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Trace elements in size-segregated urban aerosol in relation to the anthropogenic emission sources and the resuspension

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Abstract

Size segregated particulate samples of atmospheric aerosols in urban site of continental part of Balkans were collected during 6 months in 2008. Six stages impactor in the size ranges: Dp ≤ 0.49 μm, 0.49 < Dp ≤ 0.95 μm, 0.95 < Dp ≤ 1.5 μm, 1.5 < Dp ≤ 3.0 μm, 3.0 < Dp ≤ 7.2 μm, and 7.2 < Dp ≤ 10.0 μm was applied for sampling. ICP-MS was used to quantify elements: Al, As, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Na, Ni, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn. Two main groups of elements were investigated: (1) K, V, Ni, Zn, Pb, As, and Cd with high domination in nuclei mode indicating the combustion processes as a dominant sources and (2) Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, Cr, Ga, Co, and Li in coarse mode indicating mechanical processes as their main origin. The strictly crustal origin is for Mg, Fe, Ca, and Co while for As, Cd, K, V, Ni, Cu, Pb, and Zn dominates the anthropogenic influence. The PCA analysis has shown that main contribution is of resuspension (PC1, σ2 ≈ 30 %) followed by traffic (PC2, σ2 ≈ 20 %) that are together contributing around 50 % of elements in the investigated urban aerosol. The EF model shows that major origin of Cd, K, V, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, and As in the fine mode is from the anthropogenic sources while increase of their contents in the coarse particles indicates their deposition from the atmosphere and soil contamination. This approach is useful for the assessment of the local resuspension influence on element’s contents in the aerosol and also for the evaluation of the historical pollution of soil caused by deposition of metals from the atmosphere.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the INTERREG/CARDS-PHARE Adriatic New Neighbourhood Programme—Grant No. 06SER02/01/04. The authors are grateful to the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia. The authors were also grateful to the Ministry of education, Science and Technological Development which further supported financially this research within the projects 172001 and 43007.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Belgrade, Centre of Chemistry—ICTM, Studentski trg 14-16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dragana Đorđević & Aleksandra Mihajlidi-Zelić

  2. Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123, Venice, Italy

    Angela Maria Stortini

  3. Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dubravka Relić

  4. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 33-35, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Jasna Huremović

  5. Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, Dorsoduro 2137, 30123, Venice, Italy

    Carlo Barbante & Andrea Gambaro

  6. Institute for the Dynamics of Environmental Processes—National Research Council (CNR-IDPA), Dorsoduro 2137, 30123, Venice, Italy

    Carlo Barbante & Andrea Gambaro

Authors
  1. Dragana Đorđević
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  2. Angela Maria Stortini
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  3. Dubravka Relić
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  4. Aleksandra Mihajlidi-Zelić
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  5. Jasna Huremović
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  6. Carlo Barbante
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  7. Andrea Gambaro
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Correspondence to Dragana Đorđević.

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Responsible editor: Gerhard Lammel

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Đorđević, D., Stortini, A.M., Relić, D. et al. Trace elements in size-segregated urban aerosol in relation to the anthropogenic emission sources and the resuspension. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 10949–10959 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2998-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2998-1

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