Particulate Matter (PM) is a type of air pollution that poses risks to human health, the environment, and property. Among the various PM types, PM10 is particularly significant, as it acts as a vector for numerous hazardous trace elements that can negatively impact human health and the ecosystem. Identifying potential sources of PM10 and quantifying their impact on ambient concentrations is crucial for developing efficient control strategies to meet threshold values. Receptor modeling, which identifies sources using chemical species information derived from PM samples, has been widely used for source apportionment. In this study, PM10 samples were collected over three periods (April, May, and June 2021), each lasting 16 days, using semi-automatic dust sampling systems at two sites in Biga, Canakkale, Turkiye. The relative contributions of different source types were quantified using EPA PMF (Positive Matrix Factorization) based on 35 elements comprising PM10. As a result of the analysis, five source types were identified: crustal elements/limestone/calcite quarry (64.9%), coal-fired power plants (11.2%), metal industry (9%), sea salt and ship emissions (8.5%), and road traffic emissions and road dust (6.3%). The distribution of source contributions aligned with the locations of identified sources in the region.
Çakmak et al. (Wed,) studied this question.