Chemical Characterization and Sources Identification of PM₁₀ Aerosols in an Industrial Area

Daily PM₁₀ samples were collected on a rooftop at Aktobe City, the industrial hub of Western Kazakhstan, to characterize, investigate the morphological composition, and identify possible sources. The mean of 50.2 (standard deviation of 38.9) µg/m³ for PM₁₀ in fall was 4 times statistically significantly higher than in winter 13.2 (11.9) µg/m³. The ionic constituents show that Ca²⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and SO₄ 2– were statistically significantly higher in fall than in winter, possibly due to higher humidity and wet deposition. Meanwhile, high wind speed recorded in winter promoted good dispersion and a shorter contact time for gas-liquid reactions, resulting in a lower SO₄ 2– concentration than in fall. A high amount of NO₃ − in winter showed a significant correlation for all cations except for Na⁺. Trace metal analyses showed that Fe exhibited the highest average concentrations of 1287.93 ng/m³ in fall, while Al had the highest mean concentration of 207.61 ng/m³ in winter. Pollutant sources were found in the East-Southeast, Southeast-South, and Southwest-West directions within 6-8 m/s wind speed for several metals, indicating distant sources. The study shows several potential sources of PM₁₀ and the need to regularly monitor pollutant concentrations and emission trends over time to assess the air quality of Aktobe city.