F.A.Atiku, P.O.Ikeh, U.Z.Faruk, A.U.Itodo, B.G. DanShehu and M.M. Ambursa
Engines Soot samples, collected from fuelled with a range of diesel and gasoline have been analyzed. The Particulate carbon, as soot or carbon black of power plants composes one of the more visible and troublesome particulate air pollutants. Analytical result gave vanadium (0.056±0.036), selenium (0.04±0.022) and bismuth (0.04±0.022) with units in ppm for the raw or unburnt diesel. The corresponding values for particulate diesel soot were estimated at values up to 0.04, 0.004 and 0.04ppm respectively. This implies a possibility of volatilization by the hot air current and fragmentation into the near atmosphere. Because of its good adsorbent properties, carbon of gasoline soot was predicted to have adsorbed these metals and presented values as V(0.004ppm), Se(0.004ppm) and higher value for Bi(0.04ppm) which were evidently absent in the unburnt gasoline samples. They may therefore be a carrier of metallic and other particulate pollutants which could be potential environmental and subsequently health threats.
