Identification of cement in atmospheric particulate matter using the hybrid method of laser diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy

Aleksei Kholodov^{1

2}, Alexander Zakharenko¹, Vladimir Drozd¹, Valery Chernyshev¹, Konstantin Kirichenko¹, Ivan Seryodkin³, Alexander Karabtsov², Svetlana Olesik¹, Ekaterina Khvost¹, Igor Vakhnyuk¹, Vladimir Chaika¹, Antonios Stratidakis⁴, Marco Vinceti⁵, Dimosthenis Sarigiannis^{4

6}, A Wallace Hayes⁷, Aristidis Tsatsakis⁸, Kirill Golokhvast^{1

3

9}

Affiliations

¹ Far Eastern Federal University, 8 Sukhanova Street, Vladivostok 690950, Russian Federation.
² Far East Geological Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 159 Pr-t 100-letiya Vladivostoka, Vladivostok, 690022, Russian Federation.
³ Pacific Geographical Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 7 Radio Street, Vladivostok, 690041, Russian Federation.
⁴ Environmental Health Engineering, University School of Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy.
⁵ Department of Biomedical, Metabolical and Neurosciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
⁶ Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece.
⁷ College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
⁸ Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece.
⁹ Federal Research Center N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), 42, 44 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, Saint-Petersburgh, 190121, Russian Federation.

PMID: 32128461
PMCID: PMC7042420
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03299

Identification of cement in atmospheric particulate matter using the hybrid method of laser diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy

Aleksei Kholodov et al. Heliyon. 2020.

. 2020 Feb 24;6(2):e03299.

doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03299. eCollection 2020 Feb.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Far Eastern Federal University, 8 Sukhanova Street, Vladivostok 690950, Russian Federation.
² Far East Geological Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 159 Pr-t 100-letiya Vladivostoka, Vladivostok, 690022, Russian Federation.
³ Pacific Geographical Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 7 Radio Street, Vladivostok, 690041, Russian Federation.
⁴ Environmental Health Engineering, University School of Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy.
⁵ Department of Biomedical, Metabolical and Neurosciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
⁶ Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece.
⁷ College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
⁸ Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece.
⁹ Federal Research Center N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), 42, 44 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, Saint-Petersburgh, 190121, Russian Federation.

PMID: 32128461
PMCID: PMC7042420
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03299

Abstract

The production of cement is associated with the emissions of dust and particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (NO_x), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds into the environment. People living near cement production facilities are potentially exposed to these pollutants, including carcinogens, although at lower doses than the factory workers. In this study we focused on the distribution of fine particulate matter, the composition, size patterns, and spatial distribution of the emissions from Spassk cement plant in Primorsky Krai, Russian Federation. The particulate matter was studied in wash-out from vegetation (conifer needles) using a hybrid method of laser diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that fine particulate matter (PM₁₀ fraction) extended to the entire town and its neighbourhood. The percentage of PM₁₀ in different areas of the town and over the course of two seasons ranged from 34.8% to 65% relative to other size fractions of particulate matter. It was further shown that up to 80% of the atmospheric PM content at some sampling points was composed of cement-containing particles. This links the cement production in Spassk-Dalny with overall morbidity of the town population and pollution of the environment.

Keywords: Atmospheric particulate matter; Atmospheric science; Ecology; Environmental chemistry; Environmental pollution; Environmental science; Laser diffraction analysis; PM10; Raman spectroscopy.

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Figures

**Figure 1**
Conifer needle sampling points in Spassk-Dalny. Point No. 1 is next to the entrance to the New-Spassk cement plant; point No. 4 is near the gate to the Spassk cement plant; point No. 6 is in the town center of Spassk-Dalny.

**Figure 2**
Photomicrographs of the surface of needles. Magnification x100. a) *Pinus sylvestri*s needle from sampling point No.2 before ultrasound treatment; b) *Pinus sylvestris* needle from sampling point No.2 after ultrasound treatment.

**Figure 3**
Particle scattering diagrams by diameter in needle samples collected during the second stage of the study (winter season 2017–2018). a) sampling point No. 1 (entrance to the NSCP); b) sampling point No. 6 (town center); c) sampling point No. 9 (Local forestry).

**Figure 4**
Comparison of spectra of particulates in the dried residue of the washout from the needle sample (sampling point No. 7) with Portland cement spectra. a) Sample spectra; b) Portland cement spectra. The correlation of spectra in this sample is from 86.3% to 91.5%.

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Identification of cement in atmospheric particulate matter using the hybrid method of laser diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy

Affiliations

Identification of cement in atmospheric particulate matter using the hybrid method of laser diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

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