PM and NOX concentrations decrease as a result of a railway electrification.

This work examines the impact of the electrification of the Holon-Bat Yam passenger train line (central Israel) on air pollutant concentrations using data collected from air quality monitoring stations that operated at the train stations across the electrified train line. We present statistically significant reduction in the annual average NO, NO and NO concentrations (29-45%, 79-85% and 65-75%, respectively), attributed to the electrification of the passenger train line. The drop in the NO and NO concentrations was much stronger than in the NO concentrations, since NO is the main nitrogen species emitted by diesel locomotives.

Indirect estimation of emission factors for phosphate surface mining using air dispersion modeling.

To date, phosphate surface mining suffers from lack of reliable emission factors. Due to complete absence of data to derive emissions factors, we developed a methodology for estimating them indirectly by studying a range of possible emission factors for surface phosphate mining operations and comparing AERMOD calculated concentrations to concentrations measured around the mine. We applied this approach for the Khneifiss phosphate mine, Syria, and the Al-Hassa and Al-Abyad phosphate mines, Jordan.

Dispersion of TSP and PM(10) emissions from quarries in complex terrain.

This study evaluates AERMOD and CALPUFF dispersion calculations of particulate matter emissions from stone quarries in two mountainous regions against TSP and PM10 measurements, using both observational and WRF-modeled meteorological data. Due to different model parameterization, AERMOD dispersion predictions were in better agreement with the measured concentrations than those obtained by CALPUFF. As expected, the smaller the distance between the meteorological station, the source (quarry) and the receptors, the better the predictions of both AERMOD and CALPUFF.

Evaluation of AERMOD and CALPUFF for predicting ambient concentrations of total suspended particulate matter (TSP) emissions from a quarry in complex terrain.

Concentrations of particulate emissions from a quarry located in hilly terrain were calculated by two common atmospheric dispersion models, AERMOD and CALPUFF. Evaluation of these models for emissions from quarries/open pit mines that are located in complex topography is missing from the literature. Due to severe uncertainties in the input parameters, numerous scenarios were simulated and model sensitivity was studied.