Trace metals in ambient air.  Hourly size-segregated mass concentrations determined by synchrotron-XRF

Type
01A - Journal article
Editors
Editor (Corporation)
Supervisor
Parent work
Environmental Science & Technology
Special issue
DOI of the original publication
Link
Series
Series number
Volume
39
Issue / Number
15
Pages / Duration
5754-5762
Patent number
Publisher / Publishing institution
American Chemical Society
Place of publication / Event location
Washington, D.C.
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Abstract
Trace metals are ubiquitous in urban ambient air, with mass concentrations in the range of a few μg/m³ down to less than 100 pg/m³. To measure such low concentrations represents a challenge for chemical and physical analysis. In this study, ambient aerosol was collected in Zürich (Switzerland) in 1-h intervals and three size fractions (aerodynamic diameters 0.1−1 μm, 1−2.5 μm, and 2.5−10 μm), using a three-stage rotating drum impactor (RDI). The samples were analyzed by energy-dispersive Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF) to obtain size-segregated hourly elemental aerosol mass concentrations for Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, and Pb, along with S, Cl, and Ca under the selected experimental conditions. The high sensitivity of SR-XRF allowed for detection limits of <50 pg/m³ for most of the above elements, with a net analysis time of only 15 s per sample. The data obtained with this technique illustrate that there is a considerable gain of relevant information when time resolution for measurements is increased from 1 day to 1 h. The individual size fractions of a specific element may show significantly different short-term patterns.
Keywords
Subject (DDC)
610 - Medizin und Gesundheit
550 - Geowissenschaften
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ISBN
ISSN
0013-936X
1520-5851
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
No
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Closed
License
Citation
BUKOWIECKI, Nicolas, Matthias HILL, Robert GEHRIG, Christoph N. ZWICKY, Peter LIENEMANN, Ferenc HEGEDÜS, Gerald FALKENBERG, Ernest WEINGARTNER und Urs BALTENSPERGER, 2005. Trace metals in ambient air.  Hourly size-segregated mass concentrations determined by synchrotron-XRF. Environmental Science & Technology. 28 Juni 2005. Bd. 39, Nr. 15, S. 5754–5762. DOI 10.1021/es048089m. Verfügbar unter: https://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/46764