Background and Objective: The present study was carried out to determine the amount and ionic characterization of TSP and PM10 aimed at identifying the potential emission sources of particulates in the ambient air of Tabriz.
Materials and Methods: TSP and PM10 samples were collected by two high volume samplers during September 2013 to August 2014. Water-soluble ions in particulate matter were extracted using ultrasonic method and were identified by ion chromatography. Using Stata12 software, linear regression analysis was performed between the ions to determination of the major ionic component of the particulates. In addition, in order to identify the potential emission sources of PM10, the rotation varimax model was used.
Results: Total measured water-soluble ions in TSP and PM10 of the urban sampling site were 20.33±20.77 and 16.04±14.08 µg/m3, respectively. Among all detected ions, sulfate (8.69±5.79 µg/m3) and nitrate (8.47±7.9 µg/m3) were the dominant constituents followed by calcium and sodium.
Conclusion: The modeling results revealed that the soils of surrounding ground together with secondary PM and also resuspension of PM from polluted soil account for 80 percent of PM10 mass.
