JECET; September 2019- November 2019; Sec. A; Vol.8. No.4, 396-404.

E-ISSN: 2278–179X
[DOI: 10.24214/jecet.A.8.4.39604.]

Journal of Environmental Science, Computer Science and

Engineering & Technology
An International Peer Review E-3 Journal of Sciences and Technology

Available online at www.jecet.org

Section A: Environmental Science
Research Article

Assessment of the Pollution extent of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)

and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in Ambient air within Kano
Metropolis, Kano State, Nigeria

Khadija B. U.1, Muhammad I.1, 2

1
Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University Dutse, Nigeria
2
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hohai University Nanjing, Jiangsu
Province, P. R. China

Received: 06 October 2019; Revised: 18 October 2019; Accepted: 30 October 2019

Abstract: Air is a universal gas, without which existence of humans and other forms of
life is not possible. Air quality is very essential to sustain life. This study was aimed at
assessing the extent of the pollution of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
in ambient air of Kano metropolis. It was conducted from 17th to 20th April, 2017 through
direct field measurements of pollutant concentrations in eight different locations within the
metropolis which include ‘Sabon-gari’ market, ‘Kwari’ market, ‘Dangi’ Traffic, Kano
Abattoir Junction, ‘Sharada’ Industrial Area, ‘Bompai’ Industrial Area, ‘Jakara’ and
‘Nassarawa’ GRA, using mobile gas sensors by Crowcon (Tetra 3) with a model number
IECEX BAS 05.0059. The results indicated that the concentrations of SO2 and NO2
measured ranged from 0.03 - 0.05ppm and 0.02 - 0.03ppm respectively. Concentrations of
the pollutants measured at all sampling sites were within the safe limit of National

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Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA). The study

establishes that concentration of these pollutants differs in space and time (at different sites
across period in a day). For the benefit of public health and environmental sustainability,
it is recommended that continuous monitoring of these pollutants should be conducted to
ensure levels are not rising as this has a lot of consequences. Strict laws should be enacted
within the city to guide against activities that could increase the emission concentration of
these pollutants.
Keywords: Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Kano State, Pollutants,
concentrations

1. INTRODUCTION

Air is a universal gas, without which existence of humans and other forms of life is not possible. Air
pollution is a problem that is directly related to the number of people living in an area and the kinds of
activities they engage in. Air pollution due to human activities is an abuse to the environment thereby
degrading its quality. The occurrence of environmental pollution either on land, water or air has been a
major source of concern globally. Although, many studies have been carried out on the aspects of
environmental pollution, most studies by Nigerian researchers dwell on land and water pollution. Air
pollution is on the increase and constitutes one of the world’s worst toxic problems especially, in urban
centres where there is high population density, industrialization and urbanization.
The emission of noxious gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide among other particulate matter
results in serious health risks, biodiversity loss and structural defects. According to WHO1, air pollution
caused the death of about 7 million people worldwide. In addition, the emission of SO2 and NO2 leads to
acid rain thereby destroying plants by destroying leaves and also causing harm to fish and other wildlife.
The deposit of these two gases on water bodies and soil could lead to adverse effects on soil nutrients and
a depletion of water quality.
It is vital to note that NOx deposits, particularly on water bodies, was found to cause the growth of some
algae in lakes and other water bodies thereby causing harm to aquatic organisms. The formation of ozone
O3 (a secondary pollutant), a poisonous gas, and other particulate matter do cause irritation to the eye, nose,
throat and upper respiratory diseases, lung cancer, heart disease and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver
or kidney 2.
Kano is one of the most industrially developed cities in Nigeria with tannery and textile as the dominant
industries 3. The presence of raw materials, markets, transportation networks, capital and labour makes
Kano a major industrial centre in Nigeria. All these factors resulted in a rapid population growth especially
through immigrations 4. The growth in population and economic activities has led to more automobile
plying within the city at an average of 24,857 motorcycles, 19,262 vehicles and 1,209 trucks per day 5.
These gives the pathway for more of these noxious gases to be releases into the atmosphere. It is to this
backdrop that the issue of atmospheric pollution studies in Kano as an urban city is initiated so as to
understand the extent of its occurrence and possibly draw the attention of the public and government to
checkmate the menace.

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To this end, this study attempts to assess the extent of the existence of such contaminants in the ambient air
within the metropolis and therefore, determined the concentrations of SO2 and NO2 in ambient air of four
selected sites within Kano metropolis in relation to time and space.

2. MATERIALS AND METHOD

2.1 The Study Area: Kano, the capital of Kano state in Northern Nigeria, lies in the Sahelian geographic
region south of the Sahara. It is the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria and is the second largest
city in Nigeria after Lagos. According to the 2006 census, Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria, with
about 9,383,682 million people. Kano Metropolis is located at the central western part of Kano State
between latitude 11059´59.57 and 12002´39.57 0N of the equator and between longitudes 8033´19.69 -
8031´59.69 0E. As the city is a highly populated one and is becoming highly congested in automobile traffic
and industrial activities, the ambient air quality needs to be determined at some selected areas; within the
six Local Government Areas of the city.

