Road dust resuspension in the vicinity of limestone quarries in Jordan

Abstract

Many areas in Jordan suffer from elevated levels of coarse particulate matter (PM10). One potentially significant source of the observed PM is the resuspension of road dust in the vicinity of limestone quarries. To obtain data to assess the impact from this source, PM10 road dust resus-pension factors near Abusiiah, a town to the north east of Amman surrounded by many quarries and brick factories, were measured. Measurements included PM10 mass, particle size distributions, wind speed, and wind direction.The results showed that PM10 concentrations could be as high as 600 μg/m3, and most of the airborne PM is in the coarse fraction. Loading trucks play a major role in resus-pending road dust, with an observed PM10 emission rate of >6000 mg/km. © 2006 Air & Waste Management Association.