Speciation of PM₁₀ Sources of Airborne Nonferrous Metals within the 3-km Zone of Lead/Zinc Smelters

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the speciation of PM10 sources of airborne Pb, Zn, and Cd metals (PM10 is an aerosol standard of aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microm.) in the atmosphere of a 3 km zone surrounding lead/zinc facilities in operation for a century. Many powdered samples were collected in stacks of working units (grilling, furnace, and refinery), outdoor storages (ores, recycled materials), surrounding waste slag (4 Mt), and polluted topsoils (3 km). PM10 samples were generated from the raw powders by using artificial resuspension and collection devices. The bulk PM10 multielemental analyses were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The proportions in mass of Pb (50%), Zn (40%), and Cd (1%) contents and associated metals (traces) reach the proportions of corresponding raw powdered samples of ores, recycled materials, and fumesize emissions of plants without specific enrichment. In contrast, Pb (8%) and Zn (15%) contents of PM10 of slag deposit were found to be markedly higher than those of raw dust, Pb (4%), and Zn (9%), respectively. In the same way, Pb (0.18%), Zn (0.20%), and Cd (0.004%) were enriched by 1.7, 2.1, and 2.3 times, respectively, in PM10 as compared with raw top-soil corresponding values. X-ray wavelength dispersive electron-microprobe (EM-WDS) microanalysis did not indicate well-defined phases or simple stoichiometries of all the PM10 samples atthe level of the spatial resolution (1 microm3). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that minor elements such as Cd, Hg, and C are more concentrated on the particle surface than in the bulk of PM10 generated by the smelting processes. (XPS) provided also the average speciation of the surface of PM10; Pb is mainly represented as PbSO4, Zn as ZnS, and Cd as CdS or CdSO4, and small amounts of coke were also detected. The speciation of bulk PM10 crystallized compounds was deduced from XRD diffractograms with a raw estimation of the relative quantities. PbS and ZnS were found to be the major phases in PM10 generated by the smelting facilities with PbSO4, PbSO4 x PbO, PbSO4 x 4PbO, Pb metal, and ZnO as minor phases. The slag waste PM10 was found to contain some amounts of PbCO3, PbSO4 x PbO, and ZnFe2O4 phases. The large heterogeneity at the level of the individual particle generates severe overlap of chemical information even at the microm scale using electron microprobe (WDS) and Raman microprobe techniques. Fortunately, scanning Raman microspectrometry combined with SIMPle-to-use Interactive Self-modeling Mixture Analysis (SIMPLISMA) performed the PM10 speciation at the level of individual particles. The speciation of major Pb, Zn, and Cd compounds of PM10 stack emissions and wind blown dust of ores and recycled materials were found to be PbSO4, PbSO4 x PbO, PbSO4 x 4PbO, PbO, metallic Pb, ZnS, ZnO, and CdS. The PM10 dust of slag waste was found to contain PbCO3, Pb(OH)2 x 2PbCO3, PbSO4 x PbO, and ZnS, while PM10-bound Pb, Zn of the top-soils contain Pb5(PO4)3Cl, ZnFe2O4 as wel...

Chemical composition and mixing-state of ice residuals sampled within mixed phase clouds

“…Alternatively, lead smelters could also be the source of the lead compounds observed in our field campaign. The same Pb species as observed at the Jungfraujoch station (PbCl 2 , Pb, PbS and PbO) were found in the vicinity of a lead smelter (Batonneau et al, 2004). In our experiment, PbO, PbCl 2 , Pb and PbS were the only Pb species observed.…”

Physicochemical characteristics and occupational exposure to coarse, fine and ultrafine particles during building refurbishment activities

“…In fact, PM2.5 has been recognised as 9 th powerful risk factor globally for burden of disease (Lim et al, 2012). Building activities produce both airborne dust (Batonneau et al, 2004) and the emissions of UFPs (Azarmi et al, 2014; which are causally involved in greater inflammatory responses than the coarse particles per given mass (HEI, 2013;.…”

“…Several studies have also analysed the composition of particles derived from such sources and a number of attempts have been made to relate the observed elemental concentrations in collected particle samples to such activities (Adachi and Tainosho, 2004;Adhami et al, 2012;Adhami et al, 2014;Batonneau et al, 2004;Chen et al, 2000;Mouzourides et al, 2015;Pattanaik et al, 2012). A few studies have utilised the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for examining the solid-phase of metals and metalloids in house dust (Walker et al, 2011), apportioning the sources of lead in household dust (Hunt et al, 1992) and laser cleaning of building stones (Potgieter-Vermaak et al, 2005).…”

Lead from mining and mineral processing activities to the community via the air-dust pathway: An example from Mount Isa city using human health risk assessment approach

“…There are approximately 200 lead and zinc smelters and refineries spread in 37 countries in the world (Batonneau et al, 2004). Their activities contribute especially to the local and regional anomalies of atmospheric pollution by lead, zinc, and associated metals.…”

“…The release of fumes and dust through the stacks of smelters using pyrometallurgic processes is recognised as a source of fine particulate matter containing various metallic compounds (Sobanska et al, 1999). Other sources of airborne lead, zinc, and associated metals, such as resuspension of aerosol size particles of surrounding ores stocks, polluted top-soils, and smelter waste slag, have been increasingly considered (Batonneau et al, 2004). Fine ores, soil, and waste particles, particularly PM 10 particles, can be suspended in the troposphere by the action of wind or by mechanical disturbances therefore potentially result in health hazards to the community.…”