Pb-rich Particles Research Articles

Black carbon and PM0.49 characterization in manila north harbour port, Metro Manila, Philippines

Globalization and industrialization have increased the shipping activities in Metro Manila. This increase in economic activity has contributed to the exacerbation of atmospheric particle pollution, particularly black carbon (BC) and particulate matter (PM). In this study, PM0.49 and BC were characterized in North Harbour in Metro Manila, Philippines. Using a multiple-split high-volume cascade impactor, PM0.49 and PM2.5 were collected from December 2019 to January 2020. Equivalent BC (eBC) mass concentrations were measured using an aethalometer (AE33, Magee Scientific) while chemical analysis was also performed using ion chromatography. The PM0.49 was tested for its morphological and mineralogical characteristics. Daily analysis showed no significant difference between the weekday and weekend pollution concentration in the port, although mean concentration (70 ± 21 μg/m3) exceeds that of the 24-hr Philippine air quality guideline value of 50 μg/m3 for PM2.5 concentrations. The particle compositions of PM0.49 are mostly from Si-rich particles and Pb-rich particles. High variability was observed for Mg, Si, Ca, Fe, Cd, Zn, Mn, S, Cl, V, and Cr heavy metals. The carbonaceous species with the highest concentration was organic carbon (OC) (33 ± 9 μg/m3) followed by BC (16 ± 3 μg/m3) and eBC (12 ± 3 μg/m3). An analysis of the ionic species showed SOX and NOX emissions as the primary ions, which are mostly related to ship emissions while the mineralogical analysis showed that soot particles are the main composition of the particles. Overall, the pollution assessment showed that North Harbour is polluted with heavy metals but within the Philippine air quality pollutant standard. In brief, the results of this study suggest that atmospheric pollution in the study site was mostly caused by local anthropogenic sources, particularly vessel emissions. The researchers suggest that a longer study period be conducted to further assess the seasonal variation of atmospheric particle pollution in North Harbour, Metro Manila.

Environmental and health implications of Pb-bearing particles in settled urban dust from an arid city affected by Pb–Zn factory emissions

Metal-rich particles originating from non-ferrous metallurgical activities are the primary source of atmospheric metals in urban environments. These particles vary in size, morphology, and elemental compositions and they undergo weathering processes that alter their composition and affect their toxicity. This study focuses on lead (Pb)-rich particles in settled urban dust within an arid and dusty city, Torreón in North Mexico, affected by Met–Mex Peñoles complex, one of the world's largest Ag–Cd–Pb–Zn smelting and refining facilities in operating since 1901. Torreón is characterized by arid conditions, temperature fluctuations, and low humidity. Dry atmospheric particles were collected in 2015 and 2017 from Torreón's urban area within a 3 km radius of the Met–Mex Peñoles complex. We used various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) to determine the size, morphology, elemental composition and mineralogy of Pb-bearing particles. Our analysis revealed a range of Pb-bearing particle sizes and morphologies with varying Pb (0.3 to 51–87.2%) and other element contents, such as As (0.04 to 1–3.4%), Cd (0.4 to 3.3–5.1%), Cu (0.51–14.1%), Hg (ND-0.6%), and Zn (1.7 to 79–90.3%). XRD analysis confirmed the presence of Pb and Zn sulfides, Pb carbonates, Pb sulfate, and Pb oxides in urban dust, both as individual particles and agglomerates. Primary Pb minerals were linked to fugitive feed concentrates and smelter flue gas at Met–Mex Peñoles, while secondary Pb minerals, like Pb carbonates, Pb sulfate, and Pb oxides, resulted from direct emissions and weathering processes. Compared to galena, secondary Pb minerals exhibit higher chemical availability in the environment, posing greater risks to the environment and human health. As the particles analyzed are presumed to be resuspended rather than freshly emitted by Met–Mex, the presence of secondary Pb minerals in settled urban dust is predominantly linked to weathering processes. The physical and chemical transformations in Pb-rich particles contribute to increased Pb bioavailability and toxicity in urban dust, with substantial implications for environmental and human health. These findings highlight the potential consequences of weathered Pb-rich particle in urban areas, particularly in the arid and dusty city of Torreón.

