Characterization of airborne dust samples collected from core areas of Kathmandu Valley

Abstract

Although there are several reports on spatial and temporal variation of air quality of Kathmandu Valley, the morphological and mineralogical characteristics of particulate matter are very limited or none. In this study, we report on the mineralogical and morphological analysis of airborne particulate matter collected from densely populated core areas of Kathmandu Valley using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) data showed the presence of clay minerals, crystalline silicate mineral, carbonate minerals, and asbestiform mineral in the dust samples. The field emission scanning electron microscopic analysis confirmed the existence of particles having diverse morphology with some of the particles having aspect ratio as high as twenty; indicating the existence of asbestiform type minerals. Based on SEM-EDX data, we found that the relative distribution of elements to be different in different samples and C, O, Mg, Ca, and Si were the major elements in the dust samples. Interestingly, the XRD data analysis showed that in all the samples quartz mineral having high degree of crystallinity was present. The XRD measurement was also carried out in three different brands of cement samples. Few minerals present in dust samples were also identified in the cement samples. This observation could indicate that cement is one of the sources of minerals in the airborne particulate matter in the Kathmandu Valley.

In-Depth Analysis of Physicochemical Properties of Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) and Its Characterization through FTIR, XRD and SEM–EDX Techniques in the Foothills of the Hindu Kush Region of Northern Pakistan

“…For the elemental characterization of PM particles, each individual particle was scanned by electron beam and EDX spectra were obtained. From the obtained spectra, the identification of different peaks was made and peak intensities were obtained using a computer program, and afterward the percentage of weight was determined [41][42][43]. The PM sample was gold-coated and the gold data of EDX was of no use, so it was manually subtracted at the assessment of EDX spectra.…”

Estimation of the Acetylcholinesterase activity of honey bees in Nepal

“…AChE embodies a general biomarker for neurotoxic effects because not only does it show systematic response to pesticide but also to heavy metals, radioactive elements and complex mixtures of industrial and urban pollutants (Porrini et al 2002; Frasco et al 2005; Khalifa et al 2020). Kathmandu Valley is one of the most polluted city in the world (Neupane et al 2020). High altitude of ~1300 m in Kathmandu Valley favours the beekeeping of native A. cerana as it is better adopted in harsh mountain environments than high honey yielding A. mellifera (Pokhrel et al 2006).…”

“…Valley is one of the most polluted city in the world (Neupane et al 2020). High altitude of ~1300 m in Kathmandu Valley favours the beekeeping of native A. cerana as it is better adopted in harsh mountain environments than high honey yielding A. mellifera (Pokhrel et al 2006).…”

Investigating the Mineral Composition of Peat by Combining FTIR-ATR and Multivariate Analysis

“…This is one of the reasons why in many investigations the mineralogical composition has been approached through indirect approximations such as elemental analysis (e.g., [14]). One alternative approach is to use infrared spectroscopy, a quick, nondestructive, and affordable technique that can provide information on both organic [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] and inorganic [22][23][24][25][26][27][28]) components simultaneously, which is of great value for environmental studies [29]. Attenuated total reflectance Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) in particular, is adequate for this purpose, as it requires a minimum of processing.…”