Characterization of Particles Transmitted by Wind from Waste Dump of Phosphatic Fertilizers Plant Deposited on Biological Sample Surfaces

Abstract

There are many methods available aiming at studying atmospheric contamination but often their application is limited by problems connected with sample preparation difficulties or an insufficient amount of material for analysis. Therefore, there is an increasing necessity of applying methods which enable a direct solid sample characterization and provide information concerning the state of environmental pollution (SzczepaniakB SzczepaniakB Szynkowska, 2005). Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry are powerful methods allowing a direct observation, comparison and characterization of different spectrum of materials. What is more, a large depth of field gives an opportunity to investigate even three-dimensional objects, which is especially significant in observation of usually very heterogeneous biological samples (Goldstein et al., 1992; Seyama S Seyama, 2003; Szynkowska, 2005). The techniques mentioned above are considered a relatively fast and basically non-destructive approach, which can be successfully used as a complementary method to the wet chemical analysis requiring sample homogenization and dissolution (KempsonS Szynkowska et al., 2008a; Szynkowska et al., 2008b; Williamson et al., 2004). Additionally, XRD technique can be applied in environmental monitoring research to identify crystalline phases of studied samples. Phosphogypsum deposited in the phosphatic fertilizer waste disposal place in Wiślinka near Gdansk (Northern Poland) is a main by-product of a wet process of phosphoric acid production. During the wet process phosphoric acid is produced by the reaction of phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, and then used for the production of phosphatic fertilizers. Phosphoric acid and phosphogypsum obtained in the wet process contain a number of impurities like calcium sulfate dehydrate and HF. For every ton of phosphoric acid obtained even up to 5 tons of this waste by-product are produced. The chemical