• 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 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.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.

• 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.4 no.3
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• pp.115-140
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• 2010

Great concerns about atmospheric aerosols are attributed to their multiple roles to atmospheric processes. For example, atmospheric aerosols influence global climate, directly by scattering or absorbing solar radiations and indirectly by serving as cloud condensation nuclei. They also have a significant impact on human health and visibility. Many of these effects depend on the size and composition of atmospheric aerosols, and thus detailed information on the physicochemical properties and the distribution of airborne particles is critical to accurately predict their impact on the Earth's climate as well as human health. A single particle analysis technique, named low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z particle EPMA) that can determine the concentration of low-Z elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in a microscopic volume has been developed. The capability of quantitative analysis of low-Z elements in individual particle allows the characterization of especially important atmospheric particles such as sulfates, nitrates, ammonium, and carbonaceous particles. Furthermore, the diversity and the complicated heterogeneity of atmospheric particles in chemical compositions can be investigated in detail. In this review, the development and methodology of low-Z particle EPMA for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols are introduced. Also, its typical applications for the characterization of various atmospheric particles, i.e., on the chemical compositions, morphologies, the size segregated distributions, and the origins of Asian dust, urban aerosols, indoor aerosols in underground subway station, and Arctic aerosols, are illustrated.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2013

Aerosol characterization study for individual particle in Busan metropolitan industrial complex was carried out from December 2010 to August 2011. SEM(scanning electron microscope)-EDX(energy dispersive x-ray) analysis was used for the analysis of 600 single particles during the sampling periods to identify non-metallic aerosol particle sources. Average $PM_{10}$ concentration was 65.5 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in summer, 104.1 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in winter during the sample periods. And Average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration was 24.5 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in summer, 64.5 ${\mu}g/m^3$ in winter individually. Particle density, enrichment factor, correlation analysis, principle component analysis were performed based on chemical composition data. Particle density distribution was measured to 2~4 $g/cm^3$, and the density of $PM_{2.5}$ was measured above 3 $g/cm^3$. In general, the elements Si, Ca, Fe and Al concentrations were higher in all samples of individual particles. The non-ferrous elements Zn, Br, Pb, Cu concentrations were higher in summer than in winter. The concentrations were not changed with the seasons because of non-ferrous industry emission pattern.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.41-44
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• 2016

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a promising tool to measure isotope ratios of individual uranium particles in environmental samples for nuclear safeguards. However, the analysis requires prior identification of a small number of uranium particles that coexist with a large number of other particles without uranium. In the present study, this identification was performed by scanning electron microscopy - energy dispersive X-ray analysis with automated particle search mode. The analytical results for an environmental sample taken at a nuclear facility indicated that the observation of backscattered electron images with × 1000 magnification was appropriate to efficiently identify uranium particles. Lower magnification (less than × 500) made it difficult to detect smaller particles of approximately 1 μm diameter. After identification, each particle was manipulated and transferred for subsequent isotope ratio analysis by SIMS. Consequently, the isotope ratios of individual uranium particles were successfully determined without any molecular ion interference. It was demonstrated that the proposed technique provides a powerful tool to measure individual particles not only for nuclear safeguards but also for environmental sciences.