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Characterisation of aerosol from Santiago, Chile: an integrated PIXE–SEM–EDX study

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Santiago de Chile is a big city with huge air quality problems, being one of the most polluted cities in the world. This is aggravated during winter by the topography and meteorological conditions of the city. Although public policies have been developed to minimise the atmospheric aerosol pollution, there is a lack of adequate knowledge and poor characterisation of these aerosols (in its PM2.5 and PM10 fractions). In this study we sampled atmospheric particles during winter in two distinct areas of Santiago: downtown (Teatinos Street) and in a more residential area (Macul). Major (Si, Al, Fe, Ca and K) and some trace element (S, Cl, Ti, P, Cr, Cu and Zn) compositions were obtained by proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Morphological, type and chemical characterisation was also performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis system (SEM–EDX). Besides the carbon particles, the contribution of which can be quite important in the atmospheric aerosol, especially in downtown, unambiguously lithogenic (i.e. of geological origin) particles and elements are the second highest contributors. Enrichment factor calculation, together with particle identification and element correlation allow the origin of some elements and particles to be traced, revealing anthropogenic origins for some of them that are specific to the Santiago area.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Themes Program of the University of Chile (D.I. Project TNAC 06/03). The 12-month stay of M.P. in Santiago was supported by the IRD (French Agency devoted to Research and Development) and G. Herail, its representative in Chile. SEM analyses in Toulouse were covered by a CNRS grant to M.P. A.V. benefited from a fellowship provided by the EEC Alban program. Eduardo Medina is thanked for his assistance with the SEM facility in Antofagasta. The authors are grateful to Dominique Remy and Denis Legrand who made a great Fig. 1b, to René Garreaud for obtaining the meteorological data and to Natalia Muñoz and Victor Berrios for ICAP data. Suggestions and comments of anonymous reviewers notably improved the early version of the manuscript. J. Le Roux is also thanked for the English revision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Plaza Ercilla 803, Santiago, Chile

    D. Morata, M. Polvé, A. Valdés, M. Belmar & M. Silva

  2. LMTG, Université de Toulouse-CNRS-IRD-OMP, 14 Avenue E. Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France

    M. Polvé, A. Valdés & T. Aigouy

  3. Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

    M. I. Dinator & J. R. Morales

  4. Departamento de Química Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

    M. A. Leiva

  5. Centro Nacional del Medio Ambiente, Av. Larraín 9975, La Reina, Santiago, Chile

    M. A. Leiva

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  1. D. Morata
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  2. M. Polvé
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  4. M. Belmar
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  5. M. I. Dinator
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  7. M. A. Leiva
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  9. J. R. Morales
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Correspondence to D. Morata.

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Morata, D., Polvé, M., Valdés, A. et al. Characterisation of aerosol from Santiago, Chile: an integrated PIXE–SEM–EDX study. Environ Geol 56, 81–95 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1141-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1141-8

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