• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.761-770
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• 2005

Scanning electron microscopy / energy dispersive X-ray analyzer(SEM/EDX) has played an important role for evaluation the source of atmospheric particle because it is a powerful tool for characterizing individual particles. The SEM/EDX system provides various physical parameters like optical diameter, as well as chemical information for a particle-by-particle basis. The purpose of the study was to classify individual particle emitted from the point sources based on clustering analysis and physico-chemical analysis by SEM/EDX. The total of 490 individual particle were analyzed at 8 point sources including coal-fired power plant, incinerator, H-C oil boiler, and metal manufacturing industry. The main components were Si and AI in the coal-fired power plant, Cl and Na in the domestic waste Incinerator, S in the H-C oil boiler and S and Fe in the metal manufactory industry, respectively.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.20 no.3 s.57
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• pp.17-26
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• 2005

Many researches were focused on the data which obtained from chemical bulk analysis. It is difficult to evaluate source contribution by wet type chemical bulk analysis. In this study, we have reviewed the characterization of individual particle for source identification. We analyzed by SEM/EDX methods. We have obtained average geometric particle diameter measured by optical diameter which were resulted from SEM/EDX image scan, representative physical diameter of individual particle was $3.38\;{\mu}m\;in\;A,\;3.67\;{\mu}m\;in\;B$. In the result of image analysis at each spots particles, both samples non-sphere shapes, C-rich particles. In consequence of chemical analysis of individual particle, each sampling sites some elements.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 1999

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has played an important role in receptor modeling area because it is a powerful tool for characterizing individual particles. The purpose of the study was to classify individual diesel particles base on statistical analysis and image analysis by SEM/EDX (energy dispersive x-ray analyser). The diesel particles were sampled by both a modified CVS 75 mode and a high speed mode with a chassis dynamometer. The SEM/EDX system provides various physical parameters including particle's particle diameter and chemical information. Thus density and mass of the diesel particle were estimated cased on its chemical composition and further fractal dimensions of the diesel particle were obtained by the Hurst exponent method. The fractal dimension in the sample of modified CVS 75 mode was higher than the high speed mode. Finally, mass fractions for a diesel vehicle as a source profile were estimated cased on a particle class concept.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.565-572
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• 2000

To quantitatively estimate mass contribution of long-range transported yellow sand, their sources should be separated independently from various local soil sources having similar elemental compositions. While it is difficult to estimate total mass loadings of pure yellow sand by traditional bulk analysis, it can be clearly solved by an particle-by-particle analysis. To perform this study, two yellow sand samples and three local soil samples were collected by a mini-volume sampler. These samples were three analyzed using a scanning electron microscope(SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray analyser (EDX) was used to obtain basic chemical information of individual yellow san particles. A total of 19 elements in a single particle were measured to develop a source profile with newly created homogeneous particle classes (HPCs) as chemical variables. The present study showed that the yellow sand samples as well as three local soil samples were characterized with reasonably well created HPCs. Finally the mass fraction of each HPC in each sample was calculated and then compared each other.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.345-353
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• 1997

The purpose of the study was to stastically classify individual PM-10 measured by SEM/EDX (scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray analyzer). The SEM/EDX provided various physical parameters like optical diameter, as well as major 18 chemical information (Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Pb) for a particle-by-particle basis. The total of 1,419 particles were analyzed for the study. Thus density and mass of each particle can be estimated based on its chemical composition. Further the study developed 4 semisource profiles including highway, oil boiler, incinerator, and soil emissions, where each sample was collected near the source in the ambient air The profiles developed were consisted of mass fractions and their uncertainties based on a particle class concept. To obtain mass fraction of each particle class, an agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was initially applied to create particle classes for each sample. Then uncertainties were calculated for each class based on the jacknife method. The 1,258 particles out of 1,419 (88.7%) were assorted in newly generated particle classes. The study provides opportunities to identify particle's source quantitatively and to develope various receptor models.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2010

By the application of novel double detector system of micro-PIXE that can detect light elements (Z<14), we made an attempt to provide a thorough discussion on the aging processes of Asian dust (hereafter called "AD") particle by reaction with sea-slat. The elemental spectra and maps obtained from the microbeam radiation of micro-PIXE to individual AD particles were useful for fractionating AD particles into both internally and externally mixed particles. A spatial distribution of elements in a minute domain of single particle obtained by scanning the microbeam irradiation enabled us not only to estimate the chemical mixing state of individual AD particles but also to presume their aging processes in both ambient air and cloud. By calculating the normalized micro-PIXE net count of elements, it was possible to classify individual AD particles into three distinct groups (i.e., (1) Aging type 1: AD particle coated by the gaseous Cl evaporated by the reaction between artificial acids and sea salt; (2) Aging type 2: AD particle mixed with sea salt but no additional reaction with artificial acids; and (3) Non-aged type) A relatively high transformation rate (63.3-75.9%) was shown in large particles (greater than $5.1\;{\mu}m$ in diameter).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2024

