Chemical characterization and receptor modeling of PM10 in the surroundings of the opencast lignite mines of Western Macedonia, Greece

The Western Macedonian Lignite Center (WMLC) in northwestern Greece is the major lignite center in the Balkans feeding four major power plants of total power exceeding 4 GW. Concentrations of PM10 (i.e., particulate matters with diameters ≤10 μm) are the main concern in the region, and the high levels observed are often attributed to the activities related to power generation. In this study, the contribution of fugitive dust emissions from the opencast lignite mines to the ambient levels of PM10 in the surroundings was estimated by performing chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor modeling. For this purpose, PM10 samples were concurrently collected at four receptor sites located in the periphery of the mine area during the cold and the warm periods of the year (November–December 2011 and August–September 2012), and analyzed for a total of 26 macro- and trace elements and ionic species (sulfate, nitrate, chloride). The robotic chemical mass balance (RCMB) model was employed for source identification/apportionment of PM10 at each receptor site using as inputs the ambient concentrations and the chemical profiles of various sources including the major mine operations, the fly ash escaping the electrostatic filters of the power plants, and other primary and secondary sources. Mean measured PM10 concentrations at the different sites ranged from 38 to 72 μg m−3. The estimated total contribution of mines ranged between 9 and 22% in the cold period increasing to 36–42% in the dry warm period. Other significant sources were vehicular traffic, biomass burning, and secondary sulfate and nitrate aerosol. These results imply that more efficient measures to prevent and suppress fugitive dust emissions from the mines are needed.