Air Quality Management (AQM)

NILU has been working with the development and performance of complete Air Quality Management Systems (AQMS) for several years. 

To apply the complete AQMS platform, such as represented by the AirQUIS system, a number of tasks and activities have to be undertaken. Most of the air quality management projects have been dealing with air pollution problems on an urban scale.

To complete these projects continuous work has to be performed in the following fields:

• Inventorying of air pollution activities and emissions
• Monitoring of air pollution and dispersion parameters
• Calculation of air pollution concentrations, by dispersion models
• Inventorying of population, materials and urban development
• Modelling exposure to man and the environment
• Estimation of the effect of abatement and control measures
• Comparisons with air pollution regulations.

The basic concept for using the AQMS concept in Strategy planning includes the following elements and steps:

• Air Quality Assessment
• Environmental Damage Assessment
• Abatement Options Assessment*
• Cost Benefit Analysis or Cost Effective-ness Analysis
• Abatement Measures
• Optimum Control Strategy

The Air Quality Assessment, Environmental Damage Assessment and Abatement Options Assessment provide input to the Cost Benefit or Cost Effectiveness Analysis, which is also based on established Air Quality Objectives (i.e. guidelines, standards) and Economic Objectives (i.e. reduction of damage costs). The final result of this analysis is Optimum Control Strategy.

NILU has undertaken several project related to optimal abatement strategy planning in Norway, Africa and Asia. One of the main objectives were to develop an air quality management and planning system and to, together with local experts trained by NILU, to meet the objectives the strategy or of a Action Plan. This included:

• Development of emission inventories,
• Use of dispersion models,
• Assessment of air quality,
• Improvement of the monitoring system,
• Assessment of the impact of air pollution,
• Development of control options,
• Cost benefit analysis.

Only through a systematic planning tool as e.g. AirQUIS it has been possible to quantify the impact as well as to evaluate the ultimate impact of improvement actions.