Vertical transport velocity of fine particles of aluminum smelter emissions

Abstract

In this study, the average values of vertical velocity of particles emitted from an aluminum smelter in the surface layer of the atmosphere were estimated using a semi-empirical method. The method is based on regression analysis of the horizontal profile of pollutants measured along the selected direction using moss bioindicators. The selection of epiphytic mosses Sanionia uncinata was carried out in 2013 in the zone of influence of a metallurgical industry enterprise in the city of Kandalaksha, Murmansk region. The concentrations of As, Si, Ni, Zn, Ti, Cd, Na, Pb, Co, K, Ba, Ca, Mg, Mn, Sr, Fe, Al, V, Cr, Cu were determined using atomic emission spectrometry. The conducted assessments showed that the average particle velocity toward the Earth’s surface, when considering large spatial and temporal scales, is tens of times higher than gravitational settling velocities.

Keywords:

• Particulate matter from industrial enterprise emissions
• turbulent atmosphere
• diffusion-convective transport equation
• moss bioindicator method

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author at reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) under Grant Number 23-27-00186.