Possible sources of ambient PM₁₀ inside Jadavpur University Campus, Kolkata

High concentration of particulates in the university and research institutional campus can affect cognitive performance of students and researchers. However, studies on ambient particulate concentration in the campus of universities or research institutes are scarce. The ambient concentration of PM₁₀ was measured in the campus of Jadavpur University, Kolkata, during two different seasons (S1: Post-monsoon; S2: Winter) to identify major sources of pollutant here. Significant seasonal variation of ambient PM₁₀ was recorded in the campus. The average ambient PM₁₀ concentration was recorded higher in S2 compared to S1 of the study period. Morphological characteristics of PM₁₀ during the study period suggest that the roundness of particles was in the range of 0.66 to 0.68, whilst the mean spherical diameter suggests most of the PM₁₀ particles were < 2.5 μ diameter. Based on factorial analysis, three factors were generated which includes factor 1: soil, building material and coal burning particles (53.76% of the variance); factor 2: particles from coal combustion (29.89% of the variance) and factor 3: particles from transport emission (16.33% of the variance). The study suggests that it is important to stop burning coal, reduce vehicular emission and reduce road dust resuspension around the campus to maintain the ambient PM₁₀ concentration within the university campus during the post-monsoon and winter months.