Fractionation of eleven elements by chemical bonding from airborne particulate matter collected in an industrial city in Argentina

Abstract

A four-step chemical sequential extraction procedure was used to evaluate the distribution of Al, As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, V and Zn in airborne particulate matter collected on glass fibre filters using a high-volume sampler. Two sets of samples were collected in 2001 (winter and summer campaigns) in representative zones of an industrial city of Argentina. The leaching scheme was applied to PM-10 particles and consisted in extracting the elements in four fractions, namely soluble and exchangeable elements; carbonates, oxides and reducible elements; bound to organic matter and sulfidic metals; and residual elements. Metals and metalloids at microg g(-1) level were determined in each fraction by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Analyte concentration varied from 14 microg g(-1) (equivalent to 1.0 ng m(-3)) for As to 11.8 mg g(-1) (equivalent to 2,089 ng m(-3)) for Al. Seven elements, namely Al, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ti and Zn showed similar distributions in both seasons while As was distributed in a significantly different manner in each season. The results exhibited low As contents in the first and second fractions that could be associated with routine coal combustion and a high content in the third and fourth fractions of the summer samples that could be linked to the use of pesticides. Aluminium, As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Ti, V and Zn were found in different percentages in the more bioavailable aqueous fraction with As, Mn, V and Zn exhibiting solubilities greater than 1% while Cr and Pb being insoluble. The content of Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the residual fraction was, in average, higher than 50%. A comparative assessment of the use of the underlying information available from fractionation studies compared to that obtained from total element content was done for Fe and Mn. It showed that the results obtained using chemical sequential extraction procedures allowed further discrimination of the potential air pollution sources.

UHPLC-(+)APCI-MS/MS determination of oxygenated and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulate matter and tree barks collected in Buenos Aires city

“…During more than ten years, our group has conducted a series of studies aimed at determination, fractionation, and source identification of metals, metalloids, and ions in airborne particulate matter and related environmental matrices such as tree barks, road dust, and ashes [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. In the framework of a new project, our interest in now focused on the contribution with information on the content of OPAHs and NPAHs in the…”

Multielemental analysis of Fraxinus pennsylvanica bark along an urban to periurban gradient in Buenos Aires metropolis

“…Las fuentes podrían deberse a la alta presencia de construcciones (edilicias y viales), talleres mecánicos de chapa y pintura de automóviles, herrerías y al tránsito vehicular por desgaste mecánico natural y aditivos, coincidiendo con conclusiones aportadas por Fujiwara et al (2006) Los valores de bario resultaron significativamente diferentes en las tres áreas. El Ba es un elemento constitutivo del suelo, pero también resulta de la quema de combustibles (aditivos) y de carbón.…”

“…Según Bacon et al (2005) más del 80 % del Pb proviene de deposición atmosfé-rica. El Pb a pesar de ser insoluble en agua, presenta solubilidad en soluciones amoniacales y la influencia de la napa freática superficial (3 m de profundidad) pudiera ser relevante para entender esta diferencia (Fujiwara et al, 2006). Koeppe (1981) demostró que el Pb puede ser absorbido a través del sistema radicular, aumentando la concentración del mismo en las hojas.…”

“…Este elemento es liberado a la atmósfera a través de la incineración de basura y de la combustión del carbón. Además, está asociado a las herrerías, talleres varios, de galvanizado, fábri-cas de calzado, curtiembres y emisiones del trán-sito vehicular (Fujiwara et al, 2006).…”

“…(Wong et al, 2006) El zinc es significativamente mayor en las áreas urbanas, probablemente debido a las emisiones del tránsito vehicular, en particular los caños de escape del parque automotor, a la producción de aceites lubricantes, las actividades antropogénicas e industriales. (Figueiredo et al, en prensa 2006;Fujiwara et al, 2006). La presencia de níquel (Ni) podría ser atribuible a deshechos industriales (Birke & Rauch 2000).…”