Alexandra Gertrud Paltinean, Ioan Petean, George Arghir, Dana Florina Muntean, Maria Tomoaia Cotisel<br>Silicates Fragmentation a Source of Atmosphere Dispersed <br>Nano-particulate Matter

Alexandra Gertrud Paltinean, Ioan Petean, George Arghir, Dana Florina Muntean, Maria Tomoaia Cotisel
Silicates Fragmentation a Source of Atmosphere Dispersed
Nano-particulate Matter

Abstract:

Air pollution represents one of the most important issues concerning the urban environment. Street dust samples collected in Cluj-Napoca, Romania contain silicates particles. XRD analysis evidenced mainly quartz, kaolinite, and muscovite (e.g. clay), which belong to silicates. SEM-EDX analysis confirms the XRD results, establishing connections between particles shape and their composition. The identified quartz nano particles have 90 nm diameter and are surrounded by small clay nano particles which have the diameter between 40 and 60 nm. The Si-O bonding is very strong, while the Si-O-Al bonds are weaker allowing a pronounced cleavage in the clay particle. Thus, quartz particles are tougher due to Si-O bonds in the hexagonal lattice, meanwhile clay features layers of SiO4 tetrahedrons stacked into a fold by Si-O-Al bonds which are less strong than Si-O bonds. These arrangements of silicate particles explain how the dynamics in the urban environment causes an intensive dust fragmentation, which is developed on the weaker crystallographic planes. The fact is sustained by the crystallographic calculation performed on the XRD patterns, where the cleavage planes are observed (e.g. (002) planes). Furthermore, silicate nano-particles were clearly evidenced by AFM and TEM images on the street dust samples made by adsorption from the dust aqueous dispersion. The floating particles collected form the atmosphere contain the same particles observed in the street dust mainly the quartz and clay nano particles. Key words: silicates, fragmentation, nanoparticles, atmosphere pollution

Issue: 2016, Volume 67, Issue 6

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