Analytical Methods INAA and PIXE Applied to Characterization of Airborne Particulate Matter in Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

Urbanization and industrial growth have deteriorated air quality and are major cause to air pollution. Air pollution through fine and ultra-fine particles is a serious threat to human health. The source of air pollution must be known quantitatively by elemental characterization, in order to design the appropriate air quality management. The suitable methods for analysis the airborne particulate matter such as nuclear analytical techniques are hardly needed to solve the air pollution problem. The objectives of this study are to apply the nuclear analytical techniques to airborne particulate samples collected in Bandung, to assess the accuracy and to ensure the reliable of analytical results through the comparison of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and particles induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Particle samples in the PM 2.5 and PM 2.5-10 ranges have been collected in Bandung twice a week for 24 hours using a Gent stacked filter unit. The result showed that generally there was a systematic difference between INAA and PIXE results, which the values obtained by PIXE were lower than values determined by INAA. INAA is generally more sensitive and reliable than PIXE for Na, Al, Cl, V, Mn, Fe, Br and I, therefore INAA data are preffered, while PIXE usually gives better precision than INAA for Mg, K, Ca, Ti and Zn. Nevertheless, both techniques provide reliable results and complement to each other. INAA is still a prospective method, while PIXE with the special capabilities is a promising tool that could contribute and complement the lack of NAA in determination of lead, sulphur and silicon. The combination of INAA and PIXE can advantageously be used in air pollution studies to extend the number of important elements measured as key elements in source apportionment.

Application of k0-INAA Method in Preliminary Characterization of KRISS Urban Airborne Particulate Matter Certified Reference Material

“…Isotopes with a half-life of 10 min or more are measured after isotopes with a shorter half-life have sufficiently decayed and the background signal has decreased. For example, 27 Mg and 56 Mn emit gamma-rays at energies very close to each other upon nuclear activation (E γ = 843.8 keV, E γ = 846.8 keV, respectively), which may interfere with each other. However, their influence can be reduced by measuring them at different cooling times, as they have different half-life times ( 27 Mg, T 1/2 = 9.462 m; 56 Mn, T 1/2 = 2.579 h).…”

“…However, their influence can be reduced by measuring them at different cooling times, as they have different half-life times ( 27 Mg, T 1/2 = 9.462 m; 56 Mn, T 1/2 = 2.579 h). The HyperLab software helps further resolution of residual overlaps of gamma peaks of 27 Mg and 56 Mn in this energy interval. For the 27 Mg isotope, different gamma-ray emissions at 170.7 keV and 1014.4 keV can be used alternatively.…”

Optimization for Method in Determination of Chlor Concentration in Pm2,5 Using Edxrf Epsilon 5

“…There are several possible explanations about this. First, this could be due to a non homogenous distribution of the mass on the surface of filter (15). Second, this could be due to different xray spectra fittings, and to sample and blanks inhomogeneities, because of the different area covered by proton and excitation x-rays beam (19…”

Performance Test of K₀-NAA and Relative Method for Analysis of Al, Mg, K Nuclides in SRM Lake Sediment Sample

“…Environmental pollution control and monitoring, especially air pollution monitoring is a typical example of application of NAA. Air pollution monitoring concerns the determination of the incidence, elemental composition, and size of aerosol particles in the ambient or indoor air, or studying the above parameters in combustion aerosols, which are the main source of air pollution [3]. Also NAA is used to determine of aluminium, silicon and magnesium in geological matrices [4] and rare earth elements in soil samples [5].…”