Potential of Broussonetia papyrifera leaves as biomonitors for atmospheric pollution: use of INAA and AAS techniques

Abstract

This study deals with the assessment of potential of Broussonetia papyrifera leaves as biomonitors of air pollution. The leaves samples were collected from urban areas, i.e., road sides with variable traffic load, industrial areas, as well as from a rural area as a reference site. Leaves samples have been analyzed for 34 elements using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in combination with atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The reliability of the methods used was established by analyzing reference materials (RMs) under identical experimental conditions and comparing the results obtained with the certified values, which are in quite good agreement with each other. The results obtained from different sites showed promising potential of this species as multi-elements environmental biomonitor due to their ability to reflect the levels of air pollution in the vicinity in which they grow.