Abstract
Wildfires across the Mediterranean ecosystems are associated with safety concerns due to their emissions. The type of biomass determines the composition of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous compounds emitted during the fire event. This study investigated simulated fire events and analysed biomass samples of six Mediterranean species and litter in a combustion chamber. The main aims are the characterization of PM realized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX), the quantification of gaseous emissions through gas chromatography (GC-MS) and, consequently, identification of the species that are potentially more dangerous. For PM, three size fractions were considered (PM10, 2.5 and 1), and their chemical composition was used for particle source-apportionment. For gaseous components, the CO, CO2, benzene, toluene and xylene (BTXs) emitted were quantified. All samples were described and compared based on their peculiar particulate and gaseous emissions. The primary results show that (a) Acacia saligna was noticeable for the highest number of particles emitted and remarkable values of KCl; (b) tree species were related to the fine windblown particles as canopies intercept PM10 and reemit it during burning; (c) shrub species were related to the particles resuspended from soil; and (d) benzene and toluene were the dominant aromatic compounds emitted. Finally, the most dangerous species identified during burning were Acacia saligna, for the highest number of particles emitted, and Pistacia lentiscus for its high density of particles, the presence of anthropogenic markers, and the highest emissions of all gaseous compounds.
Highlights
Combustion is widely identified as one of the major sources of worldwide air pollution, mainly releasing carbonaceous material in both gaseous and aerosol phases [1]. Biomass burning, such as wildfire [2], forest fire [3] and crop residue burning from agriculture [4], emit several trace gases, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2 ), nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [5]
Previous study [34] reported the gaseous and particulate emissions from different plant tissues of Mediterranean species considering the contribution of the different phases of burning. It could not distinguish the size of emitted particles nor the particulate elemental composition but only the total amount released during the experiment. Considering this lack of information and the implication of PM on human health, we focused our present work on the particle size and elemental composition of particulate matter derived from controlled biomass burnings of a Mediterranean protected forest in southern Italy, along with their emitted gaseous compounds
This study provides original data on the PM and gaseous emissions released by the controlled burning of six Mediterranean species and litter, paying particular attention to the size fraction, chemical composition and total amount of particulates emitted
Summary
Combustion is widely identified as one of the major sources of worldwide air pollution, mainly releasing carbonaceous material in both gaseous and aerosol phases [1].biomass burning, such as wildfire [2], forest fire [3] and crop residue burning from agriculture [4], emit several trace gases, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2 ), nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [5]. PM is harmful to human health [6], it reduces atmospheric visibility [7], and it is considered a relevant pollutant that plays a role in climate change [8,9]. PM can affect atmospheric chemistry in two main ways: (1) by acting as cloud condensation nuclei, influencing the formation and lifetime of cloud cover and precipitation [10] and (2) by scattering/absorbing light and altering the Earth’s radiation budget [11]. The international classification of PM with significant effects on human health describes three dimensional categories: PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, which are represented by all particles below 10, 2.5 and 1 μm, respectively [12]. As shown by Wang et al [12], the smaller the particles, the higher the risk for human health
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