Analysis of organic functional groups and some trace heavy metals in the settleable dust particles (dustfall) of Sulaimani City/KURDISTAN REGION-IRAQ.

Volume 18 , Issue 2 , February 2016 , Pages 333-348

Authors

¹ Faculty of Agricultural Sciences/ University of Sulaimani/ Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Ambient settleable (dustfall) dust particles samples were collected during August 2009

to March 2010 from 18 locations in Sulaimani City/KRI for qualitative analyzing by

Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy instrument to characterize the common

functional groups that existed in the samples. Furthermore, the samples were

quantitatively analyzed for the heavy metals contents of; V, Co and As by Inductively

Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy ICP-OES. The collected samples

involved samples of settleable dust particles from local source of the city (location 1 to

15) and settleable dust particles from dust storm event of 22 February, 2010 (location 16

to18). The FTIR analysis identified the following functional groups; Sulfinate ester;

Sulfoxide; Sulfate ion; P. Amine (bend.); Carbonyl; Thiol; Alkanes HC; P. Amine (str.);

Bonded and free hydroxyl group in all the samples of (1 to 15) for the local source of

dust particles except sample location number 6 which was free from sulfoxide, p. amine

(bend.), carbonyl and p. amine (str.) as compared to the samples of other locations and

it was also the only sampling location that had a silicate group. Moreover, sample

location number 13 was the only location that had an extra functional group of isocyanide

or alkynes HC functional group. For the dust storm samples of location numbers 16, 17

and 18 had also all the above mentioned 9 functional groups except the alkanes HC

functional group. On the other hand, the concentration ranges of the studied heavy metals

were (0.20 – 3.20), (2.02 – 5.45) and (2.89 – 45.50) mg dust kg-1 dust for As, Co and V

respectively in all the studied locations.

Statistics