PM<sub>1</sub> geochemical and mineralogical characterization using SEM-EDX to identify particle origin – Agri Valley pilot area (Basilicata, southern Italy)

Abstract

Abstract.A PM 1 geochemical and mineralogical study using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was performed on a pilot site in the Agri Valley which is close to the oil pre-treatment plant (C.O.V.A) of Europe's largest on-shore hydrocarbon reservoir. The study identified PM 1 geochemical and mineralogical characters in the period before, during and immediately after a burning torch flare event. The finer fraction (D Fe < 0.7 µm) consisted mainly of secondary particles and soot. In the coarser fraction (D Fe ≥ 0.7 µm), natural particles originating from crustal erosion and soot were abundant. Fine quartz particles and lower Al / Si ratios are markers for desert dust origin, proving that a Saharan dust episode which occurred during the observation period played a significant role in supplying geogenic aerosol components to the PM 1 . Largest amounts of ≥ 0.7 µm fraction particles observed on the day of flare event may be due to a greater supply of Saharan geogenic particles. Soot had been significantly increasing long before the flare event, suggesting that this increase is also related to other causes, although we cannot exclude a contribution from flaring. S-rich aerosol consisted mainly of mixed particles originating from deposition and heterogeneous nucleation of secondary sulfates on mineral dust. Only-S particles were identified in the ≥ 0.7 µm fraction following the flare event. These particles may be indicators of larger amounts of sulphur in the atmosphere.

Improving the foundation for particulate matter risk assessment by individual nanoparticle statistics from electron microscopy analysis

“…Furthermore the high TEM resolution is often not required for aerosol particles larger than a few tens of nanometres. Scanning electron microscopes provides a lower resolutions, but recent advances have made it possible to automatically scan large areas of a sample, process the acquired images, locate particles, and perform subsequent EDS analysis without user intervention except for the initial setup 24,25 . As a result, automated SEM/EDS analysis makes it possible to obtain sufficient data on the single particle level to allow for a meaningful statistical analysis of an aerosol population, including both physical and elemental composition data 26 .…”

Investigation of the source, morphology, and trace elements associated with atmospheric PM10 and human health risks due to inhalation of carcinogenic elements at Dehradun, an Indo-Himalayan city

“…In India, most of the research studies on atmospheric PM have focused on the elemental composition of particles [3][4][5]. However, several researchers have investigated both the physical (shape and size) and elemental characteristics of atmospheric PM through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and SEM-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), respectively [6][7][8]. At the coastal city of Chennai, located in the south of India, SEM analysis revealed particle types such as soot, minerals and salts, whose origination can be traced to combustion, crustal and marine sources, respectively [9,10].…”

The contribution of the scientific research for a less vulnerable and more resilient community: the Val d’Agri (Southern Italy) case

“…During this period, a gas-flaring episode due to a malfunction of the COVA plant occurred. The study of the PM 1 geochemical and mineralogical features before, during and immediately after this episode highlighted the influence of the COVA emissions on the PM 1 collected in terms of soot and S-rich particle as well as the significant role played by a Saharan dust event occurred during the gas flaring episode in supplying geogenic aerosol components to the PM 1 (Margiotta et al 2015). The influence of the COVA plant emissions on the air quality of the area under study was also confirmed by the results obtained by statistically analyzing the atmospheric concentrations of 17 trace elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Ti and Zn) measured at 59 biomonitoring stations installed by the CNR-IMAA and covering an area of about 100 km 2 around the COVA plant (Caggiano et al 2015).…”