Geochemistry of the Dust Collected by Passive Samplers as a Tool for Search of Pollution Sources: The Case of Klaipėda Port, Lithuania

Abstract

Geochemical investigations of total suspended particulates (TSP) help detect hotspots and emission sources in port cities with stevedoring operations. The aim was to reveal these sources via geochemical indices (gI). TSP were collected in Klaipėda using original passive samplers in ten sites during four periods, during one of them, in ten additional sites near iron ore stevedoring (IOS). The contents of 22 elements (PHEs, crustal, Br, Cl) were determined by EDXRF in TSP and characteristic dust (CD) of stevedored iron ore, apatite, phosphorite, potassium fertilizers, and in waste incineration ash. Median Fe content in TSP near IOS was ~29%. The significant anthropogenic origin of clusters Fe–Cr, Sr–P, V–Ni–Zn–Cu, Pb–As, and Mg–Ca, Br–S–Cl was confirmed by gI mapping and analysis of CD. Significant temporal variability of Cl, S, Sr, Ni, Br, V, and Zn due to weather changes was revealed. Near IOS, significantly higher values of gI were found for Fe and Cr, while far from IOS, for K, Sr, Ti, Rb, Cu, Al, Si, Zr, Ca, Mg. Significantly higher values of normalized enrichment factor near IOS were not only for Fe and Cr, but also for As, Pb, S, Mn, Br, and Cl.