strong diurnal patterns were estimated to be 436.01 ± 166.77 μg m~(-3) and 291.09 ± 105.81 μg m~(-3), respectively. This corresponded to daily mean emission rates of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) as 0.067-0.073 g sec~(-1) and 0.044-0.047g sec~(-1), respectively. The modeled hourly PM concentration showed acceptable accuracy relative to the measured PM concentrations downwind of the source. Increasing the averaging period from hourly to daily resulted in improved prediction. The simulations revealed that PM concentrations at and beyond the property line of the poultry facility were within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This study suggested that AERMOD is effective in predicting and assessing the impacts of PM downwind of poultry facilities.