Anthropogenic platinum group element (Pt, Pd, Rh) concentrations in PM10 and PM2.5 from Kolkata, India

Abstract

This study investigates platinum group elements (PGEs) in the breathable (PM10) and respirable (PM2.5) fractions of air particulates from a heavily polluted Indian metro city. The samples were collected from traffic junctions at the heart of the city and industrial sites in the suburbs during winter and monsoon seasons of 2013–2014. PGE concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The PGE concentrations in the samples from traffic junctions are within the range of 2.7–111 ng/m3 for Pd, 0.86–12.3 ng/m3 for Pt and 0.09–3.13 ng/m3 for Rh, and from industrial sites are within the range of 3.12–32.3 ng/m3 for Pd, 0.73–7.39 ng/m3 for Pt and 0.1–0.69 ng/m3 for Rh. Pt concentrations were lower in the monsoon compared to winter while Pd concentrations increased during monsoon and Rh stayed relatively unaffected across seasons. For all seasons and locations, concentrations of Pd > Pt > Rh, indicating dominance of Pd-containing exhaust converters. Most of the PGEs were concentrated in the PM2.5 fraction. A strong correlation (R ≥ 0.62) between the PGEs from traffic junction indicates a common emission source viz. catalytic converters, whereas a moderate to weak correlation (R ≤ 0.5) from the industrial sites indicate mixing of different sources like coal, raw materials used in the factories and automobile. A wider range of Pt/Pd, Pt/Rh and Pd/Rh ratios measured in the traffic junction possibly hint towards varying proportions of PGEs used for catalyst productions in numerous rising and established car brands.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2854-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium in airborne particulate matter

“…To my knowledge, the highest PGM concentrations, however, were measured at road junctions of Kolkata, India by Diong et al (46). These were 10 to 1,000 times higher than in other parts of the world and confirmed road junctions as sites with the highest exposure but also pointed to industrial emissions as no lesser environmental polluters.…”

Impact of COVID‐19 lockdown on the elemental profile of PM10 present in the ambient aerosol of an educational institute in Kolkata, India

“…The winter months in Kolkata as mentioned in a study by Diong et al. ( 2016 ), is prone to have the highest concentration levels of pollutants due to the inversion layer convecting closer to the ground (Gupta et al., 2008 ). This phenomenon was observed during NS and PT phases as represented in Exhibit 2 , where the concentration levels for PM 10 were observed to be higher in comparison to the LD phase.…”

“…Kolkata, which has been one of the fast‐growing cities in India, harbors more than 14.5 million people including the suburb (Dutta et al., 2021 ), which presents various challenges in regards to waste management and pollution control. Various sources of heavy metal have been identified in and around Kolkata like metal industries, tanneries (Karar et al., 2006 ), and powerplants (Diong et al., 2016 ). The study by Gupta et al.…”

Emerging airborne contaminants in India: Platinum Group Elements from catalytic converters in motor vehicles

“…A substantial body of published information already exists on the sources and magnitudes of PGE pollution in North and South American countries (Rauch et al, 2005, Bocca et al, 2006, Rauch et al, 2006, China (Pan et al, 2009), and European countries (Moldovan et al, 2006, Zereini et al, 2012. With the exception of very recently published study (Diong et al, 2016) that reports elevated Pt, Pd and Rh concentrations in PM 2.5 and PM samples from downtown Kolkata, studies on the sources and magnitude of PGE pollution in airborne particulate matter are still missing in India, despite the fact that PGE pollution is a growing concern there (Sen, 2013). Some anthropogenic processes that release PGE (fossil fuel combustion, mining and biomass burning) also emit mercury (Hg) at a global annual rate of 38±2.4 Gg (1 Gg = 10 6 Kg), (Sen and Peucker-Ehrenbrink, 2012) yet limited information exists on concentrations and sources of Hg in airborne particulate matter in India.…”