Nuevas metodologías analíticas y de interpretación de datos para la evaluación de la contaminación atmosférica por material particulado y su impacto en suelos

Laburpena

Air pollution is considered one of the greatest risks globally for human health and ecosystems due to its harmful effects. Particulate matter (PM) and trace elements of its composition are the pollutants that present greater toxicity, which make it necessary to monitor and control the levels of these pollutants in the ambient air, soil and water. Therefore, two main objectives were established in this work. First, new simple and rapid analytical methodologies were developed to determine PM and trace elements in ambient air and industrial soils. Secondly, an interpretative study of the temporal evolution of pollutants levels in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura in the period 2017-2020 was carried out, highlighting their variation in front of special situations for health and the environment, and thus providing a tool that increases the effectiveness of surveillance, protection and information plans for the population. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that methodologies based on the analysis of color and ultrasonic energy were developed for the determination of PM and trace elements, which allowed to determine their concentrations quickly, easily and miniaturized, minimizing costs and the consumption and generation of toxic substances compared to conventional ones. Interpretively, a downward trend in trace element levels in ambient air was established during 20017-2020, being notably influenced by special pollution events such as Saharan dust outbreaks (SDOs) or COVID-19 lockdown.