Characteristics and Sources of PAHs, Hopanes, and Elements in PM10 Aerosol in Tulsipur and Charikot (Nepal)

0565256 - ÚVGZ 2023 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Zapletal, Miloš - Cudlín, Pavel - Khadka, Chiranjeewee - Křůmal, Kamil - Mikuška, Pavel - Cigánková, Hana - Polášek, M.
Characteristics and Sources of PAHs, Hopanes, and Elements in PM10 Aerosol in Tulsipur and Charikot (Nepal).
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. Roč. 233, č. 12 (2022), č. článku 486. ISSN 0049-6979. E-ISSN 1573-2932
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA20-02203S
Institutional support: RVO:86652079 ; RVO:68081715
Keywords : pm10 * Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons * Hopanes * Elements * Meteorological parameters * Nepal environment
OECD category: Ecology; Analytical chemistry (UIACH-O)
Impact factor: 2.9, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11270-022-05953-7

Concentration of PAHs, hopanes, and elements in PM10 aerosol samples was measured in two Nepalese urban centers, Tulsipur (725 m above sea level, 150,000 inhabitants) and Charikot (1,550 m above sea level, 23,000 inhabitants) in the monsoon period (August 2018) and pre-monsoon period (April-May 2019). The 24-h PM10 limit value of 50 mu g m(-3) for human health was significantly exceeded at all locations, and the Nepal concentration limit of 150 mu g m(-3) was exceeded at Tulsipur-bus station, Tulsipur-village, and Charikot-hospital in the pre-monsoon season. The average daily PM10 and PAHs concentrations showed seasonal variations, with lower concentrations in the monsoon season and the higher values in pre-monsoon season. The average daily PM10 and PAHs concentrations in the both sites were 133 mu g m(-3) and 23.8 ng m(-3) in the pre-monsoon period and 49.6 mu g m(-3) and 2.30 ng m(-3) in the monsoon period, respectively. The average daily hopane concentration during the pre-monsoon period was 1.40 ng m(-3) in Tulsipur and 0.70 ng m(-3) in Charikot. The IndP / (IndP + BghiP) ratio was higher than 0.5 during monsoon period, indicating combustion of biomass and charcoal burning. IndP / (IndP + BghiP) between 0.2 and 0.5 during pre-monsoon season indicates petroleum combustion. Fla / (Fla + Pyr) ratio between 0.3 and 0.5 during pre-monsoon and monsoon periods indicates high proportion of petroleum product combustion. The biomass burning associated with dense traffic in the center of the two cities was the main source of PAHs. The average daily element concentration was 6.80 ng m(-3) in both locations during the monsoon period.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0336828