FINAL YEAR PROJECT II

PROGRESS REPORT

“Assessment of Seasonal Variations of PM10 Concentration in

Perak, Malaysia.”

JANUARY 2019

BY

Mohd Fadhil Bin Musbah

21800
Civil Engineering

Supervisor: Dr. Wesam Al-Madhoun

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Interim Report Content Page No.

Abstract 3
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of study 4
1.2 Problem Statement 5
1.3 Objectives 5
1.4 Scope of Work 5
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Air Pollution 6
2.2 Health Effects of Air Pollution 6
2.3 PM10 7-8
2.4 Recent Studies on PM10 Concentration 8-9
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Research Flow 10
3.2 Site Sampling 11
3.3 Method of Data Analysis 12
3.4 Expected Outcomes 13
3.5 Project Activities 13
3.6 Project Timeline Gant Chat 14
3.7 Project Milestones for FYP 1 and FYP 2 15
4.0 Results and Discussion
4.1 Relationship of PM10 concentration with other pollutants 16 - 17
(CO, O3, NO2).
5.0 Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1 Conclusion 18
5.2 Recommendation 18
6.0 References 19 - 20

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 ABSTRACT

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 PM10 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.

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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, 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.

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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 PM10 at a specific period of time is needed to be taken to analyse
and discuss the findings, hence, providing better 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 PM10 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 mean-before
method with the help of known values.
3. To examine the relationship between the concentration of PM10 with other
pollutants and determine the origins of PM10 emissions.

1.4 Scope of Work

Since the concentration of PM10 has been an environmental concern for a long time,
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 PM10, ambient temperature, humidity and wind speed
will be analysed and any missing data will be estimated using the correlation analysis and factor
analysis.

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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).

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 SO2, 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).

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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 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

7
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 PM10 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
average monthly PM10 concentration.

Figure 1: Monthly PM10 concentration in the study areas (Wong et al., 2018).

8
 From the figure above, the first peak was reached when PM10 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. PM10 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 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).

9
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

Clarify Scope of Work

Present Results
Clarify Scope &
of Findings
Work

Provide Recommendation &

Conclusion

Project Report

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3.2 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 𝑘𝑚2 , 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.

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

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3.3 Method of Data Analaysis
3.3.1 Correlation Analysis
The method of statistical evaluation used to study the strength of a relationship between
two, numerically measured, continuous variables is known as the Correlation Analysis. This
distinct type of analysis is convenient when someone wants to establish the possibility of
connections between variables. It is usually mistaken 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 there is a correlation found between two variables, it means that when there is a consistent
change in one variable, there is also a consistent change in the other; the variables alter together
over a certain period of time. Depending upon the numerical values measured, this can be
either positive or negative, if a correlation is found.
 Positive correlation: 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: 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.

3.3.2 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).

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3.4 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 PM10 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 PM10 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..

3.5 Final Year Project II Activities

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3.6 Final Year Project II Timeline Gant Chart

No. Detail/ Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Analysis of
1
Results

Progress Report
2
Submission

Finalising Project
3 Data and
Discussion

4 Pre-SEDEX

Final Report
4
Draft Submission

Dissertation (Soft
Bound) &
5
Technical Report
Submission

6 Viva

Project
7 Dissertation
Submission

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3.7 Project Milestones for FYP 1 and FYP 2
Table below represent the project milestones for both final year project 1 (FYP 1) and final year
project 2 (FYP 2) together with the current status of the milestones.

Milestones
Date Status
Extended Proposal
19th Sept 2018 Completed
Proposal Defence
1st Nov 2018 Completed
Interim Report Submission
11th Dec 2018 Completed
Progress Report
21st Feb 2019 Pending

11th Mar – 15th Mar 2019 Pre-SEDEX Pending

Final Report Draft
15th Mar 2019 Pending
Final Report (Soft Bound) & Technical
th
26 Mar 2019 Report Submission Pending

Viva
8th – 9th April 2019 Pending
Submission of Dissertation (Hard
After Exam Week Bound) Pending

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4.0 RESULTS & DISCUSSION
4.1 Relationship of PM10 concentration with other pollutants (CO, O3, NO2).
By comparing the concentration of other pollutants with the concentration of PM10, the most
likely point of origin can be determined through analysis of the data. Below shows the
concentration of the pollutants mentioned on a monthly basis from the year 2015.

PM10 Mthly Avg

120.00

100.00

80.00

60.00

40.00

20.00

0.00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Figure 3: Monthly Average of PM10 concentration.

CO Mthly Avg
1.200

1.000

0.800

0.600

0.400

0.200

0.000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Figure 4: Monthly Average of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Concentration.

16
 O3 Mthly Avg.
0.035

0.030

0.025

0.020

0.015

0.010

0.005

0.000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Figure 5: Monthly Average of Ozone (O3) Concentration.

NO2 Mthly Avg.

0.014

0.012

0.010

0.008

0.006

0.004

0.002

0.000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Figure 6: Monthly Average of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentration.

From the graphs above, it can be seen that the monthly trend most similar to the concentration
of PM10 is the concentration of CO. This shows that these two pollutants may have come from
the same source of emission, where both trends reaching a peak in its concentration during the
month of September.

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5.0 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION

4.1 Conclusion

During FYP I, the author has studied on the correlation of PM10 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.

Currently, the author is conducting analysis on the data collected to find similar results of previous
research done by comparing the average values of the data at a certain period of time. Correlation
and Factor analysis are to be done to provide a more reliable result.

4.2 Recommendation

In order to provide a more accurate and reliable result, data should also be analysed in a daily and
weekly basis to determine the most critical points of the data. Correlation and factor analysis will
be implemented during the analysis of the data to provide a better representation of the results.

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6.0 REFERENCES

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.).

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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.

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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