In this study, the most suitable sampling methods for the bimodal mass distribution characteristics and individual particle analysis of atmospheric aerosols were investigated. Samples collected in Quartz, Teflon, and Nuclepore filters were analyzed for individual particles using scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDS). Then, the pore diameter of the filter and the collection flow rate were determined using the theoretical collection efficiency calculation formula for two-stage separation sample collection of coarse and fine particles. The Nuclepore filter was found to be the most suitable filter for identifying the physical and chemical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols since it was able to separate the sample and count the different sized particles better than either Quartz or Teflon. Nuclepore filters with 8.0 ㎛ and 0.4 ㎛ pores were connected in series and exposed to a flow rate of 16.7 L/min for two-stage separation sampling. The results show that it is possible to separate and collect both coarse and fine particles. We expect that the proposed methodology will be used for future individual particle analysis of atmospheric aerosols and related research.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.24 no.E1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2008

This study was undertaken to measure the properties of individual mineral particles in an artificially saturated atmosphere at a vertical extinct mine with 430 m height. By synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) microprobe analysis, it was possible to determine the elemental composition of residual insoluble particles on individual cloud droplet replicas formed on the Collodion film. The XRF visualized elemental maps enabled us not only to presume the chemical mixing state of particles retained in cloud droplet, but also to estimate their source. Details about the individual mineral particles captured by artificial cloud droplets should be helpful to understand about the removal characteristics of dust particles such as interaction with clouds. Nearly all individual particles captured in cloud droplets are strongly enriched in Fe. Mass of Fe is ranged between 41 fg and 360 fg with average 112 fg. There is a good agreement between single particle analysis by SR-XRF and bulk particle analysis by PIXE.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.175-183
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• 2014

To visually and chemically verify the rainout of soot particles, a model experiment was carried out with the cylindrical chamber (0.2 m (D) and 4 m (H)) installing a cloud drop generator, a hydrotherometer, a particle counter, a drop collector, a diffusing drier, and an artificial soot particle distributer. The processes of the model experiment were as follows; generating artificial cloud droplets (major drop size : $12-14{\mu}m$) until supersaturation reach at 0.52%-nebulizing of soot particles (JIS Z 8901) with an average size of $0.5{\mu}m$-counting cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) particles and droplets by OPC and the fixation method (Ma et al., 2011; Carter and Hasegawa, 1975), respectively - collecting of individual cloud drops - observation of individual cloud drops by SEM - chemical identifying of residual particle in each individual droplet by SEM-EDX. After 10 minutes of the completion of soot particle inject, the number concentrations of PM of all sizes (> $0.3{\mu}m$) dramatically decreased. The time required to return to the initial conditions, i.e., the time needed to CCN activation for the fed soot particles was about 40 minutes for the PM sized from $0.3-2.0{\mu}m$. The EDX spectra of residual particles left at the center of individual droplet after evaporation suggest that the soot particles seeded into our experimental chamber obviously acted as CCN. The coexistence of soot and mineral particle in single droplet was probably due to the coalescence of droplets (i.e., two droplets embodying different particles (in here, soot and background mineral particles) were coalesced) or the particle capture by a droplet in our CCN chamber.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.154-161
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• 2014

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the chemical characteristics of Asian dust (hereafter called "AD") particles with the aid of the most advanced micro-PIXE (Particle-induced X-ray emission) analytical technique. To this end, size-selected particles were sampled on a rural peninsula of Korea (Byunsan, 35.37N; 126.27E) during AD and non-AD periods in 2004. The coarse particle (> $2{\mu}m$) number density during an AD event were 170 times higher than those of the non-AD counterpart. The average net-count of silica in individual particles collected on AD event was roughly 11 times higher than that of non-AD counterpart. The X-ray net-counts of trace elements (Zn, Co, Mn, and V) were also considerably high in AD relative to the non-AD day. Particle classification based on the inter ratio analysis of elemental net-count suggests that a large portion of the coarse particles collected during AD event underwent chemical transformation to a certain degree. The visual interpretation of micro-PIXE elemental maps and elemental localization data in and/or on individual AD particles clarified the internal mixture of AD particles with sea-salt and artificial metallic particles.