Assessing the Impact of Power Plants on PM10 in South Korea using a Modeling Approach

In 2014, there were 30 cases of high PM₁₀ concentration episodes. Among these episodes, 12 episodes occurred during spring and 15 episodes occurred during winter; these episodes can account for almost 90% of the number of episodes for that year. For example, PM₁₀ concentrations during 6 days from Feb. 23 to 28 ranged from 81 to 120㎍/㎥; PM₁₀ concentrations on Feb. 25 ranged from 121 to 200㎍/㎥. In 2016, an advisory warning by Ministry of Environment was in effect force over the Seoul Metropolitan area from April 8 to 12 in 2016 with a PM₁₀ concentration on April 9 of 241㎍/㎥. With a careful examination of the surface and upper atmosphere maps during high PM₁₀ concentration episodes, we can see that the Korean peninsula is influenced by an anticyclone pattern with warm and humid air under stagnant conditions during many PM₁₀ episodes. The Ministry of Environment in Korea had shut down the old power plants in 8 stacks over 30 years during June 1 ~ 30, 2017 for decreasing PM₁₀ concentration in neighboring areas to power plants. 496 ton corresponded to 14% of total emissions (3,455 ton/year) in power plants is expected to be decreased.

The main aim in this study is to assess the impact of power plant on PM over the country with reduction scenarios. The TAPM model (The Air Pollution Model) was used in this study. TAPM is an integrated online model developed by CSIRO (Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organization in Australia) which includes coupled prognostic meteorological and air pollution concentration components. The model domain including all the country was centered at latitude 36°21’14. 83” N and longitude 127° 23’ 4.36” E with the grid of 120 ×1200 × 25 at two nesting grids (12km, 4km). The surface and land use data (1km × 1km) from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and initial meteorological data (75km × 100km) from the Local Administrator Password Solution from the Australia Meteorology Administration are inputs to the model. Point source data from the National Institute of Environmental Research in Korea were used to predict PM₁₀ concentrations under zero initial concentration from April 7 to 12 and June 1 to 6, 2016. PM₁₀ loads from 216 stacks on the located power plants in 18 regions were 3,455 ton/year based on data from 2013. It will be expected in this study that the efficient reduction effect in PM through some scenarios will be found out.