Chemical, Physical and Mineralogical Properties of Dust Fractions in the Kermanshah Province, Iran

Aims: Dust phenomenon is one of the natural hazards affecting the arid and semiarid regions of Iran. It carries large amounts of particulate matter, which have dangerous impacts on human health, environment and vegetation. Therefore, dust is considered as one of the most important environmental problems that have drastically increased in recent times. Recognizing the origin and size of these particles, their chemical and physical properties and their elements are important for controlling and evaluating their effects on human health and the environment. Materials and Methods: The Kermanshah province is located in the west of Iran and is one of the provinces that receive the most exposure to dust storms. For this investigation, four cities that are exposed to dust were selected: Sar-Pul-e-Zahab (SZ), Gilan-e-Gharb (GG), Islamabad (IA) and Kermanshah (K). For the installation of marble sediment traps in the Kermanshah province, 36 areas were selected. After collecting dust samples, particle size distribution analyses were conducted by using laser size analysis techniques. Chemical compositions were measured with the help of different techniques such as xray fluorescence and xray diffraction. Findings: The results showed that the sizes of dust particles varied from 0.0004 to 112 microns, putting them in the range of clay and silt. The particle size in GilaneGharb was 0.04 to 0.45, SarPuleZahab was 0.04 to 112, Kermanshah 0.04 to 90 and Islamabad 0.0004 to 10 microns. The mineralogical composition of the dust particles mainly constituted quartz, calcite, muscovite, plagioclase feldspar, dolomite and vermiculite. Xray spectroscopy studies on the dust particles generally showed the presence of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silicon oxide (SiO2), calcium oxide (CaO), iron oxide (Fe2O3), strontium oxide (SrO) and zinc oxide (ZnO). Conclusion: In total, the results of this research work show that SrO, ZnO, silicon, aluminum, calcite, iron and their mineralogical compositions are the main oxides and elements in the dust of the Kermanshah province. Furthermore, the predominance of particle sizes in the range of clay and silt suggests that particles have been transmitted from medium to far distances alongside hinting at a similarity in their sources.