Project Description

(Ph.D. Program: Sustainable Energy Systems)

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) remains a global concern because it impacts human comfort and performance, health, safety, and consequently energy consumption. Today, people spend a significant amount of time indoors (built and mobile indoor environments). Furthermore, bad IEQ which mainly constitutes defects in indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort (TC), as identified by several research publications and acknowledged by ASHRAE, ISO, and OSHA results in myriads of health and safety consequences. According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2020, “Approximately 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes”. Again, “93% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 60% of the world's vehicles’’. While from the Annual Accident Report of 2018 by the EU, nearly 1,100 and 55 persons for injuries and fatalities respectively, were recorded from road accidents in the EU region, a decline from the higher record of 2007 due to the implementation of better measures. Hence, a justification for further scientific studies in other to adequately tackle existing gaps in IEQ of transport cabins. The goal is to minimize possible hazards to human health, reduce fatalities, and possibly reduce the energy used in the climatization of transport cabins in developing tropical countries. Recent reports also indicate that Road traffic accidents (RTA) is the third leading cause of death and disability in Nigeria. Thus, this study focuses on public transportation in Metropolitan Lagos as a viable case study. Lagos, with over 24 million people is experiencing heavy rural-urban migration and of high socio-economic relevance. The heavy traffic, over congested transport cabins, long hours of commuter exposure to noise, and vehicular emissions with the absence of suitable IEQ regulation suggest viable reasons for this study. The study fully assesses the IEQ of transport cabins (intra-city buses and trains) and evaluates the conditions that typical passengers and drivers are subjected to for the rainy and dry seasons. Experimental and empirical methods, in compliance with ASHRAE and ISO standards, will be employed to develop a suitable framework and technology to achieve good IEQ for this and similar regions. Furthermore, the research outcome will provide scientific knowledge and data for further studies, industry stakeholders and policymakers of this and similar regions.

Research Team

• John Omomoluwa Ogundiran
• Anabela Ribeiro (supervisor)
• Manuel Gameiro (Co-supervisior)

Financial Support

• FCT: UI/BD/152067/2021

Stage of Progress

• Started in 2021