Physicochemical properties of particulate matter (PM2.5) from the steel industry in Indonesia

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) as one of the pollutants in the atmosphere needs to be studied. PM has physical and chemical characteristics and is called physicochemical properties. These properties vary depending on the source of the PM. PM samplers are used for air sampling to characterize some fine particles (PM2.5). The PM2.5 samples have collected from four sampling sites in the steel industry in Cilegon, Indonesia. The sampling sites are the main gate, the hot strip mill, the billet post, and the hot blast plant. The sampling period was four months. The physicochemical properties analysed are morphology, elements content, heavy metals, and particle size. The instruments used to analyse were Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and Particle Size Analyzer (PSA). The morphology of PM2.5 detected varied, but the elements and the most elements found were F and C particles. The metals concentration was below the Indonesia Regulation. While the average particle size analysed was below 2,500 nm. The physicochemical properties of PM2.5 are affected by the type of production process in the industry.