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Processing and analysis of roadway runoff micro (< 20 μm) particles
Masoud Kayhanian1, Brandon Givens
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Ghausi Hall, Davis, CA 95616, USA. mdkayhanian@ucdavis.edu
Journal of Environmental Monitoring : JEM
|August 16, 2011
Summary
Paper filtration significantly impacts microplastic analysis in roadway runoff, leading to up to 90% inaccuracies in particle counts and pollutant load calculations. Sieving methods offer more reliable results for water quality evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Water Quality Monitoring
Background:
- Accurate microparticle analysis is crucial for understanding roadway runoff contamination.
- Traditional filtration methods may introduce biases in particle characterization.
- Roadway runoff contains microparticles (< 20 μm) that influence water quality assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare paper and sieving filtration methods for processing microparticles in roadway runoff.
- To evaluate the impact of filtration methods on particle measurements and pollutant load calculations.
- To determine the most reliable method for microparticle analysis in water quality studies.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of paper filtration versus nylon sieving for microparticle (< 20 μm) processing.
- Analysis of roadway runoff samples using both filtration techniques.
- Evaluation of particle number, concentration, size distribution, and elemental composition.
Main Results:
- Paper filtration significantly altered particle size distributions and concentrations compared to unprocessed samples.
- Nylon sieving provided results most similar to unprocessed samples.
- Deviations caused by paper filtration led to inaccuracies up to 90% in particle counts, TSS, and elemental mass loading.
Conclusions:
- Paper filtration is not a reliable method for processing microparticles in roadway runoff for water quality evaluation.
- Sieving filtration, particularly with nylon sieves, is recommended for accurate microparticle analysis.
- Inaccurate particle processing can lead to significant errors in environmental monitoring and risk assessment.
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