Spatial and Temporal variations of Organic Chemical compounds in Ambient Air from Ahmedabad City, Gujarat, India

Organic contaminants linked to atmospheric particulate matter have been a major source of worry across the world since the last decade. The ambient air samples were collected from three sites in Ahmedabad city for spatial and temporal variation using a High-Volume Air Sampler (HVAS) to examine the morphology and elemental composition of fine and ultrafine particles by using a Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive X-ray system (EDAX) from PM2.5. The Si, C, O, Cl, Na, Al, K, Ca and Mg were found to be quite abundant in the EDAX spectra. Transition elements such as Ti, Zn, Cu, S and Fe were registered, indicating the influence of industry in liberating the abundance of fine and ultrafine particles. In addition, the organic chemical compounds were screened by using GC–MS. A total of 230 organic chemicals were detected, including 187 aliphatic and 43 aromatic chemical compounds at three different locations. Results show that aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon compounds were found maximum in the urban area followed by industrial and rural areas.