Source apportionment of mercury in dust fallout at urban residential area of Central India

Abstract

Abstract. The components and quantities of atmospheric dust fallout have been reported to be the pollution indicator of large urban areas. The multiplicity and complexity of sources of atmospheric dusts in urban regions (e.g. industrial complexes composed of a variety of industrial processes, automobiles, construction activities etc.) has put forward the need of source apportionment of these sources indicating their contribution to specific environmental receptor. The study presented here is focused on investigation of source contribution estimates of Mercury in urban dust fallout in an urban-industrial area, Raipur, India. Source-receptor based representative sampling plan using longitudinal study design has been adopted. Six sampling sites have been identified on the basis of land use for development plan of anthropogenic activities and factors related to the transportation and dispersion pattern of atmospheric dusts. 24 samples of dust fallout has been collected from each site (one in each month) and subjected to chemical analysis of selected chemical constituents known as markers of selected major dust emitting sources (Steel making average, Road traffic-borne dusts, construction activities, Auto mobile exhaust, and soils). Chemical composition of dust measured at sites marked for identified sources alongwith SPECIATE of USEPA has been used for the preparation of source profiles. Three classified residential receptors (ambient-outdoor, house-indoors and local street-outdoors) have been chosen for development of receptor compositional profiles. Source apportionment has been done using Chemical Mass Balance (CMB 8). Good fit parameters and relative source contribution has been analysed and documented. Dust fallout and respective mercury levels were found tobe higher compared to prescribed standards. Variation in relative contribution of selected sources from site to site within the study area has been occurred. Dominance of local line and area sources (road-traffic and construction borne dusts) on mercury levels measured at selected residential receptors compared to stationary industrial sources has been observed. Road-traffic has shown highest contribution of dust and mercury in house-indoors, while in case of ambient-outdoor the receptor has shown different higher susceptibility of identified sources for dust and mercury. The results of CMB output and regression data of source-receptor dust matrices have shown comparable pattern.

Source-receptor relationships for speciated atmospheric mercury at the remote Experimental Lakes Area, northwestern Ontario, Canada

“…One technique uses multiple pollutants measurements to investigate source-receptor relationships, where a linear equation is used to represent a mass balance of the chemical species at the source and receptor site (see reviews in Hopke, 2003;Watson et al, 2008;Hopke and Cohen, 2011). For example, Pervez et al (2009) used the Chemical Balance Model to apportion particulate Hg in dust samples; Keeler et al (2006) applied the USEPA Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and UNMIX models to identify and apportion sources of Hg wet deposition; Cheng et al (2009) also used PMF model to explore the sources of atmospheric Hg in an urban center. Another technique frequently used in receptor based speciated atmospheric Hg studies is to locate potential sources by tracking the movement of air parcels reaching the receptor site using back trajectory models, e.g., HYS-PLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) (Abbott et al, 2008;Li et al, 2008;Lyman and Gustin, 2008;Sprovieri et al, 2010a).…”

Solid-phase extraction of heavy metal ions on bucky tubes disc in natural water and herbal plant samples

“…Heavy metals occur naturally at trace concentrations in our environment; however, the concentration of heavy metals are increased in the environment due to mining, fertilizing, industrial activities and traffic (Shah et al 2009;Ji et al 2009;Najiah et al 2009;Ibrahim and El-Aal 2008;Sahayam et al 2009;. The determinations of heavy metals are one of the main interests of chemists Peric-Grujic et al 2009;Pervez et al 2009;Barman and Barua 2009;Akbulut et al 2009;Ganjavi et al 2010;Ghaedi et al 2010). Atomic absorption spectrometry, atomic emission spectrometry, electroanalytical techniquesm, etc.…”

Source-receptor relationships for speciated atmospheric mercury at the remote experimental lakes area, Northwestern Ontario, Canada

“…One technique uses multiple pollutants measurements to investigate source-receptor relationships, where a linear equation is used to represent a mass balance of the chemical species at the source and receptor site (see reviews in Hopke, 2003;Watson et al, 2008;Hopke and Cohen, 2011). For example, Pervez et al (2009) used the Chemical Balance Model to apportion particulate Hg in dust samples; Keeler et al (2006) applied the USEPA Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and UNMIX models to identify and apportion sources of Hg wet deposition; Cheng et al (2009) also used PMF model to explore the sources of atmospheric Hg in an urban center. Another technique frequently used in receptor based speciated atmospheric Hg studies is to locate potential sources by tracking the movement of air parcels reaching the receptor site using back trajectory models, e.g., HYS-PLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) (Abbott et al, 2008;Li et al, 2008;Lyman and Gustin, 2008;Sprovieri et al, 2010a).…”