Impact of Industrial Atmospheric Emissions on Ambient Air Quality in Arzew Area, Oran State, Algeria

Abstract

This work focuses on identifying the source of BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene) emissions generated by hydrocarbon-related industrial activities and evaluation of its impact on ambient air quality according to European Union (EU) regulations during 2019. The spatial distribution of BTEX concentrations suggest that massive emissions are mainly due to the oil refining activity. BTEX concentration levels at the sampling sites show that benzene was more dominant. Considering the level of atmospheric pollution relative to the indicative value (2µg/m³) recommended by the EU, the ambient air is considered to be quite polluted with benzene content (5.36 µg/m³) produced mainly by emissions from the oil refining industrial complex.