Barbara Mathews

A Study on the Seasonal Mass Closure of Ambient Fine and Coarse Dusts in Zabrze, Poland

Diurnal samples of PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 were taken in an urban background area in Zabrze (Upper Silesia in southern Poland) in the winter (January–March) and summer (July–September) of 2009. The samples were analyzed for carbon (organic and elemental), water soluble ions (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, F−, Cl−, NO3−, PO43−, SO42−) and concentrations of 27 elements by using, respectively, a Behr C50 IRF carbon analyzer, a Herisau Metrohm AG ion chromatograph, and a PANalitycal EPSILON 5 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. To perform the mass closure calculations for both dust fractions in the two periods, the particulate matter (PM) chemical components were categorized into organic matter, elemental carbon, secondary inorganic aerosol, crustal matter, marine components and unidentified matter. The chemical composition of the two dust fractions and the element enrichment coefficients in the two seasons, referred to proper emission profiles, proved about 80% of PM2.5 and more than 50% (in winter 65%) of PM2.5–10 mass coming from anthropogenic sources, mainly from fuel combustion and specific municipal emission shaping the winter emission of ambient dust in the area.

Effects of road traffic on the ambient concentrations of three PM fractions and their main components in a large Upper Silesian city

Abstract Effects of road traffic on the ambient concentrations of three PM fractions and their main components in a large Upper Silesian city. The study concerns the assessment of the traffic influence on the concentrations of three particulate matter (PM) fractions and their basic components. The PM samples were collected simultaneously at two receptors in Katowice. The measurement sites represented the so-called urban background and traffic points. The contents of the organic and elementary carbon as well as water- -soluble ions were determined in the samples. It has been observed that the traffic (car engines) pollution emissions enrich the submicron and fine PM particles with the elementary carbon at a typical urban background in southern Poland. On the other hand, the influence of the re-suspension of the road and soil dust, caused by traffic, on the concentrations and chemical composition is observed for the coarse PM fraction.

Research into properties of dust from domestic central heating boiler fired with coal and solid biofuels

Abstract The aim of this research was to assess the content and composition of the pollutants emitted by domestic central heating boilers equipped with an automatic underfeed fuel delivery system for the combustion chamber. The comparative research was conducted. It concerned fuel properties, flue gas parameters, contents of dust (fl y ash) and gaseous substances polluting the air in the flue gases emitted from a domestic CH boiler burning bituminous coal, pellets from coniferous wood, cereal straw, miscanthus, and sunflower husks, coniferous tree bark, and oats and barley grain. The emission factors for dust and gaseous air pollutants were established as they are helpful to assess the contribution of such boilers in the atmospheric air pollution. When assessing the researched boiler, it was found out that despite the development in design and construction, flue gases contained fly ash with a significant EC content, which affected the air quality.

Analysis of National Verses Long-Range Transport Contribution to Organic and Inorganic Aerosol Load in Selected Location in Poland

The paper investigates PM2.5 levels and composition in 3 different locations in Poland for cold and warm period of 2013. The highest share of SOC and POC in PM2.5 was found in heating season, which was probably due to an increase in the activity of local emission sources of PM, especially biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion in residential sector, while SIA contribution in PM2.5 mass was relatively constant during heating and non-heating period at all 3 sites. During non-heating season air mass back trajectories were grouped into 5 clusters representing mostly westerly flows (50–72 %). During heating season the trajectories were grouped into 6 clusters coming mostly from eastern directions (54–64 %).