Scanning electron microscopy / energy dispersive X-ray analyzer(SEM/EDX) has played an important role for evaluation the source of atmospheric particle because it is a powerful tool for characterizing individual particles. The SEM/EDX system provides various physical parameters like optical diameter, as well as chemical information for a particle-by-particle basis.
The purpose of the study was to classify individual particle emitted from the point sources based on clustering analysis and physico-chemical analysis by SEM/EDX. The total of 490 individual particle were analyzed at 8 point sources including coal-fired power plant, incinerator, B-C oil boiler, and metal manufacturing industry.
The main components were Si and Al in the coal-fired power plant, Cl and Na in the domestic waste Incinerator, S in the B-C oil boiler and S and Fe in the metal manufactory industry, respectively.