Multi-isotopic fingerprints (Pb, Zn, Cu) applied for urban aerosol source apportionment and discrimination

Author(s)

Souto-Oliveira, C. E. ^{[1, 2]} ; Babinski, M. ^[1] ; Araujo, D. F. ^[3] ; Andrade, M. F. ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Geociencias, Ctr Pesquisas Geocronol, Rua Lago 562, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] UNIFIEO, Ctr Estudos Quim, Av Franz Voegili 300, Osasco, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Brasilia, LMI OCE, IRD, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, L2 Norte, Asa Norte, BR-70910900 Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Atmosfer, Inst Astron Geofis & Ciencias Atmosfer, Rua Matao 1226, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Science of The Total Environment; v. 626, p. 1350-1366, JUN 1 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 11

Abstract

Air pollution imposes serious health risks to urban populations and currently is the major environmental threat to the public health worldwide. In this context, discrimination and tracing of pollutants in atmosphere is a great challenge nowadays. This study reports the simultaneous use of Pb, Cu and Zn Multi-Isotopic Systems (MIS) to identify and discriminate pollutant sources of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) collected in day and nighttime temporal resolution in Sao Paulo city, Brazil. The isotopic fingerprints of road dust and tires (delta Zn-66 = 0.00 to + 0.20 parts per thousand and Pb-206/Pb-207 = 1.16 to 1.19) were differentiated from vehicular traffic (delta Zn-66 = -0.60 to + 0.00 parts per thousand and Pb-206/Pb-207 < 1.19) and PM from an industrial area (delta Zn-66 < -0.60% and Pb-206/Pb-207 > 1.20). Isotopic signatures of cement (delta Zn-66 = 0.00 to + 0.30 parts per thousand and delta Cu-65(NIST) = +0.30 to +0.61 parts per thousand) were distinguished from road dust (delta Cu-65 = +0.08 to +0.25 parts per thousand) and vehicular traffic (delta Cu-65(NIST) = +0.46 to +0.59 parts per thousand). The isotopic compositions found in PM for Pb (Pb-206/Pb-207 = 1.156 to 1.312, n = 113), Zn (delta Zn-66 = + 0.43 to -1.36 parts per thousand, n = 62) and Cu (delta Cu-65 = +0.12 to 0.66 parts per thousand, n = 7) are comparable with those measured on the main pollutant sources found in urban areas. Zinc and lead isotopic compositions of PM from Sao Paulo showed diurnal variations indicating the industrial contributions carried by cold fronts and road dust suspension associated to high wind speeds and traffic pattern. A ternary mixing model based on Pb and Zn isotopic fingerprints of the main pollutant sources were developed to account vehicular traffic (70%), industrial area (10%) and another uncharacterized source (20%) contributions, possibly associated with industrial and biomass burning emissions. Our findings validate the use of Pb, Cu and Zn MIS to source apportionment studies in the atmosphere with multiple and complex pollutant sources. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/58104-8 - Narrowing the uncertainties on aerosol and climate changes in São Paulo State: NUANCES-SPS
• Grantee: Maria de Fátima Andrade
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants