Abstract
Scientific research studies conducted in various parts of the world confirm that PM10 concentrations in urban air depend to a great extent on the resuspension processes of the dust deposited on the road surface. The paper presents the results of the study related to the determination of the re-entrained PM10 emissions from four selected streets of Krakow (Southern Poland) together with the assessment of its impact on air quality. Examined streets are characterised by different traffic intensity (from 500 to over 20 000 vehicles per day) and individual vehicle structure. Dust material sampling and estimation of the PM10 emission were conducted according to the U.S. EPA methodology (AP 42 Fifth Edition). Two variants of sample collection were applied: from the road surface including the area at the curb (4 streets) and from the road surface alone (1 street). The estimates of resuspended road dust emission as well as the reference values derived from the U.S. EPA guidelines were used to assess the impact of this emission on the PM10 levels in the air at the location of one of the analysed streets. This assessment was conducted using the CALINE4 mathematical model. The study showed that the PM10 emissions from the re-entrained road dust can be responsible for up to 25 % in the winter and 50 % in the summer of the total PM10 concentrations in the air near the roads.
Highlights
The PM10 fine dust concentrations in the air are determined by the spatio-temporal distribution of its emission as well as the atmospheric propagation factors, which depend on, inter alia, the orography and local meteorological conditions
PM10 dust in the air can be of the anthropogenic origins, but it can result from physiochemical reactions between different substances present in the air [7]
Particles with a diameter of 2.5-10 μm and more are emitted primarily from the road surfaces, where the dust originating from industry and energy sector is deposited together with the particulate matter resulting from abrasion of the road surface, car tires and brake pads as well as particles caused by the wind erosion processes and dust loading brought from construction sites, unpaved roads, etc. [7, 11,12,13]
Summary
The PM10 fine dust concentrations in the air are determined by the spatio-temporal distribution of its emission as well as the atmospheric propagation factors, which depend on, inter alia, the orography and local meteorological conditions. In urban and industrial regions the exceedances of permitted PM10 levels are commonly observed This situation frequently results from the presence of numerous low emission sources situated in a small area, usually densely built, which impede the dispersion effectiveness of air pollutants. Passing motor vehicles create a vacuum in the space between the road and car chassis, triggering the entrainment of the dust from the road to the air. Those particles are primarily of the organic origins, including soil dust and organic parts, and the products of abrasion of the vehicle consumables [14]
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