Influence of start-up phase of an incinerator on inorganic composition and lead isotope ratios of the atmospheric PM.

A municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) was installed in a peripheral area of the city of Turin. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of this plant to the massive concentration of PM, to its chemical composition and to the distribution of the lead isotopes during the start-up phase.We assessed the inorganic composition of PM collected in the vicinity of the Turin incinerator by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (SF-ICP-MS) and ion chromatography (IC). The lead isotope ratios in PM samples were determined by SF-ICP-MS by a method developed and optimized using experimental design approach. Element trends and data chemometric treatment evidence that the vehicular traffic, increased in this area due to the opening of the MSWI plant, and, to a lesser degree, the direct incinerator emissions influence As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ba, Mo, Pb, Sn and Zn concentrations. As a whole, however, the element concentrations in PM and the Enrichment Factors (EFs) were comparable with the values reported for other urban sites and target pollutant concentrations of MSWI emissions, namely Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb, were lower than in PM emitted from older MSWIs. This confirms that incinerators of new installation have a lower impact on atmospheric PM composition thanks to stricter current legislation and up-to-date technologies. The lead isotope ratios investigation allowed to distinguish the diverse sources (crustal, vehicular traffic and MSWI) that influence lead concentration in PM collected near incinerator during start-up phase.