KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

DETERMINATION OF THE LEVELS OF CONCENTRATION OF SELECTED AIR

POLLUTANTS AND NOISE POLLUTION AT THE AIRPORT

(CASE STUDY; ENTEBBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT)

BY

OMOLO AUSTINE, Reg. No; 16/U/4292/BMD/PD

RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT OF

KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY AS A PARTIAL REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD
OF BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY
AND MANAGEMENT

MARCH, 2019

SUPERVISOR; MR. MUSISI NORBERT

1 
 
DECLARATION.
 

This Research report is a presentation of my original research work which has never been submitted
to any University or institution for academic interest. Wherever contributions of others are involved,
every effort has been made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and
acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussions.

………………………………..

OMOLLO AUSTINE (16/U/4292/BMD/PD)

+256753313143 / +256779599946
omoloaustine@gmail.com

APPROVAL BY SUPERVISOR

In my capacity as supervisor of the candidate’s Research, I certify that the above statements are
true to the best of my knowledge.

………………………………….

Mr. MUSUSI NOBERT

Date: ……………………….

I 
 
DEDICATION.
 

I dedicate this research to all passionate environmentalists.

II 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It’s a great opportunity to thank ALMIGHTY GOD, the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate,
who has given me knowledge, strength and health to complete this research.

First of all I would like to express my appreciativeness to Faculty of Science particularly Chemistry
department of Kyambogo University for their kindness and giving me ample time to accomplish my
research, moreover great thanks goes to MR. MUSISI NORBERT my institution supervisor from
the same department for his positive criticism, guidance and encouragement during this period of
research. He always supported me even when things went wrong. He was a port in my thesis storm.

Secondly, I take this great opportunity to express my thankfulness to NEMA, particularly Madam
ANGOM MONICA for her profound support by allowing me to use the Organization’s devices and
equipment to facilitate my research, Madam your contribution was a milestone to my research
success. In the same way I extend my humble appreciation to MR. TOFAYO CLEVER PETER from
the same Organization who took his time as my field supervisor and technician and also helped to
guide me in the operating of the machines so that I attain valid results from the field.

Thirdly, I also want to extend my deepest thanks to Madam ROSE PENELOPE NAMUKWAYA
the Director Human Resource and Administration and her entire management of Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) of the Entebbe International Airport for their kind and friendly support for
authorizing me to hold my research at the Airport.

My heartfelt thanks, goes to MR. ABURA SAMSON for the financial support and facilitation of the
trips pertaining this research and nevertheless keenly watching and following the research
proceedings. Your contribution brought opportune acquisition of the research results.

It’s always a pleasure to extend my gratitude to my parents MR. DAVID OMOLLO and MRS.
ROSELINE ATIENO for the financial support, prayers and encouragement and above all keeping
me in the mode fortunate enough for timely access of the research information.

Lastly, I thank my Brothers and Sisters, Course mates, Fiends and Apologize for all other unnamed
who helped me in various ways to attain success in this research, kindly feel lauded wherever you
are.

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

AIQ: AIR QUALITY INDEX

CAA: CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY

CO: CARBON MONOXIDE

CO2: CARBON DIOXIDE

DNA: DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID

H2S: HYDROGEN SULFIDE

NEMA: NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

O3: OZONE

PM: PARTICULATE MATTER

PM10: PARTICULATE MATTER WITH A DIAMETER OF 10 MICRONS OR LESS

PM2.5: PARTICULATE MATTER WITH A DIAMETER OF 2.5 MICRONS OR LESS

SO2: SULFUR DIOXIDE

UNEP: UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME

VOCS: VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

WHO: WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

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GLOSSARY
 

Ambient: Surrounding, encircling.

Carbon monoxide: Odorless, colorless gas that interferes with the delivery of oxygen in the blood
to the rest of the body. It is produced as a result of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels
including coal, wood, charcoal, natural gas, and fuel oil.

Ozone: A triatomic molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms. Ground-level ozone is an air
pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals. On the other hand, ozone in
the upper atmosphere protects living organisms by preventing damaging ultraviolet light from
reaching the Earth's surface.

Particulate matter (PM): The sum of all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, many of which
are hazardous.

Photolysis: A chemical process by which molecules are broken down into smaller units through the
absorption of light.

Photosynthesis: the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to
synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the
green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.

Pollution: the addition of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such as heat,
sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted,
decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form.

Series 500 6.4 PC Software: Free PC software for use with Aeroqual Series 500 which allows you
to easily take the data stored on board and present it in a chart or table view. Data can also be
downloaded and viewed in Excel.

