Emission of nanoparticles from coal and diesel fired power plants on Svalbard: An electron microscopy study

Sub-micrometer aerosol particles were collected at the stack of two coal power plants (Barentsburg, Longyearbyen), two diesel power plants (Pyramiden, Sveagruva) and one small-scale coal-burning boiler (Pyramiden) on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard (Norway).Primary particles (n = 5752) in the size range of 100 – 1000 nm were investigated by operator-controlled high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). Based on morphology and chemical composition primary particles were assigned to one of the following groups: soot, carbonaceous, fly ash spheres, Hg-containing particles, and mineral particles. Soot is the dominating particle group in most samples with a relative number abundance between 69 and 98 %. Two coal burning samples have significantly lower soot contents of about 12 and 31 %. The relative number abundance of the other particle groups is highly variable. The chemical composition of soot, fly ash spheres and mineral particles was studied in more detail. Soot particles from coal burning are significantly enriched in the elements S, Na, and K compared to diesel soot. The P contents of soot, fly ash spheres, and mineral particles reflect the variable concentration of this element in the different coal seams. Fly ash spheres from coal burning consist of...