Contribution of anthropogenic and natural sources in PM10 during North African dust events in Southern Europe

The influence of North African (NAF) dust events on the air quality at the regional level (12 representative monitoring stations) in Southern Europe during a long time series (2007–2014) was studied. PM10 levels and chemical composition were separated by Atlantic (ATL) and NAF air masses. An increase in the average PM10 concentrations was observed on sampling days with NAF dust influence (42 µg m- 3 ) when compared to ATL air masses (29 µg m- 3 ). Major compounds such as crustal components and secondary inorganic compounds (SIC), as well as toxic trace elements derived from industrial emissions, also showed higher concentrations of NAF events. A source contribution analysis using positive matrix factorisation (PMF) 5.0 of the PM10 chemical data, discriminating ATL and NAF air mass origins, allowed the identification of five sources: crustal, sea salt, traffic, regional, and industrial. A higher contribution (74%) of the natural sources to PM10 concentrations was confirmed under NAF episodes compared with ATL. Furthermore, there was an increase in anthropogenic sources during these events (51%), indicating the important influence of the NAF air masses on these sources. The results of this study highlight that environmental managers should take appropriate actions to reduce local emissions during NAF events to ensure good air quality

Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown measures in Southern Spain on PM10 trace element and gaseous pollutant concentrations

Trace element concentrations within PM10, gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2), and PM10 levels were studied during the Covid-19 lockdown at a regional level in Southern Spain (Andalusia). Pollutant concentrations were compared considering different mobility periods (pre-lockdown, lockdown, and relaxation) in 2020 and previous years (2013–2016). An acute decrease in NO2 levels (<50%) was observed as a consequence of traffic diminution during the confinement period. Moreover, a lower reduction in PM10 levels and a non-clear pattern for SO2 levels were observed. During the lockdown period, PM10 elements released from traffic emissions (Sn and Sb) showed the highest concentration diminution in the study area. Regarding the primary industrial sites, there were no significant differences in V, Ni, La, and Cr concentration reduction during 2020 associated with industrial activity (stainless steel and oil refinery) in Algeciras Bay. Similarly, concentrations of Zn showed the same behaviour at Cordoba, indicating that the Zn-smelter activity was not affected by the lockdown. Nevertheless, stronger reductions of Cu, Zn, and As in Huelva during the confinement period indicated a decrease in the nearby Cu-smelter emissions. Brick factories in Bailen were also influenced by the confinement measures, as corroborated by the marked decrease in concentrations of Ni, V, Cu, and Zn during the lockdown compared to that from previous years. This work has shown the baseline concentrations of trace elements of PM10, which is of great value to air quality managers in order to minimise pollution levels by applying the confinement of the population, affecting both traffic and industrial anthropogenic activities.We would like to acknowledge the project of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (Project RTI2018-095937-B-I00), the co-financed project by the Andalusian Government and the EU (PY18-2332), and the Environmental Agency of Andalusia for financial and technical support. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA

Physicochemical assessment of atmospheric particulate matter emissions during open-pit mining operations in a massive sulphide ore exploitation

Mining operations are critical emission sources of atmospheric particulate matter (APM). This study constitutes a physicochemical characterisation of the main geochemical anomalies associated with APM by mining operations in the renowned Riotinto Mine (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Southwest Spain). The operations studied were traffic in the mining tracks, drilling, blasting, dry and wet loading of ore/waste, and stockpiling. Chemical analysis of PM10 and PM2.5 comprised 46 potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and rare earth elements (REEs). The geochemical fingerprint of the operations in nearby populations was studied via environmental ratios after a comprehensive one-year sampling campaign at three monitoring stations. The results revealed that a notable amount of PM10 and PM2.5 is released for the mining tracks, drilling, and dry loading. Moreover, enrichments of typical elements associated with sulphide ores (e.g. Cu, Ba, Zn, As, and Pb) were found, although some of them are also present in the APM geochemical background. These results are of substantial interest to air quality managers aiming to abate the main emission sources of APM and hazardous elements associated with mining processes.Authors are grateful to Atalaya Mining Company for its permission to carry out this research on their facilities and to its active support. Carlos Boente obtained a post-doctoral contract within the program PAIDI 2020 (Ref 707 DOC 01097) and PY18-2332 Project, co-financed by the Junta de Andalucía (Andalusian Government) and the EU. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA.Departamento de Ingeniería Minera, Mecánica, Energética y de la Construcció

Removal of Sb Impurities in Copper Electrolyte and Evaluation of As and Fe Species in an Electrorefining Plant

Antimony and arsenic concentrations and their oxidation states (Sb(III), Sb(V), As(III) and As(V)) in copper electrorefining electrolyte can affect copper cathode quality through the formation of floating slimes. A laboratory-scale pilot plant was operated to remove Sb from commercial electrolyte. The pilot plant consisted of a pre-treatment process with copper shavings followed by ion exchange. The results indicated that Sb(III) was removed from copper electrolyte completely, while Sb(V) was partially eliminated. The concentrations of As(III) and As(V) were not affected, and the poisoning of the ion exchange resin by Fe(III) was avoided by pre-reduction to Fe(II) by copper shavings. The operation configuration of the pilot plant was applied to the design of an industrial plant for Sb/Bi removal at the Atlantic Copper Refinery in Huelva, Spain. The evolution of Sb, Fe and As species in the commercial electrolyte was monitored prior to and after the installation of the Sb/Bi removal plant. The results show a ca. 45% decrease in total Sb content (from 0.29 g L−1 to 0.16 g L−1) in the electrolyte. This reduction is more noticeable for Sb(III), whose concentration decreased from 0.18 g L−1 to 0.09 g L−1, whereas Sb(V) concentration diminished from 0.11 g L−1 to 0.07 g L−1. The resin also retained ca. 75% of the Bi content (0.15–0.22 g L−1). The total As increased during the study period (from 7.7 to 9.0 g L−1) due to changes in plant inputs. Arsenic was predominantly As(V) (ca. 93–95%). The total Fe concentration experienced little variation (0.9–1.1 g L−1) with Fe(II) being the main species (ca. 94–96%)

