Determination of air quality impacts of a cement production facility in Düzce province using AERMOD air quality dispersion model

In this study, the 2021 emission measurement results of a cement production facility located in Düzce Province were tested against emission concentrations calculated using the facility's production capacity and process-based emission factor values for the same year, as defined by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. The analysis focused on Particulate Matter (PM) and Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x) parameters, evaluating both theoretical (calculation-based) and practical (measurement-based) concentration values. The primary objective was to compare the agreement between these two approaches. Based on the field measurements conducted under the guidance of the Ministry, the average annual concentrations of PM and NO_x (NO + NO₂) were 2.64 μg/m³ and 436.64 μg/m³, respectively. In contrast, the calculated values based on the emission factor (EF) with 2021 production data were 13.12 μg/m³ for PM and 157.61 μg/m³ for NO_x. These discrepancies are influenced by several factors, including operational duration, production capacity during measurement periods, and other activities occurring at the facility. The obtained concentrations of emissions from both methods were then simulated with the AERMOD Air Quality Dispersion Model and using 2021 meteorological data, and spatial map plots of the resulting concentrations were made to observe the impact in the surrounding region.