Elemental Variability of PM<sub>2.5</sub> Aerosols in Historical and Modern Areas of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Air particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) were assembled for a whole year from the historical Jeddah district. Additional PM<sub>2.5</sub> aerosols were collected during the autumn and winter seasons from another newly constructed district in Jeddah...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmosphere
Main Authors: Mohammed A. Amin, Dhaifallah R. Almalawi, Safaa S. M. Ali, Ali Badawi, Gaber A. M. Mersal, Johan Boman, Abdallah A. Shaltout
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/12/2043
Description
Summary:Air particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) were assembled for a whole year from the historical Jeddah district. Additional PM<sub>2.5</sub> aerosols were collected during the autumn and winter seasons from another newly constructed district in Jeddah city (Alnaeem). The annual concentration of the total mass of the PM<sub>2.5</sub> aerosols from the historical Jeddah site was found to be 43 ± 6 µg/m<sup>3</sup>. In addition, the average of the total mass concentration at the Alnaeem site was 61 ± 14 µg/m<sup>3</sup>. These values were greater than the annual mass concentration of the air quality standards of the European Commission (25 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and the World Health Organization (10 µg/m<sup>3</sup>). The elemental analysis of the collected fine atmospheric aerosols was achieved by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) with three secondary targets (CaF<sub>2</sub>, Ge, and Mo). Quantitative elemental analyses of twenty-two (22) elements were achieved starting from the low atomic number element (Na) up to the high atomic number element (Pb). Although the historical Jeddah site is not well organized, the elemental concentrations and total mass concentrations were lower than those of the other site. The statistical analyses including enrichment factors, correlation analysis, and the principal component analysis revealed more information about the source identification of the PM<sub>2.5</sub> aerosols collected from both locations. It was recognized that the elements Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Rb, and Sr originated from a natural source. On the other hand, the elements Ta, Br, Pb, Sc, Ni, Cu, Zn, and S originated from anthropogenic sources. Finally, the elements Na, Cl, and Br came mainly from the sea spray source.
ISSN:2073-4433