Ship Emissions and Human Health Relationship: A Theoretical and Numerical Investigation in Asyaport

Abstract

Emissions threaten not only human health but also the human environment and air quality. The most well-known emissions sources are ships, air planes, motor vehicles, and various industrial facilities. Among these emissions sources, ships are the biggest emitters of air pollution. Increasing numbers of ships and new port investments near the coast exacerbate health risks. If measures are not taken, the threat will increase incrementally in the near future with the contribution of ship operations in new port investments, such as Asyaport. Asyaport is in the Tekirdag region, which serves as bridge connecting the continents of Asia and Europe. The Tekirdag region is also one of the most highly populated and industrialized areas in Turkey. Because of population density and industrialization, the amounts of emissions are very important for local residents of Tekirdag. In this study, the authors aim to reveal how the new port affects air quality and human health risk in the Tekirdag region. For this aim, two-step analyses were conducted. First, a theoretical perspective of the ship emissions was considered based on chemical reactions during combustion per fuel oil kilogram and different navigation phases, i.e., cruising, maneuvering, and hotelling. Second, various scenarios were considered in cases of different sulfur limitation policies and use of alternative fuel (liquified natural gas (LNG)) for the numerical investigation. Finally, these scenarios were implemented in Asyaport. The emissions (CO2, SO2, SO3, NO, NO2, total nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx)) were illustrated for different fuels and different percentages of sulfur until the year 2045, and the grand total of SOx and NOx emissions was estimated as 1,249,278 tons.