Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry

Abstract Unintentional releases of rare earth elements (REEs), emerging environmental pollutants, from global industries contribute to atmospheric pollution. However, a gap remains regarding the recognition of REYs in industrial fine particulate matter (PM) as a primary source of atmospheric PM. Her...

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Main Authors: Jianghui Yun, Qiuting Yang, Chenyan Zhao, Changzhi Chen, Guorui Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-10-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53684-6
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author Jianghui Yun
Qiuting Yang
Chenyan Zhao
Changzhi Chen
Guorui Liu
author_facet Jianghui Yun
Qiuting Yang
Chenyan Zhao
Changzhi Chen
Guorui Liu
author_sort Jianghui Yun
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Unintentional releases of rare earth elements (REEs), emerging environmental pollutants, from global industries contribute to atmospheric pollution. However, a gap remains regarding the recognition of REYs in industrial fine particulate matter (PM) as a primary source of atmospheric PM. Here, we identified the characteristic of REEs in PM from 114 large-scale industries covering 13 important sectors. Based on the derived emission factors, 13 industrial sources in China emit 136,914 kg of REEs annually, with cement, coal power and coking responsible for 105,226, 12,635, and 11,940 kg/year, respectively. Source-specific elemental profiles were achieved and can be used to allocate the sources of REEs in atmosphere. The average daily intake of REEs from industrial fine PM inhalation was 11.72 ng/(kg·day) for children and 7.41 ng/(kg·day) for adults, pivotal data for assessing health risks. This study is important for sustainable industrial development and human wellness.
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institution OA Journals
issn 2041-1723
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spelling doaj-art-fee4f46af8a94b88bd9fcfee0ea306c22025-08-20T02:18:28ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-10-0115111010.1038/s41467-024-53684-6Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industryJianghui Yun0Qiuting Yang1Chenyan Zhao2Changzhi Chen3Guorui Liu4State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Unintentional releases of rare earth elements (REEs), emerging environmental pollutants, from global industries contribute to atmospheric pollution. However, a gap remains regarding the recognition of REYs in industrial fine particulate matter (PM) as a primary source of atmospheric PM. Here, we identified the characteristic of REEs in PM from 114 large-scale industries covering 13 important sectors. Based on the derived emission factors, 13 industrial sources in China emit 136,914 kg of REEs annually, with cement, coal power and coking responsible for 105,226, 12,635, and 11,940 kg/year, respectively. Source-specific elemental profiles were achieved and can be used to allocate the sources of REEs in atmosphere. The average daily intake of REEs from industrial fine PM inhalation was 11.72 ng/(kg·day) for children and 7.41 ng/(kg·day) for adults, pivotal data for assessing health risks. This study is important for sustainable industrial development and human wellness.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53684-6
spellingShingle Jianghui Yun
Qiuting Yang
Chenyan Zhao
Changzhi Chen
Guorui Liu
Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
Nature Communications
title Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
title_full Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
title_fullStr Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
title_full_unstemmed Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
title_short Atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
title_sort atmospheric emissions of fine particle matter bound rare earth elements from industry
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53684-6
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AT qiutingyang atmosphericemissionsoffineparticlematterboundrareearthelementsfromindustry
AT chenyanzhao atmosphericemissionsoffineparticlematterboundrareearthelementsfromindustry
AT changzhichen atmosphericemissionsoffineparticlematterboundrareearthelementsfromindustry
AT guoruiliu atmosphericemissionsoffineparticlematterboundrareearthelementsfromindustry