An overlooked source of nanosized lead particles in the atmosphere: Residential honeycomb briquette combustion

Atmospheric lead (Pb) pollution has attracted long-term and widespread concerns due to its high toxicity. The definite source identification of atmospheric Pb is the key step to mitigate this pollution. Here, we first report an overlooked source of atmospheric nanosized Pb particles using transmission electron microscopy and bulk sample analyses, finding that residential honeycomb briquette combustion emits large numbers of nanosized Pb-rich particles. We found that 33.7 ± 19.9 % of primary particles by number from residential honeycomb briquette combustion contains the crystalline Pb particles. These Pb-rich particles range in size from 14 to 956 nm with a mean diameter of 117 nm. Compared with raw coal chunks, honeycomb briquette combustion could emit less carbonaceous particles, but largely increase nanosized Pb particle emissions. This result is attributed to two key factors: (1) higher Pb content in honeycomb briquette (63.6 μg g−1) than that in coal chunk (8.5 μg g−1), and (2) higher Pb release rate for honeycomb briquette (62.3 %) caused by honeycomb structure than that for coal chunk (20.1 %). This study highlights that atmospheric and health implications of high emissions of toxic nanosized Pb from honeycomb briquette should be paid more attention in future research on ambient and indoor airs.

The surface modification of aluminum by mechanical milling of Pb coating and high current pulsed electron beam irradiation

This paper reports the surface morphology and properties of Al substrates with Pb coating, which was deposited by mechanical milling and then treated by high current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) irradiation. After HCPEB irradiation treatment, some previously formed defects such as micro-pits, craters, and bulged nodules were eliminated, resulting in significant reduction of surface roughness of initial Pb/Al sample, and the formation of a dense and adherent Pb/Al alloying layer. Notably, when the number of irradiation pulses reached 30, there was uniform distributions of Pb in the mixture of Pb and Al elements in the milled samples, which resulted in the formation of gray layers with thickness of 12 μm (milling for 1 h) and 8 μm (milling for 2 h). These formed layers effectively improved the wear resistance. Moreover, the hardness of Pb/Al sample also improved after HCPEB irradiation due to structure defect strengthening and ultra-fine Pb-rich particles reinforcement. The above results demonstrate that HCPEB treatment is an effective method to obtain high-quality alloy coating layer, resulting in the formation of an excellent alloy.

Does atmospheric processing produce toxic Pb-containing compounds? A case study in suburban Beijing by single particle mass spectrometry

A single particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS) was deployed to investigate the mixing state and chemical processing of Pb-rich particles in suburban Beijing. Based on a large dataset of mass spectra, Pb-rich particles were classified into Pb-O-Cl-N-S (55%), Pb-N (17%), Pb-N-S (15%), and Pb-EC (7%). Residual coal combustion, industrial activities, and meteorological conditions were identified as main factors regulating the variations of Pb-rich particles in the atmosphere. The highest abundance of the Pb-rich particles was observed during heating period (HP) primarily due to the increase in coal usage. Pb in Pb-O-Cl-N-S type was identified in forms of PbO, PbCl2, and Pb(NO3)2. Dominantly presented in the form of Pb(NO3)2, Pb-N type represented the completely transformed Pb-rich particles from PbO/PbCl2 by atmospheric processes. It is found that PbCl2 and PbO could be transformed to Pb(NO3)2, highly dependent on the amount of NO2 and RH. Significant enhancement of nitrate in Pb-O-Cl-N-S particles was observed when the RH was greater than 60%, emphasizing the importance of heterogeneous hydrolysis of N2O5 on the formation of Pb(NO3)2. Compared with non-carcinogenic PbCl2/PbO and insoluble PbO, soluble and carcinogenic Pb(NO3)2 produced by atmospheric processes may significantly enhance negative effects of Pb-rich particles on human health and the ecosystem.

