Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
SOURCE APPORTIONMENT OF THE
SIZE-FRACTIONATED URBAN AEROSOLS IN
ANDAROUNDKOLKATA,INDIA
UJJAINI SARKAR
∗
, MONIRUL HAQUE, RAJDEEP ROY
and SANJOY CHAKRABORTY
Department of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University
Kolkata, Pin 700032, India
∗
abhigyan@hotmail.com
Our main objective was to estimate the heavy metals like the Lead, Mercury,
Cadmium, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Aluminium, and Iron, in addition to
ammonium, chloride, nitrate, and sulphate ions, by Atomic Absorption Spec-
trophotometry and Ion Chromatography and apportion the most probable
sources using the Chemical Mass Balance Model. The three urban locations
of Behala Chowrasta, Rabindra Sadan, and Shyam Bazaar Five Points were
chosen within the city of Kolkata. One rural location was chosen at the Indian
Institute of Technology campus, Kharagpur, a rural site in the Midnapur Dis-
trict of the state of West Bengal, India. The results look quite encouraging.
1. Background
Understanding the sources of atmospheric particulate matter is important
because ambient anthropogenic particles have adverse effects on human
health, cause visibility degradation, participate in acid deposition, result in
material and crop damage and impact global climate change. The increas-
ing concern about PM
10
and PM
2
.
5
has resulted in a considerable num-
ber of studies around the world including their mass balance and chemical
characterization.
The problem of urban air pollution is worldwide and transcends national
boundaries. Major advantages can be obtained both in the understanding
of the problem and in attempting to address solutions by taking a regional
approach rather than a national approach.
It has therefore become very important to not only measure the levels of
fine particles in and around the major cities and industrial areas but to also
identify the sources of these particles. In urban areas these fine particles
∗
Corresponding author.
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