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400 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
measurements, airflow controller to simulate outdoor conditions and sampling port for air sample collection was constructed inside the NIIST campus. There were four major steps involved in the dioxin analysis sampling, sample preparation, quantitation and reporting. Experienced hands in this arena were very few in India, and our initial attempts to quantify dioxins confirmed that the road less travelled was less travelled for reasons. Highly sophisticated instruments, tedious sampling, expensive consumables, lower pictogram- level detection demand, etc. were the major challenges. We got extremely puzzled with the interferences, analyte recoveries and chromatogram peak ambiguity. The sample preparation was quite extensive and took about 3–4 days. With tireless efforts, we finally succeeded in developing optimum sampling and sample preparation methods and ultra- trace level quantification using GC-MS/MS. We conducted a series of
simulated waste combustion experiments using different compositions of MSW, and provisional emission factors from the open burning of MSW were generated for the first time in India. The study report was submitted to KSPCB in December 2018, and copies were submitted to CPCB, MoEF & CC and MoHUA. We found an emission factor of 39.81 μg TEQ/tonne of MSW openly burned and air emission rates in the range of 9-30 pg TEQ/ Nm3. At Brahmapuram, we were keen to check these simulated study results to validate our laboratory study report.
24 February 2019
Our team took off to the site at 4.00 a.m.
in a pickup van with samplers and generators. Around 10:00 a.m., we got the first glimpses of the fire hazard zone. It was breathtaking to sense smoke in the atmosphere even 2 km away from the site itself. The place was not so far from the city and very near to the Kochi- smart city project. The waste dump covered an area of about 105 acres with almost 8000 tonnes of MSW deposited. The worst thing was that we were unable to see the dump yard due to the gushing smoke everywhere. Under the scorchingsun,thefirewasspreadingfast,and hundreds of firefighters were trying to contain it. Many people in the surrounding locality reported respiratory problems with the smoke, and governmental machinery was desperate to bring the fire down.
The wind direction was unpredictable, and the fire was dispersing over to surrounding waste piles in an inconsistent manner. With the careful inspection of the site, we deployed
our air sampler systems. Considering the plume dispersion, we had to change the sampler location twice. A 24-h sampling was required as per the methods, and hence overnight air sampling was conducted.
25 February 2019
We were still at the site.
By the afternoon, the valiant efforts of firemen showed signs of success as the fire subsided considerably, and smoke in the atmosphere started to weaken. Since further sampling might lead to a dilution effect, we stopped our air samplers. By the evening, the fire was put out completely, and we moved on
to do the ash sampling from the site. Burned residues were spread over an area of 50–60 acres of uneven terrain. We walked over the
   An open dump/burn yard sampling is associated with many anomalies in the waste quantity, compositions, combustion condition and also sample dilution. Undiluted samples and knowledge on the waste composition and combustion conditions are a requisite for developing the emission factor. This led to the thought of a simulated waste combustion approach.
  





















































































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