This study estimates the contribution from the open burning of municipal wastes in some of Nigeria's major cities to atmospheric levels of air pollutants. Information obtained on open burning emission factors and municipal solid waste (MSW) generation estimates was combined to estimate annual levels of the pollutants from the open burning of MSW. Per capita distributions of pollutants were calculated on the basis of cities’ populations. The estimates of inorganic emissions across the cities studied were from 913.73 to 81,600 tons per year (TPY) of particulate matter; 4,797 to 428,400 TPY of oxides of nitrogen; 342.65 to 30,600; and 57 to 5,100 TPY of sulfur dioxide, while the estimates for methane ranged from 742 to 66,300 TPY and for other nonmethane organic compounds ranged from 1,713 to 153,000 TPY. Given the composition of MSW in these cities, the nonmethane organic compounds are likely to be composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds. Given the wide varieties of both inorganic and organic air pollutants released during the open burning of MSW and the associated human health and environmental impacts, it is high time that stakeholders at all levels of government came up with policies and regulatory measures for the management of MSW in the country.
This study presents a review of sources and atmospheric levels of anthropogenic air emissions in Nigeria with a view to reviewing the existence or otherwise of national coordination aimed at mitigating the continued increase. According to individual researcher's reports, the atmospheric loading of anthropogenic air pollutants is currently on an alarming increase in Nigeria. Greater concerns are premised on the inadequacy existing emission inventories, continuous assessment, political will and development of policy plans for effective mitigation of these pollutants. The identified key drivers of these emissions include gas flaring, petroleum product refining, thermal plants for electricity generation, transportation, manufacturing sector, land use changes, proliferation of small and medium enterprises, medical wastes incineration, municipal waste disposal, domestic cooking, bush burning and agricultural activities such as land cultivation and animal rearing. Having identified the key sources of anthropogenic air emissions and established the rise in their atmospheric levels through aggregation of literature reports, this study calls for a review of energy policy, adoption of best practices in the management air emissions and solid wastes as well as agriculture and land use pattern which appear to be the rallying points of all identified sources of emission. The study concluded that the adoption of cleaner energy policies and initiatives in energy generation and usage as against pursuit of thermal plants and heavy dependence on fossil fuels will assist to ameliorate the atmospheric loadings of these pollutants.
Cocoa and kolanut harvest wastes of 681,000 and 90,000 tons respectively, are generated in Nigeria annually. HHVs of the two agro-residues are 15.19 and 13.87 MJ/kg respectively, with their blends having values within this range. The optimal blend composition of the two agro-residues has electric power generation potential estimated at 29,000 MW.
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