Noise barriers along the road do not only block the traffic noise but also prevent traversing the car exhausts. These barriers may affect air pollution dispersion, leading to increase vertical mixing due to the upwind deflection of air flow caused by the noise barriers. In this study we investigated the air pollution dispersion around multi-noise barriers using commercial software FLUENT. Investigated cases were 8 cases which had from zero to three noise barriers and two emission sources. Simulated results show noise barriers increase the vertical air pollution impact distance larger 1.7~2.1 times than that of no barrier case. It was also found that noise barriers decrease the horizontal air pollution impact distance lower 0.6~0.8 times than that of no barrier case.

Because many recent epidemiological studies have reported the associations of population’s proximity to high traffic roadways with adverse health effects, interest in how roadside structures affect the concentration of motor vehicle emitted pollutants in the near-road microenvironment has increased. These noise barriers may affect pollutant (for example: odor, carbon dioxide, particle et al.) concentrations around structure by blocking initial dispersion. This study examined the effects of roadside barriers on the flow patterns and dispersion of pollutants from high traffic highway. The effects of noise barriers were examined using commercial software FLUENT. The results show noise barriers increase concentration of near noise barrier wake region and decrease concentration in the faraway distance from noise barrier. The results also show far from emission position (between 100 m and 200 m) surface concentration of multi-barrier cases are 2 times lower than that of no barrier case.