PM<sub>1</sub> measurements at a site close to an oil/gas pre-treatment plant (Agri Valley – southern Italy): a preliminary study

Abstract

Abstract.A PM 1 (i.e. particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 1.0 µm) short-term monitoring campaign was carried out in the Agri Valley (southern Italy) in September 2012. This area is of international concern, since it houses one of the largest European on-shore reservoirs and the largest oil/gas pre-treatment plant (i.e. the Centro Olio Val d'Agri -COVA) within an anthropised context. PM 1 measurements were performed in Viggiano, the nearest town to the COVA plant and one of the most populated towns of the Agri Valley. During the study period, the PM 1 daily concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 8.4 µg m −3 , with a mean value of 4.6 µg m −3 . Regarding the PM 1 chemical composition, it can be observed that S and typical crustal elements were the most abundant constituents of the PM 1 collected. By applying principal component analysis (PCA), it was pointed out that crustal soil, biomass and wood burning, secondary atmospheric reactions involving COVA plant emissions and local soil particles, and traffic were the main sources contributing to the PM 1 measured in the area under study. Moreover, a possible contribution of the long-range transport of African dust was observed.

The Basilicata region (Southern Italy): a natural and ‘human-built’ open-air laboratory for manifold studies. Research trends over the last 24 years (1994–2017)

“…D'Emilio et al 2010), air pollution (e.g. Caggiano et al 2011;Pavese et al 2012;Trippetta et al 2014), groundwater [new, 10] (and) contamination [10] due to dumpsites (e.g. Caniani et al 2015).…”

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

“…As a consequence, a PM 1 short-term monitoring campaign was carried out by the CNR-IMAA in Viggiano (40 20 0 8.59 00 N, 15 54 0 7.43 00 E)the nearest town to the COVA plant and one of the most populated towns of the Val d'Agri areain September 2012. The statistical analysis of the PM 1 concentration and its chemical composition allowed the identification of the main PM 1 sources that also included secondary atmospheric reactions involving COVA plant emissions and local soil particles (Trippetta et al 2014). During this period, a gas-flaring episode due to a malfunction of the COVA plant occurred.…”

Assessment of atmospheric trace element concentrations by lichen-bag near an oil/gas pre-treatment plant in the Agri Valley (southern Italy)

“…The study was performed in the Agri Valley (Basilicata region -southern Italy), an area of international concern since it houses one of the largest European on-shore reservoirs and the biggest oil/gas pretreatment plant (i.e. Centro Olio Val d'Agri -COVA) within an anthropized context (Trippetta et al, 2014). This plant produces the emissions of several pollutants that could exert a considerable impact on a widespread area.…”