The Study of Characteristic Environmental Sites Affected by Diverse Sources of Mineral Matter Using Compositional Data Analysis

Compositional data analysis was applied on mineral element concentrations (i.e., Al, Ti, Si,
Ca, Mg, Fe, Sr) content in PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 simultaneous measurements at three characteristic
environmental sites: kerbside, background and rural site. Different possible sources of mineral trace
elements affecting the PM in the considered sites were highlighted. Particularly, results show that
compositional data analysis allows for the assessment of chemical/physical differences between
mineral element concentrations of PM. These differences can be associated with both different kinds
of involved mineral sources and different mechanisms of accumulation/dispersion of PM at the
considered sites.