Low-cost natural materials used in monitoring of air quality

Abstract

In this paper has been studied the utilization of Sphagnum moss peat, natural moss peat and alkaline treated moss peat for the active biomonitoring of air quality from two different areas: Poiana Negrii and Poiana Stampei (Dorna Basin, Romania), during of September – October 2009. The following heavy metals: Pb, Cd, Cu, Mn and Fe, were used as indicators of the level of air pollution in studied areas. Accumulated heavy metals in the exposure sorbents were determined by graphite-furnance electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and used for the calculation of the enrichment factor (EF) in each case. The experimental results have show that the efficiency of studied natural materials in the retention of mentioned heavy metals from air depends by the nature of monitorized heavy metal, location and also by the exposure time. On the basis of obtained results, the efficiency of considered low-cost natural materials in active biomonitoring of air quality was considered.