Figure 1: A map showing the study area (Kano metropolis)

2.1.1 Transportation: Kano is strategically located and owns its leading position as commercial hub in the
sub-saharan Africa. Kano is linked to many African cities by road. Fleets of trucks and buses and other link
it with many cities in Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Republic of Benin. Kabo air, an airline, has its head
office on the grounds of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano. Kano is also linked to Europe,
the Middle East, and North Africa. Kano airport is served by Egypt Airlines, Middle East Air and Turkish
Airlines. It is connected to Lagos and Abuja by several domestic airlines (IRS Airlines, Arik Air and others).
From 2006 to 2015, backed by high oil prices, major highways, overhead bridges and other transportation
infrastructure were built by the state government. The most notable of these are the silver jubilee flyover
bridge at Kofar Nassarawa, the Kofar Kabuga underpass and various 6 lane highways in the city.

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2.1.2 Economy: The economic significance of Kano dates back to the pre-colonial Africa when Kano city
served as the southernmost point of the famous trans-sahara trade routes. Kano was well connected with
many cities in southern Europe. Formerly walled, most of the gates to the old city survive. The old city
houses vast Kurmi Market, known for its crafts, while old dye pits - still in use. In the old city are the Emir’s
palace, the Great mosque, and Gidan Makama museum. The products exported from Kano to North Africa
include textiles materials, leather and grains. Kano was connected with trans-Atlantic trade in 1911 when
a railway line reached Kano. Kano is a major centre for the production and export of agricultural products
like hides and skins, peanuts and cotton.
2.1.3 Industry: Kano State is the second largest industrial centre in Nigeria and the largest in Northern
Nigeria with textile, tanning, foot-ware, cosmetics, plastics, enamelware, pharmaceuticals, ceramics,
furniture and other industries. Others include agricultural implements, soft drinks, food and beverages, dairy
products, vegetable oil, animal feeds etc.
2.2 Sample and Sampling Technique: Four sites were selected based on generation of emissions into the
ambient air purposively. These sites include: the Market (‘Sabon-Gari’ Market and ‘Kwari’ Market), High
traffic areas (‘Dangi’ roundabout Traffic and Abbatoir Traffic ‘Kofar Mazugal’) Industrial areas (‘Sharada’
industrial estate and ‘Bompai’ industrial area) and residential sites far from any secondary or main road
and from any industry (‘Jakara, Goron-Dutse’ and ‘Nassarawa’ GRA, Lugard road). Samples were
collected at each sample site from 8am-6pm daily.
2.3 Data Collection: Field measurements of air pollutants (SO2 and NO2) were carried out using mobile
gas sensors manufactured by Crown Detection instrument Ltd. The two pollutants were measured with gas
sensors by Crowcon (Tetra 3) with a model number IECEx BAS05.0059, a unique and portable device that
offers flexibility, assurance and robustness. The measurements were conducted 3 times daily at each sample
site (i.e morning, afternoon and evening). This was repeated for both pollutants in question and at the four
different sample sites within the study area. This method was adopted with reference to that of M.H
Kalausa, 2013 who assessed the contributions of vehicular emissions to air pollution in Kaduna State,
Nigeria.
2.4 Data Analysis: Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistic (mean), which was used for the
bar charts (figures 3.1to 3.4), one way ANOVA Analysis of Variance and student t-test were used to test
the hypothesis using Micrososft Excel 2010 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (Version
21) respectively. The probability level of certainty in the research was at 95 % confidence limit or  = 0.05.

3.0 RESULTS

3.1 Air Pollution Level in Kano Metropolis: Below are the tables showing the mean concentrations of
the pollutants recorded in the Morning, Afternoon and Evening at all sampling sites obtained from the
Authors’ fieldwork using Crowcon Tetra III mobile gas sensors.

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Table 1: Mean Concentration of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) at point of the day of the sampling sites
Concentration (ppm)
Morning Afternoon Evening Mean
Sabon-gari Market 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.05
Kwari Market 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.05
Dangi Roundabout 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.03
Nassarawa GRA 0.04 0.02 0.03 0.03
Sharada Ind. Estate 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.03
Jakara Residential Area 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.03
Bompai Ind. Area 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.03
Kano Abattoir Junction 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.03

Table 2: Mean Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentration levels during the day across sampling sites

Concentration (ppm)
Morning Afternoon Evening Mean
Sabon-gari Market 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02
Kwari Market 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.02
Dangi Roundabout 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.02
Nassarawa GRA 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03
Sharada Ind. Estate 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02
Jakara Residential Area 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03
Bompai Ind. Area 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02
Kano Abattoir Junction 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.02
Source: Authors’ Fieldwork, 2017

