Identification of Pollution Sources in the Urban Atmosphere

Abstract

Identification of PM 10 particles in the city of Olomouc (the Czech Republic) was aimed at determining the proportion of inorganic and organic compounds. Organic compounds in PM 10 represent 30–36% of PM 10, of which 21–25% is biogenic material (spores were identified). The rest of 10 to 15% of organic matter is represented by anthropogenic processes. Combustion processes (35.1 to 40.9% of PM10) and emissions from transport (20.0 to 22.9% of PM 10) have the main share in the PM particles, minerals from resuspension – weathering processes and mechanical processes of construction activity account for around 9% of the particles and Fe – particles also constitute about 9%. The iron concentration in the aerosol is in accordance with the values measured in other European cities. Mineral phases in the inorganic aerosol were determined by X-ray diffraction. Both natural and anthropogenic crystalline phases were identified – quartz, clay minerals (kaolinite), feldspar, calcite, dolomite, iron oxides (magnetite), gypsum, boussingaultite, mascagnite and koktaite.