Source apportionment near a steel plant in Genoa (Italy) by continuous aerosol sampling and PIXE analysis

The particulate emissions near a large steel plant, located inside the town of Genoa (Italy) have been studied from May to December 1997. We have used two-stage continuous streaker samples and subsequent PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission) analysis with hourly resolution, to follow both seasonal and daily trends. A first streaker sampler remained installed very close to the plant cokery and furnaces, while another sampler was moved to different locations in town. Samples were analysed by PIXE, deducing concentrations for elements from Na to Pb. We have always collected the PM 10 fraction of the aerosol: during part of the campaign, the fine (PM 2.5) and coarse (PM 2.5–10) aerosol fractions have been also resolved. We have measured and analysed about 8500 PIXE spectra. The steel plant emissions have been identified and resolved from other aerosol sources using principal component analysis (PCA) and other statistical techniques. Finally, the impact of the steel smelter on its surrounding has been evaluated.