Abstract
A diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) technique was employed in characterization of the particulate matter related to the urban area suffering from heavy traffic. Kinetics of mobilization metals fluxes from the metal-contaminated particulate matter was investigated. To monitor responses of the particulate matter sample, DGT probes of various thickness of diffusion layer were deployed in aqueous model suspensions of the particulate matter for different time periods. Particulate matter samples and exposed DGT resin gels were decomposed in a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid in a microwave pressurized PTFE-lined system. Total content of some traffic-related elements (Cd, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Rh, Sb, and V) was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. DGT measurements revealed that two metals pools associated with particles could be recognized, which can be characterized as high soluble fraction and almost insoluble fraction. DGT-measured metal fluxes from the labile pool showed significant difference in mobilization and resupply fluxes of individual selected elements, which might reflect the origin of selected metals and their speciation in particulate matter. The DGT technique can be applied as a useful tool for characterization of metals mobilization from the particulate matter.
Highlights
E particulate matter (PM) comprises a mixture of numerous components, including various organic substances, elemental carbon, and inorganic substances. e metallic fraction is associated with several adverse health effects. e content of transition metals in PM is significantly affected by vehicle volume and speed, type of engine and its operation conditions, road type, rush time periods, neighboring environment and meteorological conditions, etc. [4, 5]
Toxicity of transition metals associated with atmospheric PM depends on solubility [10], speciation, and kinetics of metal release from the solid phase. e use of water as a leaching Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry agent was recommended [9] because these conditions are more similar to environmental conditions of extraction by rain water or to conditions in the lung environment, when PM is inhaled
Particulate air pollution constitutes a complex mixture of particles, present in the atmosphere as solids or liquids that vary in mass, number, size, shape, surface area, chemical composition as well as reactivity, acidity, solubility, and origin [2]
Summary
Batchwise equilibrium-based single [11] or sequential extraction schemes [9] have been consolidated as analytical tools for fractionation analysis to assess the ecotoxicological significance of metal ions in solid environmental samples They cannot provide information about the kinetics of the leaching process. Instead of whole sample only aliquots of the sample in the form of either circular parts or punches of the sampling filter substrate with homogeneously distributed particulate matter were used, which enables loading of sample into the extraction unit Another group of methods for determination of the water-soluble fraction of metals in atmospheric aerosols can be based on the continuous sampling of atmospheric aerosols into deionized water [10, 19].
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