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Project title

Impact of Agricultural Emissions on Rural and Urban Air Quality

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)

Lead Applicant

Eoin McGillicuddy

Project Abstract

Air quality is of paramount importance to human health. This is recognised by numerous agencies, most notably the World Health Organisation. Adverse health impacts are associated with air pollutants, many of which are linked with anthropogenic / agricultural activity. These pollutants include particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides and ammonia among others and have been heavily linked with health concerns and in the secondary formation of deleterious compounds and aerosols. PM can be broken down into size factions, with the terms PM2.5 and PM10 (referring to PM smaller than 2.5 and 10 microns respectively) generally used in monitoring. PM can also be defined by the pathway it enters the air, with primary PM being directly released to the atmosphere and secondary PM being formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions involving primary emissions. In this regard the contribution of ammonia to the fine particulate matter fraction through secondary aerosol formation is underdeveloped in an Irish context. Ammonia emissions is one of the key challenges to agricultural expansion in Ireland. By the end of 2018, total cattle numbers were approaching 6.6 million, while the number of pigs was approaching 1.6 million and increasing. The number of poultry stands around 11 million, with the majority (7.6 million) being in the Border region. Ireland is committed to the EU National Emissions Ceilings Directive (2016/2284/EU), which sets emissions reduction targets for five important air pollutants: nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), sulphur dioxide, ammonia and PM2.5. These pollutants contribute to poor air quality, leading to significant negative impacts on human health and the environment. Ireland is obliged to reduce ammonia emissions by 1% per year compared to 2005 levels in the years until 2029 and 5% annually thereafter. By the same directive, Ireland is obliged to reduce PM2.5 by 18% compared to 2005 levels until 2029 and 41% annually thereafter. Ireland exceeded the emissions ceiling for ammonia in 2016 and 2017 and total ammonia emissions are projected to be 9.6 kt above target in 2020. A reduction in ammonia would also lead to reduction in ambient PM2.5 levels. The health concerns associated with PM makes understanding its formation, concentration, composition, and size regime in both urban and rural settings is of the utmost importance and is the main driver underpinning the work presented here. IMAGE will determine the concentrations of both fine PM and ammonia at two different sites within Ireland. This will be undertaken via the combination of highly accurate and precise offline chemical and biological analysis of collected filter samples and real-time PM and bioaerosol concentration determination of the fine and course fraction of PM. This multi/interdisciplinary work, evaluating ambient environment will provide information of both primary emissions of PM and secondary formation from precursors such as ammonia . Determination of primary sources of PM2.5 will greatly aid in the deconvolution of the secondary fraction of PM2.5. Equally an understanding of the production of bioaerosols in the fine faction is a novel undertaking.

Grant Approved

�352,832.99

Research Hub

Healthy Environment

Research Theme

n/a

Start Date

31/03/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

28/02/2025