Study of Trace Ions in Wet Deposition of an Industrial Site in Monterrey’s Metropolitan Area, Mexico

Abstract

The chemistry of rainwater has been subject to numerous investigations during the last two decades due to the increase of environmental problems caused by the acid deposition. The present study focuses on one aspect of air pollution, the chemical composition of wet deposition of an industrial zone. The sampling period was from March to December 2009. The station was located on the roof of the Chemistry School at the University of Nuevo León, an area in the north of Monterrey where the majority of pollution is generated. Twenty-five wet precipitation samples were collected with an automatic sampler and analyzed for pH, ions ( , , Cl &#45 , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + ) and conductivity. The results show that the average pH is higher than 5.6; the characteristics of the rainwater studied are of alkaline nature due to the values of pH found; there is an evident anthropogenic source contributing to the alkaline of rain water. In order to find possible association between ions and consequently the possible sources of pollutants correlation study was applied using the program SPSS v.12. Good correlations were found between ions and along with Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . The local extraction industry and surrounding aerosols might be causing of alkaline rain which may be due to the neutralization effect of particulate matter. This study represents a continuation of the studies of rainwater chemistry in the Northeast of Mexico.