A new approach to air pollution determination using annual rings: dendro-chemical elemental analysis of annual rings by SEM-EDS

This paper presents a new approach to air pollution determined through the use of elemental analysis of the annual tree rings (ATRs) of Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.). For this aim, every annual ring width was measured on the cross-section wheels of Turkish red pine supplied from ten research points around the Kemerköy (Gökova) thermal power plant (KTPP). The fly ash collected from the surfaces of the needles and the annual growth ring of Turkish red pine in the polluted points were investigated by energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The elemental analysis of the annual rings were performed considering the fly ash elemental composition because the main pollutant source was the fly ash emitted from KTPP chimney smoke. With EDS analyses, some elements such as Al, Si, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, S, Zn, Ti, and Nb were determined in the fly ash. These elements accumulated in ATRs from the KTPP fly ash. They not only accumulated in annual rings formed after KTPP began operation but also accumulated in ATRs formed before KTPP started. It was confirmed that these elements accumulated in the annual rings affected by KTPP much more than the control ATRs. This paper proved that SEM-EDS, a new approach/analytical method to air pollution determination through ATRs, has been successfully applied to dendro-chemical elemental analysis of annual tree rings.