Microstuctural analysis and determination of PM10 emission sources in an industrial Mediterranean city

Scientists are interested in knowing more about the control of sources which contribute to environmental pollution. Air pollution has two main sources: anthropogenic and natural sources. The natural contributions to environmental pollution can be assessed, but cannot be totally controlled. while the emissions from the anthropogenic sources can be controlled. These air pollutants can be dispersed and transferred by winds in the atmosphere. The focus area of this study is the Mediterranean basin. The most important winds in this area are the land and sea breezes. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was applied to characterize the morphology of the PM10 samples in order to identify possible emission sources for the occuring pollution. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) was performed for the elemental analysis and chemical characterization of the PM10 samples. The analysis showed that the PM10 samples can be divided into three different groups: the samples containing mineral phases, the compounds from combustion processes and the particles emitted from high-temperature processes.