Investigation of air pollutants by using the ash fall from Mt. Sakurajima as a scavenger of aerosol in the free troposphere

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25620143
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Green/Environmental chemistry
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Ohki Akira 鹿児島大学, 理工学域工学系, 教授 (20127989)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKAJIMA TSUNENORI 鹿児島大学, 理工学域工学系, 准教授 (70284908)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 火山降灰 / 桜島 / 大気汚染物質 / 多環芳香族炭化水素 / 水銀

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A precise determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contained in volcanic ash was established. When Mt. Sakurajima erupted, the samples of ash fall (AF) were collected, and the PAH concentrations were measured. The total concentrations of 10 kinds of 3-4 ring PAHs in the AF samples were 1.6-5.1 ng/g, and the concentrations tended to be higher when the particle size was smaller. When the amount of AF was larger, the concentrations of mercury in the AF samples were lower. It is proposed that AF works as a scavenger of aerosol in the atmosphere including the free troposphere, and adsorbs pollutants, such as PAHs and mercury, in the aerosol. Thus, the components present in the AF samples reflect those in the atmospheric aerosol in terms of annual variation. However, the contribution of transboundary air pollution cannot be determined in the components.

Free Research Field

環境分析化学