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Single-particle analysis of atmospheric particulate matter using automated mineralogy: the potential for monitoring mine-derived emissions

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Abstract

This article describes a new method for the analysis of fine (> 1 µm) atmospheric particulates using the Mineral Liberation Analyzer. After determining the optimum sampling technique, the accuracy and precision of the instrument were tested by repeat analysis and by comparison to certified reference materials, with relative standard deviations of less than 10% achieved. A pilot study using this method was applied to identify arsenic-bearing phases near a gold mine and to identify particulates near a large iron-ore mining operation. The results revealed the presence of only negligible amounts of the arsenic-bearing phases and sulfides typically associated with the gold deposit, with only 159 particles detected in the 22,511 particles analyzed. The presence of aluminum-enriched iron oxides in the particulates sampled near the iron-ore operation suggests that re-entrained soil is a significant source of particulates in this region. From the results of this study, the technique has been shown to have a significant potential for the rapid acquisition of reliable data for the characterization of airborne particulates, which is requisite for effective emissions management and for the monitoring of human and environmental health.

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Acknowledgements

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Brazilian agencies, Conselho Nacional de DesenvolvimentoCientífico e Tecnológico—CNPq—and Fundação do Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais-FAPEMIG—INCT-Acqua PROCESS No: 573945/2008-0, including a PVE Fellowship from the Science Without Borders program to M. Gasparon. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 00. The Centre of Microscopy at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) provided the equipment and support for all MLA analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

    M. Elmes & M. Gasparon

  2. Centre of Microscopy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    I. Delbem

  3. National Institute of Science and Technology on Minerals Resources, Water and Biodiversity, INCT-Acqua, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    I. Delbem, M. Gasparon & V. Ciminelli

  4. EIT RawMaterials, Tauentzienstr. 11, 10789, Berlin, Germany

    M. Gasparon

  5. Department of Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    V. Ciminelli

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  1. M. Elmes
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Correspondence to M. Gasparon.

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Editorial responsibility: M. Abbaspour.

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Elmes, M., Delbem, I., Gasparon, M. et al. Single-particle analysis of atmospheric particulate matter using automated mineralogy: the potential for monitoring mine-derived emissions. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 17, 2743–2754 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02660-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02660-w

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