Characterization of solid airborne particles deposited in snow in the vicinity of urban fossil fuel thermal power plant (Western Siberia)

ABSTRACT

Recognition and detailed characterization of solid particles emitted from thermal power plants into the environment is highly important due to their potential detrimental effects on human health. Snow cover is used for the identification of anthropogenic emissions in the environment. However, little is known about types, physical and chemical properties of solid airborne particles (SAP) deposited in snow around thermal power plants. The purpose of this study is to quantify and characterize in detail the traceable SAP deposited in snow near fossil fuel thermal power plant in order to identify its emissions into the environment. Applying the scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, mineral and anthropogenic phase groups in SAP deposited in snow near the plant and in fly ash were observed. We identified quartz, albite and mullite as most abundant mineral phases and carbonaceous matter, slag and spherical particles as dominate anthropogenic phases. This is the first study reporting that zircon and anthropogenic sulphide-bearing, metal oxide-bearing, intermetallic compound-bearing and rare-earth element-bearing particles were detected in snow deposits near thermal power plant. The identified mineral and anthropogenic phases can be used as tracers for fossil fuel combustion emissions, especially with regard to their possible effect on human health.

KEYWORDS:

• Solid airborne particles
• snow cover
• metal-bearing phases
• SEM-EDS
• thermal power plant

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Sergey Il’enok and Dmitri Usoltzev for their assistance in SEM-EDS and XRD analysis (‘Uranium Geology’ International Centre, TPU), as well as Sergey Arbuzov (Professor, Geoecology and Geochemistry Department, TPU), Raisa Abramova (Associate Professor, Foreign Language Department, TPU) and George Metreveli (Dr.-Ing, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz-Landau) for making fruitful remarks on this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Russian Foundation for Basic Research [grant number 16-45-700184p_a]. The experimental procedure is carried out at Tomsk Polytechnic University within the framework of Tomsk Polytechnic University Competitiveness Enhancement Program grant.