Morphology, Mineralogy, and Chemistry of Atmospheric Aerosols Nearby an Active Mining Area: Aljustrel Mine (SW Portugal)

Abstract

Mining activities increase contaminant levels in the environment, so it is crucial to study the particulate matter in these areas to understand the impacts on nearby urban areas and populations. This work was conducted close to the active mine of Aljustrel (Portugal), where black dust deposition is evident. PM10 samples were collected in two periods: 10–17 July and 1–10 November of 2018. Two different techniques were used: SEM-EDX for the individual characterization of the aerosols and ICP-MS to quantify the elemental concentration of 11 elements (Ca, Na, Fe, Mn, As, Cd, Cu, Sb, Pb, and Zn). In this region, the observed PM10 mass concentration was 20 to 47 µg m −3 (July) and 4 to 23 µg m−3 (November), which is lower than the limit of 50 μg m−3 established in the European Directive. The individual characterization of 2006 particles by SEM-EDX shows oxides (17%) and sulfides (10%), while Na, Si, Fe, S, Al, and Cu are the elements with the most representativeness in all the analyzed particles. The ICP-MS results indicate that the daily elemental concentration in the samples collected in July is higher than November, and only As exceeds the limit established for European legislation.