Wind erosion related dust emissions: Comparison of emission factors determined by ambient air quality measurements with two calculation methods

The Guideline VDI 3790 part 3 (Kahnwald Formula) and the "Technische Grundlage zur Beurteilung diffuser Staubemissionen" (TGDS) provide two different calculation methods for forecasting dust emissions caused by wind erosion. According to the respective description, these methods entail a certain degree of uncertainty. In the year 2014, on behalf of Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (LEAG), Muller-6BM (MBBM) and the Institute for Soil Landscape Research, Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research e. V. (ZALF), extensive investigations on the emission potential of exposed (especially opencast mining) surfaces had been carried out. As a result, surface-specific and wind speed-dependent emission factors for dust emissions from wind erosion were determined and validated. Based on the abovementioned calculation methods and emission factors, using the example of an open-cast mine, emission- and immission-forecasts for dust were carried out and compared with measured values.The results of this investigation show plausible prognosis results for the component dust precipitation using theTGDS-method and the ZALF/ MBBM-factors, while the Kahnwald formula leads to massive overestimations.The measured particulate matter concentrations can only be simulated appropriately using the ZALF/ MBBM-factors. Overall, the empirically determined emission factors according to ZALF/MBBM can thus be considered as a conservative and realistic approach for estimating diffuse dust emissions from wind erosion.