Aspects of Air Quality Status of Bonny Island, Nigeria Attributed to an Lng Plant

The Bonny Island axis of the Niger Delta, Nigeria, is one of the most industrialized belts of Nigeria. Among the significant industries in the locality is the Nigerian natural gas liquefying plants. The plant complex generates emissions which are propagated by meteorological agents. An atmospheric dispersion model was used to model the emissions using a computer programme. A statistical analysis of meteorological parameters was also carried out to determine the pollutants dispersion in the atmosphere. The analysis shows that wind speed is moderate and the predominance of southerly winds will move plumes toward human settlements in the north and north-eastern directions from the plant. From the diffusion model, the compounds likely to be emitted in the largest quantity from the plant in the order of magnitude were CO 2 , NO x , CO, PM 10 and SO x . There is evidence that pollutants concentration would be highest for receptors at about 10 km from the emission sources even under unstable atmospheric conditions. The concentration of all the pollutants were well within the set ambient limits for the averaging period considered (i.e., 1 hour). It is recommended that the LNG plants continue to use natural gas as their major fuel as it will help in reducing pollutants like CO, PM 10 and SO x . Also, due to the large CO 2 gas emitted, afforestation and conservation projects should be initiated in Bonny Island so as to earn carbon credit.