Proceedings - Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Surroundings of a Coal-Fired Power Plant

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2012

Authors

Maria de Lurdes Dinis (Author) FEUP; António Fiúza (Author) FEUP; Joaquim Góis (Author) FEUP; José Soeiro de Carvalho (Author) FEUP; Ana Meira Castro (Author) FEUP

Conference proceedings International

Title: The Sixth International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology

IC-EST 2012

Houston, Texas, USA, 25 a 29 de Junho de 2012

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Other engineering and technologies

CORDIS: Natural sciences > Environmental science ; Technological sciences > Engineering

Other information

Abstract (EN): This paper aims to survey metal concentrations in soils in the vicinity of a coal-fired-power plant located in southwest of Portugal. Two annual sampling campaigns were carried out to measure a hypothetical soil contamination around the coal plant. The sampling area was divided into two subareas, both centered in the emission source, delimited by two concentric circles with radius of 6 km and 20 km. About 40 samplings points were defined in the influence area. Metals measurements were performed with a portable analytical X-ray dispersive energy fluorescence spectrometer identifying about 20 different elements in each sampling point. The most relevant elements measured included As, Cu, Fe, Hg, Pb, Ti and Zn in both sampling areas. Considering the results obtained in the first sampling campaign, arsenic is predominantly higher within the 6-20 km sampling area. The second sampling campaign showed that both sampling areas presented relatively similar metal concentrations except for Fe, Mn, Sr and Zn which concentration is higher within the 6-20 km sampling area. Also, As, Fe, Mn and Ti concentrations decreased significantly from the first to the second sampling campaign and their concentration were predominately higher in the NE-E and E-SE directions.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

Notes: Outstanding Conference Paper Award, third place, at the Sixth International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology Selected to be published in a per review journal.