Chemical Characterization and Source Apportionment of Air Borne Particulate Matter in Western Region of India

Abstract

Today s world lost its quality of environment in search of better quality of living. The air we breathe, water we drink and the soil we live are deteriorating due to development without consideration of sustainability. Worldwide, air pollution is one of the biggest problems we are facing due to industrialization, population explosion, deforestation etc. The pollutants released into the air are particulate matter (PM), gaseous pollutants, ionic compound, metallic compound etc. The sources and impact of these pollutants are different. Therefore, air pollution of an area is depending upon its location, industrialization, population, atmospheric condition etc. The present study focused on the properties and sources of air pollutants along with the transport model of the aerosol and gaseous air pollutants characteristics of Rajkot city. Rajkot is the fourth largest city of Gujarat and is located in the center of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. This city is one of the fastest growing cities globally and was recognized as 22nd economically growing city at global level. Rajkot has an estimated 8,000 industrial units, of which more than 400 are foundry units, and is well known throughout the world for its casting and forging industries. Being an industrial city, air pollution might harm the region and impact the peoples living around. Wind rose diagram resulted that the direction of wind is maximum in northwest direction and highest speed observed during summer and monsoon season. Two sampling sites were selected based on the wind rose diagram are Vimal Nagar (S2) and Marwadi University (S1). Total 72 samples of PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 were collected during one year span of time (December 2017 November 2018).