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Monitoring of the deposition of PAHs and metals produced by a steel plant in Taranto (Italy)
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Advances in Meteorology
Volume 2014, 28 August 2014, Article number 598301
Monitoring of the deposition of PAHs and metals produced by a steel plant in Taranto (Italy) (Article)
Amodio, M.a,
De Gennaro, G.bc,
Di Gilio, A.b,
Tutino, M.b
a LEnviroS Srl, Spin-Off of University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4, Bari, Italy
b Apulia Regions Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA Puglia), Corso Trieste 27, Bari, Italy
c Chemistry Department, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4, Bari, Italy
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Abstract
A high time-resolved monitoring campaign of bulk deposition of PAHs and metals was conducted near the industrial area and at an urban background site in province of Taranto (Italy) in order to evaluate the impact of the biggest European steel plant. The deposition fluxes of the sum of detected PAHs at the industrial area ranged from 92 to 2432 ng m-2d-1. In particular the deposition fluxes of BaP, BaA, and BkF were, on average, 10, 14, and 8 times higher than those detected at the urban background site, respectively. The same finding was for metals. The deposition fluxes of Ni (19.8 μg m-2d-1) and As (2.2 μg m-2d-1) at the industrial site were about 5 times higher than those at the urban background site, while the deposition fluxes of Fe (57 mg m-2d-1) and Mn (1.02 mg m-2d-1) about 31 times higher. Precipitation and wind speed played an important role in PAH deposition fluxes. Fe and Mn fluxes at the industrial site resulted high when wind direction favored the transport of air masses from the steel plant to the receptor site. The impact of the industrial area was also confirmed by IP/(IP + BgP), IP/BgP, and BaP/BgP diagnostic ratios
An integrated approach using high time-resolved tools to study the origin of aerosols
Full text linkLong-range transport of natural and/or anthropogenic particles can contribute significantly to PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations and some European cities often fail to comply with PM daily limit values due to the additional impact of particles from remote sources. For this reason, reliable methodologies to identify long-range transport (LRT) events would be useful to better understand air pollution phenomena and support proper decision-making.This study explores the potential of an integrated and high time-resolved monitoring approach for the identification and characterization of local, regional and long-range transport events of high PM. In particular, the goal of this work was also the identification of time-limited event. For this purpose, a high time-resolved monitoring campaign was carried out at an urban background site in Bari (southern Italy) for about 20days (1st-20th October 2011). The integration of collected data as the hourly measurements of inorganic ions in PM2.5 and their gas precursors and of the natural radioactivity, in addition to the analyses of aerosol maps and hourly back trajectories (BT), provided useful information for the identification and chemical characterization of local sources and trans-boundary intrusions. Non-sea salt (nss) sulfate levels were found to increase when air masses came from northeastern Europe and higher dispersive conditions of the atmosphere were detected. Instead, higher nitrate and lower nss-sulfate concentrations were registered in correspondence with air mass stagnation and attributed to local traffic source. In some cases, combinations of local and trans-boundary sources were observed. Finally, statistical investigations such as the principal component analysis (PCA) applied on hourly ion concentrations and the cluster analyses, the Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) and the Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT) models computed on hourly back-trajectories enabled to complete a cognitive framework and confirm the influence of aerosol transported from heavily polluted areas on the receptor site
Monitoring techniques for PM and its composition
No full textThis chapter discusses the most used methodologies for PM measurement and its chemical characterization. Nowadays, many different instruments and analytical techniques for these purposes are available and the choice of the most suitable one depends on the aim of measurement; therefore, the principles of the methods for PM measurement will be briefly described. Regarding PM chemical composition, techniques for determination of identifiable components, organic and inorganic, will be presented. An overview on conventional techniques and new generation instruments designed to meet the various.
