Multi-element Analysis and Characterization of Atmospheric Particulate Pollution in Dhaka

Abstract

PIXE (Proton Induced X-Ray Emission) and PIGE (Proton Induced Gamma Ray Emission) have been used to measure the concentration of over 20 elements present in coarse and fine atmospheric particle samples. These samples were collected at a semi-residential site at Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2002 to June 2003. The multi-elemental capability of PIXE and PIGE enabled the use of these elemental-concentration data to define fingerprints of various coarse and fine particle sources in the atmosphere using factor analysis along with linear regression. Biplots between a major component of a given source identified by the factor analysis with another signature element were prepared. Regression analyses could then be performed on a subset of the plot to quantify the relationship between these constituents in this fingerprint. The identified fingerprints included anthropogenic sources, such as motor vehicles, Zn source, two-stroke engine, and fugitive Pb; as well as natural sources, such as sea spray and soil dust. In this study, the chemical compositions of elements of these fingerprints were compared with the results obtained from PMF modeling that had been obtained in a previous study.

Identification and Apportionment of Sources from Air Particulate Matter at Urban Environments in Bangladesh

“…Organic carbon was not measured. The data quality of the available elemental concentration together with mass, BC and delta-C were tested by a reconstructed mass (RCM) analysis comparing the computed RCM values with the gravimetric weight of the filters [7]. The least squares fit to the data were compared with the measured mass in order to check the data quality (Table 2).…”

“…These source apportionment studies found that vehicles were normally responsible for about 50% of fine particles (PM 2.5 particles) in Dhaka. Coarse particles (PM 2.5-10 particles) (Particle size 2.5-10 micrometer) mainly originate from mechanical processes [7]. During that period, gasoline and diesel were mainly used as fuel to run motorized vehicles.…”

“…Source apportionment based on the PM data can be used to examine the effect on these policy implementations. Several studies [6][7][8][9] have shown that there is also transboundary contribution during the wintertime when wind blows from north and northwest directions during winter.…”

Identification of Sources of Fine Particulate Matter in Kandy, Sri Lanka

“…However, they were not determined in this study. Therefore, the reconstructed mass was estimated using the procedures of Malm et al (1994) and Begum et al (2006). An additional variable, unmeasured mass (UMM), was calculated as the difference between the measured mass and the reconstructed mass.…”

T ravelling and Source Point Identification of Some Transboundary Air Pollutants by Trajectory Analysis in Sathkhira, Bangladesh

“…These adverse properties demand an assessment of their trends and source profile in the atmosphere to provide an aid to manage regional and local as well as global air pollution strategies [9][10]. Air Pollution related works in Bangladesh are few and most of them are focused to the air quality and characterization of the air pollutant in the capital city Dhaka [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Salam et al [19] performed the chemical characterization of aerosol in the district Bhola one of the remote island of Bangladesh.…”