Composition of ice particle residuals in mixed-phase clouds at Jungfraujoch (Switzerland): enrichment and depletion of particle groups relative to total aerosol

Abstract. Ice particle residuals (IRs) and the total aerosol particle population were sampled in parallel during mixed-phase cloud events at the high-altitude research station Jungfraujoch in January–February 2017. Particles were sampled behind an ice-selective counterflow impactor (Ice-CVI) for IRs and a heated total inlet for the total aerosol particles. A dilution set-up was used to collect total particles with the same sampling duration as for IRs to prevent overloading of the substrates. About 4000 particles from 10 Ice-CVI samples (from 7 days of cloud events at temperatures at the site between −10 and −18 ∘C) were analysed and classified with operator-controlled scanning electron microscopy. Contamination particles (identified by their chemical composition), most likely originating from abrasion in the Ice-CVI and collection of secondary ice, were excluded from further analysis. Approximately 3000 total aerosol particles (IRs and interstitial particles) from 5 days in clouds were also analysed. Enrichment and depletion of the different particle groups (within the IR fraction relative to the total aerosol reservoir) are presented as an odds ratio relative to alumosilicate (particles only consisting of Al, Si, and O), which was chosen as reference due to the large enrichment of this group relative to total aerosol and the relatively high number concentration of this group in both total aerosol and the IR samples. Complex secondary particles and soot are the major particle groups in the total aerosol samples but are not found in the IR fraction and are hence strongly depleted. C-rich particles (most likely organic particles) showed a smaller enrichment compared to aluminosilicates by a factor of ∼20. The particle groups with enrichment similar to aluminosilicate are silica, Fe aluminosilicates, Ca-rich particles, Ca sulfates, sea-salt-containing particles, and metal/metal oxide. Other aluminosilicates – consisting of variable amounts of Na, K, Ca, Si, Al, O, Ti, and Fe – are somewhat more enriched (factor ∼2) and Pb-rich particles are more (factor ∼8) enriched than aluminosilicates. None of the sampled IR groups showed a temperature or size dependence in respect to ice activity, which might be due to the limited sampling temperature interval and the similar size of the particles. Footprint plots and wind roses could explain the different total aerosol composition in one sample (carbonaceous particle emission from the urban/industrial area of Po Valley), but this did not affect the IR composition. Taking into account the relative abundance of the particle groups in total aerosol and the ice nucleation ability, we found that silica, aluminosilicates, and other aluminosilicates were the most important ice particle residuals at Jungfraujoch during the mixed-phase cloud events in winter 2017.

Single-particle analysis of industrial emissions brings new insights for health risk assessment of PM

Particulate matter (PM) emitted by human activities presents a significant risk for human health, especially through inhalation. In this work, coarse and ultrafine particles (PM10 and PM1) were collected near a lead battery recycling facility, recognized as an emission source of hazardous particles. These particles were previously found to have adverse health effects. Our multiple imaging analyses by SEM-EDX and Raman microspectrometry showed that Pb-rich particles constituted the major portion of the fine size fractions (PM1). The surface analysis of particles performed by ToF-SIMS evidenced soluble Pb-Cl rich species on the particle surface. The particle composition and chemical mixing state differed from PM at source emission. Although the annual mean lead concentration near the plant meets E.U. air quality standards, the size of the Pb-rich particles and the presence of soluble metal compounds on the particle surface may also induce harmful outcomes. The current risk assessment models only consider the total concentration of the element without dealing with speciation, morphology or surface composition of the particles. Single particle analysis could become useful in providing a more accurate assessment of human health risk and in developing more comprehensive regulations on air quality.

Heavy metal-polluted aerosols collected at a rural site, Northwest China

Daily samples of aerosol (n=27) were collected from September 21st to October 4th, 2013 in Fukang (44.17°N, 88.45°E, 475 m a.s.l.), Xinjiang, Northwest China. The enrichment factors (EFc) of selected 49 elements showed that the aerosols had extremely high concentrations of heavy metals, probably indicating their anthropogenic origins. Morphology of individual aerosol particles was determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Based on morphology and elemental composition, the particles were clustered into three dominant types: (I) crustal originated particles: Si/Al-rich particles (36%) and Si/Fe-rich particles (24%); (II) mixed source particles; and (III) pollution derived particles: Pb-rich particles (10%). The backward trajectories were calculated using the HYSPLIT model, and the results indicated the different anthropogenic sources for heavy metals in Fukang aerosols. Air mass from north was identified as the most polluted source when compared to south and west.