goals of the monitoring will also be provided
The impact of infield biomass burning on PM levels and its chemical composition
No full textIn the South of Italy, it is common for farmers to burn pruning waste from olive trees in spring. In order to evaluate the impact of the biomass burning source on the physical and chemical characteristics of the particulate matter (PM) emitted by these fires, a PM monitoring campaign was carried out in an olive grove. Daily PM10 samples were collected for 1 week, when there were no open fires, and when biomass was being burned, and at two different distances from the fires. Moreover, an optical particle counter and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) analyzer were used to measure the high time-resolved dimensional distribution of particles emitted and total PAHs concentrations, respectively. Chemical analysis of PM10 samples identified organic and inorganic components such as PAHs, ions, elements, and carbonaceous fractions (OC, EC). Analysis of the collected data showed the usefulness of organic and inorganic tracer species and of PAH diagnostic ratios for interpreting the impact of biomass fires on PM levels and on its chemical composition. Finally, high time-resolved monitoring of particle numbers and PAH concentrations was performed before, during, and after biomass burning, and these concentrations were seen to be very dependent on factors such as weather conditions, combustion efficiency, and temperature (smoldering versus flaming conditions), and moisture content of the wood burned
An improved method to determine PM-bound nitro-PAHs in ambient air
Full text linkNowadays, no a standard method for the determination of particulate bound nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) has been developed. Existing methods include complex sampling and extraction procedures. Moreover, their sensitivity does not allow to analyze daily PM10 samples, affecting the temporal resolution of NPAH concentrations. In this study an analytical method for the quantification of NPAHs on half 47 mm-filter samples of daily PM10 was developed and validated. NPAHs were recovered by microwave-assisted extraction, and analyzed by using a gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in MRM mode. The analytical performance for 14 NPAHs (2-nitrofluorene, 9-nitroanthracene, 9-nitrophenantrene, 3-nitrophenantrene, 2-nitroanthracene, 3-nitrofluoranthene, 1-nitropyrene, 2,7-dinitrofluorene, 7-nitrobenzo[a]anthracene, 6-nitrochrysene, 1,3-dinitropyrene, 1,8-dinitropyrene, 1,6-dinitropyrene, 6-nitrobenza[a]pyrene) was investigated. Recovery extraction percentage exceeded 95% for all target compounds in the range between 0.25 and 10 ng/mL. The repeatability, expressed as Relative Standard Deviation percentage (RSD%) of five determinations, was less than 10% for target compounds except for 2,7-dinitrofluorene, 1,3- and 1,8-dinitropyrene (RSD% < 15%). The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 12 to 84 pg/mL for most of NPAHs, except for dinitro-pyrenes and nitro-benzo(a)anthracene for which the LOD reached 1.8 ng/mL. The method developed was applied to real samples in order to evaluate the levels of NPAHs in the urban and industrial area of Taranto (South of Italy). The analysis of PM10 samples collected at four industrial and one urban sites, highlighted that in proximity of critical emission source as the biggest European steel plant and under certain weather conditions, combustion processes were the main source of NPAHs in atmosphere
An intensive monitoring campaign of PAHs for assessing the impact of a steel plant
Full text linkThis study provided a useful approach for assessing the impact of industrial sources on surrounding, especially in a sensitive industrial area as Taranto (South of Italy). Taranto is one of the most industrialized Italian towns, where
several emission sources operate simultaneously in proximity to the urban settlement. An intensive monitoring campaign of PAHs was carried out from January 28th to July 30th, 2011, in seven sites located in residential settlement around the industrial area and in the city center. The collected data were integrated with the information about wind direction and speed by means bivariate polarplot in order to characterize and localize the industrial sources. High BaP concentrations were detected especially when B/T ratio values excedeed 1 and all receptor sites were downwind to the steel plant. Moreover, in order to discriminate among PAH sources and quantify their contributions, a source apportionment analysis of the collected data was provided by means Princip al component Analysis (PCA) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) methods. Finally, the processing of PMF5.0 output by bivariate polar plot, confirmed the impact of steel plant on both industrial sites downwind the steel plant and the city center. B[a]P apportionment was quite similar for industrial and urban sites: the traffic source contributed only 11% and 24% to B[a]P measured at two sites, respectively. Therefore, the proximity of Taranto downtown to industrial pole makes negligible all other source contributions to PAH concentrations
Indoor and outdoor volatile organic compounds monitoring in a multi-storey car park
