Constructing a method for assessing the effectiveness of using protective barriers near highways to decrease the level of air pollution

Abstract

Highways are an intensive source of environmental pollution. Atmospheric air is exposed to the fastest anthropogenic influence. Therefore, a particularly important task is to minimize the level of air pollution near the highway. An effective method for solving this problem is the use of protective barriers of various shapes installed near highways. At the stage of designing these protective structures, an important task arises to assess their effectiveness. Estimation of the effectiveness of protective barriers by the method of the physical experiment takes considerable time to set up and conduct an experiment, as well as analyze the results of physical modeling. This method is not always convenient during design work. An alternative method is the method of mathematical modeling. For the designer, it is very important to have mathematical models that make it possible to quickly obtain a predictive result and take into consideration a set of important factors on which the effectiveness of the protective barrier depends. A method has been devised that makes it possible to assess the effectiveness of using protective barriers to reduce the level of air pollution near the highway. It was found that an increase in barrier height by 80 % leads to a 22 % decrease in the concentration of impurities behind the barrier. It was established that applying a barrier with a height of 1.5 m leads to a 26 % decrease in the concentration of impurities in buildings adjacent to the highway. A method has been devised to assess the effectiveness of using absorbent "TX Active" surfaces on the protective barrier located near the highway. This study's result revealed that the application of a barrier with one "TX Active" surface leads to a decrease in the concentration of NO behind the barrier by an average of 43 %. When using a barrier with two "TX Active" surfaces, a decrease in the NO concentration behind the barrier is 85 % on average.