NOISE POLLUTION AT WHAT COST: ASSESSMENT IN FERTILIZER INDUSTRY

Sound means the vibrations composed of frequencies capable of being detected by ears while noise means the unwanted sound. Noise generated from various industrial activities can disrupt the activities or balance of human or animal life. Noise can cause adverse health effects on human beings. Thus control technology should aim at reducing noise to acceptable levels. The priority must always be to reduce the noise at source by engineering means once the main noise source has been verified. The most common noise sources can be divided into Aerodynamic (fans, pneumatics, and combustion) and Mechanical (impacts, friction). Noise control methods can be classified as noise control at source, during transmission and at the receiver. Noise control may take the form of altering any one or all of these elements. The noise source is where the vibratory mechanical energy originates. If noise cannot be controlled to an acceptable level at the source, attempts should then be made to control it at some point during its propagation path. As a last the noise control problem may be approached at the level of receiver. This research paper present the principles of noise control various noise control techniques, study at a fertilizer factory involving analysis of noise problem and practical remedies for control of noise.