scholarly journals Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bassam S. Tawabini ◽  
Taoreed T. Lawal ◽  
Abdulaziz Shaibani ◽  
Ashraf M. Farahat

Characteristics of airborne particulate matter (PM) as well as its levels in air samples collected from selected sites within cities of Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, are investigated. Concentration levels of the 10 microns’ PM (i.e., PM10) are determined using the gravimetric technique. Morphological and chemical characteristics of the PM collected from the sampling cities are studied using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). Moreover, levels and types of hazardous materials related to these samples are assessed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results revealed that the average concentration levels of PM10 were approximately 177, 380, and 126 μg/m3 in Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, respectively. The structure of PM collected in Dhahran was mainly platy and rod-like shaped with a size between 2 and 6 μm, while PM collected in Khobar was mostly irregular in form, with a size range between 2 and 8 μm, and Dammam’s PM was rounded and between 1 and 3 μm in size. Both EDX and XRF results indicate relatively high weight % of C, O, Si, F, and Ca with lower weight % of Na, Mg, and K at the 3 cities. Finally, the study shows that Ba and Zn were the main trace metals associated with the collected PM in the 3 cities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 944 (1) ◽  
pp. 012060
Author(s):  
A A Lubis ◽  
A D P Putra ◽  
U Sugiharto ◽  
Lalang ◽  
N P Zamani

Abstract Scleractinian corals absorb heavy metals in their skeletons; therefore, corals can be used as environmental recorders due to incorporating certain metals for centuries. The research was conducted in Wakatobi Marine National Park (WMNP) using a core of massive coral Porites Sp. to determine heavy metals’ concentrations and assess the possible impact on the coastal water. The sample was collected by drilling the coral vertically using a pneumatic tool. Annual banding was determined by using x-ray radiography, continued with sub-sampled from each band, and analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) for heavy metals determination. Enrichment Factor (EF) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied for assessing possible impact and differentiating between the heavy metals, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals fluctuated during the period of the year 1917 to 2016, with the average concentration were 0.55 %, 0.07 %, 2.46 ppm, 3.86 ppm, 5.70 ppm, 63.22 ppm, 0.66 ppm, 3.16 ppm, 0.66 ppm, and 42.59 ppm for Sr, Mg, Mn, Ba, Cu, K, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Al, respectively. EF for all heavy metals showed that the coastal area was at the level of very small pollution (EF<2); therefore, it can be used as baseline data.


Author(s):  
Hesham Al-Jeelani Hesham Al-Jeelani

Indoor and outdoor airborne particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) were sampled from homes with different heating facilities, located at Sakaka city, northern of Saudi Arabia during winter season. Elemental composition of PM10 and PM2.5 samples, including Al, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Ga, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Se, Te and Tl, were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Black carbon (BC) was also measured using EEL-type Smoke Stain Reflectometer. Results showed that the highest indoor concentration PM2.5 (541.67 µg m–3) and PM10 (1201.39 µg m–3) were found at homes using wood burning as heating facility. The most dominant metals were Na, Fe and Al in the investigated PM2.5 and PM10 samples. The highest concentrations of black carbon were found in homes using wood burning as heating facility. For similar homes in heating facilities, we can deduce that by increasing the number of smoking persons the value of BC increased.


Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzena Rachwał ◽  
Małgorzata Wawer ◽  
Mariola Jabłońska ◽  
Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska ◽  
Patrycja Rogula-Kopiec

The main objective of this research was the determination of the geochemical and mineralogical properties of particulate matter: TSP (total suspended particles) and, especially PM1 (particles with aerodynamic diameter not greater than 1 µm) suspended in the air of a selected urban area in southern Poland. Identification of the emission sources of metals and metalloids bound in TSP and PM1 as well as the assessment of potential risk of urban ambient air to human health using hazard indices was an additional aim of this investigation. The daily TSP and PM1 quartz fiber filters collected during heating season were subjected to mass magnetic susceptibility (χ) measurements, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) observations and geochemical analyses. Obtained results revealed that the concentration of TSP and PM1 well correlated with their mass-specific magnetic susceptibility. The good relationship between the PM concentration and χ suggests that magnetic susceptibility measurements can be a good proxy of low-level atmospheric dust pollution. The rank order of potentially toxic elements (PTE) based on average concentration was Ba > Zn > Al > Fe > Pb > Mn > Ti > Cu > Cr > Ni >As > Cd > V > Tl, both for TSP and PM1. PM1/TSP ratios for PTE concentrations and χ were around or slightly above unity, which indicated that PM1 was the main carrier of PTE (with the exception of cadmium, copper and lead) and technogenic magnetic particles. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were confirmed by very high values of human health indices.


Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 490
Author(s):  
Rudaviro Garidzirai ◽  
Phillimon Modisha ◽  
Innocent Shuro ◽  
Jacobus Visagie ◽  
Pieter van Helden ◽  
...  

The effects of Mg and Zn dopants on the catalytic performance of Pt/Al2O3 catalyst were investigated for dehydrogenation of perhydrodibenzyltoluene (H18-DBT) as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier. Al2O3 supports were modified with Mg and Zn to produce Mg-Al2O3 and Zn-Al2O3 with a target loading of 3.8 wt.% for dopants. The modified supports were impregnated with chloroplatinic acid solution to produce the catalysts Pt/Al2O3, Pt/Mg-Al2O3 and Pt/Zn-Al2O3 of 0.5 wt.% Pt loading. Thereafter, the catalysts were characterised using inductively coupled plasma- optical emission spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, carbon-monoxide pulse chemisorption, ammonia temperature-programmed desorption, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The dehydrogenation experiments were performed using a horizontal plug flow reactor system and the catalyst time-on-stream was 22 h. Pt/Mg-Al2O3 showed the highest average hydrogen flowrate of 29 nL/h, while an average of 27 nL/h was obtained for both Pt/Al2O3 and Pt/Zn-Al2O3. This has resulted in a hydrogen yield of 80% for Pt/Mg-Al2O3, 71% for Pt/Zn-Al2O3 and 73% for Pt/Al2O3. In addition, the conversion of H18-DBT ranges from 99% to 92%, Pt 97–90% and 96–90% for Pt/Mg-Al2O3, Pt/Zn-Al2O3 and Pt/Al2O3, respectively. Following the latter catalyst order, the selectivity to dibenzyltoluene (H0-DBT) ranges from 78% to 57%, 75–51% and 71–45%. Therefore, Pt/Mg-Al2O3 showed improved catalytic performance towards dehydrogenation of H18-DBT.


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