(Azid, Juahir et al.

2015)

INTERIM REPORT

“Assessment of Seasonal Variations of PM10 Concentration in

Perak, Malaysia.”

SEPTEMBER 2018

Student Name : Mohd Fadhil Bin Musbah

Matrix No. : 21800
Programme : Civil Engineering
Supervisor : Dr. Wesam Al-Madhoud
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Interim Report Content Page No.

Abstract 3
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of study
4
1.2 Problem Statement
1.3 Objectives 5
1.4 Scope of Work
5
5
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Air Pollution
6
2.2 Health Effects of Air Pollution
2.3 PM10 6
2.4 Recent Studies on PM10 Concentration
7-8
8-9
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Research Methodology
10
3.2 Project Timeline and Milestones Gant Chat
3.3 Site Sampling 11
3.4 Method of Data Analysis
12
3.5 Expected Outcomes
3.6 Project Activities 13
14
14-15
4.0 Conclusion and Recommendations
4.1 Conclusion
16
4.2 Recommendation
16
5.0 References 17-18

ABSTRACT

2
 The aim of this project is to find the relationship between the seasonal variations in Perak
with the concentration of PM10 using the data provided by Alam Sekitar Malaysia Berhad
(ASMA) covering 2015 and 2016. The interaction between PM10 particles and climate
parameters is complicated and requires thorough investigation to understand the significance
of weather parameters to the concentration of PM 10 that exists in the atmosphere. PM10
concentration has always been a problem when it comes to maintaining the quality of the
atmosphere. Therefore, the need to study the point of origins and factors that may contribute
to the distribution of PM10 in the atmosphere annually can provide new information for the
government to act upon so that future mitigation processes can be done to reduce the impact
of PM10 emissions on the health of the society. For this project, the method of data analysis
will be done using the correlation analysis and factor analysis.

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
In this era of globalisation, Malaysia has undergone some rapid developments to
earn its status as a developing nation. But following the growth of the nation is a
number of problems faced not only in Malaysia but even in the most developed
countries of the world. One of the problems that is usually experienced in a
developing country is the pollution that comes with the improvement of the industry,

3
 particularly on pollution that affects the country’s air or atmosphere (Azid et al.,
2015).

Air pollution has long been a serious problem that requires prompt notice from all
involved parties of the world. According to a case study done by Azid et al. (2015),
air pollution has become one of the most significant elements that contributes to the
deterioration of life and living quality in Malaysia. The main sources of this major
environmental issue usually originates from the increased number of vehicles, trans-
boundary pollution from neighbouring countries as well as the rise in industrial
activities. As a result, health problems can occur to humans who are exposed to these
lower quality environment caused by air pollutions.

In addition, one of the main pollutant found in capitol urban areas is known as
particulate matter (PM10) and it is characterised to have an aerodynamic diameter of
less than 10 µm. The pollutant mentioned is one of the crucial air pollutants and
drastically impacts the Malaysian Air Pollution Index (MAPI) (Afroz, Hassan, &
Ibrahim, 2003). Therefore, extensive study and analysis of the sources, distributions
and dispersive attributes of PM10 over a specified area is important in order to apply
effective management and mitigation policies.

1.2 Problem Statement

In relation to PM10, they display troublesome and complex structure when they
interact with climate parameters such as rainfall, humidity, temperature and wind.
They can easily scatter from one origin point to several nonpoint sources and is
continuously changing behaviours and appearance. Obstruction and trapping of
simple movements of the pollutants may also occur in different meteorological
factors, which will cause the amount of concentration to rise in certain areas.
Therefore, collection of data for the concentration of PM 10 at a specific period of time
is needed to be taken to analyse and discuss the findings, hence, providing better

4
 information on the sources of emission and apply the right corrective measures to
lower the impact on population’s health.

1.3 Objectives
The main focus of this project is to analyse the concentration of PM 10 in relation to
the seasonal variations in Perak, Malaysia. Specifically on the city of Ipoh in the
years 2015 and 2016. The aim of this study is:
1. To analyse the meteorological data collected from a weather station located near
Ipoh and use correlation and factor analysis to find the missing data.

2. To estimate any missing values from the data collected using the known values.

3. To examine the correlation between the concentration of PM 10 with the weather

parameters and determine the origins of PM10 emissions.