Bioaccessibility of As and Pb in orchard and urban soils amended with phosphate, Fe oxide and organic matter

Soils historically contaminated in urban and orchard environments by Pb and As were amended separately with organic matter, soluble Ca phosphate, and Fe oxide to determine whether these materials could lower Pb or As bioaccessibility. After 5 years of equilibration in the laboratory, the amended soils and control were tested for bioaccessibility using the standard physiologically based extraction test (PBET). Bioaccessibilities of Pb and As were not substantially reduced relative to the unamended controls after the 5-year period by any of the soil amendments. Gastric bioaccessibility (GB) of Pb was in all cases much greater than gastrointestinal bioaccessibility (GIB) regardless of soil treatment, whereas GB and GIB of As were similar in magnitude for all soils. Both GB and GIB of Pb were greater in the orchard than the urban soil. Electron microprobe investigations identified discrete particulate forms of Pb in the soils by elemental mapping, and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) revealed a frequent spatial association of Pb-rich particles with phosphorus. It is suggested that Pb-rich particles in anthropogenically contaminated soils resist chemical transformation into less labile forms despite thermodynamic favorability because of their low surface area and low solubility. This kinetic effect could explain the observed ineffectiveness of amendments in reducing metal bioaccessibility.

Characterization of lead-containing aerosol particles in Xiamen during and after Spring Festival by single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry.

To comparatively analyze lead (Pb)-containing particles during and after the Chinese Spring Festival (SF), real-time single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS) was conducted in Xiamen during February 9-19 and March 4-14, 2013. Pb-containing particles were found in 2.4% and 5.3% of the total particle numbers during and after SF, respectively. Based on the SPAMS mass spectral results, the Pb-containing particles were classified into three major types and 11 subtypes: Pb-rich particles comprising Pb-nitrate, Pb-sulfate and Pb-chloride; K-rich particles comprising K-nitrate, K-sulfate, K-metal, K-carbonaceous, K-phosphate, and K-chloride; and metal particles including Fe-rich and Mn-nitrate particles. During SF, lower contributions of Pb-containing particles were due to the effect of the SF holiday. Firework emissions contributed little to the Pb-containing particles. K-rich particles were a major contribution to Pb-containing particles during SF, accounting for approximately 70% of the total number of Pb-containing particles. After SF, significantly increased Pb-containing particles were observed, coincided with NO2 and SO2, due to increased industrial activities and other anthropogenic activities, and Pb-rich particles increased to approximately 50.3% of the total number of Pb-containing particles. Local industrial emissions and the stagnant meteorological conditions resulted in the higher concentrations of Pb-containing particles in the early morning after SF, especially Pb-nitrate particles. This study provides data on the in-situ monitoring of Pb emissions during and after SF and could be helpful for the mitigation of Pb pollution.

Lead isotopes and heavy minerals analyzed as tools to understand the distribution of lead and other potentially toxic elements in soils contaminated by Cu smelting (Legnica, Poland)

Surroundings of the Legnica Cu smelter (Poland) offer insight into the behavior of Pb and other metal(oid)s in heavily contaminated soils in a relatively simple site, where lithogenic and anthropogenic Pb contributions have uniform Pb isotope composition over the time of smelter activity. Distribution of metal(oid)s decreases asymptotically with depth and below 30 cm reaches concentrations typical or lower than those of upper continental crust. Usually, such distribution is interpreted as the decrease in anthropogenic Pb contribution with depth. However, calculations based on Pb isotopes indicate that anthropogenic Pb is probably distributed both as Pb-rich particles of slags and fly ashes and Pb-poor soil solutions. Generally, anthropogenic Pb constitutes up to 100 % of Pb in the uppermost 10 cm of the soils and comes often from mechanical mixing with slag and fly ash particles as well as their weathering products. On the other hand, lower soil horizon contains anthropogenic Pb in various forms, and at depths below 30 cm, most of anthropogenic Pb comes from soil solutions and can constitute from 1 to 65 % of the Pb budget. This is consistent with secondary electron microscope (SEM) analyses of heavy mineral particles showing that, in upper horizons, Pb, Cu, and Zn are contained in various particles emitted from the smelter, which show different stages of weathering. Currently, large portion of these metals may reside in the secondary Fe-hydro-oxides. On the other hand, in deeper soil horizons, anthropogenic Pb is probably dominated by Pb coming from leaching of slag or fly ash particles. Overall, metal(oid) mobility is a dynamic process and is controlled by the soil type (cultivated versus forest) and the composition and the structure of the metal-rich particles emitted from the smelter. High proportions of anthropogenic Pb at depths below 30 cm in some soil profiles indicate that Pb (and probably other metal(oid)s) can be transported down the soil profile and the present concentration of anthropogenic Pb depends on the availability of binding sites.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-7655-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification of the typical metal particles among haze, fog, and clear episodes in the Beijing atmosphere

