Evolution of magnetic particulate matter during its emission process in thermal power plants

  • Hang Yang
  • , Qinghua Zhang
  • , Jiayuan Wu
  • , Lin Liu
  • , Dingyi Wang
  • , Dawei Lu
  • , Weichao Wang
  • , Ke Min
  • , Weican Zhang
  • , Qian Liu*
  • , Yi Yang*
  • , Guibin Jiang
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Thermal power plants (PPs) have been recognized as an important anthropogenic source for airborne magnetic particles (MPs), which are linked to aging and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the emission characteristics and formation mechanisms of PP-derived MPs have not been fully understood. Here, we quantified PP-derived MPs (including Fe3O4 and γ-Fe2O3) in graded fly ashes (FAs) from sequential dust removal hoppers by using a magnetic separation/purification methodology with high-efficiency retrieval, and characterized their evolution processes in terms of abundance, morphology, and chemical fingerprints. High abundance of Fe3O4 (12.7-58.6 mg g−1) and γ-Fe2O3 (0.632-9.14 mg g−1) was obtained in FAs with an enrichment effect on fine particles, indicating the considerable contribution of PPs to airborne nano-magnetic particle pollution. The high-resolution characterization of MPs revealed their morphological evolution from sub-nanoparticles to the final particulate matter driven by agglomeration and coagulation. Simultaneously, the elemental contents of PP-derived MPs such as Fe, Al, and Si showed dependence on the particle size, and the MPs with a smaller size had stronger magnetic properties. This work provides new insights into the characteristics and formation of PP-derived MPs for understanding their traceability, environmental behaviors, and in vivo fate, which are of significant importance for relevant health risk assessments and pollution control.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)705-717
Number of pages13
JournalEnvironmental Science: Nano
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 6 Dec 2022
Externally publishedYes

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