Mathematical Modeling of Road Traffic Carbon Monoxide Pollutant: a Case Study of Minna Metropolis, Nigeria.

Abstract

Motor vehicle emission is a major source of air pollution in urban areas with carbon monoxide being one of the major pollutants; yet hardly any locally developed modeling tools are available for environmental protection agencies in Nigeria. A Gaussian based mathematical model for road traffic carbon monoxide pollutant in Minna metropolis was formulated. A temperature velocity relation for carbon monoxide was introduced into the model using the Michael Boltzmann equation. Field measurement of carbon monoxide concentration was carried out using the Non Dispersive Infrared Analyzer. The model was simulated using quick basic programming language. The results obtained showed that the trend in modeled concentrations was similar to that of the measured concentrations except for stability class D range. The average value of index of agreement d, between the measured concentrations and the modeled concentrations was 0.89. The highest value of index of agreement obtained was 0.98 while the lowest value obtained was 0.77. The model can be effectively used for predicting the concentration of carbon monoxide pollutant in the atmosphere in Minna metropolis. It can also be used as a tool for carbon monoxide pollution monitoring and control.