Estimation of Concentration of Oxides of Nitrogen in Fushe-Kruja and Kruja Region, Albania

Stela I. Pepa and Alma Shehu

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Albania

Abstract: The occurrence and distribution of Nitrogen dioxide in ambient air of the Fushe-Kruje and Kruja region were investigated by means of their content determination in passive samplers. Due to the light dependent nature of the reactions they undertake in ambient air, the samplers were distributed and collected during different seasons of the year. Monitoring took place from January 2014 until June 2014 and from July 2014 to December 2014. The region where the measurements took place is loaded with industrial activities, both licensed and not, which contribute to the natural concentration of oxides of nitrogen in ambient air, and provides difficulties in connecting the oxides of nitrogen increment with a specific activity. Due to the lack of an existing database of pollutants concentration from State Authorities as well as due to the lack of background pollutant concentration in the monitored area, a new database is created in order to enable the evaluation of the increment in pollutant concentration during the year. For this reason, 15 monitoring points were selected. Aiming to reduce the measurements bias, the samplers were duplicated at each point. Given the rural area in the region where the monitoring took place, the concentration of ground level nitrogen dioxide resulted to be very low. The highest concentration was identified in receptor E (Kruja, Pengile) with a concentration in the monitoring period 48.6 μg/m3. This value compared to Albanian Legislation on Ambient air quality fall within the limit, although not to the EU limit value (only for 1 point one single measurement) , (Albanian limit for yearly NO2 concentration is 60 μg/m3 and EU limit value is 40 μg/m3 ). Apparent variations of the NO2 content in different monitoring periods were evident as the NO2 formation in ambient air is highly dependent on daylight, atmospheric conditions as well as on the concentration of ground level ozone.

Key words: Nitrogen Dioxide, passive samplers, Fushe-Kruje, Kruje Gjuraj