For a better understanding of metal particle morphology and behaviors in China, atmospheric aerosols were sampled in the summer of 2012 in Beijing. The single-particle analysis shows various metal-bearing speciations, dominated by oxides, sulfates and nitrates. A large fraction of particles is soluble. Sources of Fe-bearing particles are mainly steel industries and oil fuel combustion, whereas Zn- and Pb-bearing particles are primarily contributed by waste incineration, besides industrial combustion. Other trace metal particles play a minor rule, and may come from diverse origins. Mineral dust and anthropogenic source like vehicles and construction activities are of less importance to metal-rich particles. Statistics of 1173 analyzed particles show that Fe-rich particles (48.5%) dominate the metal particles, followed by Zn-rich particles (34.9%) and Pb-rich particles (15.6%). Compared with the abundances among clear, haze and fog conditions, a severe metal pollution is identified in haze and fog episodes. Particle composition and elemental correlation suggest that the haze episodes are affected by the biomass burning in the southern regions, and the fog episodes by the local emission with manifold particle speciation. Our results show the heterogeneous reaction accelerated in the fog and haze episodes indicated by more zinc nitrate or zinc sulfate instead of zinc oxide or carbonate. Such information is useful in improving our knowledge of fine airborne metal particles on their morphology, speciation, and solubility, all of which will help the government introduce certain control to alleviate metal pollution.

Microstructure Formation in a Continuously Solidified Al-Pb Alloy in a Static Magnetic Field

Monotectic Al-Pb alloy melts were continuously solidified in a static magnetic field. Samples with well dispersed microstructure were obtained. The average size of the Pb-rich particles decreases with the increase of the magnetic field intensity. Theoretical analyses demonstrate that a static magnetic field causes an increase of the effective viscosity of the melts, and a decrease of the moving velocity of droplets of the precipitated phase and the convective flow of the matrix melt, therefore promotes the formation of the well dispersed solidification microstructure.

An Investigation Into the Role of Lead as a Suppressant for Tin Whisker Growth in Electronics

The effect on Sn electrodeposits of up to 10 wt.% codeposited Pb was investigated. The influence of Pb on cathodic polarization of the electrodeposition process, the microstructural and crystallographic characteristics of as-deposited films, the Sn-Cu intermetallic compound (IMC) formation between the deposits and Cu substrate and surface oxidation after ambient storage were examined. During electrodeposition, the plumbous (Pb <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2+</sup> ) ions were observed to inhibit stannous (Sn <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2+</sup> ) ion reduction. The use of a metallographic cross sectioning approach enabled the observation of a grain structure evolution toward a more equiaxed morphology with increasing Pb content. This was accompanied by a duplex-phase structure consisting of isolated Pb-rich particles at grain boundary intersections together with a continuous Sn-rich phase. X-ray diffraction measurements corroborate the existence of the duplex-phase structure and also indicate an as-deposited texture transition from (112) through (200) and further toward (220) with an increase in Pb content from 0 to 8 wt.%. A marked topological transition of the interfacial Cu-Sn IMCs from wedge-shaped and discretely distributed to relatively even and uniformly distributed was found to occur concurrently. After tin whisker growth had occurred from low-Pb content (up to 5 wt.%) electrodeposits on brass, Pb was generally observed to be strongly associated with actual Sn whiskers themselves, thus the spontaneous redistribution of Pb after electrodeposition has been evidenced. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy sputter profiling indicates the absence of Pb in the Sn oxide layer and the enrichment of metallic Pb beneath the Sn oxide from a 90Sn-10Pb deposit ambient stored for 270 days. The whisker-inhibiting effect of Pb codeposition is postulated to emanate from more than one source: not only those reflected in grain structure modification, grain texture transition, and changes in the growth mode of the interfacial Cu-Sn IMCs as prevailingly acknowledged, but also significantly, the universal distribution of the soft Pb-rich phase, providing simultaneous diffusion toward potential whisker sites as well as effective strain dissipation.

