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(W/FF227) Atmospheric deposition of boron around ceramic factories. Queralt, Ignasi1, Sanfeliu, Teofilo2, Vicente, Ana2, Gomez, Eva2, 1 2 ABSTRACT- Boron is recognised as an essential nutrient for higher plants having a small range between deficiency and excess uptake (toxicity) in plants. The most sensitive plants to boron excess are citrics (lemon, orange) and fruits such as grape, apricot, peach and plum, among others. Boron deficiency is more likely to occur in well drained acidic soils located under humid climate, because the susceptibility of boron to leaching. In opposition, boron excesses usually occur in basic soils existing in either arid or semiarid regions. Anthropogenic sources of boron are mainly related to agricultural burning and coal combustion. Likewise, B is a typical element associated to atmospheric emissions from ceramic industry. It is used as one main component in glass, glaze and enamel manufacture. From ceramic high temperature processes, boron is emitted in volatile form and adsorbed by atmospheric particles. The area of Castellon de la Plana (Eastern Spain), near Mediterranean coast, constitutes one of the most important ceramics production regions in the world. Therefore, accumulation of boron in surrounding areas may be expected. In addition, the agricultural lands within the region constitute one of the most important areas for citric production in Europe. During the last three years a sampling strategy has been designed to know the extent of the boron impact on the whole area. Samples for the study were collected by the use of both high-volume air samplers and bulk dust collectors. Sampling was designed in order to obtain samples along a transect from ceramic factories up to the coastline, covering from non-polluted areas up to areas with verifiable boron inputs. Atmospheric boron around factories can reach more than 140 ng m-3 exhibiting seasonal trends and additional inputs from burning agricultural practices. Data from bulk dust deposition collectors exhibit an estimated input of 6 to 10 mg sqm-2 day-1 near to the ceramic centres whilst the levels for non affected soils range between 1 to 1.5 mg sqm-2 day-1. Key words: Boron, pollution, ceramic, industry |