Figure 3.1: Mean Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) levels across periods at eight sampling points

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Figure 3.2: Mean Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels across periods of the day at eight sampling points

Figure 3.3: Mean daily SO2 concentration levels for all sampling sites

Figure 3.4: Mean daily NO2 concentration levels for all sampling sites

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4.0 DISCUSSION

The results from figure 3.1 indicate that the mean value of SO2 concentrations ranged from 0.03ppm-
0.05ppm per day. The highest concentrations of SO2 obtained were in the peak hours of the evening at
‘Kwari’and ‘Sabon-gari’ Market at 0.06ppm and 0.05ppm respectively. This may be due to the high
commercial activities and other anthropogenic activities going on at these sites which led to a high emission
of these pollutants. The concentrations of SO2 is however, lower than the ranges of 3.21-5.18ppm, 7.4-
15.5ppm and 16-64ppm as reported in similar studies conducted by Ayodele and Abubakar6, Ettouney et
al.7, and Kalabokas et al.8 in Lagos, Port-Hacourt and Greece respectively, but was within the range of
0.03-0.09ppm reported in Kano metropolis, Nigeria 5.
The mean NO2 concentrations recorded as shown in figure 3.2 at all sample sites in Kano metropolis were
moderate ranging from 0.02-0.03ppm. However, the highest levels of NO2 recorded was 0.03ppm obtained
in the morning at Abattoir Traffic, in the afternoon at ‘Dangi’ Traffic and in the afternoon and evening for
the residential sites. When the levels of NO2 was compared with values reported in literature, periodic mean
of NO2 was found very low than 35-108ppm reported in Athens, Greece Kalabokas et al.3, but similar with
the report of Okafor et al.9 where concentrations of NO2 in Calabar metropolis, Nigeria was found to be at
the range of 0.20-0.521ppm. It also agrees with the lower range of report by Okunola et al.,5 for Kano
metropolis, Nigeria, but relatively lower than the upper limit which range from 0.14-1.09ppm.
The mean concentrations of both pollutants (SO2 and NO2) however were within the safe limits set by
NESREA10,11 which is 0.04-0.06ppm for both SO2 and NO2. These indicates that air pollution level in Kano
metropolis with regards to SO2 and NO2 is not significant and so does not pose any health or environmental
consequences. Thus, the observed lower concentration of SO2 in Kano metropolis may probably be due to
the banning of commercial motorcycle, improve sanitation measures and decongestion of road/traffic by
the newly constructed bridges and roads by the state government. These helped in reducing vehicular
congestion in the city and therefore reduces emission.
Generally, the distribution pattern of the pollutants studied across the sample sites as shown in figures 3.1
and 3.2 indicates that concentration differs with space and time. For some sample sites, highest
concentrations were observed in the morning for a particular pollutant. For some, highest concentrations
were observed in the afternoon while for others it is in the peak hours of the evening. These variations occur
due to the kind of activity carried out in the particular site for example high flow of traffic, open
incinerations and industrial emissions.
For SO2, concentrations were higher at the Markets in the peak evening hours as the two markets (‘Sabon-
gari’ and ‘Kwari’) tends to be busy places with many business transactions, and they serve as bus stop for
commercial vehicles. For NO2, highest concentrations were observed in the afternoon at the two residential
sites (‘Nassarawa’ GRA and ‘Jakara’). This may be due to the rampant use of private generators as the
power supply is erratic and household use of coal for cooking. Emissions of these noxious gases differ from
one site to the other and across period.
For the one way ANOVA analysis for the null hypothesis stating that; There is no significant difference in
the concentrations of SO2 and NO2 in the ambient air among the four locations within Kano Metropolis,

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result indicated that there is significant difference in the concentrations of SO2 and NO2 in the ambient air
among the four locations within the metropolis and therefore the hypothesis is rejected.

5.0 CONCLUSION

Clean and pollution free air is the most essential requirement to sustain life. The analysis conducted showed
various degrees of SO2 and NO2 concentrations in the ambient air of Kano metropolis. High concentrations
of SO2 were detected in Sabon-gari and Kwari market, which are busy international business places with
high number of automobiles plying around. NO2 concentration was however higher at the residential sites.
This shows that safety standards for air pollution control are inadequate in these areas. It is important to
check the pollution sources in all the areas including those that recorded lower values, because gaseous
pollutants significantly affect the chemistry of the atmosphere. Therefore, it is imperative to put in place all
measures that will avoid continuous increase of these pollutants for improved air quality to safeguard health
and the environment at large.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The work is supported by the United Nations International Students’ Conference 2019; Hohai University
Nanjing, P. R. China; Pollution Control Laboratory, State Ministry of Environment Kano, Nigeria; Federal
University Duste, Nigeria.

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* Corresponding Author: Muhammad I.

Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hohai
University Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China

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