Foliar or root exposures to smelter particles: Consequences for lead compartmentalization and speciation in plant leaves

In urban areas with high fallout of airborne particles, metal uptake by plants mainly occurs by foliar pathways and can strongly impact crop quality. However, there is a lack of knowledge on metal localization and speciation in plants after pollution exposure, especially in the case of foliar uptake. In this study, two contrasting crops, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and rye-grass (Lolium perenne L.), were exposed to Pb-rich particles emitted by a Pb-recycling factory via either atmospheric or soil application. Pb accumulation in plant leaves was observed for both ways of exposure. The mechanisms involved in Pb uptake were investigated using a combination of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques (electron microscopy, laser ablation, Raman microspectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy).The results show that Pb localization and speciation are strongly influenced by the type of exposure (root or shoot pathway) and the plant species. Foliar exposure is the main pathway of uptake, involving the highest concentrations in plant tissues. Under atmospheric fallouts, Pb-rich particles were strongly adsorbed on the leaf surface of both plant species. In lettuce, stomata contained Pb-rich particles in their apertures, with some deformations of guard cells. In addition to PbO and PbSO4, chemical forms that were also observed in pristine particles, new species were identified: organic compounds (minimum 20%) and hexagonal platy crystals of PbCO3. In rye-grass, the changes in Pb speciation were even more egregious: Pb–cell wall and Pb–organic acid complexes were the major species observed.For root exposure, identified here as a minor pathway of Pb transfer compared to foliar uptake, another secondary species, pyromorphite, was identified in rye-grass leaves. Finally, combining bulk and spatially resolved spectroscopic techniques permitted both the overall speciation and the minor but possibly highly reactive lead species to be determined in order to better assess the health risks involved.

Microstructural Evolution during the Directional Transient Solidification of a Hypomonotectic Al-0.9wt%Pb Alloy

In the present study a hypomonotectic Al-0.9wt%Pb alloy was directionally solidified under transient heat flow conditions and the microstructure evolution was analyzed. The solidification thermal parameters such as the growth rate, the cooling rate and the temperature gradient were experimentally determined by cooling curves recorded by thermocouples positioned along the casting length. The monotectic structure was characterized by metallography and a microstructural transition was observed. From the casting cooled surface up to a certain position in the casting the microstructure was characterized by well-distributed Pb-rich droplets in the aluminum-rich matrix, followed by a mixture of fibers and strings of pearls from this point to the top of the casting. The interphase spacing (λ) and the diameter of Pb-rich particles were also measured along the casting length and experimental growth laws relating these microstructural features to the experimental thermal parameters are proposed.

On the growth of the minority phase during downward transient directional solidification of hypomonotectic and monotectic Al–Pb alloys

Al–Pb alloys were solidified under non steady heat flow conditions using a casting assembly in order to promote vertical downward directional solidification. The downward configuration enables the effects of gravity-driven convection on the final microstructure to be evaluated since the collective movement of Pb-rich particles downwards is favored, due to density differences between the two coexisting liquid phases. Investigations have been made of the obtained solidification structures. Growth rates (v) and cooling rates (\( \mathop T\limits^{\cdot} \)) of the Al–Pb alloys solidified downwards were experimentally determined by the cooling curves recorded along the casting length. The monotectic structure was characterized by metallography and a microstructural transition has been observed in all cases. The microstructure was characterized by well-distributed Pb-rich droplets in the aluminum-rich matrix from the casting cooled surface up to a certain position in the casting, followed by a mixture of fibers and strings of pearls from this point to the bottom of the casting. The increase in alloy lead content delays the formation of fibers for alloys solidified downwards, which occurs for v < 0.48 mm/s and v < 0.15 mm/s for Al–0.9 wt%Pb and Al–1.2 wt%Pb alloys, respectively. Experimental power laws relating the interphase spacing, λ, to v and characterized by −2.0 and −6.5 exponents, were found to represent the growth of droplets and fibers, respectively, for both alloys solidified downwards.

