Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Characteristics of airborne particulate matter (PM) as well as its levels in air samples collected from selected sites within cities of Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, are investigated. Concentration levels of the 10 microns’ PM (i.e., PM10) are determined using...

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Main Authors: Bassam S. Tawabini, Taoreed T. Lawal, Abdulaziz Shaibani, Ashraf M. Farahat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/8512146
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author Bassam S. Tawabini
Taoreed T. Lawal
Abdulaziz Shaibani
Ashraf M. Farahat
author_facet Bassam S. Tawabini
Taoreed T. Lawal
Abdulaziz Shaibani
Ashraf M. Farahat
author_sort Bassam S. Tawabini
collection DOAJ
description Characteristics of airborne particulate matter (PM) as well as its levels in air samples collected from selected sites within cities of Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, are investigated. Concentration levels of the 10 microns’ PM (i.e., PM10) are determined using the gravimetric technique. Morphological and chemical characteristics of the PM collected from the sampling cities are studied using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). Moreover, levels and types of hazardous materials related to these samples are assessed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results revealed that the average concentration levels of PM10 were approximately 177, 380, and 126 μg/m3 in Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, respectively. The structure of PM collected in Dhahran was mainly platy and rod-like shaped with a size between 2 and 6 μm, while PM collected in Khobar was mostly irregular in form, with a size range between 2 and 8 μm, and Dammam’s PM was rounded and between 1 and 3 μm in size. Both EDX and XRF results indicate relatively high weight % of C, O, Si, F, and Ca with lower weight % of Na, Mg, and K at the 3 cities. Finally, the study shows that Ba and Zn were the main trace metals associated with the collected PM in the 3 cities.
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spelling doaj-art-10c2ffc66dd047f7911cbfe907ac9fb72025-08-20T03:55:45ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172017-01-01201710.1155/2017/85121468512146Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi ArabiaBassam S. Tawabini0Taoreed T. Lawal1Abdulaziz Shaibani2Ashraf M. Farahat3Geosciences Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaGeosciences Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaGeosciences Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaPhysics Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaCharacteristics of airborne particulate matter (PM) as well as its levels in air samples collected from selected sites within cities of Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, are investigated. Concentration levels of the 10 microns’ PM (i.e., PM10) are determined using the gravimetric technique. Morphological and chemical characteristics of the PM collected from the sampling cities are studied using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). Moreover, levels and types of hazardous materials related to these samples are assessed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results revealed that the average concentration levels of PM10 were approximately 177, 380, and 126 μg/m3 in Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, respectively. The structure of PM collected in Dhahran was mainly platy and rod-like shaped with a size between 2 and 6 μm, while PM collected in Khobar was mostly irregular in form, with a size range between 2 and 8 μm, and Dammam’s PM was rounded and between 1 and 3 μm in size. Both EDX and XRF results indicate relatively high weight % of C, O, Si, F, and Ca with lower weight % of Na, Mg, and K at the 3 cities. Finally, the study shows that Ba and Zn were the main trace metals associated with the collected PM in the 3 cities.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/8512146
spellingShingle Bassam S. Tawabini
Taoreed T. Lawal
Abdulaziz Shaibani
Ashraf M. Farahat
Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Advances in Meteorology
title Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
title_full Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
title_fullStr Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
title_full_unstemmed Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
title_short Morphological and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter in the Dammam Metropolitan Region: Dhahran, Khobar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia
title_sort morphological and chemical properties of particulate matter in the dammam metropolitan region dhahran khobar and dammam saudi arabia
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/8512146
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