title: Identifying the origins of local atmospheric deposition in the steel industry basin of Luxembourg using the chemical and isotopic composition of the lichen Xanthoria parietina.
abstract: Trace metal atmospheric contamination was assessed in one of the oldest European industrial sites of steel production situated in the southern part of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Using elemental ratios as well as Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic compositions as tracers, we found preliminary results concerning the trace metal enrichment and the chemical/isotopic signatures of the most important emission sources using the lichen Xanthoria parietina sampled at 15 sites along a SW-NE transect. The concentrations of these elements decreased with increasing distance from the historical and actual steel-work areas. The combination of the different tracers (major elements, Rare Earth Element ratios, Pb, Sr and Nd isotopes) enabled us to distinguish between three principal sources: the historical steel production (old tailings corresponding to blast-furnace residues), the present steel production (industrial sites with arc electric furnace units) and the regional background (baseline) components. Other anthropogenic sources including a waste incinerator and major roads had only weak impacts on lichen chemistry and isotopic ratios. The correlation between the Sr and Nd isotope ratios indicated that the Sr-Nd isotope systems represented useful tools to trace atmospheric emissions of factories using scrap metal for steel production.
authors.affiliation: Département Environnement et Agro-Biotechnologies (EVA), CRP-Gabriel Lippmann, Belvaux, Luxembourg. hissler@lippmann.lu
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hissler
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stille
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krein
authors.forename: Majdi Lahd
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Geagea
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Probst
authors.forename: Lucien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D007554:Isotopes; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D008011:Lichens / Q000737:chemistry*; D008189:Luxembourg; D008669:Metallurgy; D009354:Neodymium / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D013232:Steel; D013324:Strontium / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D013232:Steel; D009354:Neodymium; D007854:Lead; D013324:Strontium