AlNiYCo Amorphous Matrix Composites Induced by Bismuth and Lead Additions

(Al85Ni5Y8Co2)98Bi2 and (Al85Ni5Y8Co2)98(Bi50Pb50)2 alloys are rapidly solidified using the single-roller melt-spinning method. Al85Ni5Y8Co2 amorphous matrix composites containing faceted BiY particles are synthesized by the liquid-solid reaction between added bismuth and constituents of the molten Al-Ni-Y-Co glass-forming alloy. The microstructure of the rapidly quenched (Al85Ni5Y8Co2)98(Bi50Pb50)2 multiphase composites consists of Al-based amorphous matrix and crystalline Pb-rich and BiY particles. The Pb-rich particles stem from liquid-liquid and monotectic reactions induced by lead addition. The phase constitution and microstructure are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The reaction-induced crystalline BiY and Pb-rich particles are uniformly distributed in the amorphous matrix. The microstructure formation of the rapidly quenched alloys was discussed.

Developing Metallic Glass Matrix Composites with &lt;i&gt;In Situ&lt;/i&gt; Crystalline Spheres through the Mechanism of Liquid-Liquid Phase Decomposition in Miscibility Gap of the Multicomponent Immiscible Alloys

The solidification characteristics of the immiscible alloys exhibit a unique opportunity in designing composites with spherical crystalline particles dispersed in the amorphous metal matrix. The multicomponent Al82.87Pb2.5Ni4.88Y7.8Co1.95 immiscible alloy has been designed. The ribbon samples of the multicomponent alloy were prepared by the rapid quenching. The microstructure was characterized and the phase constitution and transformation were studied. The as-quenched samples revealed the Al-based metallic glass matrix is embedded by the spherical crystalline Pb-rich particles. A method has been developed, based on the mechanism of the liquid-liquid phase decomposition in the miscibility gap of the multicomponent immiscible alloy, to produce spherical crystalline particles in the amorphous matrix. The microstructure evolution in the Al-based amorphous matrix composites has been discussed

Characterization of lead-recycling facility emissions at various workplaces: Major insights for sanitary risks assessment

Most available studies on lead smelter emissions deal with the environmental impact of outdoor particles, but only a few focus on air quality at workplaces. The objective of this study is to physically and chemically characterize the Pb-rich particles emitted at different workplaces in a lead recycling plant. A multi-scale characterization was conducted from bulk analysis to the level of individual particles, to assess the particles properties in relation with Pb speciation and availability. Process PM from various origins were sampled and then compared; namely Furnace and Refining PM respectively present in the smelter and at refinery workplaces, Emissions PM present in channeled emissions.These particles first differed by their morphology and size distribution, with finer particles found in emissions. Differences observed in chemical composition could be explained by the industrial processes. All PM contained the same major phases (Pb, PbS, PbO, PbSO4 and PbO·PbSO4) but differed on the nature and amount of minor phases. Due to high content in PM, Pb concentrations in the CaCl2 extractant reached relatively high values (40mgL−1). However, the ratios (soluble/total) of CaCl2 exchangeable Pb were relatively low (<0.02%) in comparison with Cd (up to 18%). These results highlight the interest to assess the soluble fractions of all metals (minor and major) and discuss both total metal concentrations and ratios for risk evaluations. In most cases metal extractability increased with decreasing size of particles, in particular, lead exchangeability was highest for channeled emissions.Such type of study could help in the choice of targeted sanitary protection procedures and for further toxicological investigations. In the present context, particular attention is given to Emissions and Furnace PM. Moreover, exposure to other metals than Pb should be considered.