Assessment of aerosol (PM10) and trace elemental interactions by Taguchi experimental design approach

An attempt has been made to assess the trace elemental interactions of atmospheric aerosol through Taguchi orthogonal array (OA) experimental design (DOE) approach. Seven toxic trace metals (Cu, Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Co and Ni) along with aerosol mass (PM(10)) at three different concentration levels were considered for this study. The annual mean concentrations of PM(10) and its trace components observed at Tirupati, southern peninsular India, and 50% lower and 50% higher values to the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of each factor in air were considered for level 1, level 2, and level 3 respectively. Interactions between the factors have been estimated by orthogonal array design of experiments with eighteen sets of experimental trial (L18) and varied combinations of factor levels.