Study of the Transport of Atmospheric Pollutants in the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP), Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

The present work addresses the quantification and dispersion of atmospheric pollutants in the vicinity of a steel industry in a port area on the coast of Northeast Brazil (Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém, CSP), addressing some impacts on local communities and ecosystems. For this purpose, the parameters measured by the monitoring stations of the environmental agency of the state of Ceará - Brazil, were analyzed on the levels of air quality around the region where the steel industry in question is installed and mathematical simulations of pollutant dispersion were carried out. The measurements were made in two positions: one, where the fixed monitoring station is located; the other, where a mobile station was placed for a limited period. Given the predominant direction of the winds operating in the region, it was found that the fixed station is not able to identify the pollution produced from the steel industry, as it is located windward from the polluting sources. In particular, it was observed that the concentrations of particulate material and methane gas (CH₄) increased between the measurements of the two monitoring stations, east and west of the steel plant, indicating a direct influence of the industrial installation on the air quality in the region.

Keywords
air quality; air pollutants; industrialization