Air pollution biomonitoring in an urban-industrial setting (Taranto, Italy) using Mediterranean plant species

Cavazzin, B. , MacDonell, C. , Green, N. and Rothwell, J. (2024) Air pollution biomonitoring in an urban-industrial setting (Taranto, Italy) using Mediterranean plant species. Atmospheric Pollution Research, (doi: 10.1016/j.apr.2024.102105) (In Press)

Abstract

This study presents the first report on the elemental composition of five Mediterranean plant species (Pinus pinaster, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Nerium oleander, Olea europaea and Pittosporum heterophyllum) to trace industrial emissions in Taranto, Italy, a mixed-use industrial and urban setting. Potential metal sources include vehicular traffic, steel and cement plants, and a petrochemical refinery. Samples were collected from 29 sites covering the Tamburi-Lido Azzurro neighbourhood and the historical quarter Città Vecchia-Borgo. High concentrations of toxic metals were observed in all samples, with marked inter-species variability. Model based clustering identified two distinct groups, one dominated by pine needles with higher metal concentrations than the other group composed of the other four plant species. The contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) indices which use background samples to standardise the level of pollution, were used to remove species effect allowing for direct site comparison. Spatial analysis of CF and PLI data identified pollution hotspots near industrial areas and major roads, with areas of little to no air pollution near green spaces. Statistical analysis of the CFs revealed the contribution of different sources to element emissions. Ni and Cr were primarily emitted from the steel plant and petrochemical refinery, while Fe and Al were associated with road traffic emissions, and geogenic elements Ca, Mg, K, and Na were linked to marine spray and Saharan dust. This study demonstrates that combining multiple plant species with pollution indices can be a cost-effective biomonitoring approach for assessing air pollution and creating a high-density spatial monitoring network.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Biomonitoring, urban-industrial area, indices of pollution, spatial analysis.
• Status: In Press
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: MacDonell, Mr Craig and Cavazzin, Dr Bianca

Creator Roles

Cavazzin, B.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – original draft
MacDonell, C.: Visualization, Formal analysis, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Cavazzin, B., MacDonell, C., Green, N., and Rothwell, J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: Atmospheric Pollution Research
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1309-1042
• Published Online: 02 March 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 Turkish National Committee for Air Pollution Research and Control
• First Published: First published in Atmospheric Pollution Research 2024
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy