Options
Amoroso, Antonio
Loading...
Preferred name
Amoroso, Antonio
3 results
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
- PublicationOpen AccessCombined magnetic, chemical and morphoscopic analyses on lichens from a complex anthropic context in Rome, Italy(2019)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ; ;Native and transplanted lichens were analyzed as bioaccumulators of airborne particulate matter (PM) in an eastern district of Rome, Italy, where frequent fraudulent fires are set to recover metals, mostly copper, from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The presence of native lichens was scarce, due to the drought of spring-summer 2017, thus, sampling was extended to a neighboring area for toughening the dataset to a similar context. The magnetic analyses revealed intense properties connected to the anthropic complexity of the zone, where industrial, traffic and arson-related dusts are emitted and bio-accumulated. Magnetic and chemical analyses were compared, leading to significant linear correlations between the concentration dependent magnetic parameters (susceptibility, saturation magnetization and saturation remanence) and the concentration of heavy metals, among which copper, chrome, lead and zinc. Moreover, selected magnetic particles were chemically and morphologically characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersion System microanalyses. Magnetic particles resulted incorporated into the lichens' tissues and their composition, morphology and grain size strongly supported their anthropogenic, mostly combustion-related, origin. Even if, given the complexity of the area, it was not feasible to fully discriminate the multiple anthropogenic sources, magnetic biomonitoring of lichens, especially when combined with microtextural and compositional analyses, confirmed to be an excellent methodology for a rapid characterization of environmental pollution.887 72 - PublicationOpen AccessThe effect of Covid-19 lockdown on airborne particulate matter in Rome, Italy: A magnetic point of viewBetween 9 March and 18 May 2020, strict lockdown measures were adopted in Italy for containing the COVID-19 pandemic: in Rome, despite vehicular traffic on average was more than halved, it was not observed a evident decrease of the airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations, as assessed by air quality data. In this study, daily PM10 filters were collected from selected automated stations operated in Rome by the regional network of air quality monitoring: their magnetic properties - including magnetic susceptibility, hysteresis parameters and FORC (first order reversal curves) diagrams - were compared during and after the lockdown, for outlining the impact of the COVID-19 measures on airborne particulate matter. In urban traffic sites, the PM10 concentrations did not significantly change after the end of the lockdown, when vehicular traffic promptly returned to its usual levels; conversely, the average volume and mass magnetic susceptibilities approximately doubled, and the linear correlation between volume magnetic susceptibility and PM10 concentration became significant, pointing out the link between PM10 concentrations and the increasing levels of traffic-related magnetic emissions. Magnetite-like minerals, attributed to non-exhaust brakes emissions, dominated the magnetic fraction of PM10 near urban traffic sites, with natural magnetic components emerging in background sites and during exogenous dusts atmospheric events. Magnetic susceptibility constituted a fast and sensitive proxy of vehicular particulate emissions: the magnetic properties can play a relevant role in the source apportionment of PM10, especially when unsignificant variations in its concentration levels may mask important changes in the traffic-related magnetic fraction. As a further hint, increasing attention should be drawn to the reduction of brake wear emissions, that are overcoming by far fuel exhausts as the main particulate pollutant in traffic contexts.
292 28 - PublicationOpen AccessA magnetic approach for understanding the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on PM10 in Rome, Italy(2022)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; The magnetic properties of PM10 daily filters collected in Rome and Latium region during and after the Covid-19 lockdown (9 March-18 May 2020) were compared for outlining the impact of the mobility restrictions on airborne particulate matter. In urban traffic sites, the average PM10 concentration levels did not significantly change after the end of the lockdown, when vehicular traffic returned to its usual levels. Conversely, the average magnetic susceptibility of PM10 daily filters approximately doubled after the lockdown, pinpointing the increase of metallic emissions related to vehicular traffic. The magnetic fraction of PM10 nearurban traffic sites was dominated by magnetite-like minerals mainly arising from brakes emissions.187 7