Source apportionment of potentially toxic PM10 near a vast metallic ore mine and health risk assessment for residents exposed

Mining is an economic activity that traditionally releases large amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere because of the procedures required to process the mineral. In particular, polymetallic ores are environmentally harmful as they can enrich potentially toxic elements, which may cause adverse effects to humans and ecosystems due to their toxicity. The aim was to assess the impact on health of this type of mining on nearby populations. Accordingly, it was conducted an extensive PM10 sampling campaign during the entirety of 2021 through a total of 248 filters placed in three villages close to the Rio Tinto district (Southwest Spain), which is one of the largest Cu mines in the world. A total of 58 major and trace elements were analysed, along with organic carbon/elemental carbon, cations, and anions. The mean PM10 concentrations were high during spring (47 μgPM10⋅m−3) and summer (56 μgPM10⋅m−3) in the population closest to the mine, wherein values surpassed the annual and daily limit values, but were lower in the other two villages. Moreover, high enrichment of As (annual maximum mean of 6.2 ng⋅m−3), Cu (70 ng⋅m−3), Pb (19 ng⋅m−3), and Zn (50 ng⋅m−3) was observed in all locations. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) was primarily used to assess the origins of this particulate matter, revealing that the impact of the mine reduced considerably over a long distance, with contributions ranging from 36% at the mine's outskirts to 8% further away from it, which coincides with the features of the mine during the abandonment phase (2001–2015). Despite this, the risk assessment revealed that the carcinogens were within the permissible exposure limits even in the closest village, indicating a minor concern for the inhabitants from a toxicological perspective.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA

La renovación de la palabra en el bicentenario de la Argentina : los colores de la mirada lingüística

El libro reúne trabajos en los que se exponen resultados de investigaciones presentadas por investigadores de Argentina, Chile, Brasil, España, Italia y Alemania en el XII Congreso de la Sociedad Argentina de Lingüística (SAL), Bicentenario: la renovación de la palabra, realizado en Mendoza, Argentina, entre el 6 y el 9 de abril de 2010. Las temáticas abordadas en los 167 capítulos muestran las grandes líneas de investigación que se desarrollan fundamentalmente en nuestro país, pero también en los otros países mencionados arriba, y señalan además las áreas que recién se inician, con poca tradición en nuestro país y que deberían fomentarse. Los trabajos aquí publicados se enmarcan dentro de las siguientes disciplinas y/o campos de investigación: Fonología, Sintaxis, Semántica y Pragmática, Lingüística Cognitiva, Análisis del Discurso, Psicolingüística, Adquisición de la Lengua, Sociolingüística y Dialectología, Didáctica de la lengua, Lingüística Aplicada, Lingüística Computacional, Historia de la Lengua y la Lingüística, Lenguas Aborígenes, Filosofía del Lenguaje, Lexicología y Terminología

Analytical approaches for arsenic determination in air : a critical review

This review describes the different steps involved in the determination of arsenic in air, considering the particulate matter (PM) and the gaseous phase. The review focuses on sampling, sample preparation and instrumental analytical techniques for both total arsenic determination and speciation analysis. The origin, concentration and legislation concerning arsenic in ambient air are also considered. The review intends to describe the procedures for sample collection of total suspended particles (TSP) or particles with a certain diameter expressed in microns (e.g. PM10 and PM2.5), or the collection of the gaseous phase containing gaseous arsenic species. Sample digestion of the collecting media for PM is described, indicating proposed and established procedures that use acids or mixtures of acids aided with different heating procedures. The detection techniques are summarized and compared (ICP-MS, ICP-OES and ET-AAS), as well those techniques capable of direct analysis of the solid sample (PIXE, INAA and XRF). The studies about speciation in PM are also discussed, considering the initial works that employed a cold trap in combination with atomic spectroscopy detectors, or the more recent studies based on chromatography (GC or HPLC) combined with atomic or mass detectors (AFS, ICP-MS and MS). Further trends and challenges about determination of As in air are also addressed

Atomic fluorescence spectrometry : a suitable detection technique in speciation studies for arsenic, selenium, antimony and mercury

Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS) is an ideal detection technique for speciation studies concerning hydride forming elements (mainly As, Se and Sb) and Hg. The analytical features of AFS, such as detection limits below the (igL-1 and the wide linear calibration range, up to the mg L-1, allow its application to a great variety of environmental, biological and food samples. AFS represents a suitable alternative to other atomic spectrometers commonly employed in speciation studies such as Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The instrumentation used for AFS and the design of the vapour generation and optical layouts required to sustain the full benefits of the AFS approach are also described. The present review explains and comments on the instrumental couplings of chromatographic (HPLC and GC) and non-chromatographic separations (CE) with AFS detection, with online hydride generation for the speciation of inorganic and organic compounds of As, Se and Sb, and cold vapour for Hg. Other optional intermediate steps are online photo-oxidation (UV), pyrolysis or Microwave Assisted Digestion (MAD) for non-directly reducible compounds. Many different sample types (e.g. water, soils, air, biota, food) have been analysed using these instrumental couplings with AFS detection. These are summarised and discussed