1.4 Scope of Work

Since the concentration of PM10 has been an environmental concern for a while now,
the needs to understand the point of origin for the pollutant and the method of
dispersion is at an all-time high due to its negative impacts on the nation’s society.
With the help of the data collected by Alam Sekitar Malaysia Berhad (ASMA), data
covering the year 2015 and 2016 containing PM 10, ambient temperature, humidity and
wind speed will be analysed and any missing data will be estimated using the correlation
analysis and factor analysis.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Air Pollution

Air pollution can be defined as the changes that occurs in earth’s atmosphere, either
physically or chemically, through natural means or human activities which results in the
degradation of the air quality (Cunningham et. al., 2005). A study by Enger & Smith (2000)
states that when the population of mankind became condensed in one area, the amount of
waste generated by the population is unable to be broken down as quick as they are made. As
the amount of population rises, communities started gathering and created cities. The
production of huge amounts of air pollutants into the atmosphere made the quality of living
worse due to these pollutants being formed more rapidly than the atmosphere could handle
(Enger & Smith, 2000).

5
2.2 Health Effects of Air Pollution
The dreadful health effects that comes with urban air pollution, which comprises of
respiratory morbidity, cardiovascular diseases and mortality, have created widespread
awareness to this issue. The risk of having poor health conditions under these circumstances
has become a significant role in ensuring that the air quality standards are kept relevant and
reviewed on an annual basis (Coils & Miscallef, 1997). The health effects that may occur in
relation to air pollution in major urbanised areas are chronic coughing and susceptibility to
infections, meanwhile, deaths that have occurred due to terrible air condition happens mostly
to the elderly, the infirm and the very young. Bronchial inflammations, allergic reactions and
irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose all shows that air pollution has to be
mitigated (Enger & Smith, 2000).

In addition, WHO estimates the amount of children under the age of 5 who have died
from acute respiratory diseases worsened by air pollution is around 2 million each year
(Cunningham et al., 2005). Poor health effects can be caused by air pollution through
inhalation, or direct absorption through the skin or the consumption of contaminated food
and water. These very strong oxidizing agents, sulfates SO 2, NO2 and O3 that exists in air
pollution can be very harmful to soft tissues in the eyes and respiratory pathways
(Cunningham et al., 2005).
2.3 PM10
Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 mm (PM10) has been
identified as an important atmospheric pollutant in major cities in Southeast Asia, particularly
the Klang Valley, Malaysia (Afroz et al., 2003; Abas et al., 2004; Azmi et al., 2010). It is
believed to have an effect on the human respiratory system which in turn may result in
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma (Mott et al., 2005). In Malaysia, PM10 is
one of the major air pollutants and is decisive in the computation of Malaysian Air Pollution
Index (MAPI) (Afroz et al., 2003). Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the sources,
distributions and dispersive characteristics of PM10 over a given area is crucial if effective
management and mitigation of the associated air pollution impacts are to be achieved.

In Southeast Asia, biomass burning is a major regional source of particulate matter in the
atmosphere, most notably during the dry seasons (June to September) (Khandekar et al.,
2000; Abas et al., 2004; Anwar et al., 2010; Hyer and Chew, 2010). The burning of peat soil

6
and plant residue in Sumatra, Indonesia and Indochina releases vast quantities of smoke,
consisting of a high quantity of particulate matter, into the atmosphere (Lin et al., 2009; Hyer
and Chew, 2010). Over the Klang Valley, the concentration of PM10 during the summer
monsoon dry season is particularly high due to the contribution of smoke from biomass
burning from regional sources. (Awang et al., 2000; Juneng et al., 2009). In addition,
variations of PM10 may be governed by neighbouring precursory emissions which occur as a
result of local societal and industrial development. In the case of the Klang Valley, PM10
concentrations have been reported to be higher over the urban traffic stations compared with
those of quieter and more rural stations (Awang et al., 2000).

Apart from emission sources, ambient air quality can be strongly influenced by
meteorological factors via complex interactions between various processes e emissions,
transport, chemical transformation as well as wet and dry deposition, etc (Seinfeld and
Pandis, 1998; Demuzere et al., 2009). Hence, it is clearly understood that air quality depends
not only on emission sources, but also more crucially, on the weather elements with
multifaceted characteristics over various spatio-temporal scales. Locally, biogenic and dust
emissions, in addition to certain chemical processes, are controlled by local weather elements
such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation flux and cloudiness. From a regional
perspective, short and long-range transport of pollutants depends on the characteristic of the
boundary layer turbulence and synoptic atmospheric circulations (Demuzere et al., 2009).

2.4 Recent Case Study on PM10 Concentration

According to a study done by Wong, Mohamed Noor, and Hashim (2018), for an interval
dataset of 5 years (2008 – 2012) containing PM10, SOX, NOX, and O3 concentration as well
as other weather features such as humidity, wind speed and temperature in three urban-
industrialised places in Malaysia, which are Shah Alam, Kuala Terengganu and Melaka, they
found that Shah Alam gave the highest average PM 10 concentration of 62.76 μg/m³ in June,
while Kuala Terengganu and Melaka was 59.29 μg/m³ in February and 46.61 μg/m³ in
August respectively. This study also observed two peaks from the time series plot from
utilising the averaged monthly PM10 concentration.

7
 Figure 1: Monthly PM10 concentration in the study areas (Wong et al., 2018).
From the figure above, the first peak was reached when PM 10 concentration increased
from January to February while the second peak hit during June and remain high for the next
couple of consecutive months for Shah Alam and Kuala Terengganu. Meanwhile, for Melaka,
the second peak was only attained in August caused by transboundary of smoke from forest
fires in the Sumatra area during a dry season from May to September. The pollutants can be
traced back to Shah Alam due to rapid industrialisation. PM 10 concentration was also
strongly correlated with carbon monoxide concentration in Kuala Terengganu and Melaka.
High carbon monoxide and PM10 concentration was also found to be associated with the
burning of fossil fuel from the rising use of vehicles at these areas (Wong et al., 2018).

In another study done by (Zizi, Noor, Hashim, & Yusuf, 2018), which focused on heavily
crowded industrial areas, namely Nilai, Petaling Jaya and Seberang Perai, over a period of
five years from 2008 to 2012, they observed that the concentration of PM10 hits a peak
during the dry season as well, which simultaneously occurred with the southwest monsoon
and could also be influenced by direct-influence of the southwest winds which had caused a
8
 slightly moderate haze in Southeast Asia. Through their analysis, they found that ambient
temperature shows the strongest correlation to PM10 concentration, which means that
ambient temperature usually contributes to the increased concentration of PM10 (Zizi et al.,
2018).

3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Flow
The process of writing this project report is as shown in the flow chart below:

Identification of Project Problem

Statement
Identify Project Objectives

Clarify Scope of Work

Literature Review

Collection of Data

Analyse Data Collected

Present Results & Findings

Provide Recommendation & Conclusion

Project Report

9
3.2 Project Timeline and Milestones Gant Chat

N 1
Detail/ Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
o. 4

Selection of
1
Project Topic

Preliminary 3.3
2
Research Work

Submission of
3 Extended
Proposal

Project Work
4
Continues

Proposal
4
Defense

Submission of
5 Interim Draft
Report

Submission of
6
Interim Report

Sampling Site
For this project, the sampling area to be analyse is Perak which is located in the north
western part of Peninsular Malaysia. With a landmass covering and area of 21, 006 km 2 ,
Perak is the second largest state in Malaysia and it has a tropical monsoon climate, getting
rainfall all year round with a constant temperature and relatively high humidity. The data
collected was provided by Alam Sekitar Malaysia Berhad (ASMA) covering 2015 and 2016
and the data contains PM10 concentration, ambient temperature, humidity and wind speed.

10
 Figure 2: Satellite Image of the Study Area (Perak)

3.4 Method of Data Analaysis

3.4.1 Correlation Analysis
Correlation analysis is a method of statistical evaluation used to study the strength of a
relationship between two, numerically measured, continuous variables (e.g. height and
weight). This particular type of analysis is useful when a researcher wants to establish if there
are possible connections between variables. It is often misunderstood that correlation analysis
determines cause and effect; however, this is not the case because other variables that are not
present in the research may have impacted on the results (Gogtay & Thatte, 2017).

If correlation is found between two variables it means that when there is a systematic change
in one variable, there is also a systematic change in the other; the variables alter together over

11
a certain period of time. If there is correlation found, depending upon the numerical values
measured, this can be either positive or negative.

 Positive correlation exists if one variable increases simultaneously with the other,
i.e. the high numerical values of one variable relate to the high numerical values
of the other.

 Negative correlation exists if one variable decreases when the other increases, i.e.
the high numerical values of one variable relate to the low numerical values of the
other.

3.4.2 Factor Analysis

Factor analysis is a technique that is used to reduce a large number of variables into fewer
numbers of factors. This technique extracts maximum common variance from all variables
and puts them into a common score. As an index of all variables, we can use this score for
further analysis. Factor analysis is part of general linear model (GLM) and this method also
assumes several assumptions: there is linear relationship, there is no multicollinearity, it
includes relevant variables into analysis, and there is true correlation between variables and
factors (Kass & Tinsley, 1979).

