Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Dustfall Pollution in the Coal Mine Area and Surrounding Areas of Wuhai City in Spring

Abstract

To study the concentration levels, pollution characteristics of each functional area, and sources of pollutants of the dust heavy metals Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, and Zn in spring in Wuhai, 43 groups of dust samples were collected from different locations within the city from March to June 2018. The heavy metal mass concentration was then measured using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The results showed that:①The average contents of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni, Sb, and Zn were 408.78, 1.97, 27.40, 38.93, 45.97, 25.41, 2.71, and 277.76 mg·kg-1, respectively, which were higher than the background values of the element soil. ②Only 5 of the 18 elements had significant differences in individual intervals, and the 18 elements had similar enrichment characteristics in 5 functional areas. This meant that the heavy metal pollution of dustfall in various functional areas of Wuhai was similar. ③As, Cd, Cr, and Pb elements were key pollution factors, and their comprehensive pollution indexes were 3.332, 2.622, 1.369, and 0.523, respectively, with As and Cd as primary factors. ④Through the analysis of pollution sources, it was found that in the Wuhai area the atmospheric dustfall was mainly caused by industrial emissions, coal burning, traffic dust, and coal mining and transportation. Factor analysis and multiple linear regression showed that coal was the main source of Cd pollution, with coal mining and transportation and industrial emissions accounting for 77.58% and 22.42%, respectively. The sources of As were complex, with 18.99% from industrial emissions, 15.87% from coal burning, and 6.79% from unknown sources.