No full textA VOC monitoring was carried out inside and outside a multi-storey car park in order to characterize the emission profile of vehicular traffic source in an indoor environment. BTEX, and in particular toluene, were the most abundant compounds in all monitored sites, with different compositions between indoor parking areas and outdoor sites. The motor vehicle exhaust and gasoline vapor emission in these enclosed parking garages were characterized by diffusion or degradation phenomena different from those that occur in urban areas as the BTEX compositions, their ratios and their reactivity with OH and with NO3 radicals demonstrate. In detail, xylenes/BTEX and ethylbenzene/BTEX ratios in indoor environments were twice than those in outdoor ones, while toluene/BTEX ratio resulted half than that obtained in outdoor sites. In this work, BTEX concentrations depend both on number of vehicles, on vehicular characteristics (age, emission control technology, fuel quality etc.) and on factors related to the characteristics of parking facilities (volume of the monitored areas, indoor or open facilities, ventilation systems, size and maintenance). However, it was found that the external contribution (intrusion of pollutants from outdoor and from the other floors) and the influence of mixing air (removal of pollutants by ventilation and air exchange) on BTEX concentrations were not significant if inside the multi-storey car park there was a strong source (due to the number of vehicles) such happened in the first and second floors and along the ramp that connected them
Indoor/outdoor air quality assessment at school near the steel plant in Taranto (Italy)
Full text linkThis study aims to investigate the air quality in primary school placed in district of Taranto (south of Italy), an area of high environmental risk because of closeness between large industrial complex and urban settlement. The chemical characterization of PM2.5 was performed to identify origin of pollutants detected inside school and the comparison between indoor and outdoor levels of PAHs and metals allowed evaluating intrusion of outdoor pollutants or the existence of specific indoor sources. The results showed that the indoor and outdoor levels of PM2.5, BaP, Cd, Ni, As, and Pb never exceeded the target values issued by World Health Organization (WHO). Nevertheless, high metals and PAHs concentrations were detected especially when school were downwind to the steel plant. The I/O ratio showed the impact of outdoor pollutants, especially of industrial markers as Fe, Mn, Zn, and Pb, on indoor air quality. This result was confirmed by values of diagnostic ratio as B(a)P/B(g)P, IP/(IP + BgP), BaP/Chry, and BaP/(BaP + Chry), which showed range characteristics of coke and coal combustion. However, Ni and As showed I/O ratio of 2.5 and 1.4, respectively, suggesting the presence of indoor sources
An integrated approach to identify the origin of PM10 exceedances
No full textPurpose
This study was aimed to the development of an integrated approach for the characterization of particulate matter (PM) pollution events in the South of Italy.
Methods
PM10 and PM2.5 daily samples were collected from June to November 2008 at an urban background site located in Bari (Puglia Region, South of Italy). Meteorological data, particle size distributions and atmospheric dispersion conditions were also monitored in order to provide information concerning the different features of PM sources.
Results
The collected data allowed suggesting four indicators to characterize different PM10 exceedances. PM2.5/PM10 ratio, natural radioactivity, aerosol maps and back-trajectory analysis and particle distributions were considered in order to evaluate the contribution of local anthropogenic sources and to determine the different origins of intrusive air mass coming from long-range transport, such as African dust outbreaks and aerosol particles from Central and Eastern Europe. The obtained results were confirmed by applying principal component analysis to the number particle concentration dataset and by the chemical characterization of the samples (PM10 and PM2.5).
Conclusions
The integrated approach for PM study suggested in this paper can be useful to support the air quality managers for the development of cost-effective control strategies and the application of more suitable risk management approaches
Evaluation of PAH and Black Carbon automatic monitors in a coke oven plant
No full textIn the winter of 2014 a series of measurements were performed to evaluate the behavior of real-time
PAHs and black carbon analyzers in a coke oven plant located in Taranto, a city of Southern Italy.
Data were collected both inside than outside the plant, at air quality monitoring sites. Contemporary
measures of PM2.5 and PM1 were performed.Particle-bound PAHs were measured by two methods:
(1) aerosol photoionization using an Ecochem PAS 2000 analyzer, (2) PM2.5 and PM1 quartz filter
collection and analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Black carbon was
determined both in real-time by Magee Aethalometer AE22 analyzerthan by semi-continuous Sunset
Lab EC/OC instrument. Detected PM2.5 and PM1 levels were higher inside than outside the plant,
while PAHs real-time values were higher outside than inside. As regards PAHs, inside the plant
Ecochem PAS 2000 revealed concentrations not significantly different from those determined on filter
during low polluted days, but at increasing concentrations the automated instrument underestimated
PAHs levels. At external site, Ecochem PAS 2000 real-time concentrations were steadily higher than
those on filter. In the same way, real-timeblack carbon values were constantly lower than EC
concentrations obtained by Sunset EC/OC in the inner site, while outside the plantreal-time values
were comparable to Sunset EC values. Results showed that in a coke plant real-timeanalyzersof PAHs
and black carbon in the factory configuration provide qualitative information, with no accuracy and
leading to the underestimation of theconcentration. A site specific calibration is needed for these
instruments before their installation in high polluted site
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