Oil refinery dusts: morphological and size analysis by TEM.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Atmospheric dust composition and morphology are critical for understanding environmental pollution.
• Oil refineries are significant sources of industrial emissions, including particulate matter.
• Characterizing airborne particles requires advanced microscopy techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for sampling and analyzing atmospheric dusts from an oil refinery environment.
• To perform morphological analysis of dust particles collected within and outside refinery premises.
• To compare the characteristics of dust particles from different locations.

Main Methods:

• Atmospheric dust particles were collected on carbon and collodion membranes on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids.
• Micrographs were obtained using a Tesla BS500 TEM at magnifications up to ×80,000.
• Morphological parameters including surface area, Feret diameter, circumference, and shape coefficient were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Atmospheric dusts were classified into six morphological groups.
• Dust particles collected near the refinery's effluent treatment plant exhibited the largest mean Feret diameter (0.739 μm).
• Refinery-collected dust particles showed significantly larger mean Feret diameters compared to those collected beyond the refinery limits.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully established a method for TEM analysis of atmospheric dusts.
• Morphological differences in dust particles were observed between refinery and non-refinery sites.
• Airborne particulate matter within the oil refinery environment is characterized by larger particle sizes.