3.5 Expected Outcomes

By the end of this project, the missing data values would have been estimated using the
known values of the data provided. By using the method of analysis mentioned, a thorough
analysis will be done on the data with the estimated values and a correlation between the
weather parameters and the concentration of PM 10 can be observed. Based on previous
studies, it can be said that the outcome of this project should have similar results, and that is
the dry monsoon can contribute to the increased concentration of PM 10 in the study area. In
addition, factors such as high industrial activities should also be correlated with the increased
of PM10 concentration which can be observed by factoring the point of origin of other
pollutants (NOX, SOX etc.) that may exists simultaneously with the PM10 pollutant..

3.6 Project Activities

12
13
4.0 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION

4.1 Conclusion

For this part of the project, the author has studied on the correlation of PM 10 concentration with
the variations of weather parameters research done in previous years. Based on the findings from
previous research, results from this project is expected to be similar in terms of factors that may
influence PM10 concentration in Perak. Those factors are:

 Dispersion of PM10 is highly influenced by the wet/dry monsoon seasons.

 Point of emissions are most likely from increased vehicle use and rapid industrialisation.

4.2 Recommendation

More research should to be done on the method of analysis to get a better understanding on the
methodology of the project. This can help provide a clear path during the analysis of data and
ensure that the requirements of this project can be met in time.

5.0 REFERENCES

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Abas, M. O. (2004). Biomass burning as the main source of organic aerosol particulate matter in
Malaysia during haze episodes. Chemosphere, 55, 89-1095.

Afroz, R., Hassan, M. N., & Ibrahim, N. A. (2003). Review of air pollution and health impacts in
Malaysia. Environmental Research, 92(2), 71-77. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-
9351(02)00059-2
Anwar, A. J. (2010). Correlationbetweenhotspots and air quality in Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia in
2006-2007. Sains Malaysiana, 39, 169-174.

Awang, M. J. (2000). Air quality in Malaysia: impacts, management issues and future challenges.
Respirology, 5, 183-196.

Azid, A., Juahir, H., Toriman, M. E., Endut, A., Kamarudin, M. K. A., Rahman, M. N. A., &
Yunus, K. (2015). Source apportionment of air pollution: A case study in Malaysia.
Jurnal Teknologi, 72(1), 83-88.
Azman Azid, H. J. (9 May, 2014). Source Apportionment of Air Pollution: A Case Study in
Malaysia. Jurnal Teknologi, 83-88.

Azmi, S. L. (2010). Trend and status of air quality at three different monitoring stations in the
Klang Valley, Malaysia. Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, 3, 53-64.

Coils, J. J. (1997). Towards Better Human Exposure Estimates for Setting of Air Quality
Standards. Atmospheric, 31(24), 42-53.

Cunningham, B. C. (2005). A Global Concern. Environmental Science(8th ed.).

Demuzere, M. T.-G. (2009). The impact of weather and atmospheric circulation on O3 and PM10
levels at a rural mid-latitude site. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 9, 2695-2714.

Enger, E. D. (2000). A study of interrelationships. Environmental science(7th ed.).

Gogtay, N. J., & Thatte, U. M. (2017). Principles of Correlation Analysis. Journal of the
Association of Physicians of India, 65, 78-81.
Hamza Ahmad Isiyak, W. A. (n.d.). Assessment of Heterogeneous Mixing of Meteorological
Parameters on PM10 Concentration in Equatorial Region.

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Hyer, E. C. (2010). Aerosol transport model evaluation of an extreme smoke episode in
Southeast Asia. Atmospheric Environment, 44, 1422-1427.

Juneng, L. L. (2009). Spatio-temporal characteristics of PM10 concentration across Malaysia.

Atmospheric Environment, 43, 4584-4594.

Khandekar, M. M. (2000). El Niño, Indonesian forest fires and the Malaysian smoke problem: a
deadly combination of natural and man-made hazard. Natural Hazards, 21, 131-144.

Kass, R. A., & Tinsley, H. E. A. (1979). Factor Analysis. Journal of Leisure Research, 11(2),
120-138. doi: 10.1080/00222216.1979.11969385
Seinfeld, J. P. (1998). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics from Air Pollution to Climate Change.

Wong, Y.-K., Mohamed Noor, N., & Hashim, N. (2018). Temporal Variation of Ambient PM10
Concentration within an Urban-Industrial Environment (Vol. 34).
Zizi, N. A. M., Noor, N. M., Hashim, N. I. M., & Yusuf, S. Y. (2018). Spatial and Temporal
Characteristics of Air Pollutants Concentrations in Industrial Area in Malaysia. IOP
Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 374(1), 012094.

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