Chemical characteristics of size-segregated particles from a brazilian coastal megacity

Maria Fernanda Caceres; Eduarda Santa-Helena; Anna De Falco; Gabriel Gonçalves; Marcos Felipe de Souza Pedreira; Sergio Machado Corrêa; Adriana Gioda

doi:10.5327/Z2176-94782543

Authors

Maria Fernanda Caceres Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3967-171X
Eduarda Santa-Helena Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3286-8771
Anna De Falco Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1721-7719
Gabriel Gonçalves Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0983-2623
Marcos Felipe de Souza Pedreira Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5755-7438
Sergio Machado Corrêa Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0038-0790
Adriana Gioda Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5315-5650

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5327/Z2176-94782543

Keywords:

IC; ICP-MS; metals; MOUDI; PAHs; water-soluble ions.

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) size distribution samples were collected using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) in Rio de Janeiro between July and September 2016 during the Olympic and Paralympic periods, when there was an increase in tourist flow, changes in the local economy, modifications in traffic and pollution emission patterns. The samples were analyzed for elemental composition using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for organic and inorganic ions using ion chromatography, and for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The data were processed, interpreted, and discussed through statistical analyses performed in R Language, including boxplots and Pearson correlation methodology. Results were categorized according to particle size: coarse, fine, ultrafine, and nano. Chloride dominated the coarse particulate matter (PMC; 18–3.2 μm), NO₂⁻ the fine fraction (PMF; 1.8–0.56 μm), and HCOO⁻ the ultrafine fraction (PMN; 320–56 nm). Ni, Pb, Sb, and V were enriched in PMN. Four- and five-ring PAHs were predominant across all particle size groups. The species present in the coarse fraction come from natural sources, while those in the fine fraction are of anthropogenic origin, mainly from the combustion of diesel and gasoline by vehicle engines.

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