scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Health Risk Levels of TSP and PM10 in the Mining Town of Tarkwa, Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-67
Author(s):  
F. Krampah ◽  
N. Amegbey ◽  
S. Ndur

Particulate matter (PM) varies significantly in space and time. Effective PM risk analysis requires adequate knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of PM. In order to understand TSP/PM10 variability within the microclimate of Tarkwa and their potential impact. The Spatio-temporal distribution of Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) and PM10 in Tarkwa was studied. Five years TSP and PM10 monthly concentration data from fifteen (15) monitoring stations were collected and analysed for Spatio-temporal characteristics within the suburbs around three mining companies in Tarkwa. Autocorrelation between neighbouring suburbs, attainment rate, particle size distribution and risk levels were evaluated. The results revealed that all the monitoring stations except two (stations NV and TN) recorded TSP and PM10 concentrations below the national guideline for all years of study. Geo-spatially, highest TSP and PM10 risk level were recorded East of Tarkwa. Inhalable particles constitute about 44.09-72.90% of TSP. Attainment values between 44.09%-100% and 30%-100% were recorded for TSP and PM10, respectively. Estimated AQI values ranged between good and unhealthy for sensitive groups. Future studies directed at the chemical composition of PM was recommended to enhance further understanding of the risk levels.   Keywords: Particulate Matter, Attainment Rate, Air Pollution, Trends, Particle Size Distribution

Gefahrstoffe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 443-450
Author(s):  
P. Bächler ◽  
J. Meyer ◽  
A. Dittler

The reduction of fine dust emissions with pulse-jet cleaned filters plays an important role in industrial gas cleaning to meet emission standards and protect the environment. The dust emission of technical facilities is typically measured “end of pipe”, so that no information about the local emission contribution of individual filter elements exists. Cheap and compact low-cost sensors for the detection of particulate matter (PM) concentrations, which have been prominently applied for immission monitoring in recent years have the potential for emission measurement of filters to improve process monitoring. This publication discusses the suitability of a low-cost PM-sensor, the model SPS30 from the manufacturer Sensirion, in terms of the potential for particle emission measurement of surface filters in a filter test rig based on DIN ISO 11057. A Promo® 2000 in combination with a Welas® 2100 sensor serves as the optical reference device for the evaluation of the detected PM2.5 concentration and particle size distribution of the emission measured by the low-cost sensor. The Sensirion sensor shows qualitatively similar results of the detected PM2.5 emission as the low-cost sensor SDS011 from the manufacturer Nova Fitness, which was investigated by Schwarz et al. in a former study. The typical emission peak after jet-pulse cleaning of the filter, due to the penetration of particles through the filter medium, is detected during Δp-controlled operation. The particle size distribution calculated from the size resolved number concentrations of the low-cost sensor yields a distinct distribution for three different employed filter media and qualitatively fits the size distribution detected by the Palas® reference. The emission of these three different types of filter media can be distinguished clearly by the measured PM2.5 concentration and the emitted mass per cycle and filter area, demonstrating the potential for PM emission monitoring by the low-cost PM-sensor. During the period of Δt-controlled filter aging, a decreasing emission, caused by an increasing amount of stored particles in the filter medium, is detected. Due to the reduced particle emission after filter aging, the specified maximum concentration of the low-cost sensor is not exceeded so that coincidence is unlikely to affect the measurement results of the sensor for all but the very first stage of filter life.


Author(s):  
Steven L. Alderman ◽  
Chen Song ◽  
Serban C. Moldoveanu ◽  
Stephen K. Cole

AbstractThe relatively volatile nature of the particulate matter fraction of e-cigarette aerosols presents an experimental challenge with regard to particle size distribution measure-ments. This is particularly true for instruments requiring a high degree of aerosol dilution. This was illustrated in a previous study, where average particle diameters in the 10-50 nm range were determined by a high-dilution, electrical mobility method. Total particulate matter (TPM) masses calculated based on those diameters were orders of magnitude smaller than gravimetrically determined TPM. This discrepancy was believed to result from almost complete particle evaporation at the dilution levels of the electrical mobility analysis. The same study described a spectral transmission measurement of e-cigarette particle size in an undiluted state, and reported particles from 210-380 nm count median diameter. Observed particle number concentrations were in the 10Described here is a study in which e-cigarette aerosols were collected on Cambridge filters with adsorbent traps placed downstream in an effort to capture any material passing through the filter. Amounts of glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine, and water were quantified on the filter and downstream trap. Glycerin, propylene glycol, and nicotine were effciently captured (> 98%) by the upstream Cambridge filter, and a correlation was observed between filtration efficiency and the partial vapor pressure of each component. The present analysis was largely inconclusive with regard to filter efficiency and particle-vapor partitioning of water. [Beitr. Tabakforsch. Int. 26 (2014) 183-190]


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Di Antonio ◽  
Olalekan Popoola ◽  
Bin Ouyang ◽  
John Saffell ◽  
Roderic Jones

There is increasing concern about the health impacts of ambient Particulate Matter (PM) exposure. Traditional monitoring networks, because of their sparseness, cannot provide sufficient spatial-temporal measurements characteristic of ambient PM. Recent studies have shown portable low-cost devices (e.g., optical particle counters, OPCs) can help address this issue; however, their application under ambient conditions can be affected by high relative humidity (RH) conditions. Here, we show how, by exploiting the measured particle size distribution information rather than PM as has been suggested elsewhere, a correction can be derived which not only significantly improves sensor performance but which also retains fundamental information on particle composition. A particle size distribution–based correction algorithm, founded on κ -Köhler theory, was developed to account for the influence of RH on sensor measurements. The application of the correction algorithm, which assumed physically reasonable κ values, resulted in a significant improvement, with the overestimation of PM measurements reduced from a factor of ~5 before correction to 1.05 after correction. We conclude that a correction based on particle size distribution, rather than PM mass, is required to properly account for RH effects and enable low cost optical PM sensors to provide reliable ambient PM measurements.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violaine Piton ◽  
Frédéric Soulignac ◽  
Ulrich Lemmin ◽  
Graf Benjamin ◽  
Htet Kyi Wynn ◽  
...  

<p>River inflows have a major influence on lake water quality through their input of sediments, nutrients and contaminants. It is therefore essential to determine their pathways, their mixing with ambient waters and the amount and type of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) they carry. Two field campaigns during the stratified period took place in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, in the vicinity of the Rhône River plume, at high and intermediate river discharge. Currents, water and sediment fluxes, temperature, turbidity and particle size distribution were measured along three circular transects located at 400, 800 and 1500 m in front of the river mouth. During the surveys, the lake was thermally stratified, the negatively buoyant Rhône River plume plunged and intruded into the metalimnion as an interflow and flowed out in the streamwise direction. Along the pathway, interflow core velocities, SPM concentrations and volumes of particles progressively decreased with the distance from the mouth (by 2-3 times), while interflow cross sections and plume volume increased by 2-3 times due to entrainment of ambient water. The characteristics of the river outflow determined the characteristics of the interflows: i.e. interflow fluxes and concentrations were the highest at high discharge. Both sediment settling and interflow dilution contributed to the observed decrease of sediment discharge with distance from the mouth. The particle size distribution of the interflow was dominated by fine particles (<32 μm), which were transported up to 1500 m away from the mouth and most likely beyond, while large particles (>62 μm) have almost completely settled out before reaching 1500 m. </p>


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