Smog: A kind of air pollution; the word "smog" is a combination of smoke and fog. Classic smog
results from large amounts of coal burning in an area and is caused by a mixture of smoke and
Sulphur dioxide.

Volatile organic compounds: Organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor
pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere.

V 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION. ................................................................................................................................. i
DEDICATION. ................................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................ iv
GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................ viii
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... ix
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1. BACKGROUND ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2. PROBLEM STATEMENT ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3. OBJECTIVES ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.1. General objective .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.2. Specific objectives......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.4. JUSTIFICATION ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1 Air Pollution. ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.1 Carbon dioxide (CO2) ........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.2 Volatile organic compounds ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.3. Particulate matter ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.4. Hydrogen Sulphide ........................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.5. Sulfur dioxide ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.6. Ozone (O3) ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1.7. Carbon Monoxide ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2. Noise pollution........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1. MATERIALS .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1. RESULTS ................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1.1. Air pollution results.......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1.2. Noise Pollution Results .................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2. DISCUSSION ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

VI 
 
 4.2.1. Air pollution ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2.2. Noise pollution ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.1. CONCLUSION. ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.2. RECOMMENDATION ............................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
REFERENCES. .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
APPENDICES ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
a) The photo showing Aeroqual ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
b) Photo showing Noise meter GA112 sound meter............................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
c) A photo showing Particulate matter hand held sensor .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
d) A map showing Entebbe International Airport................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
e) The picture of a letter from the CAA for accessing the Airport for Research..... Error! Bookmark not
defined.

VII 
 
LIST OF TABLES
 

Table 1. Showing air pollution results from the airport ............................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 2. Showing the Noise pollution results from the airport ................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. A line graph showing the concentration level of PM2.5 against time .... Error! Bookmark
not defined.
Figure 2. A line graph showing the concentration level of PM10 against timeError! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 3. A line graph showing concentration level of VOCs against time ..... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 4. A line graph showing concentration level of CO2 against time ....... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 5. A line graph showing the concentration level of O3 against time ... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 6. A line graph showing the concentration level of CO against time ... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 7. A line graph showing the levels of concentration of H2S against time .. Error! Bookmark
not defined.
Figure 8. A line graph showing the concentration level of SO2 against time . Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 9. A bar graph showing the Noise levels against time ........ Error! Bookmark not defined.

VIII 
 
ABSTRACT
Airports bring many benefits among them promoting development around the globe, but airport
operations can have a significant impact on those working or living nearby. Airport activities affect
the environment in several ways, contributing to increased noise and emissions, and degrading air
quality. Concern over the effects upon Noise and ambient air quality of airport and aircraft-related
emissions, both inside and outside airport boundaries, have been expressed in recent years. The air
pollution problem inside Airport has different sources, including Aircraft emission, surface traffic
activity and the transportation of air pollutants from the surrounding areas and activities. The aim
of this study was to determine levels of concentration of air pollutants at different regions inside the
Entebbe international Airport. Different air pollutants were measured including Particulate matter,
CO2, CO, SO2, H2S, O3 and VOCs. At the same time, Noise level was also determined, this was with
several motives, firstly aviation is predicted to grow significantly, secondly emissions at altitude
however, are thought to have greater effects on climate change than those at ground level and
finally was due to limited thesis related to the aircraft-environmental disturbance despite being a 24
hour public exposed zone. The determination of all the air pollutants and noise pollution was done
and results obtained onsite by the use of Aeroqual S500 (CO2, CO, SO2, H2S, O3 and VOCs),
Particulate Matter Hand Held Sensor (PM2.5 and PM10) and Noise meter GA112 Sound level meter for
determining Sound pollution. The samples were taken twice a week for two weeks from four
different major sites (Airstrip, Terminal, CAA Head office and Upper hill) around the Airport with
each site given a day (8:00am-4:00pm). Most of the Air pollutants were low as compared to the
WHO standards, there was also no any trace of SO2 and Ozone was only obtained at the Upper Hill
of the Airport with much concentrations in the morning. In general, most Air pollutant concentration
levels were much experienced by morning hours then reduce by mid-morning then increase by
midday and decline by early afternoon hours then finally increase by evenings onwards, Terminal
exhibited much pollution than any other site and the Upper Hill showed the least pollution. Midday
Noise pollution was much and exceeding the WHO Aviation day-time noise standards. Clarification
of all the findings and pollution deviations depended on various factors mostly Surface traffic and
ongoing constructions aimed at expansion of the Entebbe Airport which also contributed to increase
in pollution concentrations, therefore this means that there is a gap which calls for further research
to ascertain the actual pollution related to Aviation Industry.

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