Analysis of Emission Files Generated by a Global Model for Air Quality Simulation in the State of Rio de Janeiro

Emission inventories are essential tools for air quality management. However, the state of Rio de Janeiro lacks a comprehensive inventory. Consequently, global models such as EDGAR (Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research) become an attractive alternative. This study aims to analyze data on nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and compare them with existing data. To achieve this, a 3 × 3 km simulation grid centered on the state of Rio de Janeiro was constructed. Meteorological fields were generated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model, while emission data were obtained from EDGAR. The simulation period spanned 34 days in 2018. Emissions were analyzed for NOx and VOCs, and compared to mobile source inventory data from the State Environmental Institute of Rio de Janeiro. Sectoral contributions to NOx emissions revealed that industry, navigation, and energy were the dominant sources. For VOCs, the primary contributors were industry, residential sources, and transportation. The comparison with State Institute for the Environment of Rio de Janeiro (INEA-RJ) data indicated that the model underestimated NOx and VOC emissions by approximately 38 and 48%, respectively. Despite the underestimation, the model effectively captured the regional emission characteristics, highlighting its potential as a tool for emission analysis without a comprehensive local inventory.