Significance of Leaf Surface of Urban Trees to Monitor Airborne Particle Pollutants Nearby Superphosphate Fertilizer Plant

Document Type : High quality original papers

Authors

1 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.

2 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.

3 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University-Assiut, Egypt.

Abstract

Three common tree species in the areas nearby Assiut Superphosphate Fertilizer Plant were selected to monitor the airborne particle pollutants along the physical year 2009-2010. The relative percentage value of the leaf deposit particles depends on the interaction between seasons, sites and tree species, where highly significant effects (P<0.001) were recorded in between. Morphological analysis by SEM of the leaf deposit confirms the presence of different particle species of PM2.5, PM10 and PM50. Quantitatively, PM2.5 dominated other particle types, reflecting the importance of the anthropogenic source, like Superphosphate Fertilizers Plant emission, in the air pollution status prevailing in the study area. The chemical analysis of the leaf particulate deposits exhibited a significant correlation with chemic indicator species to the fertilizers manufacture, where the particulate mass of the leaf deposit samples showed correlation with foliar Fe (r = 0.542), Cd (r = 0.528), Ca (0.805) and PO4 (r = 0.605), reflecting the possibility of using tree species as bio-monitors for the air particulate matter pollution.

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Journal of Environmental Studies
Volume 5, Issue 1
December 2010
Pages 57-67

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