Characterization of Spatial Impact of Particles Emitted from a Cement Material Production Facility on Outdoor Particle Deposition in the Surrounding Community

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to estimate the contribution of a facility that processes steel production slag into raw material for cement production to local outdoor particle deposition in Camden, NJ. A dry deposition sampler that can house four 37-mm quartz fiber filters was developed and used for the collection of atmospheric particle deposits. Two rounds of particle collection (3–4 weeks each) were conducted in 8–11 locations 200–800 m downwind of the facility. Background samples were concurrently collected in a remote area located ∼2 km upwind from the facility. In addition, duplicate surface wipe samples were collected side-by-side from each of the 13 locations within the same sampling area during the first deposition sampling period. One composite source material sample was also collected from a pile stored in the facility. Both the bulk of the source material and the <38 μm fraction subsample were analyzed to obtain the elemental source profile. The particle deposition flux in the study area was higher (24–83 mg/m2·day) than at the background sites (13–17 mg/m2·day). The concentration of Ca, a major element in the cement source production material, was found to exponentially decrease with increasing downwind distance from the facility (P < 0.05). The ratio of Ca/Al, an indicator of Ca enrichment due to anthropogenic sources in a given sample, showed a similar trend. These observations suggest a significant contribution of the facility to the local particle deposition. The contribution of the facility to outdoor deposited particle mass was further estimated by three independent models using the measurements obtained from this study. The estimated contributions to particle deposition in the study area were 1.8–7.4% from the regression analysis of the Ca concentration in particle deposition samples against the distance from the facility, 0–11% from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) source–receptor model, and 7.6–13% from the EPA Industrial Source Complex Short Term (ISCST3) dispersion model using the particle-size-adjusted permit-based emissions estimates. IMPLICATIONS This study developed a practical approach, i.e., spatial sampling with a deposition sampler coupled with three modeling estimation methods, to examine the impact of a local industrial facility on particle deposition in an urban community with multiple emission sources of particles. The close agreement among the three independent model estimations suggests that the approach is feasible and reliable to estimate the contribution of a single source to outdoor particle deposition using the method employed in the study.